Chimney repointing and damp

[Deleted User]

Hi there,
I am in the process of selling my property and one of the things that came back when the buyers did the survey was the following. I am not too worried about the lean roof but does anyone know roughly what the cost of the repairs listed on the chimney stack may be? Also will fixing this usually sort the damp?
thabks in advance.  

strawb_shortcake

I was recently quoted £385 for repointing, my builder would have been able to do this without scaffolding, to cap the pots would have been £40 each can't comment on the flashing costs.
On closer inspection to the chimney it is in greater disrepair than initially thought and needs replacing.
For removing the chimney and tiling over we were quoted £2300 and to rebuild the chimney would be £3800 (this would be a shared cost). We are having a few issues as it's a shared chimney with a HA property that are working slower than normal, not to mention that the neighbours are currently going through the RTB process.
I believe the repairs will stop the damp getting worse but may take some time for it to all dry out.

[Deleted User]

annabanana82 said:

I was recently quoted £385 for repointing, my builder would have been able to do this without scaffolding, to cap the pots would have been £40 each can't comment on the flashing costs.
On closer inspection to the chimney it is in greater disrepair than initially thought and needs replacing.
For removing the chimney and tiling over we were quoted £2300 and to rebuild the chimney would be £3800 (this would be a shared cost). We are having a few issues as it's a shared chimney with a HA property that are working slower than normal, not to mention that the neighbours are currently going through the RTB process.
I believe the repairs will stop the damp getting worse but may take some time for it to all dry out.

Thanks so much for your response. Hope it all goes well for you 

greatcrested

If you fix the problem area(s) where water is getting in, then yes that will fix the damp. Of course, it will take some time to dry out, but that's a natural process. Extra ventilation will help speed it up.

It does seem likely that one or more of those issues identified is the cause of the damp.

None of those isues are hard to fix for a roofer or decent maintenance guy. The major cost would be scaffolding if needed.

[Deleted User]

greatcrested said:

If you fix the problem area(s) where water is getting in, then yes that will fix the damp. Of course, it will take some time to dry out, but that's a natural process. Extra ventilation will help speed it up.

It does seem likely that one or more of those issues identified is the cause of the damp.

None of those isues are hard to fix for a roofer or decent maintenance guy. The major cost would be scaffolding if needed.

excellent, thanks so much. I spoke to the buyer and we have decided to split the cost. Trying to keep the process as amicable and honest as possible 

FreeBear

annabanana82 said: I was recently quoted £385 for repointing, my builder would have been able to do this without scaffolding, to cap the pots would have been £40 each can't comment on the flashing costs.

My chimney sweep quoted £50 per pot for capping - Don't recall how much it actually cost when I had a stove fitted a few months later.

Flashing plus a bit of pointing got done last year for £280 as the guy was able to do it from a ladder. Scaffolding would have bumped the price up considerably and turned a two hour job in to a three day one.

strawb_shortcake

FreeBear said:

annabanana82 said: I was recently quoted £385 for repointing, my builder would have been able to do this without scaffolding, to cap the pots would have been £40 each can't comment on the flashing costs.

My chimney sweep quoted £50 per pot for capping - Don't recall how much it actually cost when I had a stove fitted a few months later.

Flashing plus a bit of pointing got done last year for £280 as the guy was able to do it from a ladder. Scaffolding would have bumped the price up considerably and turned a two hour job in to a three day one.

I guess it depends where in the country you are, our builder also let it slip he had a wife and 5 children so might also explain the higher cost
My Auntie lived in Hertfordshire and I know probably 20 years ago she paid £500 for pointing so £385 sounded a good deal.

FreeBear

annabanana82 said: I guess it depends where in the country you are, our builder also let it slip he had a wife and 5 children so might also explain the higher cost

London and the south in general appear to be quite a bit more expensive. Often two or three times the price of elsewhere in the country.

As for your builder, investing in a box of condoms at an early age might have kept his costs down...