Chimney repairs in Worthing

We follow chimney damp back to the stack, the cap or the lead, put the fault in front of you as photographs, then mend it with the right mortar and well dressed lead for a stack that faces sea weather.

Get a quote Call 01903 299063

Victorian terrace chimney stacks with spalled bricks and old lead flashing

Leaks traced
to the source
Photos of
your own roof
Written quote,
one total price
10-year workmanship
guarantee, in writing

Chimney work we carry out across Worthing

Repointing and crumbling mortar

Joints raked out and refilled in a mortar that suits the brick, so driving rain stops soaking into the stack and the bricks stop flaking from the inside.
Flaunching and chimney pots

Cracked flaunching, the sloped mortar cap round each pot, renewed, and loose or split pots re-bedded plumb so water sheds away from the flue.
Cowls, caps and bird guards

Rain caps, ventilated hoods and guards fitted to pots, so an unused flue stays dry and aired and birds cannot nest in a working one.
Lead flashings and back gutters

Lead that has lifted or split where the stack meets the roof, and back gutters choked with moss, renewed in the right code and pointed in.
Spalled and cracked bricks

Bricks that have lost their faces or cracked through are cut out and replaced with the closest match, one at a time, without disturbing sound work.
Rebuilds and removals

Leaning or decayed stacks taken down to sound brick and rebuilt, and stacks removed where the rules allow, for homes, shops and flat blocks alike.

Brown water stain spreading across a white bedroom ceiling near the window

Signs a chimney needs attention

Damp patch on the chimney breast
Mortar crumbling from the stack joints
Leaning stack or bricks out of line
Cracked flaunching around the pots
Lead lifting where stack meets slates

Typical UK costs for chimney repairs

Typical UK price ranges
Job	UK range
Chimney repointing, typical range	£500 to £2,000
Patch repair to chimney leadwork	£150 to £250
Full chimney lead replacement, no scaffold	£350 to £460
Full chimney lead replacement, with scaffold	£700 to £920
Scaffold for a chimney	£400 to £900

Typical figures from published national guides. The price for your own stack is a written quote, issued after we have looked over the brickwork, the lead and the loft beside it. Source: MyBuilder chimney repair and scaffolding cost guides, updated 21/08/2026; MyJobQuote chimney leadwork guide, updated 22/09/2026.

How a Worthing chimney repair runs, from first call to clear site

Tell us what showsCall 01903 299063 or send a WhatsApp with a photo of the stack from the garden and a note of where the damp appears indoors.
Close inspectionStarting in the loft beside the stack, we look over the brickwork, pots, flaunching and lead and photograph each fault so you can see it.
Written quoteA single total price follows in writing, with the reason why repair, rebuild or removal suits your stack best.
Repair and finishWe mend the stack, photograph the finished top and flashings, take down the scaffold or tower and take the waste away.

The chimney repair guide

Finding where the damp starts, then repairing the stack for good

Where water enters a stack, how each fault is put right, what the rules say about rebuilds and removal, and the typical cost of the work.

Chapter one

How water gets in around a chimney stack

A stack is brick, mortar, lead and a cap in one narrow tower, and driving rain finds whichever of them has weakened first.

A chimney is the most exposed part of a house. It stands clear of the roof, takes wind and rain on every face, and is built from materials that expand and shrink at different rates. Brick, mortar, a sloping cap round the pots, sheet lead where the stack meets the roof, and a flue down the middle: any of them can let water in, and a stain on the chimney breast in the room below rarely says which. The Victorian and Edwardian terraces near Worthing seafront and across Brighton and Hove have tall stacks, often with several pots, standing in the full weather coming up the Channel. On a 1930s semi in Goring or Durrington the stack may stand on the party wall and serve both houses. Post-war bungalows along the coast have shorter, plainer stacks that are easier to reach and just as open to the weather.

At a glance

The cap, the brickwork, the lead and the flue each leak differently
A stain on the breast may start at any of the four
The loft beside the stack tells us which one it is

Note The UK is mapped into four driving-rain exposure categories under BS 8104, as Marley's design guidance explains.

1.1 The four routes in

At the top, each pot is bedded in flaunching, the sloped mortar cap that sheds water away from the flue. When it cracks or shrinks back from the pot, rain runs down beside the flue and into the brickwork. Lower down, the face of the stack is bricks and mortar joints. Eroded joints let wind-driven rain into the brick, and soft bricks flake as they take on water and freeze, a failure called spalling. At the base, the stack meets the roof, and lead flashings plus a back gutter carry water round the brickwork onto the slope. Open joints or lifted lead there send water straight into the roof space. The fourth route is the flue itself: rain falling down an open pot, or damp air condensing in a cold, unused flue, shows up as dampness or brown staining on the breast.

