01634 47989007460 072891 Mon–Fri 8am–6pm · Sat 8am–3pm HomeAboutServicesDamp & Waterproofing Damp ProofingTanking & Waterproofing Roofing RoofingNew roofsRoof repairsFlat roofsChimney repairsCommercial roofing Exterior & Finishes RenderingExterior paintingFascias & soffitsWood rot repairsNew PVC All services Service AreasMedwayMaidstoneRochesterStroodGillinghamChathamRainhamSittingbourneSheernessAll areas Our WorkReviewsContactRequest Estimate - Home - Services - Chimney repairs Services # Chimney Repairsin Medway & KentRepointing, Flaunching, Lead & Removal You get the stack made watertight at the detail that is actually failing: pointing, flaunching, tray or flashing, instead of another mortar fillet that cracks out by next winter. Get my free survey07460 072891 9.97 out of 10 from 12 Checkatrade reviews, free survey and a fixed written price before any work starts. - 12 Checkatrade reviews 9.97 out of 10 average score - Checkatrade & Bark listed Verified customer reviews on both platforms - Free survey, fixed written price The cause diagnosed before the work is priced - Open 6 days a week Mon–Fri 8am–6pm, Sat 8am–3pm - Company no. 15471708 Kent-based, working across Medway from Chatham ## What chimney repairs involves, and when you need it A chimney is the most exposed masonry on the building. It stands clear of the roof, takes weather from every side, has no roof of its own beyond its flaunching, and meets the roof covering at a junction that has to be formed in lead to work. That combination makes stacks the single most common source of the leaks we are called to investigate. Repairs run from repointing perished joints and re-flaunching the top around the pots, through renewing lead trays, aprons, step flashings and back gutters, to rebuilding the stack above roof level. Where a chimney is redundant, taking it down: either to below roof level and weathering over, or removing it entirely and making good, removes the maintenance liability permanently. We inspect the stack from the roof, not from the ground: joint condition, flaunching cracks, pot condition, whether a tray exists, the state of the flashings, and the roof covering either side. On the loft side we look for staining down the stack, wet timber and damp plaster. Then you get the diagnosis, the options and a fixed written price. ### Who this is for - Properties with damp staining on chimney breasts or ceilings around the stack - Stacks with cracked flaunching, loose pots, missing or eroded mortar joints - Leaks at the chimney-to-roof junction, especially where mortar fillets have been used - Owners of redundant chimneys wanting removal and making good - Landlords and buyers acting on a surveyor's comment about chimney conditionRing the office on 07460 072891 or use the contact page and we will give you a realistic survey date on the call. You can also see everything we do across Medway or read our customer reviews. ### Related services - Roof repairs - Roofing - Damp ProofingAll services ### Areas we cover - Medway - Maidstone - Rochester - Strood - Gillingham - Chatham - Rainham - Sittingbourne - Sheerness ## What happens if it is left Chimney leaks are deceptive. Water enters through the flaunching, the joints or a failed flashing, then travels down the flue or the masonry and appears on a chimney breast in a bedroom or on the ceiling nearby. Because the stain is metres from the entry point, plenty of these get treated as damp problems for years. Salts make it worse than ordinary damp. Soot and flue condensates carry hygroscopic salts into the plaster on a chimney breast, so once that plaster is contaminated it draws moisture from the air and stays damp even after the leak is fixed. That is replastering, not redecorating. The safety escalation is the one to take seriously. Perished joints and cracked flaunching let water into the masonry, frost breaks it up, and stacks lean, shed mortar and eventually lose pots or coursing. A collapsing stack lands on the roof it is standing on, and often on whatever is below that. ### Common mistakes we are called in to undo - Sand-and-cement fillets instead of lead flashings at the roof junction - Sealant or mastic smeared over failed leadwork as a permanent repair - Repointing with a mix stronger than the brick, which spalls the brick face in frost - Capping a stack completely with no ventilation to the flue, so it stays damp inside - Replastering a salt-contaminated chimney breast with ordinary plaster before the leak is fixed ## How the job runs, step by step - Step 1 ### Inspection The stack is inspected at roof level: joints, flaunching, pots, trays, flashings and the covering either side, with the loft side and internal staining checked too. - Step 2 ### Diagnosis and options We identify the actual entry point and set out the realistic options: repair, rebuild above roof level, take down to below roof and weather over, or remove entirely. - Step 3 ### Fixed written price Scope, materials, lead codes, access arrangements and making good are priced in writing before anything starts. - Step 4 ### Works carried out Joints raked out and repointed in a suitable mix, flaunching renewed around the pots, lead trays, aprons, step and cover flashings formed and dressed, or the stack rebuilt or removed with the roof made good. - Step 5 ### Verification, photographs and completion Details checked and photographed since you cannot see them from the ground, loft re-checked, ventilation confirmed where a stack has been capped, and the site cleared. ## What you get out of it ### Leak fixed at the right detail Diagnosing whether it is flaunching, joints, tray or flashing means one repair rather than a series of guesses. ### Proper leadwork, not mortar Lead flashings dressed and wedged into a raked chase are a long-term detail; a cement fillet is a crack waiting to happen. ### Protects the masonry Sound pointing and flaunching keep water out of the brickwork, which is what stops frost damage and leaning stacks. ### Removal option that ends the problem For a redundant stack, taking