Chimney Repairs in Exeter
Damp on the chimney breast upstairs, mortar crumbling out of the stack, a pot leaning where it did not lean last year. A chimney fails slowly and then all at once, and it is the most exposed thing on the house. Tell us what you can see and we will pass it to a roofing firm that does chimney work across Exeter.
What Goes Wrong with Exeter Chimneys
Flashing before stack. The lead where the chimney meets the roof fails long before the chimney does. Old lead cracks along the fold, the mortar it was tucked into falls out, and water runs down the outside of the stack into the roof space. A damp patch beside the chimney breast is a flashing problem far more often than it is a brickwork problem.
Red stone that weathers. Many of the older stacks around the city centre, St Leonard's, Heavitree and St Thomas were built in Heavitree stone, the coarse red sandstone the city was built from for five hundred years. It looks handsome and it weathers badly. Frost gets into the face, the surface spalls off, and the joints open. Repointing in the right mortar, lime rather than hard cement, is what keeps it standing.
Brick stacks losing their pointing. The Victorian brick stacks across Newtown, Mount Pleasant and Polsloe are a different problem. Cement pointing from a previous repair holds water against the brick, the brick face blows, and the stack starts to look ragged from the ground.
Pots, flaunching and caps. The mortar bed the pots sit in, the flaunching, cracks and lets water into the top of the stack. On an unused chimney a cap or cowl keeps the rain out and lets it breathe.
Leaning stacks. Sulphate attack from years of coal fires, or simply age, can bow a stack. Past a certain point it comes down to the roofline and is rebuilt.
Repair, Rebuild or Remove
Repair covers repointing, new flashing, new flaunching and pots, and a cap. Most stacks that look tired need this and nothing more.
Rebuild means taking the stack down to sound masonry, usually to the roofline, and building it back up. It is the answer when the stack is leaning, when the mortar has gone all the way through, or when a previous repair has made things worse.
Removal to below the roofline, with the roof tiled or slated over, is worth considering only if the chimney is unused and the house can lose it without looking wrong. In a conservation area that decision is not yours alone; ask the council first.
Whichever it is, the roofer should check the flashing and the roof around the stack at the same time. A rebuilt chimney over a failed valley is half a job.
What Changes the Price of Chimney Work
Access. A stack on a ridge needs a scaffold or a tower to work from safely. On a terrace with no side access, that can be the largest item on the quote.
Repair versus rebuild. Repointing is measured in hours. A rebuild is measured in days, plus materials, plus the waste.
Stone or brick. Matching Heavitree stone means sourcing reclaimed stone, and lime mortar takes longer to work with than cement. A roofer who prices the cheap option on a stone stack is pricing the wrong job.
Lead. New flashing is priced by the length and the complexity. A stack in the middle of a slope needs a back gutter, soakers and step flashing, which is more lead than a stack on a gable.
How many stacks. Older Exeter terraces have two, sometimes three. Doing them on one scaffold hire is much cheaper than doing them one at a time.
Our roof repair costs guide includes researched 2026 UK ranges for chimney flashing and repointing.
Scope
This page is about the outside of the chimney: the stack, the pots, the flashing and the roof around it. It does not cover chimney sweeping, flue lining or stove installation, which are separate trades. If you are not sure which you need, damp and crumbling mortar point here; smoke and draw point to a sweep.
How It Works
Tell us what the chimney is doing. We pass it to a roofing firm covering your area and they contact you to look and quote. We do not do the work and we do not inspect or approve the firm that does. Free, no obligation, and outside working hours you will hear back the next working day.
Related Services
If the water turns out to be getting in through the roof rather than the stack, see roof repairs. If the stack is being rebuilt as part of a re-roof, see roof replacement. A stack that has shed masonry in a storm is an emergency roof repairs call.
Areas We Cover
Chimney work across the city centre, St Leonard's, Heavitree, St Thomas, Newtown, Mount Pleasant, Pennsylvania, Topsham, Exmouth, Honiton, Newton Abbot and Tiverton. see all service areas
Common Questions
Why is my chimney breast damp upstairs?
Nine times out of ten the lead flashing where the stack meets the roof has failed, or the flaunching around the pots has cracked and rain is running down inside the stack. Both are repairs rather than rebuilds. A blocked or capped-off flue with no ventilation can also sweat, which looks the same from inside.
Can a chimney be repaired without scaffolding?
Rarely, and not safely on a ridge stack. A tower or a scaffold is normal and it is worth asking whether the roofer can use the same access to check the ridge and valleys while they are up.
Do I need permission to remove a chimney?
Possibly. In a conservation area or on a listed house, removing a stack changes the look of the building and may need consent. Check with Exeter City Council before agreeing anything.
Get a Free Quote for Chimney Repairs
Describe the job and we will hand it to a roofing firm covering your area.