Bricklayer · Chimney repair
How much does chimney repair cost?
What chimney repairs cost in the UK in 2026, from repointing a stack to rebuilding it above the roofline. What drives the price, what a good job includes and how to get it quoted.
per chimney stack
Published UK trade day rates and merchant material prices, September 2026. Not yet based on Hard Hat Way quote data.
What changes the price
- Type of repair. Repointing a sound stack is the cheapest end; a partial or full rebuild above the roofline is the top end
- Access. Almost every chimney job needs a scaffold or a chimney tower, and that's often priced separately
- Height and roof pitch. A tall stack on a steep roof takes longer to reach and work on safely
- Flaunching and pots. Recasting the mortar cap and replacing cracked pots adds to a repoint
- Lead flashing. If the flashing where the stack meets the roof has failed, it needs redoing at the same time
- Brick condition. Spalled or frost-damaged bricks have to be cut out and replaced, or the stack rebuilt if it's too far gone
Chimneys take the worst of the weather. They stand above the roof in the wind and rain, they get frost from all sides, and most of them are older than anything else on the house. So the mortar fails, the bricks spall, the flaunching around the pots cracks and water gets in. Chimney repair is one of those jobs that’s much cheaper done early than late.
What drives the price
The repair itself sits on a scale. At the cheap end is repointing a sound stack: raking out the failed mortar, refilling the joints and recasting the flaunching on top. In the middle is replacing damaged bricks, pots and lead flashing. At the top end is a rebuild, taking the stack down to sound brickwork, sometimes to below the roofline, and building it back up.
Access is the other half of the bill. A chimney can’t be worked on safely from a ladder. It needs a scaffold or a purpose-made chimney tower, and on a steep roof or a tall stack that’s a bigger, more expensive setup. Many quotes list access separately, so check.
Condition decides which end of the scale you’re at. A bricklayer can often tell from good photos whether a stack can be repointed or whether the bricks are too far gone. What they can’t tell from the ground is how soft the mortar is or how far the water has got in, which is why the final price comes after they’ve been up to look.
What a good job includes
- Failed mortar raked out to a proper depth and the joints refilled fully, not smeared over
- Spalled or cracked bricks cut out and replaced with a match
- Flaunching recast in a proper mortar mix, shaped to shed water away from the pots
- Cracked or loose pots replaced and bedded securely
- Lead flashing checked and renewed where it’s failed, with the joints into the brickwork pointed
- On a rebuild, the stack rebuilt plumb, in a matching brick and bond, with a damp-proof tray where it should be
- The roof left as it was found, tiles replaced, gutters cleared of debris
How to get an accurate quote
Photograph the stack from the ground on as many sides as you can, and zoom in on the top. If you’ve had damp inside, photograph that too. Say what the roof is like (pitch, tile type) and whether there’s room for a scaffold at the sides of the house. A bricklayer can give an honest starting price from that, usually as a range depending on what they find when they’re up there. The final price comes after a site visit.
Nothing on this page is a promise of a price. Post the job with photos and get real quotes from local bricklayers whose work is rated by other bricklayers.
Common questions
How do I know if my chimney needs work?
Signs include damp patches on the chimney breast inside, mortar visibly missing or crumbling from the stack, bricks with the faces blown off, a leaning stack, cracked pots, or bits of mortar and brick landing in the gutter. If the stack is leaning, get it looked at soon.
Does the price include scaffolding?
Usually not, and it's one of the biggest variables. A chimney scaffold or tower can be a significant part of the total. Ask every quote to state whether access is included so you're comparing the same thing.
Can I just have the chimney taken down instead?
If the flue isn't used, removing a stack down to below the roofline and tiling over is an option, and sometimes cheaper than a rebuild. It needs a roofer as well as a bricklayer, and if the chimney is shared with a neighbour, you'll need their agreement.
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