Chimney Repairs, Repointing & Flashing

What goes wrong with a chimney

Damp on a chimney breast is rarely the chimney itself leaking — it is nearly always the mortar or the flashing around it.

• Cracked, hollow or washed-out pointing in the stack
• Failed or lifted lead flashing where the stack meets the roof
• Cracked flaunching around the pots
• Spalling or frost-damaged brick and stone
• Missing or broken pots and capping
• Damp staining on the chimney breast inside the house

Repairs we carry out

Depending on the condition of the stack, that can mean raking out and repointing, renewing the flaunching, replacing pots or capping a disused flue so it stays ventilated but dry.

Where the stack is badly deteriorated, taking it down to a sound course and rebuilding is the honest answer rather than repointing masonry that will not hold.

Flashing and leadwork

The joint between stack and roof is what keeps water out, and cement fillets cracking away from brickwork are a common bodge we find. Proper stepped lead flashing with soakers and a back gutter is how it should be done, and it is the detail we use.