1.2 Reading the clues from the loft

The loft tells us a great deal. Damp that is heaviest on the stack's own brickwork and dries in a warm spell points to pointing or flaunching. A wet timber beside the stack, or a tide mark on the underlay below the flashing, points to the lead or the back gutter. A stain that shows only after strong wind with rain from one side suggests a gap on that face. A stain in cold weather with no rain, or around a fireplace nobody uses, suggests condensation or a flue left open to the sky. We photograph the stack at close range and the loft side before suggesting a fix. Our guide to why a chimney leaks shows how we tell the four routes apart.

Roofer forming new mortar flaunching around chimney pots

Fig. 1 On the survey Flaunching cracked and pulling away from the pot.

The damp patch is the end of the trail, not the start of it.

A leak that appears only in wind-driven rain is useful evidence. It means one face of the stack, or one side of the flashing, has a gap that stays dry when rain falls straight down. Note which room shows the stain, what the weather was doing and how long after the rain began it appeared. A photo of the stain and those few notes let us bring the right mortar and lead to the first visit, and they save time in the loft.

Chapter two

Repointing, spalled bricks and cracks in the stack

Mortar is meant to wear out before the brick does, and a chimney tests it harder than any wall in the house.

Two roofers fitting a dry ridge along a bungalow roof

Repointing means raking out loose, eroded mortar from the joints and filling them with fresh mortar, so rain stops reaching the brick behind. Mortar is meant to wear before the brick does. All four faces of a stack take wind, rain, sun and frost, so its joints go sooner than those lower down the house. When the mortar has eroded until sand rubs off on a finger, or the bricks seem to stand proud of recessed joints, water is soaking in with every shower. Repointing at that stage protects the stack and avoids a rebuild later. Our guide to repointing a chimney stack covers the stages.

At a glance

Repointing renews eroded joints, not whole bricks
Spalled or cracked bricks are cut out and replaced
Lime mortar suits old, soft brick

Note Altering a listed building's character without consent is a criminal offence under section 9 of the Listed Buildings Act 1990.

2.1 What repointing involves

The work needs a scaffold or a tower, because a stack cannot be repointed safely from a ladder alone. The old mortar is cut out to a good depth, the joints are brushed clean and dampened, and new mortar is packed in and finished to match the original style, whether flush, weathered or struck. Pots, flaunching and flashings are checked on the same visit, since a stack that needs pointing often needs one of them as well. Where the lead is sound, it stays and its top edge is pointed back into the joint.

2.2 Spalled bricks, cracks and the choice of mortar

Bricks whose faces have blown off, because water froze inside them, are cut out and replaced one at a time with the closest match we can source, or turned where the other face is sound. A hairline crack along a mortar joint is a repointing job. A stepped crack through several courses, bricks pushed out of line, or a stack that leans points to movement, often after years of water in the brickwork, and repointing alone will not hold it. We make the stack safe and treat it as a rebuild question, covered further down.

The mortar matters as much as the method. A hard cement mix on soft old brick can push moisture out through the brick instead of the joint, so the bricks flake while the joints stay sound. Older stacks are therefore often repointed in lime mortar. On a listed house, the Adur & Worthing guide names repairs in non-matching materials as work that needs consent, whereas the South Downs National Park Authority says minor like-for-like repairs made in place do not. Either way, the choice of mortar goes in the quote so that you and the conservation officer see the same plan.

What people sayA coat of waterproof sealant on the brickwork cures a damp chimney.

What is trueSealant over eroded joints can hold water inside the brick, so the joints and the flashings above must be repaired first.

Pointing and brick repairs are also the right moment to look at the top course and the flaunching, because the mortar there takes the harshest weather of all. Matching an old brick is the hard part: colour, size and texture vary between makers, so we show you the sample against the stack before a brick is cut in. On stacks that carry a television aerial or satellite dish, we also check how the bracket is fixed, because a loose bracket works the joints open in the wind.

Chapter three

Pots, flaunching, cowls and the unused flue

Everything above the top course decides whether rain reaches the flue and whether a closed fireplace stays dry and aired.

