Advice required following chimney repair job

[rhythmstick33]

Hiya,

My chimney was letting in water to the house. This was how the chimney looked:

It's a shared chimney. My side of it (1st photo, above) is east facing and although it doesn't look great, the top of chimney is more concerning and more likely to be letting the water in.

I previously posted for advice on here as I was thinking about tackling it myself but, in the end, I decided to hire a roofer. He suggested it made sense to address the top of the chimney, and he provided me with a quote that included to "cap and re-do flaunching on the chimney".

It sounded good and his quote wasn't cheap, but all I got was this (showing top, left and right side of chimney, respectively):

As you can see:

- he's only touched the middle part of the chimney,
- there are still loads of gaps up there where it seems like water could get in,
- he's blocked off the hole and the bit I presume was a vent (the bit that looks like a potato waffle).


So I would like to know:

What is reasonable of me to expect the whole chimney to be reflaunched? (Ie, if he was only intending to reflaunch part of it, then shouldn't he have said that explicitly?)

The vent and hole that he's blocked off, could this cause ventilation issues that could result in more problems?

Is the overall standard of his work as bad as I think it is?

Rather than blocking off the hole/vent, should he have instead fitted a cowl/pot or something with a cap on? (Presumably, that's what he meant by "cap"?)

I haven't paid him yet and the scaffolding is still up, so what should I be saying to him?

In anticipation, thank you!

 

[Wayners]

Think I'd be disappointed with that but it's down to what was discussed and what your budget was.
You can watch this for information.

 

[ree]

OP,
Both your side & the neighbour's side need remedial repairs - fix all the stack at the same time or you might be wasting your time.

1. The whole top of the stack needs to come off - the flaunching, and the clay pot, & the metal gas terminal.
2. Then remove the render & S&C fillets, & the slate "flashing" down to roof tiles. If they are redundant then also remove all the TV aerials.
3. Check that the top courses of brickwork, they might need rebuilding?
4. There are four(?) flues in the stack, & they all need permanent ventilation. Are the chimney breasts on your side still intact?
I dont see any scaffolding?
There's more but I'll wait for your reply?

 

[rhythmstick33]

Thanks for the replies.

Ree,

The roofer was just supposed to do the flaunching, so the render, etc. is out of scope for this job. (When I raised it with him, he actually said he wouldn't know how to re-render the chimney anyway.)

I'm not sure how many flues there are in the stack. The chimney breast is not visible from within my house; the walls are just totally flat. It is damp in places, though, behind the interior walls on all three floors.

The scaffolding only goes up to the bottom of the roof.

Hopefully, his work will solve my chimney problems and not create any new issues. But if it turns out the sides of the chimney are the problem, then I will have to get someone else in to see that further down the road.

Right now, the situation is that I am just wanting to know what I should be saying to the roofer given that he was supposed to"cap and re-do flaunching on the chimney".

Specifically, am I being fair in expecting:
1. The whole chimney to be reflaunched, and this should include removing all the existing flaunching, the clay pot and the metal gas terminal.
2. All flues are given ventilation, including the flue he sealed off.
3. Proper roof-grade mortar be used.

Is that list fair and reasonable? And is there anything else I may have missed given that the scope of his work was to "cap and re-do the flaunching"?

BTW, his quote for the job was £1,350, which included adding a lead apron to the front one side of the other chimney. The price also includes the scaffolding.

Thanks again.

 

[steven lee]

I would say yes to all three, especially the vent he sealed off. Blocking a flue without ventilation is asking for condensation to build up inside, and that can look exactly like a leak coming back. A ventilated cowl keeps the weather out and still lets it breathe, so that is what I would be asking for. Agree with ree as well that the rest of the old flaunching will be the next weak point once it takes a proper downpour, so keep an eye on it through the next few heavy rains before you sign off.

 

[Si_]

"BTW, his quote for the job was £1,350, which included adding a lead apron to the front one side of the other chimney. The price also includes the scaffolding."

Unless the scaffolding cost £1340, you've been ripped off.