Ely Roofers carry out chimney take-downs in Chatteris, and this page walks you through exactly what the job looks like from the moment we arrive to the moment we leave.
A chimney take-down is not a job most homeowners have done before. It sits high on the roof, involves dismantling part of your house, and leaves permanent changes to the roofline. Knowing what each stage involves means you can ask the right questions, understand what you are paying for, and recognise whether the job is being done properly.
What follows is a step-by-step account of how a proper chimney take-down should be carried out, from the initial inspection right through to clearing the site at the end.
Before any price is given or work planned, a roofer should get eyes on the stack. That means either getting up on the roof or, at minimum, using a ladder to view the chimney at close range. A quote given from the ground alone is unreliable. The state of the brickwork, the condition of the flashing, the profile of the existing tiles, and the height of the stack all affect both the method and the cost.
During the inspection, a good roofer will be checking: the structural condition of the stack and whether any brickwork has already shifted; the condition of the tiles or slates around the base of the chimney and whether any were disturbed when the chimney moved; whether the lead flashing has failed and whether water has been tracking into the roof space; and the size and number of flues inside the stack, because this affects how the capping is done internally.
You should also be told at this stage whether a take-down is the right approach or whether repair and repointing would be a more practical option for your particular chimney.
No chimney take-down should be done from a ladder. The work is at height and involves moving heavy brickwork. Either a scaffold tower or a full scaffold lift is needed, depending on the height of the chimney and the pitch of the roof.
Access is best set up before any work begins. On a straightforward semi-detached house, a well-positioned tower may be sufficient. On a taller or steeply pitched roof, erected scaffolding with a working platform at ridge height is the right approach. Your roofer should be able to explain which they are using and why.
The scaffold or tower serves two purposes: it gives the roofer a safe working platform, and it allows brickwork to be lowered by hand rather than dropped. Dropping brickwork damages tiles and is dangerous to anyone below.
Before dismantling begins, the tiles or slates around the base of the chimney are inspected and any that are loose are secured or set aside safely. A dust sheet or boards are sometimes used to catch mortar debris and protect the roof covering lower down the slope.
Gutters directly below the chimney should also be protected. Mortar debris and small brick fragments can block gutters and downpipes if they are left to drop freely during the take-down.
The stack is dismantled course by course, working from the top down. Chimney pots come off first, then the haunching mortar they sit in, then the brickwork below that. Each course of bricks is broken out and stacked or passed down to ground level. The work is manual and methodical.
The stack is taken down to just below the level of the roof surface. A small amount of brickwork may be left proud of the roofline until the tiling work can close the gap, but the aim is to finish flush with or just below the surrounding roof plane.
As the stack comes down, the roofer will also be removing the lead flashings - the step flashing up the sides and the back gutter at the high side of the chimney. These come away with the stack and form part of the waste to be removed.
This is where skill and care really show. The opening left by the chimney base needs to be tiled or slated to match the surrounding roof as closely as possible. The timbers exposed where the chimney sat - often the ridge board and rafters that were cut around the original chimney - need to be made sound and weathertight.
New tiles or slates are cut and fitted to close the opening. On roofs with common concrete interlocking tiles, matching is usually straightforward. On roofs with older clay plain tiles or natural slate, sourcing a close match may take more effort and may involve reclaimed materials from a salvage yard. A good roofer will discuss this with you before the job starts so you know what to expect in terms of appearance.
The new area of tiling needs to be laid with the same lap and gauge as the surrounding roof, and any new ridge or hip tiles in the area need to be bedded correctly. The finish should blend in rather than stand out as a visible patch.
The flue does not end at the roof. It continues down through the chimney breast inside the house. A completely sealed flue with no airflow will accumulate condensation over time, which can stain or damage the chimney breast wall. The standard approach is to fit a ventilated cap at the top of the remaining flue opening inside the house, allowing a small amount of air movement. This is usually done through a proprietary ventilation cap or a small airbrick.
The roofer should confirm this is being done as part of the job. If it is not mentioned, ask. It is a small but important detail that prevents a new damp problem appearing a year or two after the main work is complete.
All the brickwork, mortar rubble, old pots, and lead flashings come off the roof and need to be taken away. A proper chimney take-down leaves the site clean. Bricks should not be left piled in the garden for the homeowner to deal with, and mortar dust should be cleared from paths, drives, and gutters below the work area.
Before the scaffold comes down, the roofer should check the finished area of roof from the scaffold level, not just from the ground. Tiles need to be checked for correct seating, the new area checked for any gaps or lifted edges, and the interior flue capping confirmed as fitted.
The length of the job depends on the size of the stack and the making-good. It can take longer if reclaimed materials need sourcing or if the stack is larger than average. Scaffold erection and dismantling add time at the start and end. Your roofer should give you a realistic timescale before work begins.
Chimney take-down prices depend on height, access requirements, the number of flues, and the complexity of the making-good. Ask for a written breakdown so you know exactly what each element covers.
Ely Roofers are based in Ely and take on chimney take-downs in Chatteris and the neighbouring communities. If you have a redundant or deteriorating chimney stack, call us for a roof survey and we will give you a clear account of what the job involves and what it will cost.
No obligation · We usually respond within 2 hours
Storm damage, active leak, damaged ridge - we aim to be on-site within 24 hours.
