If your chimney stack in Elmswell needs rebuilding, here is exactly what a well-run job looks like, from the first inspection to clearing the site at the end.
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A chimney rebuild starts on the ground, not on the roof. Before anyone goes up, a roofer should look at the stack from ground level with binoculars if needed, checking for visible lean, open joints, spalling brick, cracked or missing flaunching, and the condition of the lead flashing where it meets the roof. Any obvious signs of damp on the chimney breast inside the house are noted too.
Once on the roof, the inspection gets closer. The roofer checks each course of brickwork for movement, tests the mortar joints for softness, looks at the flaunching for cracks or lifting, inspects the pots for fractures, and lifts or checks the lead flashing to see how it has been dressed into the joints. This is the stage where the scope of the rebuild is defined: how many courses need to come out, whether the flashing needs replacing, and whether the pots can be re-used.
An honest inspection will also flag anything unexpected - such as internal damage to the flue lining or issues with the roof covering near the base of the stack - so you are not hit with surprises halfway through the job.
Chimney work at height requires proper access. For most two-storey properties, that means either a scaffold tower or full scaffold depending on the roof pitch, the stack height, and how much material needs to be brought up and lowered down. A roofer working safely on a chimney cannot also be managing materials by hand without proper staging.
Scaffold hire is usually arranged and priced separately from the rebuild itself, and it is a significant cost. On a standard property, expect scaffold hire to add £400 to £800 to the overall job. Make sure any quote you receive states clearly whether scaffold is included or is an additional cost, because this is a common source of confusion when comparing prices.
The scaffold should remain in place until all work is finished and signed off, not taken down and re-erected if something needs revisiting.
Once access is in place, the roofer strips the stack down to the agreed level. On a partial rebuild from the roofline up, that typically means removing the flaunching, lifting the pots carefully, and then taking down the brickwork course by course until sound material is reached. On a full rebuild, the stack is taken down to the level where it meets the roof structure.
Old mortar and brick debris is lowered to the ground in bags or a chute rather than thrown, both to protect the roof covering and to keep the site safe. The lead flashing is removed carefully if it is being replaced, or left in place and protected if it is still serviceable.
The remaining brickwork is inspected again once exposed. Occasionally, deterioration runs deeper than the initial inspection suggested, in which case the roofer should explain what they have found before proceeding rather than just continuing and presenting a larger bill at the end.
Rebuilding begins with a flat, level bed at the base of the new section. Bricks are laid in courses using a mortar mix appropriate to the age and hardness of the existing brickwork - typically a lime or moderate cement mix for older properties. Each course is checked for level and plumb as it goes up.
The internal flue arrangement is maintained through the rebuild. For a working chimney, the flue size and alignment must be preserved; narrowing or offsetting the flue during a rebuild can create draw problems. If the chimney is capped and no longer in use, the flue can be sealed at the top, but it should still be ventilated to prevent damp building up inside the stack.
As the brickwork reaches the correct height, the roofer prepares for the lead flashing. If the flashing is being replaced, the new lead is cut to size, dressed into freshly raked joints in the brickwork, and sealed. The lead is dressed back over the roof covering below. This is a skilled part of the job: poorly dressed or thin lead will fail within a few years.
Once the brickwork and flashing are complete, the flaunching is applied. This is the sloped mortar bed that fills the top of the stack around the pots. It needs to slope outward to drain water away from the pot bases and should be worked in firmly to eliminate voids. A flaunching that sounds hollow when tapped has not bonded properly and will lift in frost.
The chimney pots are set into the fresh flaunching and aligned. Original pots are re-used where they are sound. If new pots are needed, the roofer fits them at this stage. On a capped chimney, a ventilating cowl is fitted instead of an open pot.
The flaunching is left to cure. Pointing up exposed joints on the upper courses of the new brickwork is done at the same time, ensuring no open faces are left where water can penetrate.
Before the scaffold comes down, the finished stack is checked: flashing is pressed firmly into joints, flaunching is solid, pots are upright and stable, and the surrounding roof tiles are undisturbed. Any tiles that were lifted or shifted to work near the base of the stack are re-fixed and checked.
All old brick, mortar and lead is removed from site. The scaffold is struck once the work is confirmed complete. A good roofer leaves no debris on the roof and no mess on the ground beyond the unavoidable dust of working with masonry.
A partial chimney rebuild from the roofline up on a two-pot stack typically costs £1,500 to £3,000 in this part of Suffolk. Full rebuilds from the base cost more, and the total rises if the lead flashing needs replacing (add £300 to £600 for a standard chimney). Scaffold is quoted separately and adds £400 to £800 on most two-storey jobs.
These ranges reflect current material and labour costs. A quote that is significantly below this range should prompt questions about the scaffold arrangement, the mortar specification, and the lead thickness being used.
We carry out chimney rebuilds across Elmswell and nearby towns including Stowmarket, working from our base in Diss. If your stack is showing signs of deterioration, call us to arrange a roof survey. We will inspect the chimney properly, explain what the job involves, and give you a clear price before work starts.
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Call any time. Calls are answered day and night and passed straight to our roofers.
