Chimney Repair for Old Tappan chimneys
Two-story houses need tall chimneys, and many Old Tappan homes have a large exterior brick chimney running up a gable end, often with flues for one or two fireplaces and the heating system. The portion above the roof is high and exposed on all sides, so crowns, caps and the upper courses of brick take the most weather. Reaching them safely takes ladders or staging that a shorter chimney would not need.
Where an exterior chimney meets the roof, or where it passes a two-story wall, the flashing is long and complicated. Inside, multiple fireplace flues may not have been inspected in years. We inspect, clean, reline, repoint, rebuild crowns, install caps, waterproof and reflash, and we check every flue in a multi-flue stack.
Old Tappan housing
Old Tappan is mostly single-family, with a large share of larger homes built from the later decades of the twentieth century onward on generous lots: center-hall colonials, contemporaries and other two-story designs with complex roofs, skylights and tall masonry chimneys. Townhouse communities and some older homes add variety, and commercial and office buildings with low-slope roofs are present.
Weather & exposure
Old Tappan is wooded and inland, with Lake Tappan along part of the borough. Tree cover drops debris into the many valleys of large roofs and shades slopes. Large two-story houses present tall walls and high roofs to winter wind and snow. Freeze-thaw cycles work on tall exposed chimneys, and long eaves over heated rooms are prone to ice dams.
Repair, repoint or rebuild in Old Tappan
Have an Old Tappan chimney inspected if you see a cracked crown, missing cap, staining on the brick or inside near the chimney, or if fireplaces have not been inspected in years. Most repairs are exterior work, though height may add staging time.
If a flue serves a gas appliance and was never relined, have it checked. Estimates are free.
