Chimney Service in Red Bank, New Jersey
Red Bank sits on the south bank of the Navesink River, with older houses packed close around Broad Street. We inspect its chimneys for free, before any work.
Red Bank grew as a river town. Its name goes back to a 1736 land sale, passenger ships ran regularly to Manhattan after 1809, and dredging of the Navesink around 1845 made it a steamboat port for commuters. The railroad arrived in 1860, and Red Bank station, on NJ Transit's North Jersey Coast Line, is now on the state and national historic registers. Count Basie was born and raised here. The borough covers only about two square miles, and the 2020 census counted 12,936 people, its highest count yet.
The housing is much older than the rest of Monmouth County. Census figures (ACS 2024) show 32.4 percent of Red Bank homes built before 1940 and more than half before 1960, while the county as a whole is at 14.2 percent before 1940. Only about 40 percent of homes are detached houses; the rest are twins, two-families and apartment buildings. That means plenty of old brick chimneys, some of them serving more than one unit, and older flues that now vent gas furnaces and water heaters instead of what they were built for.
Red Bank's two historic districts
Red Bank's Historic Preservation Commission reviews exterior work on properties in its historic districts and on designated historic sites, and the borough's application form says its decisions count as final approval. There are two districts: the commercial Broad Street Historic District downtown, and the Washington Street Historic District, which the borough describes as modest Victorian. When Washington Street was added in 2009, the ordinance described about 80 buildings, most of them built before 1890.
If your home is in either district, check with the borough (732-530-2777) before a chimney rebuild, a new crown profile or anything else that changes how the chimney looks from outside. We give you photos and a written scope you can bring to the commission.
Old brick, open joints and liners
New Jersey's fire code says a masonry chimney with no flue liner and open mortar joints that let smoke or gas into the building shall be repaired or relined. Many chimneys from before 1940 were built without a liner, or with clay tiles that have cracked since. At the free inspection we look down the flue and tell you what it has.
If it needs work, repointing typically runs $500 to $2,500, a stainless liner $1,500 to $5,000 and a cast-in-place liner $2,000 to $7,000. A liner for a new gas furnace or water heater is usually $625 to $2,250, and it goes with the F-370 chimney check the state requires when that appliance is replaced.
Where we work in Red Bank
Downtown · Broad Street Historic District · Washington Street Historic District · West Side · Shrewsbury Avenue · East Side · Navesink riverfront · Train station area · Newman Springs Road · Newmans Corner
FAQ
Red Bank chimney questions
Do I need historic approval for chimney work in Red Bank?
Only if the property is in the Broad Street or Washington Street historic district, or is a designated historic site. Then exterior work goes to the Historic Preservation Commission for a certificate of appropriateness. Call the borough before a rebuild or any change you can see from the street.
My old chimney has no liner. What are my options?
A stainless liner typically runs $1,500 to $5,000, and a cast-in-place liner, which also seals cracks and gaps, $2,000 to $7,000. Under New Jersey's construction code, a spray-on coating of an existing chimney counts as ordinary maintenance and needs no permit. We tell you which fits at the free inspection.
How much does chimney cleaning cost in Red Bank?
We price the cleaning at the free inspection, after we see the chimney and the buildup inside. Heavy creosote removal, if it's needed, typically runs $400 to $900. The price is written down before any work.
Does New Jersey require a chimney inspection when I sell?
No. The state requires a smoke alarm, CO alarm and fire extinguisher certificate before closing, not a chimney inspection. Buyers often ask for one anyway, especially on older Red Bank houses, and ours is free.
Book online
Book in Red Bank. The inspection is free.
Free inspection in a 3-hour window: 8 to 11, 11 to 2, or 2 to 5. We call to confirm before we arrive.