One visit, one scaffold
Pointing, brickwork, flaunching and lead all done together, which is both cheaper and the only way to be sure the leak has actually gone.
Serving West Sussex & Brighton
Chimney repairs,repointing andleadwork that lasts
Stacks take more weather than any other part of the roof and get looked at least. We repair, repoint, re-flaunch and re-lead them, or take them down and make good, for one fixed price agreed before we start.
Full stack work, flaunching and lead in one visit · £2m public liability · fixed pricing
Book a free quote
Tell us the postcode and the problem. We'll do the rest.
- 25 yrs
- Workmanship guarantee
- £2m
- Public liability insurance
- Fixed
- One price for the whole stack, agreed first
- Free
- No-obligation quote visits
The service
The most exposed masonry on your building
A chimney stack stands clear of the roof on every side, so it is wetted from all directions, dries unevenly and is battered by wind that the rest of the roof is sheltered from. It is also mortar-bound masonry sitting above the waterproof layer, which means once it starts letting water in, that water is inside the building envelope immediately.
Chimney work covers repointing the stack, renewing the flaunching that holds the pots, replacing spalled or frost-damaged brick, re-leading the flashings around the base, fitting caps or cowls to redundant flues, rebuilding stacks that have gone beyond repair, and taking down stacks that are no longer wanted and making the roof good.
It needs a roofer because a stack is a roofing job and a masonry job at once. Repointing a stack without renewing the lead leaves the leak in place; re-leading without addressing perished flaunching does the same. Doing both from a scaffold in one visit is also considerably cheaper than doing them separately.
Who it's for
Owners of any property with a stack, working, capped or redundant, particularly period housing across Brighton, Hove and the West Sussex towns.
When it's needed
Damp on chimney breasts, mortar washing out of the joints, cracked flaunching, loose pots, spalled brick faces, or a stack visibly leaning.
What you get
The whole stack put right in one visit, pointing, flaunching, brickwork and lead, at a fixed price, guaranteed 25 years on workmanship.
What it costs to leave it
A failing stack is a structural problem waiting to happen
Chimneys are the part of the roof most likely to cause serious damage when neglected, because the failure is in load-bearing masonry standing several courses proud of the building.
Damp through the whole breast
Water absorbed by an unpointed stack travels down inside the brickwork and appears on ceilings and chimney breasts on the floors below, sometimes rooms away from the stack.
Falling pots and brickwork
Cracked flaunching lets pots move. A pot or coping coming off a stack in a storm is a danger to people below and puts a hole through the roof on the way down.
Frost damage that accelerates
Saturated brick spalls as it freezes and thaws, losing its face. Once the face has gone the brick soaks faster, and the cycle speeds up each winter.
Full rebuild instead of repointing
A stack repointed in time is straightforward work. A stack left until it leans or the mortar has gone entirely needs rebuilding, several times the cost.
Common mistakes
- Repointing the stack but leaving the old lead flashings in place, so the leak carries on.
- Using a hard cement mortar on soft period brick, which traps moisture and spalls the faces.
- Capping a redundant flue with no ventilation, so the stack sweats and damp appears inside.
- Leaving cracked flaunching because 'the pots still look fine'.
- Treating internal damp on a chimney breast as a plastering job rather than a roofing one.
Our process
How the job runs, step by step
01
Free inspection
We assess the stack from the roof: pointing, brick condition, flaunching, pots, cap and the lead where it meets the covering.
02
Diagnosis
You get a clear account of what's failing and how far it's gone, repointing, partial rebuild, or full rebuild, plus whether the flue is still in use.
03
Fixed price agreed
One written figure for the stack, including access and scaffold. Everything the stack needs quoted together, because doing it in one visit is cheaper.
04
Prepare and rake out
Joints raked out to a proper depth, failed flaunching removed, spalled brick cut out, and old lead stripped ready for renewal.
05
Rebuild, point and re-lead
Brickwork made good, stack repointed in an appropriate mortar, new flaunching formed around the pots, and new lead flashings dressed in at the base.
06
Check, clear and guarantee
We check the water path, make good the roof covering, clear the site and guarantee our workmanship for 25 years.
What you get
The difference it makes
Damp stopped at source
Fixing the stack removes the cause of chimney-breast damp, instead of redecorating over it every couple of years.
Safe overhead
Sound flaunching and secure pots mean nothing is waiting to come off the stack in the next storm.
The right mortar
Mortar chosen to suit the brick, so period stacks are not sealed up in hard cement that spalls the faces.
Rebuild or remove
If a stack is beyond repair or simply redundant, we can rebuild it or take it down and make the roof good, priced either way so you can choose.
Insured and guaranteed
£2 million public liability, and 25 years of workmanship guarantee.
In detail
Stack work in detail
Chimneys vary enormously across Sussex housing stock, from tall Victorian stacks with multiple pots in Brighton and Hove to squat post-war stacks on interwar semis in Worthing and Crawley. The work follows the stack.
