The Short Answer
Most chimney repairs cost £220 to £620 for a pot, cowl or cap, £540 to £720 for new flashing all round, and £360 to £1,200 to repoint the stack. Scaffolding is the swing factor: a chimney scaffold is about £600 to £980 a week, and with it, full flashing is £960 to £1,450.
If the stack needs rebuilding above the roofline, budget about £2,500 to £6,000. If you don't use the fireplace, compare that with taking the stack down: see chimney removal costs.
Chimney repair prices
| Repair | Typical cost | For |
|---|---|---|
| Pot, cowl or cap, supplied and fitted | £220 to £620 | Keeping rain, birds and insects out of the flue |
| Flashing patch repair, no scaffold | £300 to £450 | A small split or lifted section |
| New flashing all four sides, no scaffold | £540 to £720 | Failed flashing all round |
| New flashing all four sides, with scaffold | £960 to £1,450 | Same, on a high or steep roof |
| Repointing the stack | £360 to £1,200 | Worn or cracked pointing |
| Replacing tiles round the chimney | £200 to £600 | Slipped or cracked tiles at the base |
| Rebuilding the stack above the roof | £2,500 to £6,000 | A stack beyond repair |
| Chimney scaffold, a week | £600 to £980 | Access for anything beyond a roof-ladder job |
Why chimneys get damp, and what fixes it
Historic England, which advises on older buildings, lists the causes of damp in chimneys:
- Rain down an open flue. Fix: a ventilated cap or cowl.
- Rain through the walls of the stack: cracks, worn pointing, failed flaunching (the mortar round the pots), or cement pointing or render on an old chimney. Fix: repointing, re-flaunching, repairs. Stacks on a side wall, and stacks with bends, are the most exposed.
- Condensation inside a disused flue that isn't ventilated. The moisture carries soot deposits into the plaster and shows as brown stains on the chimney breast. Fix: ventilate the flue.
It also warns that chimneys tend to deteriorate at and just below the roof line, so that's the part to check. Flashing failures show up as leaks round the stack too: see the prices above.
Make the scaffold count
If you're paying for chimney scaffold, have everything up there done at once: flashing, repointing, flaunching, pots and cowls, and any lead or tiles round the base. Leadwork elsewhere on the roof is covered on lead flashing costs.
Get chimney repair quotes
Chimney work is mostly about access. Tell roofers what's wrong and how tall the chimney is.
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Frequently asked questions
How much does it cost to repair chimney flashing?
£300 to £450 for a patch and £540 to £720 for new flashing on all four sides if a roofer can reach it without scaffold. With scaffold, £960 to £1,450.
How much does it cost to repoint a chimney?
£360 to £1,200 on our estimates, depending on its size, height and whether scaffold is needed.
How urgent is chimney repointing?
Worn pointing lets rain into the stack, which is one of the main causes of damp in chimneys. If you have damp on the chimney breast, I'd get it looked at before winter.
Does house insurance cover chimney repairs?
Sudden storm damage can be covered; wear and tear such as worn pointing usually isn't. If a claim is refused, the Financial Ombudsman Service asks whether there were storm conditions and whether the storm was the main cause.
How much does it cost to rebuild a chimney stack?
About £2,500 to £6,000 above the roofline including scaffold, on our estimates; more for tall or decorative stacks.
Why is my chimney breast damp?
Historic England lists three causes: rain down an open flue, rain through the stack (cracks, worn pointing, failed flaunching), and condensation inside a disused flue that isn't ventilated, which shows as brown staining.
Who pays for a shared chimney repair?
Agree it with your neighbour first. Repairing or rebuilding a defective party structure under the Party Wall Act needs notice to them at least 2 months before work starts.
How we priced thisView sources (3, 3 official)
Rules come from the legislation and official guidance, read at source. Prices are our estimates: we check them against trade price data, retailer shelf prices and specialists' price lists, then build them up from their parts so the totals add up. Below are the sources behind the page; the trade price guides we only compare against aren’t listed. Where sources disagreed, we've said so. More on our method.
- OfficialOpen fires, chimneys and flues (7 March 2025), Historic England. Checked 15 Oct 2026.
- OfficialParty Wall etc. Act 1996, sections 2 and 3, legislation.gov.uk. Checked 15 Oct 2026.
- OfficialStorm damage (home buildings insurance complaints), Financial Ombudsman Service. Checked 15 Oct 2026.
