Chimney Repairs and Leadwork in Bromsgrove

In short

We repoint, rebuild and cap chimney stacks and renew the lead flashing, soakers and back gutters around them, across Bromsgrove, Redditch and the south side of Birmingham. Failed chimney pointing and tired lead are the two commonest causes of a damp chimney breast on the older red brick houses round here. Both are repairs rather than a new roof, and we say so.

Signs a chimney needs work

A damp patch or staining on the chimney breast upstairs, worse after rain
Mortar joints on the stack that are open, crumbling or grown over with moss
Bricks spalling on the weather side of the stack
Lead flashing that has lifted, split or been patched with mastic or cement
A leaning stack, or a pot that has moved
An unused chimney with no cap, letting rain straight down the flue

What chimney work involves

Inspect the stack and the lead

From the roof, not the ground. We look at the pointing, the brick faces, the flaunching around the pots and the lead at the base, and photograph all of it for you.

Repoint or rebuild

Open joints are raked out and refilled with a mortar that suits the brick. Where the top courses have gone, the stack is taken down to sound brick and rebuilt.

Renew the lead

Step flashing, aprons, soakers and back gutters in new code lead, dressed and fixed properly, with the chases cut and pointed so it cannot pull out.

Cap, cowl and flaunch

Unused flues are capped so rain stays out and air still moves. Pots are re-flaunched, and cowls fitted where a working flue needs one.

Photograph and clear

You see the finished stack in photographs, because you are not going to climb up and look yourself.

Repointed brick chimney stack with lead flashing on a red tiled roof — Chimney repointing and leadwork

Freshly repointed chimney stack with new mortar joints, a roof ladder alongside — Chimney repointed

Re-tiled hipped roof with two brick chimneys, scaffold boards in the foreground — Hipped roof and chimneys

Want someone to take a look?

Free written quote, and we answer the phone 24 hours a day.

Call 07490 870599 WhatsApp us Get a free quote

Chimneys and leadwork near you

We cover Bromsgrove, Redditch and South Birmingham. Pick your area for what the work tends to look like there.

Frequently asked questions

Is it the roof or the chimney that is leaking?

On the older houses across Bromsgrove and south Birmingham it is very often the chimney, either the pointing or the lead at the base. It shows as damp on the chimney breast rather than a ceiling. We find out where the water is actually getting in before anything is quoted.

Can you just take the chimney down?

Yes, if it is unused. Taking a stack down to below the roof line and tiling over is a common job and removes the problem for good. Party wall stacks need the neighbour involved.

Does a chimney repair need scaffolding?

Nearly always, for safety and to do the job properly. It is included in the written price.

Do you replace the lead or seal it?

Replace it. Mastic and cement over old lead is a temporary patch at best and it hides the fault. New lead dressed properly is the fix.

What is the lead flashing on the photographs?

The grey metal where the chimney meets the tiles. It is what keeps water out of that joint, and it is the first thing to check on a damp chimney breast.

Other services

Roof repairsMost roofs do not fail all at once. They fail at one detail, and the damage spreads from there. New roofs and re-roofingA re-roof is the one job where everything that matters is hidden by the time you see it finished. Flat roofingFlat roofs get a bad name from the way they used to be done. Done properly, a modern one outlasts the extension under it. Fascias, soffits and gutteringThe roofline is the part of the roof you can see from the pavement, and the part that quietly rots when the gutters are wrong. Moss removal and roof maintenanceMoss is not just cosmetic. It holds water against the tiles, blocks the gutters and, when it freezes, lifts the covering. Emergency roof repairsRoofs do not fail at a convenient hour. The phone is answered 24 hours a day.

Chimney repairs and leadwork in Bromsgrove and South Birmingham