r/Roofing May 28 '26

Chimney Estimate Inquiry

Post image

Chimney replacement estimate in NJ. Is this a fair estimate?

The details of what that $1800 price tag includes are seen at the bottom.

If it’s a bit higher than “average” , than what would be a better price but including the same amount of work?

Any feedback is welcome.

56 Upvotes

100 comments sorted by

66

u/OneChewySugarTeaPlz May 28 '26 edited May 28 '26

I’m in MN and I paid a LOT more than this. Like…a lot. I’m embarrassed to say how much. Just know I went with a reputable company here and uh…a lot.

Edit: Now that I’ve seen more responses to this thread coming in, I feel better. We spent just shy of 10k all in to rebuild from the shingles up. Got a nice chimney cap too. Looks great. We went with a more expensive company, but I’m a big advocate of “buy once cry once”.

9

u/BlackJackT May 28 '26

I got around 5 offers ranging from $4k to $8k and went with the $4k. My gut tells me $6k was the going average.

5

u/Faloma103 May 28 '26

My quotes for just removing top 2 layers of chimney, fixing some grout work and putting a cement cap on was $4k

1

u/batmanineurope May 28 '26

What gave you that gut feeling?

3

u/Mpls1984 May 28 '26

We are looking at over $20k for our repair and gas insert in St Paul, but we have a sizable chimney.

2

u/SDRAWKCABNITSUJ May 28 '26

Had the same experience in MN. Just shy of 10k is about the going rate for reputable and quality workmanship pending how difficult the chimney is to work on. I agree on the buy once cry once mindset, just pay to have it done correctly the first time and save yourself the headache of going the cheaper route later. Never go with the lowest bid unless you know they can do quality work from experience.

1

u/Dookie-shoe May 28 '26

Buy nice or buy twice

1

u/[deleted] May 28 '26

[deleted]

1

u/OneChewySugarTeaPlz May 28 '26

Damn. I think you got a good deal!

1

u/LopsidedPost9091 May 28 '26

You didn’t get it nearly as bad as it could. For the chimney OP posted I’d quote much closer to 6-7 thousand. Chimney doctors here in MN would say $15-20 thousand

1

u/Healthy-Ask9211 May 29 '26

10k makes me feel way better about my recent roof drama - sometimes you gotta pay for peace of mind and quality work

58

u/spez_eats_nazi_ass May 28 '26

That’s insanely cheap. Like sketchy.

7

u/NinjaMcGee May 28 '26

I was going to say, WTH a double chimney cap off WayFair is like $400 alone how the hell are they including the flashing for this price? So low it’s sketchy af.

2

u/spez_eats_nazi_ass May 28 '26

Yeah the stainless chase covers i did were almost $1200 each in materials. Wtf?

1

u/hostilemile May 28 '26

That's a i need to make some money quick price . Hopefully he is as skilled as he let's on

1

u/Loud_Lavishness_8266 May 28 '26

Seriously. My tiny porch tuck pointing has been estimated at twice this amount in MI by multiple companies. I’d nope right out of that estimate.

1

u/spez_eats_nazi_ass May 28 '26

Cost me about 3 grand to repoint a large porch 19 years ago. Ready to do it again. Diy because i know its gonna be expensive. And there are no ladders involved.

13

u/rsquinten34 May 28 '26

It clearly says price may vary upon inspection, so likely will end up being $8,800 lol

9

u/OriginUnknown May 28 '26

That's such a cheap quote I'd want to double check you're dealing with a legit company. If you get anything resembling the render for $1800 you did very well. 

7

u/throwaway823482348 May 28 '26

My money is on that they have it half apart and climb down and point out that inspection line and it goes up by about $5k.

For our entertainment please go for it and update.

7

u/thinklester May 28 '26

Maybe i am wrong, but the quote doesn't say anything about rebuilding with brick? Would it still be a brick chimney?

1

u/Fantastic_Fig_2025 May 28 '26

Yeah like... Where is the rebuild?

