Swift Roofing
Chimney repair cost guide
Chimney repairs range from a small repointing or flashing job to a much larger rebuild, and the price depends entirely on what's actually failed. A proper inspection is the only way to know which.
A chimney takes more weather than almost any other part of a house. It stands above the roofline exposed on all sides, and it's usually the first thing to show real damage after a hard winter. Chimney repair work is also some of the most awkward and highest-access roofing there is, which is why it's worth understanding what the cost actually covers before you agree to anything.
What usually needs repairing
Repointing
The mortar between the bricks weathers faster than the bricks themselves, especially on the side that takes the prevailing wind and rain. Repointing replaces failed mortar joints without touching the brickwork itself, and it's usually the smaller end of chimney repair work, unless a large area needs doing.
Flaunching
Flaunching is the mortar cap at the very top of the chimney, sloped to shed water away from the pots and the stack. It cracks and fails with age and weather far faster than the brickwork below it, and once it's cracked, water gets straight down inside the chimney rather than running off. A failed flaunching is one of the most common reasons for damp appearing on a chimney breast inside the house.
Flashing
Flashing is the lead or lead-alternative material sealing the join between the chimney and the roof covering around its base. It's a common failure point because it has to flex slightly as the roof and chimney move independently over the years, and once it splits or lifts, water tracks straight into the roof space at exactly the point where two structures meet. See our lead flashing page for how we handle this.
Rebuilding
Where brickwork has deteriorated badly, moved out of true, or the stack is structurally unsound, a partial or full rebuild of the stack is the only real fix. This is the largest job on the list and the one that most needs a proper inspection rather than a guess from the ground.
What decides the price
- Which of the jobs above is needed, repointing alone is far cheaper than a rebuild
- How many chimneys, and how many sides of each, are affected
- Access, since chimney work almost always needs scaffolding rather than a ladder
- Whether the chimney is still in use for a flue or fire, which affects what has to be protected during work
We cover the full range through our chimney repairs and leadwork service, and price every job after a proper look, since a chimney that needs simple repointing costs a fraction of one that needs rebuilding.
A chimney is one of the worst parts of a roof to guess a price for from the ground. Cracks in flaunching and lifted flashing are often only visible from directly beside the stack, which is exactly why phone quotes for chimney work are especially unreliable.
How long chimney repairs take
Repointing a section of a stack can usually be done in a day once scaffolding or an access tower is up. A rebuild takes considerably longer, since brickwork has to be taken down and rebuilt course by course, with proper time for mortar to cure between stages. Because scaffolding is needed for almost any chimney work, it's worth checking at the same time whether other roof work, such as flashing or roofline, is worth doing while access is already there.
Chimneys no longer in use
A chimney that's no longer connected to a working fire or flue still needs to be weathertight, since it's still part of the roof structure even if nothing runs through it anymore. Capping it properly, rather than leaving an old, cracked flaunching in place, is often the more sensible long-term fix for a disused stack than repeated small repairs to a chimney nobody actually uses.
Does house insurance cover chimney repairs?
Insurance generally covers sudden damage, a chimney pot dislodged in a storm, or a stack cracked by a falling branch, in the same way it covers other storm damage to a roof. Ongoing deterioration from age, weathered mortar or a flaunching that's simply worn out over the years, is treated as maintenance and wear and tear, which insurers don't cover. Our storm damage and insurance claims guide covers how to tell the difference and what insurers ask to see.
Signs your chimney needs looking at
- Damp patches on the chimney breast or ceiling near where the chimney passes through the house
- Mortar debris or small pieces of brick in the guttering below
- Visible cracks in the flaunching at the top of the stack
- A stack that looks like it's leaning, even slightly, compared to the roofline
- Staining around the base of the chimney where it meets the roof
Why we inspect before quoting
Swift Roofing's free roof inspection, worth £199, includes a proper look at the chimney with photographs, so you can see exactly what's failed before agreeing to any work. Every repair comes with our 10 year written workmanship guarantee, and we carry £1,000,000 public liability insurance for work that, by its nature, happens at the highest and most exposed point of the house. We work across Wisbech, King's Lynn, Peterborough and Norwich.
Want the number for your own roof?
Every roof is different and a guide can only take you so far. A free inspection worth £199 gets you photographs of what is actually up there and a written fixed price, with no pressure to book.
Free roof inspection worth £199
Photographs of what we find, a written fixed price, and no pressure to book.
Straight answers before you book
What is the average cost to repair a chimney?
It depends entirely on what's failed. Repointing a section of mortar is a modest job. A full rebuild of a stack is a much larger one. There's no single average that means anything without an inspection to say which repair your chimney actually needs.
Does house insurance cover chimney repairs?
Only where the damage was sudden, such as storm damage, rather than gradual weathering of mortar or flaunching over the years, which insurers treat as maintenance rather than an insurable event.
How do I know if my chimney needs repointing or rebuilding?
Repointing fixes failed mortar joints where the brickwork itself is sound. A rebuild is needed where the brickwork has deteriorated, moved, or become structurally unsound. This isn't usually visible from the ground, so it needs a proper look from someone up beside the stack.
What is flaunching and why does it fail?
Flaunching is the sloped mortar cap at the top of a chimney stack that sheds water away from the pots. It's directly exposed to weather from every angle and usually fails before the brickwork below it does, letting water down inside the stack once it cracks.
Can a chimney be repaired without scaffolding?
Rarely. Chimneys sit at the highest, most exposed point of the roof, and safe, thorough repair work almost always needs scaffolding rather than a ladder, both for safety and to actually see and reach every side of the stack.
Get your chimney looked at properly
Free inspection worth £199, including the chimney, with photographs before any price is agreed. £1,000,000 public liability, 10 year written guarantee. Call 01945 897430 or 01603 851759.
No obligation. No hard sell. We price from a proper inspection, never a guess over the phone.