Buyers surveyor says remove chimney breast due to loft damp? This seems very drastic
Anonymous user 15/03/2024 - 2.55 PM
Hello,
We are currently selling a terrace house (not sure how far back in dates!), maybe Victorian. The buyers surveyor has said that two chimney breasts need removing below roof level. He’s suggested that this is to remedy the damp in the loft space, not because they are dangerous, although he said the brickwork looks a bit shoddy.
This seems really costly and drastic but we don’t want to lose our buyers. I was going to strongly suggest redoing the lead flashing, removing any faulty bricks, repointing and capping? Anyone with advice? I was going to suggest another surveyor but I don’t want to insult them by undermining theirs.
Are you a tradesperson and able to answer this question?
Hi there,
In regards to your survey report;
Without surveying it myself and going by the details you have given, it seems that there is no chimney tray fitted (given that the property is Victorian). A chimney tray is usually fitted once the chimney has been bricked up to just above roof level, then the rest of the chimney is built up. The tray performs by having a full waterproofing layer inside the chimney that halts any water ingress into the property. It is mate up of one sheet of lead and acts just like a damp course.
Removing a chimney is common practice by roofers because of this and various other reasons.
Other reasons for ingress could be smaller jobs to put right, for example:
1. Pointing has failed allowing water to penetrate.
2. Broken, cracked or dislodged tiles or slates or even ridges further up the roof.
3. The lead flashing has failed around the chimney and has allowed for ingress to the property.
Without surveying the roof myself I can’t be sure of the problems of your property but I hope this information has been useful to you.
I would suggest that you ask your tradesman if he can put right the problem without removing the chimney if there any problems that I have mentioned. In the event that you can repair the chimney, I would suggest applying a few coats of water seal to the entire chimney for a bit of extra protection.
Thanks
Everything the tradesmen has said is correct as it would be a bit drastic to take the chimney down witch would take scaffolding an a few days to complete. Some times with bigger jobs like this it’s a case of trial an era an I would recommend you had a visual inspection before any works take place. Then try to seal the chimney ie with some pointing check tiles an lead,whilst inspection is taken place an show the customer some pictures an explain the works I was going to carry out.
i agree with the previous guys unseen assessment, but would add to check if any of the chimney pots are fitted with cowls and if so have they been sealed to the pots correctly, because if not, water will track down the cowls and cause damp on the inside of the breast