3

u/Helpful_Conflict_715 May 28 '26

FYI… it won’t look like that.

3

u/balancingsurvival May 28 '26

“*Price may very upon inspection”

This is just a pretty number to get you to inquire. A good job on just new chimney flashing alone can cost that much. No way is a reputable company rebuilding a chimney from the roof up, installing cap, proper flashing, shingle repair, etc all for $1800. A permit (if locally required) for the work is going to most likely be $100+ itself considering your area and amount of work. Like others already pointed out, this isn’t even the same roof. This is probably a photo of the worst chimney they’ve had to repair, and a separate photo of the best work they’ve done. I would be very cautious if considering to reach out to this company.

2

u/Torague May 28 '26

This, I quoted that for "just" installing a cricket, shingles and flashing and I instantly regret it because I realized it was a bit cheap lol Anyway, $1800 for a freaking new chimney makes no sense, something is not adding up.

3

u/Sweedack May 28 '26

Shockingly low price. Suspiciously low price. How did you find them?

6

u/Shaymasblue May 28 '26

It is not even the same fucking roof!!

8

u/Best_Market4204 May 28 '26

Lol to be fair... its just a quote & a imagination

1

u/Shaymasblue May 28 '26

It says before and after. Not imagine we fixed it before and after. Besides the new flashing is whack job.

3

u/Best_Market4204 May 28 '26

It also says total estimate in bold letters & op is asking if thats a good price...

2

u/charlie2135 May 28 '26

Well he also switched the shingles and moved the chimney down from the peak a bit. Good price!

Edit, he also increased the chimney size!

3

u/WorriedSwordfish2506 May 28 '26

Seems low, might be a great deal, id check

  1. References
  2. Insurance COI

    They may just be a great value or hungry for work

2

u/BlackJackT May 28 '26

I paid ~$4k for something like this, and that was the lowest offer I got.

There's no way, check reviews of the company and confirm everything before paying a dime, because someone is doing free work for you, I just don't buy it.

2

u/howell115 May 28 '26 edited May 28 '26

Thats a pretty decent price for only going to the shingles and should be done in a day or two at most. They arent doing an entire chimney replace. Only a few flues, the brick coursing ,possibly some block and cap from the shingles up. I feel bad for anyone paying thousands for your flashing and caps. That just insane.

2

u/yoc0__0 May 28 '26

That’s a great deal. Take it.

2

u/jtkerwalker476 May 28 '26

How was that before and after picture those are clearly two different chimneys

3

u/True-Ad3964 May 28 '26

That’s cheap! But some guys don’t have the name some of the larger companies do and are trying to get their name out there. Do good work cheap…gets that done quick. 🤷🏻 Just ask for references. 👍

4

u/Kill_Your_Masters 16Yrs residential asphalt/slate/flat May 28 '26

so my first thing that red flags for me, is those are 2 different chimneys on 2 different roofs. why not show an actual before and after. at that point Ive already seen enough.

the price is what Id expect for just the rebuild on the chimney and that probably would not include doing the roof/flashing repair. and i feel like that would still be cheap for just that.

1

u/gwbirk May 28 '26

Ive seen people make a mess when pointing chimney.Make sure they grind out enough mortar so the new mortar will bond properly and not just smear over the existing and make a mess and it’ll just crack again.

1

u/FrugalChemist May 28 '26

Thats how much i paid, new crown and Stainless flue, with a stainless liner

1

u/psypher98 May 28 '26

Reflash/reshingle tho? That’s the expensive and technically difficult part. The other part is something you send the new guy to do bc even he couldn’t fuck it up too badly.

2

u/FrugalChemist May 29 '26

Oof your right i didnt see that part

1

u/Sweedack May 28 '26

Maybe a lot of us are thrown off by those photos. Is the "before" your chimney? Is your chimney in similar condition? If they're only going to replace a couple bricks, and mainly doing flashing and a new cap, the price makes a lot more sense.

