Chimney & Masonry Repair
Tuckpointing, brick replacement, and rebuilds — above and below the roofline.
Masonry fails from the outside in, and it fails because of water. Mortar joints go porous, water soaks into the brick, and then it freezes or it carries salts through the wall. What starts as a joint you can scrape out with a house key ends as a stack that has to come down and go back up. The good news is that it's a slow process with obvious warning signs — if somebody's looking.
Signs you'd actually notice
- Crumbling mortar joints, or mortar you can scrape out with a key
- Brick faces flaking, popping, or shedding chips onto the roof
- Visible gaps, leaning, or separation where the chimney meets the house
- Pieces of masonry in the gutters or on the ground
- White chalky staining on the brick
What happens on the visit
Find out how far it's gone
There's a real difference between repointing the top three feet and rebuilding from the roofline. We photograph the whole stack — by drone if the roof is unsafe — before quoting anything.
Tuckpointing
We grind out failed joints back to sound material and pack in fresh mortar matched to the original. Skipping the grinding and smearing new mortar over old is the shortcut that fails in two years.
Replace spalled brick
Damaged units come out and matching brick goes in. Every spalled face left in place gives water a new way in, so partial fixes don't hold.
Rebuild when repair won't hold
If the stack has moved, separated, or lost too much material, we take it down to sound masonry and rebuild. We'll tell you honestly which side of that line you're on.
Seal it so it stops happening
Fresh masonry gets a breathable water repellent. Breathable matters — a sealer that traps moisture inside the brick does more damage than no sealer at all.
Why it matters
A chimney is a heavy, rigid column of masonry attached to your house and exposed to weather on all four sides. When it deteriorates it doesn't just leak — it loses structural integrity, and in the worst cases it sheds material onto a roof or a driveway. Repointing on schedule is one of the highest-return maintenance items on a house.
Recent work
What the work looks like
Our own photographs, from real jobs. Before and after where we have both ends of it.
Cracked crown, and the same crown after
The crown surface is unbroken again, sloped away from the tile and carried out over the brick.
New chase cover and cap
New cover fitted over the chase and the flue capped — the rust it replaced is still showing underneath.
Stainless liner run down the chase
The chase opened at the roof and a single length of stainless flex liner fed down it.
Book a sweep, an inspection, or a look at whatever's worrying you
Tell us what's going on and we'll call you back to agree a time. If you'd rather sort it now, the phone is faster.