Does the whole chimney have to come down?

Usually not. Rebuilding above the roofline is the common answer, because that is the section most exposed to freeze-thaw and coastal wind-driven rain. A full rebuild with a proper footing is for cases where the structure itself has gone.

Do I need a permit in Hempstead?

In New York, permits for chimney work are issued locally by the municipal or county building department, not by a state agency. Structural masonry work such as rebuilding a chimney above the roofline typically requires one, and requirements vary between jurisdictions. Call your local building department before work begins.

Is there a state chimney licence I should ask about?

New York does not issue a statewide licence for chimney sweeping, inspection or masonry repair. Nassau County runs its own home improvement contractor licensing program, so Hempstead homeowners should verify current requirements with the county consumer affairs or licensing office.

Can I use the fireplace until the rebuild happens?

No. A fireplace should not be used under a stack that is leaning or shedding brick. Ask the technician to confirm in writing what is safe to run and what is not, especially if a boiler vents into that chimney.

What does One Call Chimney actually do?

We are a referral and scheduling service. We arrange chimney work with independent sweeps and masons across all fifty states — we are not the contractor and we do not perform the work ourselves.

Chimney Rebuild in Hempstead, NY

You have looked at the chimney and it is in bad shape. Maybe the brick above the roof is shedding pieces into the gutter. Maybe the mortar joints have washed out and you can see daylight through them. Maybe the stack leans. When masonry gets to that point, patching stops being the answer and a rebuild starts being the answer. Usually that means taking the chimney down to a sound course and rebuilding from there.

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Hempstead is hard on brick. The village sits on Long Island's coastal plain, about five miles inland from the South Shore bays, so salt-laden air and nor'easter winds reach it and speed up corrosion on chimney caps and flashing. Winters bring repeated freeze-thaw cycles. Water soaks into a crown or an open mortar joint, freezes, expands and pushes the masonry apart, then does it again the next night. Much of Hempstead's housing stock predates 1960, and masonry chimneys serving older boilers and fireplaces are widespread here. Decades of that cycle is what finally takes a stack apart.

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 outside and call 911 if anyone feels sick. Headache, nausea, dizziness or drowsiness around a fuel-burning appliance can mean carbon monoxide — leave the house first, then call 911.
Keep people and cars clear of the base. Loose brick and crown fragments come down in wind, and coastal storms are a recurring source of damage here.
Do not have it rebuilt in freezing weather. Masonry needs temperatures above freezing to cure, so a cold-weather rebuild will not set up the way it should.
Say if a boiler vents into it. Many older Nassau County homes still run oil or gas boilers into masonry chimneys, and that flue has to keep working safely while the job is planned.

What the technician does

Inspection with photographsThe technician looks over the stack, the crown, the flashing and the flue, and photographs what is failing. You see the pictures and hear the reasoning before anything is quoted.
Rebuild above the rooflineThis is the usual answer. The damaged section above the roof comes down and is rebuilt on the sound masonry below it.
Full rebuild where the structure has goneIf the damage runs below the roofline, the chimney is rebuilt from a proper footing, with new flashing where it meets the roof.
New crown, cap and linerA new crown and cap go on as part of the work, and a liner is included so the flue is sound when the stack is finished.
Brick and mortar matchedThe technician matches brick and mortar as closely as the house allows, so the rebuilt section is not an obvious patch.
A price before work startsThe technician gives you the price after the inspection and before any work begins. You approve it first.

Why this happens in Hempstead, NY

Timing matters in Hempstead. Masonry needs temperatures above freezing to cure, and this part of New York gets repeated freeze-thaw cycles through the winter, so rebuilds are warm-month work. If your chimney is failing in January, a temporary cover can protect the open stack from rain and snow until conditions allow the masonry to be done properly. That is a normal part of planning a rebuild here, not a delay for its own sake.

Demand follows the weather. Calls spike in early spring, once winter freeze-thaw damage shows itself, and again in late summer and fall as people prepare for hurricane season and heating-system startup. Hempstead has seen what coastal storms do — Irene in 2011 and Sandy in 2012 — and mature street trees mean downed-limb damage to chimney crowns is a recurring call around the village, from Downtown Hempstead and the Hofstra University area out through West Hempstead, East Hempstead and Garden City South. If you have noticed the stack going, the spring and summer months are when to deal with it.

Questions people ask

Does the whole chimney have to come down?: Usually not. Rebuilding above the roofline is the common answer, because that is the section most exposed to freeze-thaw and coastal wind-driven rain. A full rebuild with a proper footing is for cases where the structure itself has gone.
Do I need a permit in Hempstead?: In New York, permits for chimney work are issued locally by the municipal or county building department, not by a state agency. Structural masonry work such as rebuilding a chimney above the roofline typically requires one, and requirements vary between jurisdictions. Call your local building department before work begins.
Is there a state chimney licence I should ask about?: New York does not issue a statewide licence for chimney sweeping, inspection or masonry repair. Nassau County runs its own home improvement contractor licensing program, so Hempstead homeowners should verify current requirements with the county consumer affairs or licensing office.
Can I use the fireplace until the rebuild happens?: No. A fireplace should not be used under a stack that is leaning or shedding brick. Ask the technician to confirm in writing what is safe to run and what is not, especially if a boiler vents into that chimney.
What does One Call Chimney actually do?: We are a referral and scheduling service. We arrange chimney work with independent sweeps and masons across all fifty states — we are not the contractor and we do not perform the work ourselves.

One call

Call (866) 576-7943 and we will arrange an inspection of your Hempstead chimney, with photographs of what is failing and a free estimate. The technician gives you the price before any work starts, and nothing goes ahead until you approve it.

Call now · (866) 576-7943

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