Chimney Repairs & Rebuilds in Stockport & East Cheshire

Our Chimney Repair Services

• Lead Flashing Repair & Replacement

  • Code 4 & Code 5 lead
  • LSA-compliant detailing
  • 25+ year lifespan
  • 1–2 day install

  Lead flashing is the single most common point of chimney leak failure on properties across Stockport and East Cheshire. The lead sheet sealing where the stack meets the roof handles every drop of water that runs off the slope behind the chimney, and decades of expansion, contraction and freeze-thaw eventually cause it to split, lift, or pull away from the brickwork. Once that seal goes, water tracks down the back of the stack and into the loft.

  We replace lead flashings using Code 4 and Code 5 lead, sized to the job. Step flashings cut into the brickwork courses (not surface-fixed), soakers properly interleaved with the slate or tile, apron flashing at the front, and cover flashings at the abutments. Every junction is dressed by hand and chased into a fresh mortar joint. This is the difference between flashing that lasts 25-plus years and flashing that fails again next winter.

  Most of the lead flashings we replace in Stockport's Victorian terraces are original or were last touched in the 1970s. On 1930s and post-war semis in Bramhall, Cheadle Hulme and Hazel Grove we typically find lead from the original build still in place, or earlier silicone-bodged repairs from previous owners. Either way, proper replacement stops the leak the day the work finishes. See our dedicated lead services page for non-chimney leadwork including valleys, bays and step flashings.

  Best suited to

  • Chimneys where the lead has lifted, split, or pulled away from the brickwork
  • Loft inspections showing damp staining where the stack passes through
  • Period and listed buildings requiring LSA-compliant code-correct detailing
  • Cross-referrals from broader leadwork or roof repair jobs

• Chimney Repointing & Brickwork Repair

  • Lime or cement mortar
  • NHL 3.5 for heritage stock
  • 30+ year repointing life
  • Conservation approved

  Mortar joint failure is the universal chimney problem. Exposed on all four faces at the highest point of the roof, a stack takes the worst of every storm, every freeze, every thaw cycle. Even properly built stacks see their mortar weather out at 30 to 50 years on cement, and longer still on lime. The point at which water starts tracking through the joints rather than running off them is the point a chimney needs repointing.

  We repoint chimneys across Stockport and East Cheshire using the right mortar for the property. Victorian and Edwardian terraces in Heaton Moor, Davenport, Edgeley and Marple Bridge built before 1920 generally need NHL 3.5 lime mortar. Lime breathes, lets the soft handmade brick move and dry, and matches the original construction. Cement mortar on these older bricks accelerates damage by trapping moisture and shedding water into the brick face instead of the joint, which is how spalled bricks happen. Post-war and 1960s housing in Bramhall, Cheadle Hulme and Hazel Grove uses cement-mortared modern brick, which we match like-for-like.

  Repointing is a careful job. We rake out the old mortar to a minimum depth of 25mm (most cowboys skim 5mm and call it done), match the colour and texture to the surrounding joints, and finish with the right profile (weather-struck, bucket-handle, recessed) for the property. Done right, a chimney repoint lasts 30-plus years and is invisible from the street.

  Best suited to

  • Chimneys with visibly crumbling, recessed, or missing mortar joints
  • Victorian and Edwardian properties needing NHL 3.5 lime mortar
  • 1930s through 1990s housing with cement-jointed brickwork
  • Damp on chimney breasts traceable to failed pointing rather than flashing
  • Conservation areas requiring matched mortar colour and joint profile

• Full Chimney Stack Rebuilds

  • Partial or full rebuilds
  • Reclaimed brick matching
  • New flaunching included
  • Fresh lead flashing fitted

  Where the brickwork has gone past the point of repointing, where the stack has started to lean, or where multiple spalled bricks make patch repair uneconomic, a rebuild is the right answer. We strip the stack down to a sound course (usually below the roofline), inspect the lead tray and flaunching base, and rebuild from there using either reclaimed brick or new brick matched to the original.

