Chimney Stack Removal in Sussex

On the Sussex coast stacks take a beating from salt air and wind, so many we look at are leaning, cracked or letting in water by the time owners call.

What chimney stack removal involves

1. Scaffolding erected to give safe access to the stack.
2. Pots, cowls and flashings removed.
3. The stack taken down brick by brick to below the roof line.
4. Roof made good: rafters trimmed in, felt or membrane, battens and matching tiles or slates.
5. Chimney breasts below capped and ventilated if they are staying, so trapped moisture does not cause damp.
6. All waste removed from site.

Removing the stack only, or the whole chimney

Most people take down the stack and leave the chimney breasts inside. That is fine as long as the flues below are capped and vented to stop condensation and damp patches on the walls.

If you also want the floor space, we can remove the breasts at the same time. See chimney breast removal for what that involves.

Shared stacks and party walls

Many terraced and semi-detached houses share a stack with next door, with your flues on one side and theirs on the other. You cannot take down a shared stack on your own. The work needs your neighbour’s agreement under the Party Wall Act, and often the stack is reduced on your side only and rebuilt or weathered to protect theirs.

Do I need permission to remove a chimney stack?

Taking down a stack does not normally need planning permission on an unlisted house outside a conservation area. Listed buildings need listed building consent, and in a conservation area the council may want to approve the loss of a visible stack, so check first.

Building Regulations approval is not usually needed for the stack alone, but it is if the breasts below are being removed or if the work affects the structure. If scaffolding has to go on the pavement or road, a licence from the council may be needed. We will tell you at survey.