If you have spotted a problem with your chimney stack in Waterbeach and a contractor cannot get to you straight away, there are practical steps you can take to limit damage - and things you should leave well alone.
Call any time. Calls are answered day and night and passed straight to our roofers.
A chimney rebuild means taking the stack down - from the lead flashing level upwards, or further if the deterioration is severe - and rebuilding it in matching brick with the correct mortar mix. The lead flashing at the base is replaced as part of the job, the pots are re-haunched or renewed, and the top of the stack is properly weathered so that water runs off rather than sitting in joints.
A failing stack is not just an aesthetic problem. It lets water into your roof structure and walls, can cause movement in the masonry, and if the flue is still in use, creates a genuine safety risk for whoever is using the appliance below. The longer a damaged stack is left, the more of it is typically affected by the time work eventually begins.
You do not need to go on the roof to identify a chimney problem. From the garden or the pavement, with or without binoculars, look for:
Inside the house, damp patches on the chimney breast wall, staining on the ceiling near the stack, or a smell of damp or soot when the fireplace is not in use all point to water getting in at the stack or flashing level.
If the chimney is serving a wood-burning stove, open fire, or solid-fuel appliance, stop using it until a qualified roofer has assessed the stack. A cracked or damaged flue can allow combustion gases or sparks to escape into the roof space. This is not a risk worth running while you wait for a booking slot.
If the chimney is redundant and not connected to any appliance, the urgency is lower but the risk is not zero - a leaning or very unstable stack is a structural concern. If you have any doubt about how stable the stack is, keep people away from the area directly below it and call a roofer promptly.
If you have water coming through at the chimney breast following rain, place bowls or towels to protect floor coverings and note how quickly the water appears after rainfall starts. This information - along with where exactly the damp patch is on the wall or ceiling - is useful to the roofer when they arrive, as it helps narrow down whether the problem is the flashing, the brickwork, or the pointing.
Take photographs. Photograph the stack from the garden, the damp patches inside, and anything else that looks wrong. If conditions are safe and you can get into the loft, photograph any visible damp or staining on the timbers around the chimney. Photographs taken before any work starts are useful for tracking what changed and when.
Do not go on the roof. Chimney work requires scaffold for a reason - working at ridge height on a pitched roof without the right equipment is dangerous, regardless of how straightforward the problem looks from below. Replacing a cracked pot, re-bedding flashing, or repointing joints at roof level is not a job to attempt from a ladder or by stepping off the ridge.
Do not apply roofing sealant, expanding foam, or similar products to the stack or the flashing area as a temporary fix. These products can trap water inside the brickwork rather than allowing it to escape, can cause damage to lead flashing if the wrong product is used, and can make the eventual repair more complicated and more expensive. They also give a false sense that the problem is solved when it is not.
Do not light fires or use the stove if the stack has visible structural damage. A crack running through several courses of brickwork, or a stack that has moved, means the flue is potentially compromised. Using a damaged flue is a fire and carbon monoxide risk.
Do not assume that a temporary tarpaulin or sheet over the top of the stack is a safe solution for anything beyond the very short term. Sheets shift in wind and can cause further damage if they pull at fittings or allow water to pool.
If you are waiting for a rebuild and the chimney has been in use, book a chimney sweep once the work is complete before you use the appliance again. A sweep clears any debris disturbed during the rebuild, checks the liner condition inside the flue, and gives you confidence that everything is clear before the first fire of the season. A sweep typically costs £50-£80.
If you burn solid fuel - wood, coal or smokeless fuel - let your contractor know before work begins. The mortar used in certain parts of the job, particularly around the firebox and the lower flue area, needs to be heat-resistant. Using the wrong mix in these areas causes it to fail quickly once heat is applied. Wood burner users should also only burn wood with a moisture content below 20 per cent - wet wood produces far more creosote, which builds up in the liner and is a fire risk as well as an obstruction.
Any chimney rebuild at roof level requires scaffold to be erected first. This usually takes half a day and means the contractor will arrive in two stages - scaffold first, then the roofer once it is in place. The brickwork itself on a straightforward partial rebuild typically takes one to two days. Drying time for the mortar means the scaffold may stay up for several days after the brickwork is finished.
For a partial rebuild from the flashing level upwards on a standard two-storey house, expect costs in the range of £800-£2,000. A full stack rebuild from the roof line, including new lead flashing, new pots and haunching, typically runs from £2,500 to £4,500 or above for larger stacks. Scaffold is a significant part of the cost on chimney jobs - it is necessary and any quote that does not include it should be questioned.
Can I use the upstairs rooms normally while the scaffold is up? Yes. The scaffold is external and does not restrict access inside the house. Windows may be partially obstructed on the scaffold side.
The chimney is redundant - does it still need a proper rebuild or can it just be capped? If the stack itself is structurally sound, a proper ventilated cap over the pot and a check of the flashing may be all that is needed. If the brickwork has failed, it still needs to be rebuilt correctly regardless of whether the flue is in use - a falling section of chimney stack can cause serious damage to the roof and to anyone below.
I have a wood-burning stove that I use regularly. Will the rebuild take the stove out of use for long? During the rebuild, yes - you will not be able to use the stove. Once the work is finished and the mortar has had adequate time to cure, you can use it again. Your contractor should tell you the minimum cure time based on the mortar they have used and the conditions at the time of the build.
Working from Mildenhall, we cover Waterbeach and the surrounding area including Soham, Newmarket, Isleham, Kennett and Freckenham. If you are not sure whether we cover your location, call us and we will confirm.
If your chimney stack has a visible problem, call us to arrange a roof survey. When you arrange one, ask for an assessment of what needs doing, a clear explanation of it and a written scope of the work - so you know exactly what you are agreeing to before anything starts.
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Call any time. Calls are answered day and night and passed straight to our roofers.
