Dereham Roofers carries out chimney rebuilds for homeowners in Attleborough, handling everything from the initial inspection to clearing up once the scaffold comes down.
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A chimney rebuild is not a quick patch job. It involves dismantling and rebuilding part or all of a chimney stack, replacing the flaunching, resetting or replacing pots, and making sure the weatherproofing where the stack meets the roof is properly done. For homeowners in Attleborough who have not had this work done before, understanding the sequence helps you know what to expect and what questions to ask.
Any proper assessment of a chimney stack has to be done from scaffold or a platform, not from the ground with binoculars. What looks like loose pointing from street level can turn out to be wholesale crumbling of the mortar joints, or brickwork that has shifted out of plumb. Equally, what looks alarming from the ground is sometimes a surface-staining issue rather than a structural one.
During the inspection, the roofer should be looking at the condition of the brickwork at every level: the flaunching at the top, the mortar joints throughout, the lead flashing and soakers at the base where the stack meets the roof, and the vertical alignment of the stack. This inspection determines whether a partial rebuild from the roofline up is enough, or whether the lower courses need to come down too.
Scaffold is required for all chimney rebuild work. On a standard two-storey house the chimney stack sits at roughly six to eight metres above the ground, and the work involves lifting and handling heavy materials at that height. A scaffold tower or tube-and-fitting scaffold is erected around and above the chimney before any other work starts. This is a fixed cost that applies regardless of how much brick-laying is actually needed, which is one reason why chimney work has a minimum cost floor even for smaller jobs.
If you are getting multiple quotes, check whether scaffolding is included or quoted separately. Some roofers separate it out; others include it in a single price. Either approach is fine as long as you are comparing like with like.
Once the scaffold is in place, the existing brickwork is taken down to the point where sound material begins. On a partial rebuild this is at or just below roofline level. On a full rebuild the stack comes down to the base. The bricks are lowered carefully and the debris is cleared as the work progresses, both for safety and to keep the scaffold platform usable.
The lead flashing and soakers at the base are removed at this stage and assessed. If the lead is in good condition, it can be set aside and reused. If it is cracked, lifting, or has been patched with sealant at some point, it needs replacing. Reusing failing lead simply means returning to the same roof in a few years with the same damp problem.
Rebuilding starts from the base and works upward. The mortar mix is chosen to suit the brick type and the age of the property. This matters: a mix that is too hard and cement-rich will not flex with the movement in the stack, and over time it causes the brick faces to spall rather than the mortar joints to crack.
The new brickwork is built plumb and the courses are kept level. Matching the original brick in colour and texture is worth spending time on, both for the look of the property and because a dramatic mismatch can raise questions in conservation-sensitive areas. If the original bricks are an unusual size or colour, reclaimed bricks are often the best match.
Where a chimney stack on an older property includes flint, the flint is reset in lime mortar and the facing is laid to match the original as closely as possible. Flint work is time-consuming and needs experience to do well; the mortar joints need to be kept tight and the flints positioned so the face is consistent.
Once the brickwork is up, new flaunching is laid at the top of the stack. Flaunching is the sloped mortar collar that holds the pots in place and directs rainwater away from the top of the brickwork. It needs to slope at the right angle, have no voids or gaps, and be finished so water cannot sit on the surface.
The chimney pot goes back into the flaunching while it is still workable. If the original pot is cracked or missing, a new one is chosen to match as closely as possible. For chimney stacks that are no longer in use, a solid concrete or terracotta cap can be used instead of a pot, which stops water and birds getting in while still allowing the stack to breathe.
The lead flashing and soakers are the last major element to be completed. Stepped flashing on a brick chimney is cut to follow the pitch of the roof, with each step dressed into a raked mortar joint on the chimney face. The counter-flashing overlaps the top and is secured with lead wedges and mortar. Done correctly, the joint between the roof and the chimney is watertight without any reliance on sealant.
Sealant used as a substitute for properly dressed lead is a temporary fix at best. It cracks, peels and lets water in, usually within a couple of years of application. If a previous repair used sealant where proper lead should be, the new flashing needs to replace it entirely rather than go over the top of it.
Once the flashing is done and the mortar has had adequate time to set, the scaffold comes down. Before it does, the completed stack should be checked from the platform - a final look at the pointing, the flaunching slope, the fit of the pots and the condition of the lead. Any minor snags are far easier to sort while the scaffold is still up than after it has been struck.
Once the scaffold is down, the working area around the base of the property is cleared. Old bricks, broken pot fragments and mortar debris should all be removed from the site. The gutters immediately below the working area are worth checking at this point, as grit and debris from the demolition phase can collect in them.
From the ground, the finished stack should sit plumb, with consistent mortar joints and a clearly sloped flaunching collar. Inside the house, any existing damp patches linked to the chimney should begin to dry out over the following weeks as the new brickwork and mortar cure and the moisture pathways are sealed. This takes time; do not expect damp plasterwork to recover overnight.
We work in Attleborough and across mid-Norfolk, including Dereham and neighbouring towns and villages. If you have a chimney stack that needs attention, call us to arrange a roof-level survey and we will tell you clearly what the stack needs and what the job will involve.
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Call any time. Calls are answered day and night and passed straight to our roofers.