Repointing a stack
Repointing means raking the perished mortar out to a sound depth and filling with fresh mortar, finished to shed water. Skimming new mortar over old is a cosmetic job that traps the problem underneath.
Mortar choice matters. Soft period brick needs a mortar softer than the brick, so movement and moisture come out through the joint rather than through the brick face. Modern brick tolerates a stronger mix. Getting this wrong is how stacks end up spalled after a repointing job.
Flaunching and pots
Flaunching is the sloped mortar bed on top of the stack that holds the pots and throws water off the top. It cracks with age and thermal movement, and once cracked it takes water straight into the core of the stack.
We cut out failed flaunching and re-form it with a proper fall, re-bedding or replacing pots as needed. Where a flue is redundant, we can cap it while leaving ventilation so the stack breathes rather than sweating.
Brickwork repairs and rebuilds
Individual spalled or frost-damaged bricks can be cut out and replaced. Where a stack has lost several courses, is leaning, or the mortar has gone throughout, a partial or full rebuild above roof level is the honest answer.
Rebuilds are set out course by course, re-using sound brick where the appearance matters and matching in new where it doesn't, then finished with new flaunching and new lead.
Leadwork at the base
The lead set around a stack, front apron, side soakers and stepped flashings, and a back gutter above, is what keeps water out of the roof where the stack passes through it. Old, split or mastic-repaired lead here is one of the most common leak sources on any roof.
We form the lead on site and cut it into raked joints, so it fits the stack and moves with it. Doing this at the same time as the pointing is what makes the repair permanent.
Removing a redundant stack
Where a stack is no longer used and is causing repeated problems, taking it down to below roof level and tiling or slating over the opening removes the maintenance entirely.
That is a decision with implications for the room below and sometimes for the character of the building, so we price both removal and repair and leave the choice with you.
- Take-down to below roof level
- Structural support of remaining breast where needed
- New membrane, battens and matched covering across the opening
- Making good internally is a separate trade we can advise on
Domestic and commercial stacks
Domestic stacks are typically single or double-flue and reachable with a scaffold to one elevation. Neatness matters because they are highly visible from the street.
Commercial and larger multi-occupancy buildings often have long shared stacks over party walls, where access and coordination with other owners drive the schedule as much as the masonry does.
Where we work
Chimney work across West Sussex & Brighton
If your town isn't listed, call anyway; we're usually nearby.
Related services
Often done at the same time
See all roofing services, go back to the homepage, or contact us for a free quote.
Straight answers
Chimney work questions
How much does chimney repointing cost?
It depends on the size of the stack, its condition, and the access required, scaffold is usually the biggest single variable. We look at it first, then give you one fixed written figure for the whole stack.
How long does chimney work take?
A repoint, re-flaunch and re-lead on a typical domestic stack is generally a couple of days on site once access is up. A rebuild takes longer, and mortar needs reasonable weather to cure.
Do I need scaffolding for chimney work?
Almost always. Stack work needs a safe working platform at ridge height, and the scaffold is included in the fixed price rather than billed separately later.
My chimney breast is damp inside, is that the stack?
Usually, yes: perished pointing, cracked flaunching or failed lead lets water into the masonry, which carries it down inside the breast. Replastering without fixing the stack just resets the clock.
Should I repair the stack or take it down?
If the flue is still used, or the stack matters to the look of the building, repair it. If it's redundant and repeatedly causing problems, taking it down below roof level and covering over removes the maintenance for good. We price both.
Can you replace the pots or fit a cowl?
Yes: pots can be re-bedded or replaced during flaunching work, and caps or cowls can be fitted to redundant flues with ventilation left in so the stack doesn't sweat.
Will the new mortar match?
We choose a mortar to suit the brick and match the existing as closely as practical. On old stacks a fresh joint always looks fresh for a while before it weathers in.
Is the work guaranteed?
Yes: 25 years on our workmanship. Storm damage, third-party damage and material failure are excluded; material failure sits with the manufacturer.
Do you do chimney work as part of a re-roof?
Yes, and it's the sensible time to do it. The scaffold is already there and the covering is off, so the stack and its lead cost far less to sort then than as a separate visit.
Can you come out urgently if a pot or brickwork is loose?
We are contactable 24 hours a day. Loose masonry at height is treated as a priority, with a call-out fee applying to emergency and out-of-hours work after 5pm.
Free, no-obligation quote
Sort the stack before the winter does
Damp on the breast, loose pots or mortar washing out of the joints; we'll come out free, tell you whether it's a repoint or a rebuild, and price the whole stack as one fixed figure.
07766 878193Or email bwroofing1@icloud.com · Serving West Sussex & Brighton
- 25-year workmanship guarantee
- £2m public liability
- Fixed price, never day rates