The chimney pot extends the flue above the stack and helps the smoke leave cleanly. It sits in a bed of mortar, and the mortar is shaped into a smooth slope called flaunching that throws rain away from the pot. Flaunching sits at the very top of the building, so frost, gales and sun reach it first. It hairlines, shrinks back from the pot and finally lets water down beside the flue liner. Renewing it is a small job on its own, but it is easily missed from the ground, and it is the first thing we look at after a stain appears. The chimney flaunching guide explains how to tell when it is due.

At a glance

Flaunching slopes mortar away from each pot
Cowls and guards keep rain and birds out
A capped flue still needs air moving through it

Note Approved Document J, para 2.11: flue heights may need raising where wind, tall buildings, high trees or high ground spoil the draught.

3.1 Pots and cowls

A pot with a hairline crack that is firm in its bed can sometimes be left, while a pot split in two or loose in its mortar must come down. Cowls, rain caps and bird guards sit on top of the pot. A rotating or fixed cowl can help a flue draw in gusty weather, a rain cap keeps the weather out of a flue nobody uses, and a guard stops birds building in a working flue. Nests that are in use are protected by law, so we check before we lift a pot.

3.2 Closing off a chimney you no longer use

Sealing the top of an unused flue with a flat slab traps damp air inside it and leaves the breast cold and wet. A ventilated cap or a pot hood with a vent lets air move through the flue while the rain stays out, and the fireplace opening below is often fitted with a vent for the same reason. Good ventilation through a disused flue keeps the breast dry, and that same airflow is the chimney's best defence against the condensation described earlier. The hearth and opening below can be closed up behind a proper vent when a room is redecorated, and we explain what is safe to seal before any capping goes on. If a gas fire or stove still uses the flue, its installer or a sweep should check it before anything is capped. A sweep cleans the flue; the stack, the pots and the lead are a roofing job.

Renewing flaunching and re-bedding a pot

Lift The pot is lifted off and the cracked flaunching is chipped away to sound brick.
Bed The pot goes back plumb in fresh mortar so the flue is clear and the pot is firm.
Shape The mortar is dressed with a smooth fall away from the pot and a drip edge.
Finish A cowl, cap or guard goes on if the flue needs one, and we photograph the top.

A stack is only as weathertight as the mortar cap on top of it.

A pot or cowl is also where a stack catches the wind, so a loose one is a danger to anyone below. If you can see a pot leaning or rocking from the ground, keep clear and call us, and our emergency roof repairs page explains how we make a stack safe first and plan the permanent repair afterwards. Flaunching, pots and cowls are inspected together, so one visit settles all three.

Chapter four

Flashings, back gutters and chimney leadwork

Where the stack meets the roof, sheet lead does the work, and it only holds if it is cut, dressed and pointed in properly.

The joints where a stack meets the roof are the most intricate work on a chimney. At the front, an apron of lead covers the junction with the slope. Up each side, stepped flashings follow the courses of brick as the roof climbs past the stack, each step tucked into a raked mortar joint and pointed in. Behind a stack that sits mid-slope, a back gutter catches the rain running down from the ridge and carries it round to both sides. A stack on the ridge has no up-slope side, so lead runs right round it. When the pointing falls out of a joint, the lead lifts and rain runs behind it. When a length of lead is cut too long it splits as it expands and contracts. When a back gutter fills with moss and leaves, it overflows into the roof. The chimney flashing guide covers each case.

At a glance

Flashings seal the stack to the slates or tiles
Code 4 is the standard flashing weight
Lead lasts for decades, but sealant over it does not

4.1 Lead codes and what lasts

Lead sheet comes in numbered codes that follow its thickness and are made to BS EN 12588. Leadworx names Code 4 as the default weight for flashings, with Code 3 kept for soakers, the small lead pieces slipped under each course of tiles or slates. MyJobQuote gives lead flashing a life of over 80 years, and over 100 for higher codes. That is why we replace failed lead with new lead rather than patch over it, and why the lengths, the laps and the fixings count for as much as the weight. Stacks in exposed spots near the sea also get a close look at how the lead is clipped, since wind lifts a loose edge first. A routine inspection of the lead after a hard winter catches most of these faults early, and that kind of maintenance is cheaper than a rebuilt flashing.

Two new roof windows with grey flashings in a slate roof

4.2 Why sealant is the wrong repair

Mastic run along a lifted flashing seems fine for a few months before it shrinks and splits. Whatever water gets past is held in behind it, wetting the brickwork and the timbers underneath until damp appears indoors. The sound repair is new lead, cut to suit and dressed tight to the roof covering, with the top edge pointed into the stack. Our lead roofing page covers the wider range of leadwork, from valleys to dormer cheeks.

