Is a cracked crown urgent, or can it wait until spring?

A crown that is only hairline cracked is usually a planned repair. But once brick is coming off, water is already getting in, and every Hempstead freeze-thaw cycle makes it worse. Have it looked at so you know which one you have.

Do I need a permit for this in Hempstead?

In New York, permits 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, while routine sweeping and inspection generally do not. Call your local building department before work begins.

Is the contractor licensed?

New York has no statewide chimney-sweep or masonry license, so it is handled locally. Nassau County runs its own home improvement contractor licensing program, and you can verify current requirements with the county consumer affairs or licensing office.

Can repointing be done in winter on Long Island?

Mortar needs to cure without freezing, which is why exterior masonry work in New York concentrates in the warmer months. The technician will tell you what can be done now and what is better scheduled later. Ask for that reasoning in writing.

Are you the ones doing the work?

No. One Call Chimney is a referral and scheduling service that arranges chimney work with independent sweeps and masons across all fifty states. We are not the contractor and we do not perform the work.

Cracked crown or crumbling brick in Hempstead, NY

You have probably found pieces of brick or mortar on the roof, in the gutter, or on the ground by the foundation. Look up and the top slab of the chimney, the crown, is split or broken away at the edges. That slab is what keeps rain off the masonry below it. Once it cracks, water runs straight into the brick and the joints instead of shedding off the side.

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This happens fast in Hempstead because the water freezes. Winters here bring repeated freeze-thaw cycles, and soaked brick expands every time it freezes, then loosens a little more when it thaws. Hempstead also sits about five miles inland from the South Shore bays, so salt-laden air and nor'easter winds reach the village and work on chimney caps and flashing. Add humid summers that keep masonry damp, and a hairline crack you ignored last year is a bigger job this year.

While you wait — please don't

Keep people away from the base of the chimney. Falling brick is a real hazard at ground level, so move cars, bins and anything your kids use away from that side of the house until it is looked at.
Don't treat a leaning stack as cosmetic. A stack that leans, bulges or has open gaps between bricks has lost structure, and that is a different problem than a worn crown.
Stop using the fireplace or appliance if you smell smoke indoors. Gaps in the masonry can let combustion gases into the house, so stop using it and get it checked before you light another fire.
Get out if a carbon monoxide alarm sounds. Carbon monoxide kills — go outside into fresh air first and call 911, then deal with the chimney afterwards.
Stay off the roof. Loose brick and crumbling mortar are not stable to stand near, and the crown edge is usually the weakest part of the whole structure.

What the technician does

The chimney gets inspected and you get a price firstThe technician looks at the crown, the joints, the brick faces and the stack above the roofline. You get the price before any work starts, and nothing happens until you approve it.
The crown is repaired or recastA new crown is formed with an overhang and a drip edge so rainwater is thrown clear of the brick instead of running down the face of it. That overhang is what stops the problem coming back.
Open joints are repointedFailed mortar is cut out and replaced, matched to the existing work so the repair sits in with the rest of the chimney rather than standing out.
Spalled brick is cut out and replacedBricks whose faces have popped or flaked off no longer shed water. Those get removed and new units set in place.
A cap is fittedA cap keeps rain and debris out of the flue, which matters on Long Island where wind-driven rain comes in off the coast through the fall and winter.
Rebuild above the roofline if neededWhere the stack has lost structure, the section above the roof is taken down and rebuilt. This is the option when repointing alone would not hold.

Why this happens in Hempstead, NY

Much of Hempstead's housing stock predates 1960 — wood-frame Colonials, Capes and Tudors, plus a lot of two-family homes near downtown and the Hofstra University area. Masonry chimneys are widespread on those houses, and many of them still vent oil or gas boilers rather than just serving a fireplace. That matters with crown and brick damage, because an active venting flue has to stay sound year-round, not only in fireplace season. The same pattern runs through West Hempstead, Uniondale and Garden City South.

Mature street trees and frequent coastal storms mean downed-limb damage to chimney crowns is a recurring call around here. Hempstead has taken tropical storms and hurricanes — Irene in 2011, Sandy in 2012 — along with winter wind-driven rain and snow. Locally, calls spike in early spring once freeze-thaw damage from the winter shows itself, and again in late summer and fall as people prepare for hurricane season and start the heating system. Across New York, exterior masonry rebuilding and repointing concentrate in the warmer months, when mortar can cure without freezing.

Questions people ask

Is a cracked crown urgent, or can it wait until spring?: A crown that is only hairline cracked is usually a planned repair. But once brick is coming off, water is already getting in, and every Hempstead freeze-thaw cycle makes it worse. Have it looked at so you know which one you have.
Do I need a permit for this in Hempstead?: In New York, permits 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, while routine sweeping and inspection generally do not. Call your local building department before work begins.
Is the contractor licensed?: New York has no statewide chimney-sweep or masonry license, so it is handled locally. Nassau County runs its own home improvement contractor licensing program, and you can verify current requirements with the county consumer affairs or licensing office.
Can repointing be done in winter on Long Island?: Mortar needs to cure without freezing, which is why exterior masonry work in New York concentrates in the warmer months. The technician will tell you what can be done now and what is better scheduled later. Ask for that reasoning in writing.
Are you the ones doing the work?: No. One Call Chimney is a referral and scheduling service that arranges chimney work with independent sweeps and masons across all fifty states. We are not the contractor and we do not perform the work.

One call

Call (866) 576-7943 and we will arrange for an independent mason to inspect your chimney in Hempstead and quote the crown and brickwork. The estimate is free, and you approve the price before any work starts.

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.