Folkestone · Kent
Chimney stack repairs in Folkestone
If a pot or a piece of brickwork has fallen from a stack at your Folkestone property, keep everyone clear of the drop zone. Photograph what you can from the ground, and we will advise on securing the stack and repairing it properly.
Guide price from£560per stack inc VAT
- Postcodes
- CT19, CT20
- Population
- about 66,000
- Area
- Kent
- Pricing region
- South East
What should you know about the ground under Folkestone?
Postcode districts CT19, CT20 cover Folkestone, a Kent town of about 66,000 people. We also take enquiries from nearby Dover (7 miles), Ashford (13 miles) and Deal (14 miles).
Kent is one of the parts of the UK where clay soils are most likely to move with the seasons. Parts of Kent lie on a former coalfield, so a coal mining search is worth checking if movement has no obvious cause. What you mostly find across Kent: Victorian terraces in the Medway towns, weatherboarded and Wealden houses, 1930s semis and seaside bungalows.
What should you budget for chimney stack repairs in Folkestone?
Prices in Folkestone are worked out on South East rates. They include VAT and are a starting point: access, the extent of the damage and whether an engineer or building control is involved all move the figure.
| Item | Guide price | Per |
|---|---|---|
| Repointing, flaunching and minor brick repairs | £560 – £2,250 | per stack |
| Partial or full stack rebuild | £3,350 – £11,200 | per stack |
| Stack restraint or strappingest. | £450 – £1,350 | per stack |
Repair options we may recommend
Flaunching and pot resetting
Old cracked flaunching is broken out, pots are lifted and reset or replaced, and new flaunching is formed to a fall so water runs off. Unused flues can be capped with ventilated caps, which keeps rain out while letting the flue breathe.
Best for: Loose pots and cracked mortar at the top of the stack
Stack restraint or strapping
A stack that has leaned slightly but is otherwise sound can be restrained with stainless straps or ties fixed back to the roof structure or the gable. This stops further movement without taking the stack down, and is often combined with repointing.
Best for: Slightly leaning stacks with sound brickwork
What to expect when we carry out chimney stack repairs
Check what is below
We ask whether any chimney breasts have been removed, and check the loft and rooms below for cracking. If a breast has gone without proper support, we recommend an independent chartered structural engineer before any stack work.
Scaffold to the stack
Safe access is set up with a working platform around the stack. On terraces we may need to agree access over a neighbour’s roof, and a council licence is arranged where the scaffold stands on the pavement.
Weatherproof and clear
Caps or cowls are fitted where agreed, the roof around the stack is checked for slipped tiles, and debris is cleared from gutters. You receive photos of the finished stack taken from the scaffold, since it is hard to see from the ground.
Is it time for chimney stack repairs? Common signs
- Chimney pots that are loose, tilted or cracked at the base
- A stack visibly leaning when you look along the roof ridge
- Damp patches on the chimney breast inside, especially after rain
Rules for chimney stack repairs in England
In England, underpinning and other work that alters or strengthens a wall or foundation is building work under the Building Regulations (Part A, structure), so building control approves and inspects it. Like-for-like repairs often are not, and we tell you which applies before a price is agreed. Work to a party wall, or excavation close to a neighbour’s foundations, can also need a notice under the Party Wall etc. Act 1996.
Your chimney stack repairs questions
How much should I budget for chimney stack repairs in Folkestone?
Guide prices for chimney stack repairs in Folkestone start from about £560 per stack, including VAT, on South East rates. Your fixed written price follows photos or a survey and depends on the extent of the work and access.
Can you survey a property in Folkestone?
Yes, Folkestone is covered, along with postcode districts CT19, CT20. We also cover nearby Dover and Ashford.
Why do houses in Kent crack?
North Kent sits on London Clay, central Kent on Gault and Weald Clays and the Downs on chalk, so shrinkable clay is widespread. East Kent around Deal and Dover had a small deep coalfield, worked until the late 1980s. Only an investigation can say why a particular building has moved.
Can a leaning stack be straightened?
Not by pushing it back, because the brickwork would crack. A slight lean on a sound stack can be restrained so it moves no further. A pronounced lean is fixed by taking the stack down to sound masonry and rebuilding it plumb.
Is a leaning chimney dangerous?
A leaning chimney can become dangerous, because stacks are heavy and stand high above the roof. A slight, long-standing lean may be stable for now, but a lean that is worsening, or loose bricks and pots, should be looked at quickly. Keep people away from below if anything looks loose.
Related work in Folkestone
Chimney stack repairs near Folkestone
With the stack repair and scaffold plan agreed, your Folkestone chimney quote becomes a fixed price in writing, before anyone goes up.