Victorian Chimney - advice needed

[gcrow]

I am a leaseholder in a Victorian terraced property. The upstairs neighbour (a tenant, the leaseholder upstairs lives in a foreign country and does not speak English) sprang a leak. We called out a roofer I've used before.

He found heavy damage to the chimney. His quote to repair features cement. I am not comfortable repairing with cement - all the advice I have heard for Victorian properties is to repair with like materials - e.g. lime.

Complicating this, the chimney is half the neighbouring property's. When I asked, he clarified that he was only repairing this half of it, to avoid deailing with the party walls act.

The upstairs tenant is in a melodramatic panic because he now thinks the roof is going to cave on his head.

My questions are:

• Am I correct in insisting he use lime? If so, does anyone know any South London based roofers amenable to this?
  Is it acceptable to just repair 'our half' of the chimney, or do I need to get the freeholder of the neighbouring property involved (and therefore my own)?
  Since the above is liable to take time, and I think the upstairs tenant is being fed information in order to increase his panic, how urgent does this attached photo look?

Thanks... this is not work I would ever do myself!

Untitled

• gcrow
• 27 Nov 2014
• 1

 

[Jackrae]

I'm no brikie but to my mind that stack is split and needs dismantling and rebuilding otherwise one of these days the two halves will part company entirely with potentially serious consequences.

A cheap alternative would be to fix a steel band around the stack to hold it together then "point" up the gaps.

I'm sure a professional will soon respond with the correct answer.

 

[gcrow]

Thanks for the advice.

Definitely agree it's urgent. Don't want to throw down money on a patch if I need to rebuild and involve the neighbours - hence my questions.

Edit: The quote I have does indeed say 'rebuild' - which means in this case rebuilding with modern brick and cement. Does that get rid of the need to insist on lime? It will still be sitting on the original bed.

 

[theprinceofdarkness]

Using lime would be really posh, is the building listed? Every builder I have come across outside of conservation areas use cement.
Out of interest that's a spectacular split, our stack split like this after a direct lighting strike, so it was covered by our building insurance.
As said the stack need to be rebuilt, that split will go right across into your neighbours half. The more interesting part is do you both want it? Once the stack is taken down to below roof level and the firewall/roof made good , the chimney breasts can then be taken down through both houses giving bigger rooms and flatter walls.
Frank

 

[gcrow]

It's not listed - just heard a lot of caution against using cement on old Victorian brickwork.

That is an interesting question indeed. Can't imagine the nightmare of dealing with the neighbours, but it's worth a thought.

 

[Jackrae]

From a simplistic point of view there's no need to use lime as you aren't tying into existing brickwork - you would actually be building on top of existing brickwork. The use of cement would also enhance waterproofness.

It looks like the split (lower down) has been patched up at some previous date but obviously didn't cure the basic problem

 

[Nige F]

It`s the property owner`s responsibility ( ie. the freeholder ) as is his responsibility if the stack lands on the upstairs tenant

 

[ree]

Keep your chimney stack and chimney breasts, dont demolish them - stacks define the roof line, and the c/breasts add character, and give a centre point to the rooms. Plus they can be re-used with various types of fuel. The whole emphasis these days is on retaining Victorian or Edwardian features - they add value.

The whole stack must be lowered to just below the roof plane. Dont attempt to repair it. Most of those bricks are perished & will be skipped - likewise, the terminal pots, most probably.

The flashing must be renewed esp. at the parapet ( the sand and cement filter at the parapet roof slate junction should be renewed with soakers and cover flashing).

Sand and lime mortar or sand and lime and cement mortar - its irrelevant but avoid rendering the stack.

Sweep and smoke test the flues, and vent at the bottom and the top (perhaps your neighbour's pots have insert vents?)

If BCO's attention is drawn to the stack they will condemn it as dangerous and require an immediate action from the owner. If ignored they will do the work and charge the owner.

 

[gcrow]

Good advice, many thanks.

Out of curiosity, why do you say to avoid rendering the stack? Most of the stacks on the street are half rendered (depending on the owning side of the stack - every single stack is on a party wall.)

 

[ree]

The render to the neighbourhood stacks was not original, it would have been applied instead of re-pointing, and perhaps repairing, the stack brickwork.

Render is typically applied to any surface as a Remedial measure.


Water entering the (possibly perished) flaunching will penetrate behind the rendering, and minor expansion & shrinkage in a warm stack will cause cracking.