A leaning, crumbling or badly pointed chimney stack is a structural risk as well as a source of leaks. We rebuild chimney stacks in Ely and the surrounding area using proper lime mortar and sound brickwork, leaving the stack solid and correctly flashed at the roof level.
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Some chimneys can be saved with repointing or a new flaunching. Others have deteriorated to the point where a rebuild is the only sensible answer. Spalling brickwork, a stack that has moved off vertical, mortar joints that are open all the way through, or a flue liner that has collapsed all point towards a full or partial chimney rebuild rather than patching work that will fail again within a few years.
A chimney rebuild in Ely typically costs between £1,500 and £4,000 depending on the height of the stack, the number of courses of brick that need to come down, and whether the pots and flue liner also need replacing. Stacks on older detached or semi-detached properties where the brickwork has never been touched can be at the higher end of that range once scaffolding is factored in.
The work starts with scaffolding or a tower to give safe access to the stack. The deteriorated brickwork is taken down course by course to a point where the remaining structure is sound. From there, the stack is rebuilt using bricks that match as closely as possible in colour and texture, bonded with a lime-based mortar that suits older properties and allows the structure to breathe. Using a hard cement mortar on a traditional brick chimney is a common mistake that causes the bricks themselves to crack over time.
The flaunching - the sloped mortar bed at the top of the stack that holds the pots in place - is replaced as part of the rebuild. If the existing pots are cracked or undersized for the flue, this is the right time to change them. We also check the lead or code 4 flashing at the base of the stack where it meets the roof slope. If the step flashing, back gutter or soakers have failed, they are replaced during the same visit rather than leaving a new stack sitting on old, leaking leadwork.
On properties where the chimney is no longer used, the pots can be capped or a half-round ventilated cap fitted during the rebuild. This stops rainwater entering the flue and prevents birds nesting inside the stack while still allowing the flue to breathe and dry out.
Older houses, including many terraced and semi-detached properties, require careful material choice when a chimney is rebuilt. The original bricks were often a softer fletton or handmade type, and replacing them with modern engineering bricks creates a rigid joint that flexes differently to the rest of the stack, leading to cracking. A good bricklayer will source reclaimed or soft-fired bricks where the original type is no longer in production.
Lime mortar mixes vary depending on the age of the property and the level of exposure at roof height. A chimney sits in a more exposed position than the walls below it, so the mortar needs to handle freeze-thaw cycles without blowing out of the joints. NHL 3.5 (natural hydraulic lime) is a common choice for chimney work on traditional properties - it is stronger than a pure putty lime but still softer than cement.
A chimney stack in genuinely poor condition that gets a coat of repointing and a new flaunching may look better for a season, but if the brickwork has moved or the core mortar has turned to dust, the stack will fail again. A partial or full rebuild done properly should not need revisiting for several decades. The cost of two or three repair visits on a bad stack, plus the internal damage caused by water getting into the chimney breast, can easily exceed the cost of rebuilding it correctly the first time.
Water ingress through a failing chimney is also one of the more destructive forms of roof leak. It tends to track down inside the chimney breast, appearing as damp patches on upstairs bedroom walls or ceilings, and the source is often not obvious until a proper inspection is carried out. A leaking chimney that goes unnoticed for a couple of years can rot the wall plate, affect plasterwork on two floors, and allow black mould to establish behind the internal wall lining.
We carry out chimney rebuilds in Ely and in the surrounding towns and villages including Stretham, Little Thetford, and further afield in Cambridgeshire. If you are in any doubt about the condition of your chimney stack, the first step is a proper inspection from roof level rather than a guess from the pavement.
If you can see open joints, missing mortar, bricks that are flaking or shifting, or a pot that is leaning, call us to arrange a chimney survey. We will tell you honestly whether a repair will hold or whether a rebuild is the right course of action.
We visit the property, inspect the stack from roof level and give you a clear assessment of what needs to be done and why. If a rebuild is needed, we explain exactly how far down the stack needs to come and what materials will be used. Scaffolding is arranged before the brickwork starts, and the site is left clear at the end of each day. Once the stack is complete, the flashing is inspected and replaced if required before we come down.
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Call any time. Calls are answered day and night and passed straight to our roofers.
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