Chimney restoration — Newstead Village

The drone survey found this one before it found us — a stack with the mortar joints eroded back, a crown that had been painted over rather than fixed, and a weed growing out of the brickwork at ridge height. Nothing dramatic yet, but chimneys fail slowly and then all at once, and this one was well on its way.

What we did

• Scaffolded the stack for proper access
• Took down and re-bedded the weathered top courses
• Raked out and repointed the brickwork
• Laid a fresh flaunching bed across the crown
• Fitted vent caps to the redundant flues so the stack stays dry and ventilated

The result

A stack that will see out decades more weather without letting water into the rooms below. The survey picture is from the drone; the rest are the fitter's own, taken from the scaffold as the work went on.