Chimney leadwork at a glance

Standard flashing: Code 4, 1.80 mm
Soakers: Code 3, 1.32 mm
Heavier work: Code 5, 2.24 mm
Typical life: Over 80 years, over 100 for higher codes
Made to: BS EN 12588

Source: Leadworx, Lead Sheet Codes Explained; MyJobQuote chimney leadwork guide (22/09/2026); fetched October 2026

Old lead that is thin, brittle or split in several places is better renewed along the whole run than patched in lengths, and a patch repair can only be as good as the lead around it. MyJobQuote prices a patch repair to chimney leadwork at £150 to £250, so a small fault is not a large bill, while a full replacement is cheaper when it is done with the stack already scaffolded for repointing. Lead and brickwork are best judged together in one survey.

Chapter five

Rebuilds, leaning stacks and removal: what the rules say

Most stacks can be repaired; a few need rebuilding, and removal brings Building Regulations and, on a shared wall, your neighbour into it.

Bungalow roof heavily covered in green moss on its north-facing slope

We rebuild a stack only when the brick itself has failed rather than its joints: a stack that leans, courses that have slid out of line, a crack that steps through the bricks, or bricks so decayed that new mortar has nothing sound to grip. Then we take the stack down to the first sound course and rebuild it in matching brick with new flaunching, pots and lead. Because the work is above a roof it needs a scaffold, and we photograph the stack at each stage so you can see what lay behind the old brickwork. Pots are lifted off whole where they are sound and bedded back on the new top, and the flashings are renewed at the same time, because lead dressed into old joints cannot be reused in new brickwork. The stack rebuild guide sets out the stages.

At a glance

Rebuild only when the brick itself has failed
Article 4 areas can remove chimney rights
Removing a chimney breast always needs approval

A rebuild is for failed brick; a repair is for failed mortar and lead.

5.1 Permission for repairs and rebuilds

A like-for-like repair or rebuild that leaves the house looking as it did generally needs no planning permission. The exceptions are listed buildings and the places where an Article 4 direction removes the rights. In Adur, the directions for the Old Shoreham and Kingston Buci conservation areas remove the right to install, alter or replace a chimney, flue or soil and vent pipe without permission. In Worthing, the Warwick Gardens direction covers the erection, alteration or removal of a chimney. If your house is listed or in one of those areas, ask the Adur & Worthing planning team before work starts; inside the South Downs National Park the Park authority is the planning authority.

5.2 Taking a breast or a stack away

Removing a chimney breast, the part inside the house, always needs Building Regulations approval, according to the Planning Portal, which adds that the rules may differ if only the stack is going. We point you to your building control body before a price is agreed. Where the chimney sits on a party wall, GOV.UK lists removing chimneys from a party wall as notifiable work: you give your neighbour notice between two months and a year before you start, and silence does not count as agreement. A stack left standing above a removed breast needs its support checked, so raise it with building control at the outset. The chimney stack removal guide covers permission, cost and party walls.

Repair, rebuild or remove: what each involves and what to check

Job	What triggers it	What to check first
Repoint and repair	Eroded joints, cracked flaunching, lifted lead	Listed status, Article 4 direction
Rebuild the stack	Lean, stepped cracks, decayed brick	Listed status, Article 4 direction, scaffold
Remove the breast	A wish for floor space indoors	Building Regulations approval, party wall notice
Remove the stack	A stack no longer needed	Building control, planning team, party wall notice

Source: Planning Portal, chimney breast FAQ; GOV.UK, Party walls and building work; Adur & Worthing Councils, Article 4 Directions

Chapter six

Reading a chimney quote: cost, scaffold and insurance

Published guides give a starting range; access, the state of the brick and the condition of the lead decide where your stack falls in it.

For a typical UK chimney, MyBuilder's guide puts repointing at around £750 within a range of £500 to £2,000, and a full stack rebuild at £2,000 to £10,000 or more. Those numbers come from national guides, not from us, and they are only a starting point for your stack. What moves the figure is how many faces need work, how tall the stack is, how decayed the brick has become, whether the lead needs renewing and, above all, access.

At a glance

MyBuilder puts repointing at £500 to £2,000
A scaffold on the highway needs a council licence
Wear and tear is not usually an insurable event

6.1 Scaffold, access and the highway

MyBuilder puts a chimney scaffold at £400 to £900, and Checkatrade quotes £660 a week for one. A low bungalow stack can sometimes be reached from a tower; a stack on a three-storey terrace on a busy street cannot. If the scaffold has to stand on the public highway, the firm erecting it applies for a licence from West Sussex County Council, which asks for at least 10 working days' notice, or from Brighton & Hove City Council inside the city. That notice belongs in your timetable. When you compare quotes, check whether each one includes VAT at the standard 20% and whether the scaffold is in the price. A quote from us is one total price, in writing, after the survey.

