I have a recessed fireplace that since we repainted we noticed some mould in a couple of places in two small alcoves. Both alcoves back onto the exterior, solid wall (no cavity).
Tonight i’ve just noticed the wallpaper on the landing adjacent to the chimney breast upstairs is discoloured and starting to come away.

House is an 1890’s build and a conversion from a workplace. Gable end where the chimney is is a two brick thick solid wall.

I’m suspecting there is a problem with the flashing on the chimney stack itself but any ideas – and price for repairs? 🙁

Price – how long is a piece of string. If it’s safe to do so, get up and have a look, there could be something simple, if there is some moss built up, this can cause rain to run around it and off the flashing run, forcing water below slates.

Best of luck.

Is the chimney blocked off? A vented cap will allow it to breathe.
If it is open at the top, has a bird just nested in it, blocking it up?

Haven’t a clue what its like up there – and i have a problem with heights (no laughing at the back!) so i’ll have to get someone who knows what they’re looking for 🙁

Do a smoke pellet test of the chimney, this will tell you if it’s blocked.

As for repairs it’s impossible to price blind.

Fireplace is blocked off at the bottom, it was originally the forge in the blacksmiths workshop. Now has a gas fire fitted. I can hear rain hitting inside when its really tipping it down.

Maybe this is the spur for having a log burner fitted/fireplace re-opened.

I had this exact same problem on our old place (also 1890s-ish), damp in the alcoves around a chimney. It was old flashing that had cracked and needed replacing. Once I’d found a roofer who actually turned up to do the work (this took almost a month and four different tradesmen) it was fixed in a couple of hours tops. I’m afraid I have no idea how much it should have cost because, even after I chased him several times, the guy stopped answering his phone and never billed me! Which was nice… 🙂

A much bigger roof repair on a different bit of flashing on the same house came in at a couple of hundred, though. But that required lots of tiles lifting and lots of repointing and all sorts.

God that house was a nightmare…

I had rain coming down the chimney in windy conditions and because the chimney breast had been taken away the water dripped onto a bedroom ceiling.
Easy fix was to cap off the chimney pot.

If I understand right, soot absorbs water in a damp atmoshere. If you’re having work done, getting the chimney swept might help.

Jesus, talk about over-complicating things! You need a cowl, that’s all, it will stop the rain falling down the flue.

Make friends with your local chimney sweep, he is the God of all things fire, flue and stove related. He will give you good unbiased advice without trying to sell you anything. While he’s up on the roof get him to check the flaunching around the pot and maybe re-do it and tidy up pointing and flashing.

Your chimney sweep can tell you about the cost of installing a stove.

Cor blimey gov

Cap, and a good sized vent where the fire used to be. Normally natural ventilation from air moving up the chimney will be enough to dry out what ever rain comes down.

Best way to sweep your chimney is to drop a chicken down the pot from time to time. A live one, obviously.