Chimney Repairs Across Devon
Repointing, flaunching, pots and full rebuilds, plus the damp problems a failing stack causes inside the house. Fully insured and guaranteed, anywhere in Devon.
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Chimney Stack Refurbishment and Repair
A chimney is the most exposed part of any house. It stands above the roofline with weather hitting it from all four sides and nothing sheltering it, which is why it is almost always the first thing on a roof to fail. Mortar perishes, flaunching cracks, pots work loose, and the lead where the stack meets the tiles gives up long before the tiles do.
The frustrating part is that a failing chimney rarely announces itself on the chimney. It shows up as a damp patch on the chimney breast in a bedroom, or a stain on a ceiling several feet away from the stack. Water gets in at the top and travels, so the visible damage is often nowhere near the actual fault. We find where it is really getting in before we quote for anything.
We repair, rebuild, cap and remove chimney stacks across the whole of Devon. Scaffolding is usually needed for chimney work, and we arrange and include it in the quote rather than adding it later. We are a family run team, fully insured, and every job is backed by our workmanship guarantee.
Our Chimney Services
From repointing a weathered stack to taking one down and making the roof good, here is what we take on across Devon.
Repointing Chimney Brickwork
Weathered mortar raked out and repointed using the right mix for the brick. Soft, perished pointing lets water straight into the stack and is the single most common reason a chimney starts causing damp inside the house.
Chimney Flaunching & Pot Repairs
The flaunching is the sloped mortar bed holding your pots in place and shedding water off the top of the stack. Once it cracks the pots work loose and water runs down inside. We recast the flaunching and refit, secure or replace pots as needed.
Chimney Damp & Water Ingress
A damp patch on a chimney breast almost never starts at the chimney breast. We trace where the water is actually getting in, usually failed pointing, cracked flaunching or perished flashing, and fix the cause rather than treating the stain.
Chimney Rebuilds & New Stacks
Where a stack is leaning, cracked or too far gone to repoint, we take it down to a sound course and rebuild it, reusing the original brick wherever possible so it still matches the rest of the house.
Chimney Removal & Capping Off
Removal of the stack above roof level, with the roof made good and the tiles matched in so you would not know it had been there. If you would rather keep the stack but stop the leaks, we can cap it off and fit a vented cowl instead.
Chimney Lead Work & Flashing
Failed lead where the stack meets the roof is one of the most common causes of a leaking chimney.
Other Services
Roof Emergency?
We answer 24 hours a day, 365 days a year. If your roof is leaking right now, call us and we will get to you as fast as we can.
Appointment
Let's Take a Look at Your Chimney
Tell us what is happening and we will arrange a convenient time to come and assess the stack properly. No pressure, no obligation, just an honest recommendation and a clear written quote.
- We Find the Actual Fault
Water travels, so the damp patch is rarely where the problem is. We work out where it is genuinely getting in before quoting for anything.
- Repoint Where Repointing Will Do
A rebuild is a much bigger job than repointing. If your stack only needs the mortar replacing, that is what we will quote for.
- Scaffolding Arranged and Included
Chimney work needs safe access. We arrange the scaffolding, manage it, and include it in the quoted price so nothing appears as an extra later.
Make an Appointment
Fill in your details and we will get back to you quickly to arrange a visit. If it is urgent, please call us instead on 07449 211732.
F. A. Q's
Chimney Questions, Answered
Chimneys cause more confusion than most parts of a roof, mainly because the damage shows up a long way from the fault. Below are the questions we are asked most often. If yours is not covered here, call us and ask.
Almost always because water is getting in at the top of the stack and travelling down inside the brickwork before it appears in the room. The usual culprits are perished pointing, cracked flaunching, a missing or damaged pot, or failed lead flashing where the stack meets the roof. Treating the damp patch itself achieves nothing, because the fault is several feet above it. We find the actual entry point first.
If the brickwork itself is sound and only the mortar has perished, repointing is the answer and it is a far smaller job. Rebuilding becomes necessary when the stack is leaning, when the bricks themselves are spalling and crumbling, or when frost damage has gone too deep for new mortar to hold. We will look at it and tell you honestly which it is, rather than quoting for the bigger job by default.
If the chimney is no longer used at all, removing the stack above roof level takes away the maintenance and the leak risk permanently, and we make the roof good and match the tiles in afterwards. Capping off is cheaper and keeps the look of the house, which matters on period properties and in terraces where losing one stack from a row looks odd. A capped stack should have a vented cowl fitted so the flue can still breathe and does not trap moisture.
Chimney work almost always needs scaffolding, because the stack sits at the highest and most exposed point of the roof and cannot be worked on safely from a ladder. We use a trusted local scaffolding firm and the cost is included in the quote we give you. We arrange and manage it, so it is not something you need to organise or something that appears as a surprise extra afterwards.
If a flue has been capped off or is no longer in use, yes. Sealing a chimney completely traps moisture inside the stack, and that moisture has to go somewhere, which usually means back into the brickwork and eventually into the room. A vented cowl keeps the rain out while letting the flue breathe. We fit them as part of any capping job.
Damp Patch on the Chimney Breast?
The fault is almost certainly at the top of the stack, not where the stain is. Call JD Roofing Solutions Ltd for a free assessment anywhere in Devon.