Thetford Roofers removes redundant chimney stacks for homeowners in Mundford, handling everything from the take-down itself to making good the roof covering with materials that match your existing roof.
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A chimney take-down means removing the brick stack above roof level, cutting back the internal breast to below the ceiling or floor above, and closing the hole in the roof so the property is weathertight. The job involves materials at every stage - from the scaffold boards that make the work safe, to the tiles, slates, lead, and mortar used to finish the roof. The choices made at that finishing stage affect how good the repair looks and how well it lasts.
We carry out chimney take-downs for homeowners in Mundford and nearby villages, travelling from Thetford. Any take-down should be fully scaffolded, with the roof made good before the roofer leaves.
The stack itself is almost always clay brick, bonded with mortar. In older properties - particularly those built before the mid-twentieth century - the mortar is likely to be a lime-based mix, which is softer and more permeable than modern cement mortar. This matters because lime mortar breaks down more gradually, so bricks in an old stack can often be salvaged and reused or sold, while stacks repointed with hard cement mortar tend to have more brick damage when taken apart.
The brickwork comes down course by course. Debris is carefully managed on the scaffold platform so it does not slide down the roof covering and cause damage or injury below. The stack is taken to below the ridge line, and then the internal breast is cut back to a point that leaves a stable and tidy finish in the loft space.
Every chimney stack that passes through a pitched roof has lead flashing sealing the junction between the brick and the roof covering. This typically consists of step flashing dressed into the mortar joints on the sides of the stack, and an apron or soaker arrangement at the front and back. When the stack comes down, this lead is removed.
Lead has a scrap value, so some homeowners ask about it. In practice, the lead from a single domestic chimney is not a large quantity - you are unlikely to get more than a small sum for it - but it is yours. If the existing lead was in reasonable condition and large enough pieces, it can sometimes be used elsewhere on the roof. More often it is old, patched, and ready for replacement, so the scrap route makes more sense.
Once the stack is removed and the hole in the roof is exposed, the roof covering has to be reinstated. This is where material choice matters most to the homeowner, because it affects both the appearance and the practicality of the repair.
The ideal outcome is a repair that blends in with the existing roof so that you cannot tell a stack was ever there. This is achievable on many roofs, but it depends on whether matching material can be sourced.
Where the stack passed through the roof, the underfelt (the membrane laid beneath the tiles or slates) will have been cut. This needs to be lapped and dressed properly around the new infill area to maintain the secondary line of weather resistance. The battens the tiles sit on will also need to be extended or replaced in that area. Both are part of a properly done job - not optional extras.
If the chimney sat on or near the ridge, the take-down will involve disturbing the ridge tiles at that point. These are bedded in mortar and need to be relaid carefully. On a hip-ended roof, a stack near a hip may also affect the hip detail. Any good quote should account for this if it applies to your property.
Once the stack is removed to below the roof line, the top of the chimney breast that remains in the loft needs to be capped. This is usually done with a concrete or mortar cap, which stops debris and rain getting into the internal void of the breast. The breast itself - the masonry structure that runs down through the house - stays in place unless a builder is engaged to remove it separately. Chimney breast removal inside the house is structural work, not roofing work.
Some properties have a flat roof section - a back addition or extension - that the chimney stack passes through or stands adjacent to. Flat roofs have their own flashing details, and a stack removal in this position may require making good a felt or EPDM rubber membrane rather than a tiled surface. EPDM is a single-ply rubber membrane that bonds well to the existing flat roof and is the preferred option for making good a flat roof area after a take-down because it is durable and bonds cleanly to the existing surface without complex lapping.
A chimney take-down on a standard two-storey house, including scaffold, removal, disposal of debris, and making good the roof covering, typically costs between £1,000 and £2,500. Stacks on taller buildings, those that sit on the ridge rather than emerging through a slope, or those requiring hard-to-source matching materials will sit toward the higher end of that range or above it. If a flat roof section also needs making good, that adds to the total. Get a detailed breakdown from any roofer you ask - scaffold hire, disposal, and the finishing material should each be accounted for.
If you are considering a chimney take-down in Mundford and want to understand exactly what material options suit your roof, call Thetford Roofers to arrange a proper survey. We will look at the stack, the existing roof covering, and advise on the most practical approach for your property before giving you a written quote.
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Call any time. Calls are answered day and night and passed straight to our roofers.
