Do roofers repair chimneys?

A chimney stack forms part of the roof's weatherproofing, and most of its faults come down to water. That is why the roof-side work sits with a roofer. The usual jobs are repointing mortar joints that have worn back, renewing the flaunching, which is the sloped mortar cap holding the pots, fitting a new pot or cowl, and rebuilding the top courses of brick where they have crumbled.

Then there is the lead. Where a stack rises through the slope, a flashing is dressed over the junction to turn water away, and shaping lead is a roofer's craft. Our chimney flashing page explains how it is formed, and the chimney flaunching page covers the cap.

A stack tilting over, or dropping bricks, is a bigger undertaking and may have to come down and be rebuilt. After the survey you hear which it is, set out as repair, stopgap or rebuild, with the reasons beside it. The lightest job that genuinely cures the fault is what we recommend.

Not every chimney job is a roofing job. Sweeping the flue, testing that it draws, and fitting or servicing a stove or fire are separate crafts. So is lining a flue, and so is anything on the room side, such as replastering a damp chimney breast.

A useful test is where the fault begins. If water is entering at the stack, round its base or through the brickwork, that is a roofer's problem. If smoke, soot or fumes are the worry, start with a sweep or an appliance specialist instead.

Some problems need two trades, and a sensible contractor says so instead of guessing. A damp chimney breast, for example, can start at the flashing, in the stack or inside the house, and the cause has to be traced before anything is covered over. Our guide to choosing between a chimney sweep or a roofer sets out the split in more detail.

A chimney pokes up through the roof and meets weather from every direction. Mortar erodes, the flaunching cracks, and the flashing can lift or split along the join. A brown mark on the ceiling beside the chimney breast, damp that appears after heavy rain, or drips in the loft around the stack all point toward the same few places.

Those faults are easier to confirm from up on the roof than from inside the rooms. We photograph the stack, the flaunching, the pots and the flashing so the evidence is in your hands, then explain which part has failed. Our pages on a chimney leaking in rain and on water around a chimney in the loft describe the signs to watch for.

Treating the wrong part is the commonest reason a chimney leak returns. Pointing a stack that actually leaks through its flashing wastes a day and leaves the damp running, so the diagnosis comes before the repair.

Chimneys stand high, often right at the ridge, so access is the big practical question. Some work can be done from a ladder or a roof ladder, and crawler boards spread a boot's weight across the slope, which matters on old tiles and on slate that can crack. Other jobs call for scaffold, depending on the height, the pitch and where the stack sits on the building.

Poles on the footway need a highway licence. In West Sussex the county council issues it and wants at least 10 working days' notice, so it pays to raise the point early. Our page on scaffolding for chimney repairs covers when it is needed.

When you compare prices from different roofers, check whether each one includes the scaffold and VAT, since both change what you end up paying. Ours is a single written total that says what it includes.

The visit is a survey first. We look over the stack, flaunching, pots and flashings, and photograph each fault so you can check it yourself. You then receive a plain verdict: patch it, mend it properly, or rebuild it. A rebuild is not pushed where repointing and a fresh flaunching will hold.

Where the chimney belongs to a listed house, or stands in a conservation area, the consent route is explained before any work is booked, and any Building Regulations notification is something we handle on your behalf.

Afterwards the roof and the garden are left clear, with old mortar, bricks and packaging taken off site. Bring any old invoices or photographs of the chimney you have, because a record of earlier work can shorten the diagnosis. You can read about the whole service on our chimney repairs page, which lists every job on a stack from pots to full rebuilds.