6.2 Maintenance, inspection and insurance

The Financial Ombudsman Service points out that insurers' exclusions frequently cover damage that built up gradually, and that for storm damage the question is whether a storm happened and was the main cause. If a gale brings bricks or a pot down, keep clear, photograph what you can from the ground and call us, and we make the stack safe first. Speak to your insurer before any repair beyond that: the insurance industry's advice for Storm Eunice in 2022 was to contact your insurer as soon as possible and speak to it before arranging temporary emergency repairs. We give you photographs and a written account of the work, and any payout is the insurer's decision.

Maintenance takes little effort. Look up at the stack from the garden after a gale, check the loft beside it after heavy rain, and book an inspection before a sale or when you see any of the signs above. Domestic and commercial owners with shop rows, pubs or flat blocks should treat a stack the same way, because a shared stack fails for everyone below it. Before we leave, the flashings, flaunching and pots are checked once more and the stack is photographed from the roof for your records.

Typical UK chimney repair costs by job

Repointing a bungalow stack£200 to £700
Repointing a semi, side stack£600 to £900
Repointing a semi, central stack£900 to £1,500
Repointing a detached house£700 to £900
Rebuilding a stack£2,000 to £10,000+

National figures from one published guide; your quote follows our survey of your own stack. Source: MyBuilder chimney repair cost guide, updated 21/08/2026.

Chimney repair questions from Worthing and West Sussex homes

Why does my chimney breast only turn damp in wind-driven rain?

That pattern points to a gap on one face of the stack or one side of the flashing, which stays dry when rain falls straight down but takes in water when a gale pushes it sideways. Eroded pointing, cracked flaunching and lifted lead are the common causes, and the loft beside the stack shows which. Note the date and weather when it happens and send a photo of the stain, and we will check the stack with that clue in mind.

How do I know whether my stack needs repointing or a rebuild?

Look up the stack from the garden. Eroded joints, sandy mortar and the odd flaked brick are repointing work. A lean, a crack that steps across several courses, or bricks out of line mean the structure has moved, and new mortar will not hold it. A photo from the ground helps us judge, but the answer comes from a close look at the brickwork, so we survey it before suggesting either route.

Do I need to look after a chimney I never use?

Yes. An unused stack still takes the weather, and its flue still needs air moving through it. A rain cap with a vent keeps water out without sealing the flue, and the pointing, flaunching and lead need the same attention as on a working chimney. If a gas fire or stove still uses the flue, ask its installer or a sweep to check it before anything is capped.

What should I do when bricks or a pot come down in a gale?

Keep people and pets away from the fallen material, photograph it from a safe spot on the ground and call 01903 299063. A damaged stack is made safe first, since we prioritise storm damage, and the permanent repair is planned afterwards. Contact your insurer before agreeing any work beyond that, because the insurer may want to see the damage and the photographs.

Where does a repointing quote land for a bungalow, a semi or a detached house?

MyBuilder's guide gives £200 to £700 for a bungalow stack, £600 to £900 for the side stack of a semi, £900 to £1,500 for a central stack and £700 to £900 for a detached house. These are national figures. Height, access, the state of the brick and any lead work move your own price, which we confirm in writing after the survey.

Does the American 3-2-10 rule apply to a chimney in Sussex?

No. It is an American rule of thumb, three feet above the roof and two feet taller than anything within ten feet, and it is not part of English rules. In England, chimney heights for wood and solid-fuel appliances follow Approved Document J: a flue that comes through within 600mm of the ridge should finish at least 600mm above it. Ask us or building control about your own flue before changing a stack.

Guides to chimney stacks, pots and flashings

Guides on leaks, repointing, flaunching, rebuilds and removal for stacks in Worthing, across West Sussex and along the shore between Littlehampton, Brighton and Hove.

Chimney repairs in Worthing

Chimney work we carry out across Worthing

Repointing and crumbling mortar

Flaunching and chimney pots

Cowls, caps and bird guards

Lead flashings and back gutters

Spalled and cracked bricks

Rebuilds and removals

Signs a chimney needs attention

Typical UK costs for chimney repairs

How a Worthing chimney repair runs, from first call to clear site

Finding where the damp starts, then repairing the stack for good