Chimney Inspections and Camera Surveys

A chimney inspection has two halves. The outside is the stack, the lead, the flaunching and the pots, seen from a scaffold, a ladder or a drone. The inside is the flue, seen with a camera lowered from the pot or pushed up from the fireplace. You need both before buying an old house, before fitting a stove, after a chimney fire, and when there is damp or smoke nobody can explain.

What gets looked at, and what you should be handed afterwards.

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2 halvesthe stack outside, the flue inside
Before a stoveand after any chimney fire
Photosof every fault, in writing

A terrace of period houses in Dublin with shared chimney stacks and rows of pots — Shared stacks and rows of pots on a Dublin terrace. Each pot is a separate flue, and each one can be checked by camera.

When to have one

Buying a house. A surveyor looks from the ground. A chimney that is going to be used needs a closer look.
Before a stove goes in. To see whether the flue can take a liner, and what size.
After a chimney fire. Always. See after a chimney fire.
Damp or smoke with no clear cause. The camera shows cracks, missing liners and blockages.
Before reopening a fireplace. The flue may be capped, blocked or shared.

What each half finds

Outside, on the stack	Inside, in the flue
Open or missing joints	Cracked or missing liners
Lifted or split lead	Tar and soot build-up
Cracked flaunching, loose pots	Nests and fallen masonry
A lean or a bulge	Holes into the next flue
Hollow or cracked render	Whether it's lined at all

What to get in writing

Photos of the stack on each side and from above.
The camera footage of each flue, or stills from it.
Which flue serves which fireplace.
A list of faults, each with the repair and a price.
What is urgent and what can wait.

A look that ends with "it needs rebuilding" and no photos is not an inspection.

What an inspection usually leads to

Job	Typical cost	What moves the price
Repointing a chimney stack	€300 to €1,500	The size of the stack, how deep the joints have gone, the access
Lead flashing renewed round one chimney	€400 to €1,800	Slate or tile, a back gutter, how much lead
A flue liner supplied and fitted	€800 to €2,500	The height of the flue, the liner grade, bends
A full stack rebuild	€1,500 to €4,500	Size, height, matching brick or stone, a new lead tray

Repair work on a house is at the reduced 13.5% VAT rate. Ask for a written price that includes it, and says whether scaffolding is in it.

Every guide, calculator and county page

Jump straight to any specification guide, our interactive calculator, the technical glossary or your county page.

More on chimney repairs

Costs, leaks, mortar, flues and rebuilds.

Two brick chimney stacks with clay pots above a white gable

What chimney repairs costEvery job, priced. Repointing is €300 to €1,500.

A rendered chimney stack with lead flashing at its foot on a slate roof

A leaking chimneyWhere the damp shows tells you where the water gets in.

An old brick house with a brick chimney at each end of its roof

Repointing a stackWhen new mortar is enough, and when it isn't.

A period house with a chimney and pots at each end of its slate roof

Lining a flueFor stoves, tar and cracked flues. €800 to €2,500 fitted.

A long slate roof with two rendered chimney stacks

Rebuilding a stackA lean, bulging or loose bricks. €800 to €2,000 above the roofline.

A row of houses with slate roofs and tall brick chimney stacks

Capping and cowlsAn unused flue capped with a vent is €300 to €900.

Chimney repair in every county

Questions people ask

What does a chimney inspection cost?

A sweep with a camera look is usually priced with the sweep. A full survey with a report is priced after you say what you need it for. Many repair companies look and price for free.

Can a drone do it?

For the outside, yes, and it saves a scaffold just to look. The flue still needs a camera.

How long does it take?

An hour or two for a house with two or three flues.

Does a house survey cover the chimney?

Only what can be seen from the ground and the attic. It will often recommend a closer inspection.

Do unused chimneys need checking?

Yes, for the stack. A stack falls into disrepair whether or not there is a fire under it.

Get a price for your chimney repair

One chimney repair company that covers your county. Free, no obligation. Nothing is booked until you say yes.