  Stack rebuilds break into two scopes. Partial rebuilds keep the lower portion intact and rebuild from a sound course upward, fitting new flaunching and resetting the original pots if they're still sound. Full rebuilds go right back to the lead tray within the roof structure and reinstate everything from there. We fit fresh lead flashings as part of every rebuild because there's no sense rebuilding the stack onto failed lead, and we finish with new flaunching on the crown to seal the pots.

  On listed properties and in conservation areas (Marple Bridge, Heaton Moor, Davenport Park, parts of Bramhall), we source matched reclaimed brick rather than using off-the-shelf modern stock. This matters because a freshly-rebuilt stack in the wrong brick reads as wrong from the street, and Stockport Council's conservation officer will pick it up. Done with the right materials, a properly built stack should last another 80-plus years before it needs serious attention.

  Best suited to

  • Stacks with visible lean or structural movement
  • Multiple spalled or frost-damaged bricks beyond economic patch repair
  • Loose, tilted, or missing chimney pots with failed flaunching
  • Storm-damaged stacks needing emergency reduction and rebuild
  • Heritage and conservation properties requiring reclaimed brick matching

• Chimney Leak Detection & Repair

  • Same-day callouts
  • Multi-fault diagnosis
  • Drone or ladder inspection
  • Written assessment

  Chimney leaks are the single most misdiagnosed roof problem we attend. Damp on the upstairs ceiling near the chimney breast, staining on the bedroom wall, or wet patches in the loft are almost always blamed on "the roof" before anyone looks at the stack. Sometimes it is the roof. More often it's a chimney that's leaking through multiple combined faults at once.

  Our approach to a chimney leak is systematic. We work down the stack from top to bottom: pot condition and capping, flaunching cracks, brick face spalling, mortar joint integrity, lead flashing detailing, soaker interleave with the slate or tile, then internally through the loft and along the breast. About half the leaks we attend have more than one cause, and quick fixes from previous roofers usually address only one of them, which is why the leak comes back.

  For tall or awkward-access stacks we use drone inspection rather than ladders, which gives us high-resolution imagery of every face of the stack without scaffold cost on day one. The written assessment lists every fault, prioritises them, and quotes for the repair properly. Same-day callouts are available across Stockport, Bramhall, Cheadle Hulme and Hazel Grove for active leaks, with temporary watertight protection until permanent repair can be scheduled.

  Best suited to

  • Damp on chimney breasts that's appeared or worsened since last winter
  • Recurring stains on upstairs ceilings, bedroom walls, or landing ceilings
  • Loft inspections showing wet timbers or staining around the stack pass-through
  • Properties where previous roofers have "fixed" the leak more than once
  • Emergency leak response during storm season

• Chimney Removal & Roof Make-Good

  • Above-roofline or full removal
  • Structural support included
  • Tile-matched make-good
  • Building Regs handled

  Disused chimneys are a common source of ongoing repair cost for no benefit. If the fireplace below has been blocked off and the stack just exists as an exterior feature, the rolling maintenance bill for repointing, flaunching repair, and flashing replacement can easily run into thousands over twenty years. Removal often makes more sense than another round of repairs.

  We carry out two distinct scopes. Above-roofline removal takes the stack down to the slope level and the roof is then tiled or slated over the resulting void using new battens, breathable membrane, and matched coverings (so the make-good is invisible from the street). The internal chimney breast can stay in place. This is the simpler and cheaper option, typically a 2 to 3 day job for a domestic stack. Full chimney breast removal takes the breast out internally on every floor as well as the stack on the roof, which requires structural calculations, building control sign-off, and gallows brackets or RSJ support. We co-ordinate with structural engineers on this work and notify Building Control as part of the quote.

  The most important part of any chimney removal is the roof make-good. Done badly, the patch reads as a patch from outside, and a poorly-detailed make-good leaks within a year. We match the existing tile or slate profile and colour, dress the lead properly into the surrounding pitches, and finish with breathable membrane and treated battens identical to the rest of the roof. Done properly, the only sign the chimney was ever there is the absence of one above the roofline.

  Best suited to

  • Disused chimneys causing recurring leaks and ongoing repair cost
  • Loft conversion projects requiring stack reduction for headroom
  • Storm-damaged stacks beyond economic repair
  • Homeowners wanting a cleaner, more modern roofline appearance
  • Insurance write-offs where rebuilding to original specification isn't economic