Chimney Repairs in Huntingdon

If your chimney is leaking, crumbling or letting damp into the house in Huntingdon, call Big Red Roofing on [PHONE] for a free quote. We are a family-run roofing company based in town and chimneys are one of the most common sources of roof leaks we put right. The trouble usually starts at the flashing, the flaunching or the pointing, and once water gets in it tracks down into the brickwork and shows up as damp on the chimney breast. We get up there, find the real cause, and fix it properly so it stays dry.

What our chimney work covers

A chimney sits in the most exposed spot on the whole roof, taking the full force of the weather, so it is no surprise it wears out before anything else. We handle every part of keeping it sound and watertight.

• Repointing, raking out crumbling mortar and replacing it so water cannot soak into the joints.
• New lead flashing and leadwork, properly dressed where the chimney meets the roof, the most common leak point of all.
• Chimney rebuilds, taking down and rebuilding stacks that have become unsafe or badly eroded.
• New flaunching, the sloped mortar at the top that holds the pots and sheds rainwater, renewed when it cracks.
• Caps and cowls fitted to stop rain getting down the flue, keep birds out and cut downdraughts.
• Removal and capping off, taking the stack down to roof level and tiling over, or capping a disused flue neatly.

The signs your chimney needs work

The first sign is usually damp inside. A stain spreading on the chimney breast, flaky plaster around the fireplace or in the bedroom above, or a musty smell are all clues that water is getting in at the top. From the ground you might see gaps in the mortar joints, a leaning or bowing stack, cracked flaunching around the pots, or lead flashing that has lifted and pulled away from the brickwork. Bits of mortar or brick on the roof or in the gutters are another warning that the chimney is breaking up.

Exposed up there on the ridge, a Huntingdon chimney takes everything the Cambridgeshire weather throws at it. Wind-driven rain off the flat Fen country soaks into worn pointing, frost gets into the cracks and breaks the mortar apart, and over the years the lead works loose. Caught early, most of this is a straightforward repair. Left too long, a neglected stack can become unsafe and need a full rebuild, so it pays to get it looked at when you first notice damp.

How we do it properly

We start by getting up to the chimney and finding out exactly where the water is getting in, because a chimney can leak from several places at once and patching the wrong one wastes your money. We use proper lead for flashing, not cheap substitutes, and dress it in correctly so it sheds water for decades. When we repoint, we rake the joints out properly and match the mortar. When the flaunching has gone, we renew it so the pots are held firm and the top sheds rain. If your stack is too far gone to repair, we will tell you straight and talk you through a rebuild or capping off. Whatever the job, we work safely, keep it tidy, and take the debris away with us.

What makes Big Red different

We are local and family-run, and chimney work is one of those jobs where honesty matters, because you cannot easily check it yourself from the ground. We will only recommend what your chimney actually needs. When you call, you talk to the people doing the work. You get a clear written quote, fully insured work and a workmanship guarantee, and we are happy to show you chimneys we have sorted nearby. Chimney leaks often go hand in hand with other roof faults, so we also handle roof repairs and full re-roofs, and we cover the whole area, see our areas we cover page. Got damp on the chimney breast? Get a free quote or call us today.