Can the whole chimney be saved instead of rebuilt?

Sometimes, and sometimes only the section above the roofline needs to come down. That is what the inspection and photographs are for. Ask for the reasoning in writing so you can see which parts are failing and why.

Why can't the rebuild happen in the middle of a Buffalo winter?

Mortar needs temperatures above freezing to cure, and Buffalo has deep freezes and repeated freeze-thaw cycles from November into March. A rebuild laid in those conditions is not sound. A temporary cover can protect the stack until the weather allows the work.

My chimney was built for coal. Does that change anything?

Many older Buffalo masonry chimneys were originally built for coal or older gas appliances, and their flues were not sized or lined for what is connected today. A new liner is part of a rebuild. The technician should confirm what appliance the flue will serve.

In New York, permits are issued by your local building department, and structural masonry work such as rebuilding above the roofline usually needs one. Requirements vary between jurisdictions. Call your local code enforcement office before work starts.

Who actually does the work?

One Call Chimney is a referral and scheduling service. We arrange the job with independent sweeps and masons and we are not the contractor, so we do not perform the work ourselves. We cover all fifty states, including Buffalo and the rest of New York.

Chimney Rebuild in Buffalo, NY

If you are looking at a chimney that leans, sheds brick into the gutters, or has mortar you can rake out with a finger, the masonry has likely reached the end of its life. Brick faces that flake and crumble, a cracked crown, and open joints near the top are the usual signs. Most of the time the damage is concentrated above the roofline, and that section is what gets rebuilt. Sometimes the trouble runs deeper, and the structure and its footing have to be dealt with.

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Buffalo is hard on masonry. Deep freezes and repeated freeze-thaw cycles are routine here from November into March, and Lake Erie keeps the air and the brick damp. Water soaks into brick and mortar, freezes, expands, and breaks the material apart a little more each cycle. The city also has some of the oldest housing stock in the country, with large numbers of pre-1940 homes and very common masonry chimneys, many originally built for coal or older gas appliances. A century of that cycle is what produces spalled brick, failing crowns and deteriorated liners, and those then show up inside as draft and moisture problems.

While you wait — please don't

Stop using the fireplace. A fireplace should not be used under a stack that is leaning or shedding brick, because the flue inside it may no longer be intact.
Get out and call 911 if anyone feels ill. Headache, nausea, dizziness or confusion around a fuel-burning appliance can mean carbon monoxide, so leave the house first and call from outside.
Keep people and cars clear of the base. Loose brick and crown fragments come down in wind off the lake, and Buffalo's narrow lots often put walkways, driveways and rear garages right below the stack.
Do not patch over crumbling brick yourself. Smearing mortar or sealer across failing masonry traps the moisture that is causing the damage and hides how far it has gone.

What the technician does

Inspection with photographsThe technician inspects the chimney and documents what is failing with photographs. You get to see the brick, joints, crown and flue for yourself rather than taking a description on faith.
A price before anything startsYou get the price after the inspection and before any work begins, and you approve it first. Every job includes a free estimate.
Rebuild above the rooflineThis is the usual answer. The deteriorated section above the roof is taken down and rebuilt, which addresses the part of the stack that takes the worst of the weather.
Full rebuild where the structure has goneIf the damage runs below the roof and into the body of the chimney, the rebuild is done with proper footing and flashing. That is a larger job and the inspection should make clear why it is needed.
New crown, cap and linerA new crown, cap and liner are part of the work. The cap matters here because snow drifts and ice can cap masonry chimneys and block a flue.
Brick and mortar matchedBrick and mortar are matched as closely as the house allows. On older Buffalo brick and stone homes an exact match is not always available, and the mason should tell you what to expect.

Why this happens in Buffalo, NY

Timing matters more in Buffalo than in warmer places. Masonry needs temperatures above freezing to cure, so rebuilds in a cold region like this are warm-month work. If your stack is failing in January, the practical step is an inspection now, a temporary cover to protect the stack, and the rebuild scheduled when mortar can cure properly. Across New York, exterior masonry rebuilding and repointing concentrate in the warmer months for the same reason.

Demand follows the weather here. It spikes in October and November as people get ready for winter, again after major lake-effect snow and ice events from December through February, and during the spring thaw when freeze damage to masonry becomes visible. Spring is when a lot of Buffalo homeowners first notice the damage, and it is also the front end of the season when the work can actually be done. In New York, permits for chimney work are issued locally rather than by a state agency, and structural masonry work such as rebuilding a chimney above the roofline typically requires one. Call your local building department before work begins, and note that New York does not issue a statewide license for chimney or masonry work, so check current requirements with the city or county licensing office.

Questions people ask

Can the whole chimney be saved instead of rebuilt?: Sometimes, and sometimes only the section above the roofline needs to come down. That is what the inspection and photographs are for. Ask for the reasoning in writing so you can see which parts are failing and why.
Why can't the rebuild happen in the middle of a Buffalo winter?: Mortar needs temperatures above freezing to cure, and Buffalo has deep freezes and repeated freeze-thaw cycles from November into March. A rebuild laid in those conditions is not sound. A temporary cover can protect the stack until the weather allows the work.
My chimney was built for coal. Does that change anything?: Many older Buffalo masonry chimneys were originally built for coal or older gas appliances, and their flues were not sized or lined for what is connected today. A new liner is part of a rebuild. The technician should confirm what appliance the flue will serve.
Do I need a permit?: In New York, permits are issued by your local building department, and structural masonry work such as rebuilding above the roofline usually needs one. Requirements vary between jurisdictions. Call your local code enforcement office before work starts.
Who actually does the work?: One Call Chimney is a referral and scheduling service. We arrange the job with independent sweeps and masons and we are not the contractor, so we do not perform the work ourselves. We cover all fifty states, including Buffalo and the rest of New York.

One call

One call to (866) 576-7943 and we will arrange an inspection of your Buffalo chimney with an independent mason. The estimate is free, and you see the price and approve it before any work starts.

Call now · (866) 576-7943

Something else in this area

One Call Chimney arranges the visit; the technician does the work and gives you the price.