Leadwork and chimneys, done watertight

Nine times out of ten it is the chimney: failed flashing, a cracked flaunching letting water down the flue, or brickwork so weathered it is soaking water through. We check all three from the roof rather than guessing from the loft, and fix the one that is actually failing.

Where the detail calls for it, yes, in the correct code for the job. On some details a modern GRP valley or a composite flashing does the job well and resists theft. We will tell you the options and price both where both make sense.

If it is sound, capping and ventilating it is cheapest and keeps the look of the house. If it is leaning, spalling or costing money every few winters, reducing it below the roofline and tiling over is often the sensible end to the problem. Both are jobs we do regularly.

The mortar crown around the pots on top of the stack. When it cracks, water gets into the stack and frost blows it apart from the inside, and eventually pots loosen. Re-flaunching while the damage is small is a modest job; leaving it makes it a rebuild.

Yes, and it is one advantage of using us: the roofing and the building trade are in-house, so a chimney that needs courses rebuilding gets a bricklayer and a roofer in the same visit rather than two firms blaming each other.