If you are considering a chimney take-down at your Bury St Edmunds property, here is exactly what the job looks like from the first visit to the moment we leave your driveway clear.
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Before any work is priced or planned, a roofer should get eyes on the stack itself, not just the chimney breast inside the house. A chimney that looks solid from the ground can be in very poor condition at the top, with loose pots, cracked flaunching or brickwork held together by habit rather than mortar.
At the survey stage, we are looking at the height and size of the stack, the condition of the brickwork and mortar joints, the state of the lead flashing at the base, what the roof covering is around the stack, and whether there is a liner inside the flue. All of this affects how the job is planned and what materials will be needed.
We also need to know whether the fireplace below is still in use or whether the chimney is completely redundant. This changes the approach to capping the flue once the stack comes down.
A chimney take-down cannot safely be done from a ladder. The brickwork being dismantled produces heavy, unpredictable debris, and someone needs to be working at the same level as the top of the stack to take it down safely, course by course. Scaffold is not optional.
The scaffold is designed to give a safe working platform around the stack and a place to stack the demolished brickwork temporarily before it is lowered down. On a typical terraced or semi-detached property, scaffold goes up on the day before or the morning of the main job. On larger or more complex properties, additional time is allowed.
Neighbours are usually notified in advance if the scaffold needs to go onto or over a shared boundary. This is good practice and avoids disputes later.
Work starts at the top. The pots come off first, then the flaunching (the cement bed around the pots), then the brickwork is taken down course by course. Each brick is passed down or lowered rather than dropped, to avoid damaging the tiles below.
The stack is taken down to just below the roofline. The exact finishing level depends on the roof design. On a pitched roof, the target is usually to bring the stack down so the top sits below the ridge line, removing it from view and from exposure to wind. The remaining stub of brickwork at the top of the remaining wall below roofline is then made weathertight before anything else happens.
A common problem at this stage is finding that the brickwork is in worse condition than the outside suggested. Mortar can be completely hollow behind a surface that still looks intact. This does not change the process, but it confirms that the take-down was the right decision.
Once the stack is down, the top of the flue needs to be dealt with. The flue is a void running from the fireplace up through the roof space. If it is simply left open, it becomes a route for cold air, birds, and moisture into the house.
The standard approach is to fit a ventilated cap at the top of the remaining flue. A small air vent allows the flue space to breathe, which prevents condensation from building up inside. If the redundant flue space is to be fully closed off and insulated, the area must be dry first and the work done carefully to avoid trapping moisture in the brickwork below the cap.
This is the part of the job that determines whether the finished result looks right and stays watertight. The area where the stack came through the roof will have rough edges, cut tiles, exposed felt and possibly some damaged batten. All of this needs proper attention.
New tiles or slates are cut and fitted to fill the gap. Where possible, we use reclaimed material that matches the surrounding roof in colour and profile. The felt underneath is lapped properly with new material so there is no open edge for water to find. Lead flashing that previously ran up against the stack is cut back and dressed flat, or removed entirely if it is in poor condition.
The finished area should be indistinguishable from the rest of the roof slope, or as close to it as the existing tile supply allows.
All the demolished brickwork, old mortar, broken pots and any other waste from the job comes down off the roof and off your property. Scaffold is struck once the roof work is signed off and all debris is gone.
Before we leave, it is worth doing a quick walk-round with whoever has been managing the job on site. Look at the finished roof area from the ground, check the gutters are clear of dust and debris, and confirm the flue has been capped as discussed. This is the point to raise anything you are not satisfied with, while the team and the material are still there.
After the first significant rainfall following a chimney take-down, go up into the roof space (if you have access) and check for any signs of moisture around the area where the stack was. A well-executed job will be dry. If you see anything that concerns you, call and report it promptly.
If you have a property in Bury St Edmunds with a redundant chimney stack, call Mildenhall Roofers and ask for a survey. We will walk you through what the job involves for your specific roof before any commitment is made.
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Call any time. Calls are answered day and night and passed straight to our roofers.
