Chimney Stack Reduction.

[conny]

Can anyone give me a ball park figure to reduce the height of a chimney stack by about 8 courses of brickwork and re-fitting the cap please?

Chimney is situated halfway down the rear elevation of the roof, not on the ridge line.

House is in Liverpool and there is a conservatory below with 38mm perspex roof.

 

[stuart45]

Work itself won't cost much, but the scaffold might.

 

[ree]

Is access proposed over the conservatory or somewhere else?

Gable, Terrace?

Any appliances or fires feeding the flues?

Maybe some pics would help?

 

[catlad]

Last couple I have done have been about a grand with scaffolding.

 

[NS215]

why would you want to reduce the height by 8 courses and cap it off again ?

 

[conny]

Thanks for replies guys.

Needs to be reduced because top 8 courses have a lean to them. (Been like that for past 16 years but house now being sold). Its quite a high stack, (something like 24 or 27 courses if memory serves me right), because its situated half way down the rear roof side and apparently law is that it must reach at least to the ridge to take away any fumes.

Sorry, no photo's as I am 200 miles away at the moment.

Its a terraced property and there is one fire available to use. This was tested last year when the gas fire was serviced and it still had a good draw. Have heard that access may be possible from the front elevation by hanging 2 cat ladders over the ridge with a scaffold board running across them to save on scaffolding over the conservatory.

 

[conny]

Any more thoughts on this from anyone?

 

[ree]

Go over the ridge.
Drop the courses until the lean is taken out.
No re-building, flaunch & make good, fix appropriate terminal.

What about pointing and flashing?

You dont have to achieve ridge height with a stack flue. Given no nearby abutments or openings, no one will bother. Many old wash house and kitchen stacks, still in place, simply pop-up near the eaves and rise say three ft. or four ft.

 

[conny]

Go over the ridge.
Drop the courses until the lean is taken out.
No re-building, flaunch & make good, fix appropriate terminal.

What about pointing and flashing?

You dont have to achieve ridge height with a stack flue. Given no nearby abutments or openings, no one will bother. Many old wash house and kitchen stacks, still in place, simply pop-up near the eaves and rise say three ft. or four ft.

Had a builder out yesterday who has suggested just this. Will remove as much as necessary to take out the lean as the rest of the pointing is in good condition. Replace the cap and terminal. Flashing is sound and secure. Looking at £400-£500 all in.

Thanks Ree.

 

[arrmickk]

Hi. Just a quick question to ask the OP if they had the work done and if so did you come across any issues? I am in a similar position at the moment. Chimney stack is twisted and we were advised when we bought the house 7 years ago it would need reducing down. We have had it re-pointed a few times but are going to need to have it done to sell the house. We were advised to have it removed below the roof and the hole filled, but I'm not convinced. There is as fire in the living room but no other fires or boilers etc. it is not a shared chimney. Any advise from anyone great fully received! Thanks.

 

[ree]

FWIW, leave the stack alone if you are selling the house - too many variables - let the buyers do whatever they want.

My take on chimney breasts and c/stacks is always to keep them - removing either, or both, detracts from the property kerb appeal and the price.

A massive, profitable feature when selling a house is an operational fire opening and a traditional fire place and surround - light a log fire and bake some bread and the buyers will sign on the spot.

Women will dream of domesticity and romantic evenings by the blazing fire, men will imagine what romantic evenings might lead to.

 

[arrmickk]

FWIW, leave the stack alone if you are selling the house - too many variables - let the buyers do whatever they want.

My take on chimney breasts and c/stacks is always to keep them - removing either, or both, detracts from the property kerb appeal and the price.

A massive, profitable feature when selling a house is an operational fire opening and a traditional fire place and surround - light a log fire and bake some bread and the buyers will sign on the spot.

Women will dream of domesticity and romantic evenings by the blazing fire, men will imagine what romantic evenings might lead to.

Hi ree.

Thanks for your response. Our concern is that if we just leave it as it's quite a big job it will, A, put people off, or B, give potential buyers an excuse to knock the price down more than the repair would cost.

It isn't an open fire. It's a gas flame fire. We live in a back-to-back terraced house and you can't even see the chimney from the road as the house is Victorian so very tall.

I think we'll just have to get a few quotes for both scenarios.

Thanks again

 

[conny]

Hi arrmickk, only just saw this.
The result was I got a price for the repair but the buyers decided to leave it as it was and not ask for a reduction as it was only a couple of hundred quid. House now sold so if anything goes wrong not my problem I'm pleased to say.

Thanks for the replies guys.