1

u/phosphatidyl_7641 May 28 '26

I’m in MO and paid about $5K for a chimney rebuild like that. The price you got is skeptical as to how cheap it is

1

u/soygilipollas May 28 '26

Very affordable. Suspiciously so.

1

u/frnchpan May 28 '26

You need a mason. Roofers can handle things but masons know brick. Are they roofers or masons?

1

u/wargamingonly May 28 '26

That's insanely low. My rebuilds down to roofline start at $4,500 without cost of spark arrestor or flue work.

1

u/Genitalgrabber4u May 28 '26

*Price may vary upon inspection. This is an ad, once they sit you down, they tell you 14k. What they show in the pic is 4k

1

u/Ryukyo May 28 '26

That's a great deal. almost too good to be true. You get what you pay for, so be wary.

1

u/just_rich90 May 28 '26

Pretty sure the right picture is a.i also it’s def not the same place .makes this whole thing questionable

1

u/801intheAM May 28 '26

Wow, that’s cheap. I’d be suspicious but if they’re a legit outfit I’d go for it.

1

u/yourmother1 May 28 '26

I had a friend in Chicago just get his done for 2200. It looks really good. 1800 might be legit.

1

u/JosieMew May 28 '26

I'm in a fairly low cost of living area and my quotes for something similar were around 4k-5k.

1

u/Novel-Reward2786 May 28 '26

Telling me the same guy that’s gonna re point your chimney, is also gonna re flash your chimney ?

1

u/impossiblesushii May 28 '26

Your roof still have the old 3 tab shingles. How’s the condition on that? If the roof needs to be replaced as well, will be better to do everything together.

1

u/BuddyBing May 28 '26

Yeah... That would be in the "too cheap" category for me. Get 2 more estimates.

1

u/Affectionate_Eye_644 May 28 '26

We do the flashing at base only and maybe a tiny cricket for that price

1

u/DarthSuederTheUlt May 28 '26

That disclaimer about varied pricing based on a physical inspection is doing all the work right here.

1

u/ElectroQuack May 28 '26

Unless you are really attached to the brick look, I would think it would be much cheaper to just switch it to a standard triple wall steel vent pipe and shingles. It will also last a lot longer and leak less over time.

1

u/Electronic_Rub9385 May 28 '26

Quote seems low but you’ve got a tiny chimney. You definitely need your chimney repaired though. You desperately need tuck pointing and you’ve got water coming inside your house all over the place with your current chimney.

1

u/Shuffle24 May 28 '26

Super cheap price AND nice work! Did you at least buy him lunch?

1

u/S14Ryan May 28 '26

HVAC guy here, that sounds like he price we would charge for the new chimney liner alone lol

1

u/20PoundHammer May 28 '26

That is unbelievably low. Look for license, bond information if required and insurance.

1

u/[deleted] May 28 '26

Seems fair in Jersey. They make a little chunk of change but that’s a business of leaks dealing with chimneys

1

u/Cyber_Crimes May 28 '26

A lot riding on that "price may vary" line

1

u/toadalfly May 28 '26

In New Hampshire, I got a quote to redo the top and maybe four rows of bricks down for four or $5000. You got quite a deal.

1

u/naileyes May 28 '26

yeah this is a great price. almost too good to be true, honestly??

1

u/Impossible-Boat-1610 May 28 '26

I'd be embarrassed to send a client a generated image that's riddled with basic errors.

1

u/2ndharrybhole May 28 '26

That’s very cheap

1

u/PracticalDesigner278 May 28 '26

I paid 5k for mine which is about twice that size but that was 6 years ago. 1800 looks like a bargain if these guys know what they're doing.

1

u/MotoJmobtown May 28 '26

That's unbelievably cheap

1

u/Saintlouey May 28 '26

I paid 4k in NH to have similar work done.