it down and making good removes a permanent maintenance and leak liability. ### Internal damp handled too Where salts have contaminated the chimney breast, we can replaster with a salt-inhibited system as part of the same job. ### Photographs of work at height You see the failed detail and the finished repair rather than taking it on trust. ## Chimney repairs in detail: materials, methods and variations ### Materials and components Pointing mixes are chosen to suit the brick, not for convenience: softer lime-based or weaker cement mixes on older, softer bricks so that any movement is absorbed by the mortar rather than spalling the brick face. Joints are raked out to a proper depth before repointing, since surface smearing over perished mortar achieves nothing. Flaunching is renewed in a well-graded mortar shaped to shed water off the top of the stack and around each pot, with the pots re-bedded or replaced where cracked. Where a flue is out of use, a capping pot or ventilated cowl keeps rain out while letting the flue breathe. Leadwork is specified by code and position: aprons at the front, step and cover flashings up the sides dressed into a raked chase and wedged, back gutters behind, and a damp proof tray built into the stack during a rebuild to stop water tracking down inside the masonry. ### Repair, rebuild or remove Repair suits stacks where the brickwork is sound and the failure is in the pointing, flaunching or flashings, the majority. Rebuilding above roof level is right where coursing has spalled and eroded, where the stack is leaning, or where no tray exists and the masonry is soaking through into the property. Taking a redundant stack down to below roof level and weathering over with new timber, membrane, battens and matched tiles is often the most economical permanent answer, and it removes the maintenance for good. Full removal, including the breast internally and making good floors, ceilings and walls, is a larger job with structural considerations where the breast supports anything above. Any decision to remove needs the flue's remaining uses and any shared party-wall considerations checked first, and we will raise those at survey rather than after the scaffold is up. ### Residential versus commercial On houses, chimney work is usually driven by internal damp on a chimney breast, so we look at both ends of the problem, the stack and the plaster, and can carry out both. Matching brick and tile appearance matters where the stack is visible from the street. On commercial and multi-occupancy buildings, redundant stacks are frequently a safety and liability issue: loose masonry above a public footway or entrance. There the priorities are safe segregation, prompt make-safe work, and a documented permanent solution for the building owner or managing agent. ## Chimney repairs: your questions answered How much do chimney repairs cost?Repointing and re-flaunching are modest jobs once access is in place; renewing full leadwork, rebuilding above roof level or removing a stack and making good cost considerably more. Access is usually the largest single element, so we survey and give one fixed written price. How long does the work take?Repointing, flaunching and flashing work is typically one to three days once access is up. A rebuild above roof level or a take-down with roof making-good usually runs three to five days. Why is my chimney breast damp?Most often water is entering through cracked flaunching, perished joints or failed flashings and running down inside the stack, and flue salts in the plaster then hold moisture even after the leak stops. That is why we fix the stack first and replaster with a salt-inhibited system where needed. Should I repair or remove a chimney I no longer use?If the brickwork is sound, repair is usually the cheaper route. If it is leaning, spalled, repeatedly leaking or you simply want the liability gone, taking it down below roof level and weathering over is a permanent answer. We price both so you can compare. Do you need scaffolding for chimney work?Yes. Chimney work cannot be done safely or accurately from a ladder, and access is included in the written price rather than added afterwards. How long will a chimney repair last?Correct repointing, new flaunching and properly dressed lead flashings are long-term repairs measured in decades. Mortar fillets and sealant at the roof junction are not, which is why we do not use them. Can you deal with loose or fallen pots urgently?Yes. Where masonry or a pot is unstable, call 07460 072891, we prioritise making it safe, then quote the permanent repair. Will you make good inside as well?Yes. Where a leak has damaged plaster, we can hack off contaminated plaster and replaster with a salt-inhibited system ready for decoration, as part of the same job. Do you cover my area?Medway, Rochester, Chatham, Gillingham, Strood, Rainham, Maidstone, Sittingbourne, Sheerness and the surrounding Kent towns. ## Get chimney repairs priced properly: free survey, fixed written price Tell us what you are seeing and we will book a survey, diagnose the cause and give you one written price. 9.97 out of 10 from 12 Checkatrade reviews across Medway and Kent. Get my free surveyCall 07460 072891 Covering Medway, Maidstone, Rochester, Strood, Gillingham, Chatham, Rainham, Sittingbourne, Sheerness and the surrounding Kent towns. Damp proofing, tanking, rendering and roofing specialists working across Medway and the wider Kent area. Company number 15471708. CheckatradeBark ## Get in touch - 01634 479890 - 07460 072891 - info@intellroofingandbuilding.co.uk - 116 Chatham Grove,Chatham, Kent, ME4 6LZ ## Opening hours - Monday8am – 6pm - Tuesday8am – 6pm - Wednesday8am – 6pm - Thursday8am – 6pm - Friday8am – 6pm - Saturday8am – 3pm - SundayClosed ## Areas covered - Medway - Maidstone - Rochester - Strood - Gillingham - Chatham - Rainham - Sittingbourne - Sheerness © 2026 Intell Roofing & Building Ltd. All rights reserved. AboutPrivacy policyCookie policyTerms & conditionsRequest a free estimate Call nowFree estimate