Chimney maintenance means annual visual inspection for open mortar joints, salt staining and cracked pots, plus repointing every 20-30 years and lead flashing replacement every 25-35 years. Redundant stacks need cowl caps and 5-year inspections. Damp on a chimney breast wall after rain is the most common sign work is overdue.
Chimneys are the most frequently neglected element of a roof. Invisible from ground level on most properties, the deterioration of mortar joints, flashings and pot haunching goes unnoticed until water penetration through the stack causes ceiling staining below. The irony is that chimney maintenance is among the most cost-effective roofing work there is — a repointing job that costs £400–£800 prevents the water damage that costs multiples of that to repair.
The distinction matters for maintenance frequency. Active chimney stacks — those serving a working wood burner, open fire or gas appliance with a balanced flue — are dried by the heat passing through them. This slows mortar deterioration but accelerates the thermal cycling stress on lead flashings at the roof junction. Redundant stacks have no drying heat and deteriorate from moisture accumulation faster than active ones, but without the flashing stress.
Active stacks should be inspected annually alongside the appliance service. Redundant stacks on Kent properties — common on Victorian and Edwardian terraces across Ashford, Canterbury and Folkestone that have been converted to gas central heating — should be inspected every 3–5 years at minimum.
Free chimney inspection across Ashford and Kent. Combined with any roof visit.
Book Free InspectionThe horizontal and vertical mortar joints between the bricks of the stack. Signs of failure: open joints where mortar has fallen out, friable mortar that crumbles when touched, gaps visible around the perimeter of individual bricks. On Victorian and Edwardian properties, lime mortar failure is normal at 60–100 year intervals. On 20th century properties repointed with cement mortar, the mortar itself may be sound but the soft brick beneath may be spalling from the cement's rigidity.
The lead sheet that forms the weatherproof junction between the chimney stack and the roof tiles. The front apron, back gutter, stepped side flashings and soakers. Signs of failure: lifted lead edges, cracked or split lead at bends, lead that has pulled away from the mortar joint that holds it to the brick. Lead that has been patched before is telling you that the full flashing run needs replacement.
The terracotta or clay pots at the top of the stack. Signs of failure: cracks running through the pot body, pots leaning out of plumb, mortar haunching at the base of the pot that has cracked or fallen away. Cracked pots allow water into the flue on redundant stacks, which then migrates down the inside of the stack and can emerge as damp on interior walls or ceiling.
The top 4–6 courses of the stack receive the most weather exposure and deteriorate fastest. Missing bricks, wide mortar joint voids and brickwork that is visibly out of plumb are signs that partial rebuilding is needed.
For any chimney stack built before 1920 — which covers the majority of Ashford's Victorian and Edwardian housing stock and the period properties in Canterbury, Folkestone and Tenterden — repointing must use hydraulic lime mortar (NHL3.5 or NHL5 depending on exposure). Cement mortar on soft Victorian brick causes the brick face to spall over time as the rigid cement transmits thermal stress directly into the softer material. We specify lime mortar on all pre-1920 stacks automatically. It costs slightly more and takes slightly longer to cure. It is the correct specification.
For listed buildings, all chimney repair work including repointing requires listed building consent. For conservation area properties, the planning position depends on the visibility of the stack and the nature of the work. We advise on the planning position for any conservation area chimney repair before committing to a quote.
Chimney repairs across Ashford, Folkestone, Canterbury and all of Kent. Free survey.
Book Free SurveyEvery chimney maintenance guide job starts with a free inspection and written quote before any work begins. We do not start work until you have confirmed the written quote. Our standard rates apply across Ashford and the surrounding Kent area.
We cover all Ashford postcodes and the surrounding towns: Folkestone, Canterbury, Maidstone, Tenterden, Hythe and the villages across the Weald. Emergency cover is available 24 hours a day on 01233 877 146.
No call-out fee across our full service area. Written quote before work starts. For chimney maintenance guide work the quote is provided on the same visit as the inspection in most cases. You pay only for work carried out.
All re-roofing work and major repairs carry our written 10-year workmanship guarantee. Lead flashing work is guaranteed for 10 years. Minor tile repairs carry a 2-year guarantee. The guarantee is provided in writing at completion and transfers to a new owner if the property is sold.
