Roof Repairs
Leaks, slipped slates, storm damage and failed flashings, found properly and fixed properly.
Cheshire · Chimney & Leadwork
Chimney work & leadwork
If a roof leaks near a chimney, it is the chimney. It nearly always is.
Chimney stacks and lead details are where the great majority of roof leaks start, and it is not close. The stack is the only part of the roof standing proud in the weather on all four sides, the mortar in it is a century old, and the lead around it is the one component that was fitted by hand rather than laid in a pattern.
It is also the part most often bodged. Mastic smeared along a flashing instead of chasing it back into the brickwork, cement fillets in place of lead soakers, a flaunching that has cracked and let water straight down the inside of the stack. All of it works for a season and none of it works for a decade.
Scope
What we put right
- Repointing stacks in the correct mortar mix, not a hard modern cement
- New flaunching to the pot, properly weathered so water runs off
- Lead flashings chased into the brickwork and wedged, never mastic-stuck
- Stepped flashings and soakers where the stack meets a pitched roof
- New lead valley linings in the right code for the span
- Chimney rebuilds from the roofline up where the brickwork has gone
- Capping and removal of redundant stacks, made good and weathered
- Pots, cowls and ventilation to stop damp in a disused flue
Worth knowing
Why lead, and why the right code of it
Lead is still the standard because it moves. A roof expands and contracts every day of its life, and lead is soft enough to take that without splitting while lasting a hundred years. The alternatives (mastic, flashband, cement) are all rigid or short-lived, which is why they fail at exactly the joint they were meant to protect.
The detail that matters is the code, meaning the thickness. Too thin and it fatigues and cracks along the fold; too long a piece and it tears itself apart as it moves. Lead sheet should be cut to length and lapped, not run in one heroic strip. We size and lap it to the span, which is unglamorous and is the whole difference between a twenty-year detail and a two-year one.
Chimney & Leadwork we have done
Our own jobs, photographed as we went.
More in our work.
Free quote
Get the stack looked at.
Tell us what you can see from the ground, and whether there is any staining on the chimney breast inside. Photographs help if you have them.
- We come out and look properly, with photographs of what we find
- Fixed written price before anyone books anything in
- No obligation, and no one chasing you afterwards
Water coming in right now? Ring 07470 988 330 instead.
FAQs
Chimney & Leadwork: your questions
Something not covered? Ring us. We'd rather answer it now than have you guessing.
07470 988 330How do I know the leak is coming from the chimney?
Usually the stain appears on a ceiling or wall within a metre or two of the stack, and it gets worse with driving rain from one particular direction rather than with rain generally. From inside the loft you can often see the water track running down the brickwork. We confirm it properly rather than guessing. That is what the free inspection is for.
How much does chimney repointing cost?
Repointing a standard domestic stack typically runs from around £450 to £900 plus access, with full flaunching and new flashings pushing it higher. Scaffold is usually the largest single item on a chimney job because the stack is the highest point on the house. You will get the figure in writing first.
Can you just seal it with mastic?
We can, and we will tell you it is a stopgap. Mastic has no flexibility to speak of and perishes in UV, so it buys you a season or two and then you are back where you started with the underlying brickwork another winter worse. If you need a temporary fix before a proper repair, we will say so and price both.
My chimney is not used: should I take it down?
Removing it to below roof level and weathering over is the cheapest permanent answer and we do it often. Bear in mind that a sealed, unventilated flue traps moisture and causes damp on the chimney breast inside, so if you keep the stack it wants a vented cowl. Also check whether the property is listed or in a conservation area first.
Also from us
Other things we do
New Roofs & Re-Roofing
Full strip-and-recover in slate or tile, with modern membrane, dry ridge and new leadwork.
Flat Roofing
EPDM rubber and GRP fibreglass for extensions, dormers, garages and bay windows.
Fascias, Soffits & Guttering
The roofline work we are named for: uPVC fascias, vented soffits and seamless gutter runs.
Roof Cleaning & Moss Removal
Moss stripped, gutters cleared and the roof treated, without the pressure washer that wrecks tiles.
Free, no-obligation quote
Get a straight answer
on your roof.
We'll come out, get up and look properly, and send you a written price with the work spelled out. No pressure, no doorstep sales, no vanishing act.