Chimney repairs in Leeds and Yorkshire

Why chimneys need looking after

A chimney stack stands above the roof, so it takes the wind, rain and frost from every side. On an older house it may be well over 100 years old, and on terraces and semis it's often shared with next door.

When a chimney fails, water gets into the brickwork, the roof timbers around the stack and the rooms below. A damp patch on a chimney breast, or on the ceiling next to it, is the usual first sign.

Repointing

The mortar between the bricks wears away first. Once the joints are open, rain soaks into the stack and frost starts to break up the bricks. Repointing means raking out the old mortar and filling the joints with new. Badly damaged bricks can be cut out and replaced at the same time.

Older stacks were often built with lime mortar, which lets the brick or stone dry out. A hard cement mortar on an old stack can trap water and make the damage worse, so the new mortar should suit the old. I'll tell you what yours needs.

Flaunching

The flaunching is the sloped mortar cap around the pots at the top of the stack. It holds the pots in place and throws rain off the top of the chimney. It's the most exposed mortar on the house, and when it cracks, water runs straight down into the stack.

Loose pots are dangerous in high winds. Re-flaunching means taking off the old cap, re-setting the pots and forming a new one.

Lead flashing

Where the stack comes through the roof, lead flashing keeps the water out. An apron runs across the front of the stack, soakers and step flashings seal the sides, and a back gutter carries water around the top.

Old lead can split, lift or pull out of the brickwork. Some chimneys have no lead at all, just a strip of mortar where the stack meets the tiles, and that cracks as the roof moves. New leadwork is often the proper fix for a chimney leak.

Capping

If a chimney is no longer used, capping the pots stops rain getting in. The cap should still let air through. A flue sealed tight at the top traps moisture, and that shows up as damp on the chimney breast inside. The fireplace or opening at the bottom needs a vent too, so air can move up the flue.

Removal

If a stack isn't needed, or is past saving, taking it down can be the best answer. It's taken down below the roof line, and the roof is tiled over the gap so it's continuous again.

A few things need checking before a chimney comes down:

• If the stack is shared with next door, the Party Wall etc. Act 1996 applies, and your neighbour normally needs formal notice before work starts.
• If the house is listed, removing a chimney needs listed building consent. In a conservation area, check with the council first.
• If chimney breasts have already been taken out inside the house, the stack above needs to be properly supported.

I'll tell you which of these apply to your house when I visit.

When the damp isn't the chimney

Not every damp patch near a chimney comes from the stack. It can come from the roof around it, or from condensation in a sealed flue. I find the cause before suggesting a fix. If it turns out to be the roof, it's covered under roof repairs.

The stack often sits on the ridge, so it's worth checking the ridge tiles at the same time. And if the roof is being replaced, chimney work is best done from the same scaffold, as part of a re-roof.

One person from quote to sign-off

You deal with me throughout. I look at the chimney properly, explain what I've found and put it in writing. The price is fixed before any work starts, and I sign the job off with you when it's done.