builder's shoddy job on chimney?

[larrylamb9]

Hi
I just want to get some feedback on whether the work done on my chimney is indeed shoddy. I had a damp interior chimney brest and a builder diagnosed this as the chimney needing rebuilding. It is approximately 7 feet tall. after a lot of money and a lot of scaffolding the chimney is now brand new, however the dampness has returned. i've been told by another builder that the chimney was only rebuilt from approximately 3 bricks up from the top of the roof and the flashing is old and deteriorated.
Should the original builder have rebuilt the chimney from the very base of the roof and included replacing the flashing as a matter of course? I just took his advice on why the interior was damp and didn't ask for details as he was a member of the master builders so I assumed he would know what to do. What can I do now... he doesnt think he has done anything wrong?
Many thanks.

 

[Alastairreid]

Did you get a written quote listing what he was going to do?

 

[cotswoldbuilders]

The lead flashings etc are one of the more important parts of the water proofing joint between roof and stack.

 

[larrylamb9]

No detailed quote, just an assurance that the dampness would stop. He was recommended and is not a cowboy as far as I could tell.

 

[larrylamb9]

is it typical to rebuild a chimney from a few bricks up rather from the very base next to the slates on the roof?

 

[tony1851]

If there was a water-penetration problem, re-building the chimney from above roof level would almost certainly not solve it. Water will be getting in via defective flashings, which lie adjacent to the tiles/slates.
It should have been possible to stop the water penetration by just attending carefully to the flashings, ie making sure they are all present and well-secured by pointing, and then perhaps pointing the chimney higher up, where necessary.
Unfortunately, re-building the chimney was a waste of time, unless the brickwork was noticeably in poor or dangerous condition.

 

[larrylamb9]

Ok, this is actually a job done on my elderly neighbours house... what can I do to help get some of her money back? I have his name and mobile and a receipt (not itemised) but nothing else. I know that's not much but is there anything I can do???

 

[noseall]

what can I do to help get some of her money back??

Nowt.

The best you could hope for is an offer of rectification.

That is, if there are grounds for rectification in the first place.

 

[Nige F]

As Nose. says - there is an IF in the equation - the builder may have genuinely thought/seen that the head of the chimney was dodgy and not been aware of the flashing issues