Chimney needs re-building - anyone know whether its possible?

IHateDida

Hi - I wonder if anyone can give me some advice please. I need to get my chimney re-done somehow.

Basically what is happening is that its a red brick victorian terrace house and the chimney looks a bit worn away on the roof through weathering I guess, plus a few bricks have dropped down on to the hearth.

Is it possible to have a victorian terrace red brick chimney rebuilt - and if so - what can they do about the internal bricks that are obviously crumbling and hence falling down? Is it a big job/even possible? Approx cost/upheaval?

Thank you I would like to know what I am talking about before I approach any builders.

aboard_epsilon

its going to be costly ..because the regulations will say that a pile of scaffolding has to erected ..so weather they rip you off or not ..you got that on top of the price.

so approach a scaffoldiong firm first and ask what the price is ..just for the scaffolding ..if that puts you off ..perhaps will give you an idea ..

maybe his house building insurance will cover it. storm damage etc.

all the best.markj

vaio

If the outside is structurally unsound to the point where bits are falling then it needs doing no matter what the cost before someone gets hurt.

If the inside of the flue has deteriorated to the point where bricks are falling down then it can be repaired, one method I used years ago was a big inflatable sausage (from a hire shop) pushed down the flue, then inflated and then buckets of concrete poured down from the top. When the concrete had gone off the sausage was deflated and removed. I expect you could so a similar job with a conventional metal liner but I'd still go with the concrete to tie everything together.

I'm pretty sure any work on flues come under building regs now so my be worth getting an expert in to have a look

trumpton

Does it definitely need rebuilding? We had ours repointed for £280 - two guys with a ladder, no scaffolding. I would get a few quotes.

Ben84

It's not just a matter of using the fire, as the top of the chimney may be unstable from weathering, which makes falling bricks a hazard to people below and the roof tiles. However, chimneys are expensive to repair and not the safest or most efficient way to vent heating appliances. A lot of people are now having them capped, or if unstable removed to below the roof line and tiled over. You can get gas fires and boilers that vent directly though the wall, which is generally more efficient and much safer, they also don't require air vents in the room as they take in outside air to burn.

It really depends on the design of your house. Personally, I would try to save my chimney as it's in the centre of the house and allows me to vent the gas fire in the living room from the most useful point, while the only two outside walls have either a big glass patio door or a big window. If you have a good space against an outside wall to vent a modern gas appliance however, it's a better choice.

IHateDida

Thankyou for all your replies - really appreciated.

I think the chimney will need to be rebuilt - but bits aren't yet falling off on the outside - its the inside that is falling down the chimney.

I would like to have a coal fire rather than a gas fire - its on a neighbouring property's wall.

I don't think its a case just of repointing as the bricks are coming away from inside the chimney not outside (yet!)

Thanks for the info about the concrete - I will sound a bit more knowledgeable when I phone a builder - knowing what others have done. I thought the scaffolder would be expensive - I am hoping that £2k would cover the whole job??? I am going to see a builder about it next summer as I would prefer to be there when they are carrying out the work so that my dad doesn't get ripped off.

Suzy_M

I can't find the original post that referred to it but I had a look at the National Association of Chimney Sweep web site. Some members offer a CCTV and/or survey service. It might be worth contacting one of these first as they will have equipment a general builder won't.

I appreciate the costs that may be involved but work on chimneys has a knock-on effect on the roof and guttering so you may want to consider the bigger picture. As the chimney has fallen into disrepair the roof, guttering etc. may not be far behind. So it may be cheaper re: scaffolding costs to get it all done at the same time.

muckybutt

IHateDida wrote: »

Thankyou for all your replies - really appreciated.

I think the chimney will need to be rebuilt - but bits aren't yet falling off on the outside - its the inside that is falling down the chimney.

I would like to have a coal fire rather than a gas fire - its on a neighbouring property's wall.

I don't think its a case just of repointing as the bricks are coming away from inside the chimney not outside (yet!)

Thanks for the info about the concrete - I will sound a bit more knowledgeable when I phone a builder - knowing what others have done. I thought the scaffolder would be expensive - I am hoping that £2k would cover the whole job??? I am going to see a builder about it next summer as I would prefer to be there when they are carrying out the work so that my dad doesn't get ripped off.

Speaking from a sweeps point of view rebuilding isnt necessary, all you need is your chimney lining, as mentioned above an inflatible sock is placed down the chimney and a lightweight concrete mixture is poured down, this not only seals your chimney from leaks etc in also gives the old chimney strength, if you ask the relining company they'll do the repointing at the same time.

Just an idea of what you are looking at http://www.thermocrete.com/