Chimney Rebuilds: When a Stack Is Past Repair
Rebuilding a chimney above the roofline costs €800 to €2,000 in Ireland, and a full stack rebuild costs €1,500 to €4,500, plus scaffolding. A stack needs rebuilding when it leans, bulges, has loose or split bricks, or has been repointed and patched until there is little sound masonry left. New mortar on a stack like that only hides the movement.
Repair or rebuild, why stacks lean, and what a rebuild includes.
Free, no obligation. One local company prices it, not five.
- €800 to €2,000above the roofline
- €1,500 to €4,500a full stack
- 2 to 4 daysfor most stacks
Repair or rebuild
| What you see | What it means | The job |
|---|---|---|
| Joints weathered back, bricks solid | Normal wear | Repoint: €300 to €1,500 |
| Faces of bricks flaking off | Water trapped in soft brick, often by cement mortar | Replace the bricks, repoint in lime; rebuild if many |
| A crack through bricks, not just joints | The stack has moved | Rebuild from below the crack |
| The stack leans | The mortar has swollen or washed out on one side | Rebuild: €800 to €2,000 above the roofline |
| Render bulging or hollow | The masonry behind it is loose | Hack off and look; often a rebuild |
| Bricks you can move by hand | Nothing is holding it | Make safe now, then rebuild |
Why stacks lean
Smoke carries sulphur. Where a flue runs damp, the sulphates soak into the mortar on the cold, wet side of the stack and the joints swell. One side grows by a few millimetres a course, and over forty or fifty years the stack bends away from the weather. Solid fuel fires and an unlined flue make it worse. It cannot be pointed straight again.
What a rebuild includes
- Scaffold, with the roof under it protected.
- The stack taken down by hand, course by course, to sound masonry.
- A lead tray built through the new stack so damp cannot track down inside.
- New brick or stone to match, with clay liners in each flue.
- New flaunching, the pots back on or replaced, cowls if wanted.
- New lead flashing dressed to the roof.
If it looks dangerous
A stack that has shifted in a storm, or bricks on the ground, is urgent. Keep people away from the ground below it and from the room under it. If it could fall onto a road or a footpath, ring 999 or 112. Then get it made safe before it is priced.
Rebuilds, priced
| Job | Typical cost | What moves the price |
|---|---|---|
| Partial rebuild, above the roofline | €800 to €2,000 | How many courses come down |
| A full stack rebuild | €1,500 to €4,500 | Size, height, matching brick or stone, a new lead tray |
| Scaffolding for a chimney | €350 to €1,200 | Two storeys or three, a stack at the ridge or the eaves |
| A stack taken down below the roof | €600 to €1,500 | Making good the roof over it |
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.
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More on chimney repairs
Costs, leaks, mortar, flues and rebuilds.
What chimney repairs costEvery job, priced. Repointing is €300 to €1,500.
A leaking chimneyWhere the damp shows tells you where the water gets in.
Repointing a stackWhen new mortar is enough, and when it isn't.
Lining a flueFor stoves, tar and cracked flues. €800 to €2,500 fitted.
Capping and cowlsAn unused flue capped with a vent is €300 to €900.Chimney repair in every county
- Carlow3,372 homes built before 1946
- Cavan4,152 homes built before 1946
- Clare6,309 homes built before 1946
- Cork37,465 homes built before 1946
- Donegal6,974 homes built before 1946
- Dublin79,150 homes built before 1946
- Galway10,117 homes built before 1946
- Kerry7,666 homes built before 1946
- Kildare5,606 homes built before 1946
- Kilkenny6,287 homes built before 1946
- Laois4,323 homes built before 1946
- Leitrim2,466 homes built before 1946
- Limerick11,830 homes built before 1946
- Longford2,224 homes built before 1946
- Louth6,764 homes built before 1946
- Mayo7,592 homes built before 1946
- Meath6,839 homes built before 1946
- Monaghan3,868 homes built before 1946
- Offaly4,608 homes built before 1946
- Roscommon4,227 homes built before 1946
- Sligo4,130 homes built before 1946
- Tipperary12,246 homes built before 1946
- Waterford7,755 homes built before 1946
- Westmeath4,684 homes built before 1946
- Wexford8,936 homes built before 1946
- Wicklow8,488 homes built before 1946
Check your chimney
Four taps: what's wrong, the height of the house, what the stack is built of and what it's used for. You see the likely job and our price for it. Your number is only asked for at the end, if you want one chimney repair company that covers your county to ring you.
Questions people ask
How long does a rebuild take?
Two to four days for most stacks, more for a wide shared one.
Can it be rebuilt lower?
Sometimes, but a stack that is too short draws badly and smokes. Ask before agreeing to it.
The stack is shared with next door. Who pays?
It is shared, so by agreement. Talk to your neighbour before the scaffold goes up: one rebuild is far cheaper than two halves.
Will the new brick match?
Reclaimed brick or a close match is used on the faces you can see. Ask to see a sample.
Do I need planning permission?
Not to rebuild like for like. A protected structure or a house in an Architectural Conservation Area is different: ask the council first.
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.