Get a free quote
HomePricesLeaksRepointingLiningCountiesAbout this siteGet a free quote

Chimney Removal: The Stack, the Breast, or Both

Taking a chimney stack down to below the roof and slating over it costs €600 to €1,500 in Ireland, plus scaffolding. That is the outside job. Removing the chimney breast inside the house is a separate, structural job: whatever is left above the part you remove has to be carried on steel or a proper support, designed by an engineer.

Which part you're removing, and what each one involves.

Check my chimneyGet a free quote

Free, no obligation. One local company prices it, not five.

  • €600 to €1,500stack down, roof made good
  • Alwaysan engineer for a chimney breast
  • Sharedon most semis and terraces
A chimney breast stripped back to brick in a room with the ceiling joists open
A chimney breast stripped back to brick during a renovation. Everything above it is still standing on it.

Stack or breast

The stack (outside)The breast (inside)
What it isThe part above the roofThe part that runs up through the rooms
Why remove itIt leaks, leans or isn't usedTo win floor space
Who does itA roofer or builder, from a scaffoldA builder, to an engineer's design
Structural?No, if taken below the roof and made goodYes, always
Our price guide€600 to €1,500, plus scaffoldingPriced after an engineer's look

Taking a stack down

  1. Scaffold up, the roof below protected.
  2. The stack taken down by hand to below the rafters. Nothing is dropped.
  3. The flue capped inside the attic with a vent.
  4. The gap in the roof timbered, felted and slated or tiled to match.
  5. The rubble taken away.

Before you remove anything

  • Is it shared? On a semi or a terrace the stack usually sits on the party wall and carries your neighbour's flues too. You cannot take your half.
  • Is anything still using it? A gas fire, a boiler or a neighbour's stove may vent through it.
  • Is the house protected? On a protected structure or in an Architectural Conservation Area, removing a stack needs planning permission. Elsewhere, ask the council's planning office first: a stack is part of how the house looks from the street.
  • Will the breast stay? If it does, it still needs a vent top and bottom.

Removal and the alternatives, priced

JobTypical costWhat moves the price
A stack taken down below the roof€600 to €1,500Making good the roof over it
An unused chimney capped, with a vent€300 to €900A cap on the pot, or the pot off and a slab on
Scaffolding for a chimney€350 to €1,200Two storeys or three, a stack at the ridge or the eaves
A full stack rebuild€1,500 to €4,500Size, 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.

Price & Specification Guides

Calculator, FAQ & Glossary

All 26 Counties

More on chimney repairs

Costs, leaks, mortar, flues and rebuilds.

Two brick chimney stacks with clay pots above a white gableWhat chimney repairs costEvery job, priced. Repointing is €300 to €1,500.A rendered chimney stack with lead flashing at its foot on a slate roofA 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 roofRepointing 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 roofLining a flueFor stoves, tar and cracked flues. €800 to €2,500 fitted.A long slate roof with two rendered chimney stacksRebuilding 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 stacksCapping and cowlsAn unused flue capped with a vent is €300 to €900.

Chimney repair in every county

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.

What's wrong with the chimney?

Pick the nearest. A guess from the ground is fine.

Questions people ask

Is it cheaper to remove a stack than to repair it?

Often, if it needs everything. Removal is €600 to €1,500; a full rebuild is €1,500 to €4,500.

Can I remove the breast downstairs and leave it upstairs?

Only with the upper part carried on steel designed by an engineer. Never on timber or brackets alone.

Does removing a chimney affect the value of the house?

A working fireplace is a selling point in a period house. In a modern semi, few buyers miss a stack.

How long does a stack removal take?

A day or two, with the roof made good the same day it is opened.

What about the fireplace?

It can stay as a feature or be closed with a vent. The flue above it is capped in the attic.

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.

Check my chimneyGet a free quote