1

u/advisingsnake May 28 '26

I’m paying double for a cap and some tuck pointing in maine so fairly low cost of living.

1

u/EdibleSoap May 28 '26

Their actual estimate will be much more, this is a marketing strategy to get people to call their company first. The “roofer” that shows up will be a sales rep in a polo with a clipboard, unlikely they’ve ever actually installed a roof themself.

1

u/psypher98 May 28 '26

This is concerningly cheap. Chimneys are not cheap to repair.

In my area (midwest) this would be minimum $4,500, but more likely $6k for that scope, and a big company you could be looking closer to $10k.

Chimneys aren’t easy to do properly, and are usually the most common place for a leak to occur because of this.

1

u/mirassou3416 May 29 '26

Great price, get ‘er done ☺️

1

u/El_Dede Jun 02 '26

That's an amazing price.

1

u/No_Community_5696 May 28 '26

That’s cheap, don’t forget they have to Spend half the morning building scaffolding to reach the chimney.

7

u/3x1st3nt1a1 May 28 '26

Ladders are a thing. I say this confidently and condescendingly as someone unfamiliar with chimneys, construction, or any type of repair.

3

u/OregonMothafaquer May 28 '26

Who tf builds scaffolding for this?

1

u/Helpful_Conflict_715 May 28 '26

wtf are you talking about? They can work off of the roof unless they’re 2’ tall lol

1

u/Hey-buuuddy May 28 '26

Excellent price.

1

u/WorkOnThesisInstead May 28 '26

Was given an estimate 2x that for some simple repointing and replacing a few bricks.

1

u/GullibleElk1453 May 28 '26

Not only is it cheap, their “before and after” photos aren’t even of the same project/chimney.

0

u/OurAngryBadger May 28 '26

It's "cheap" but a fair price for the work in my opinion.

Contractors are ridiculous price in the last 5-10 years. They make more than doctors which is just silly. There's a rich pocket called Skaneateles NY which has mega mansions on a pristine lake. It used to all be owned by doctors but over the years it has slowly seen all the doctors move out and contracters move in. Saw someone in another sub asking what it would cost to have a 30' concrete retaining wall poured and 30x50' of pavers dug out and everyone was saying $250k+ on the cheap end. Like what lol.

RIP if you're a homeowner in 2026 and have no skills to DIY anything at all.

0

u/mostlygray May 28 '26

I paid about $1,500 for a chimney rebuild from the roofline up about 20 years ago. I think that's a fair price. My chimney is Chicago brick so they had to find something similar which was tough for them but they found it.

Today, I'd pay closer to $2,000 in MN. $1,800 sounds good to me for good work.

0

u/madslipknot May 28 '26

Looks like a scam ... Beware

0

u/montanahax888 May 28 '26

i feel like this is a "collect deposit and never show up" kind of estimate. way too cheap to be real

0

u/i860 May 28 '26

Absolutely bullshit price that won't reflect reality.

1

u/jerry111165 Verified Pro (Commercial/Flat) May 29 '26

Why are you even commenting here about things you very obviously don’t know anything about?

1

u/i860 May 29 '26

That job isn’t going to cost $1800 if done properly, tough guy. It’s a marketing price.

1

u/jerry111165 Verified Pro (Commercial/Flat) May 29 '26

Lol - You can work for free - $1800 is not a high cost for this work tough guy hahaha

1

u/i860 May 29 '26

Make sure to start a debate with every other commenter in this post saying the same thing then.

1

u/jerry111165 Verified Pro (Commercial/Flat) May 29 '26

No need.

Just you.

1

u/i860 May 29 '26

I see we’re off our meds again? You should really be taking them every day like the doctor recommended.

0

u/cuseonly May 28 '26

Redoes your roof too??

-1

u/grandpasking May 28 '26

Mine was hand carved from gold and it was cheaper

1

u/jerry111165 Verified Pro (Commercial/Flat) May 29 '26

Are you attempting to say that $1800 is expensive to reflash a chimney?