We are registered with the National Federation of Roofing Contractors. Verify our registration at nfrc.co.uk. We carry 5m public liability insurance on every chimney maintenance guide job. Insurance certificate available on request before work starts.
Ashford's housing stock spans five decades of construction: Victorian and Edwardian terraces in Newtown and the older town streets, 1930s semis in Kennington and Willesborough, post-war and 1960s estates at Bockhanger, Stanhope and Park Farm, and more recent development across the southern suburbs.
Each era presents different characteristics. Victorian clay tile on period properties requires matching reclaimed material and lime mortar at any repointing work. 1960s concrete interlocking tile on the estates is now 50-65 years old with corroded nail fixings on most unmodified properties. Understanding which housing era a property belongs to is the starting point for any assessment.
These estates are Ashford's highest-volume source of roofing work. The 1960s-70s concrete interlocking tile stock is now 50-65 years old. Nail sickness is present on the majority of unmodified properties. If you live in one of these areas and have not had roofing work in the last 15 years, a free assessment is worthwhile.
The Victorian terraces in Ashford's Newtown area and the older streets around the town centre require period-appropriate specification: reclaimed or reproduction clay tile, lime mortar at chimney repointing, and conservation-aware approach to any work on visible elevations.
Free survey and advice across Ashford and Kent. Call 01233 877 146.
Call 01233 877 146For context on how roofing costs compare across the range of work we carry out, here are realistic price ranges for the most common jobs across the Ashford area. All prices include labour and materials. VAT is not applicable on most domestic residential roofing work.
| Job Type | Typical Cost |
|---|---|
| Single tile replacement | £150 – £300 |
| Ridge repointing (per 4m) | £200 – £400 |
| Lead chimney flashing replacement | £500 – £1,100 |
| Full re-roof (3-bed semi, concrete tile) | £4,800 – £7,500 |
| Flat roof replacement (GRP, up to 20m2) | £900 – £1,800 |
| Full gutter clear (semi-detached) | £80 – £160 |
| Fascia and soffit replacement (semi) | £800 – £1,800 |
| Roof condition survey | £120 – £200 |
Free written quotes on all work. No call-out fee. Call 01233 877 146 to book.
We are a family-run roofing business based in Ashford, covering the town and the surrounding Kent area. We have been working on roofs in this area since 2003. Every job is carried out by our own employed team — we do not subcontract labour. The people who quote are the people who work.
We are registered with the National Federation of Roofing Contractors (NFRC). Our registration can be verified at nfrc.co.uk. We carry £5m public liability insurance on every job. Our insurance certificate is available on request before any work starts. All re-roofing work carries a written 10-year workmanship guarantee. Lead flashing work is guaranteed for 10 years. The guarantee is transferable to a new owner if the property is sold.
We cover Ashford and a broad area of the surrounding Kent countryside: Folkestone, Hythe, Canterbury, Maidstone, Tenterden, and the villages across the Weald and Romney Marsh. Emergency cover is available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. Call 01233 877 146 for any roofing emergency. For non-urgent work, we aim to survey within 5-7 working days and have the quote in writing within 48 hours of the survey.
We do not charge for call-outs or surveys. Every job gets a written quote before a single tile is moved. The quoted price is the price on the invoice unless we identify and agree additional scope with you during the work. For re-roofing projects where deck condition is unknown before stripping, we include a clear provisional allowance for batten replacement rather than presenting you with a surprise on invoice.
These are the questions we are asked most frequently when homeowners call us for the first time. If your question is not here, call 01233 877 146 and we will answer it directly.
Yes. All call-outs and surveys are free of charge across Ashford and the surrounding Kent area. The written quote we provide after the survey is also free and carries no obligation. We do not charge for surveys even on properties where we ultimately recommend no immediate work.
For emergency calls where water is actively entering the building: same day where call volume permits. For the most urgent calls — active ingress, safety hazard from displaced tiles — we aim to attend within 2 hours. Out-of-hours emergency cover is available 24/7 on 01233 877 146. For non-urgent work we survey within 5-7 working days.
Written workmanship guarantee on all work. 10 years for full re-roofing and lead flashing work. 5 years for ridge repointing. 2 years for minor tile repairs. The guarantee is provided in writing at completion. It transfers to a new owner if the property is sold. We are NFRC registered and carry £5m public liability insurance.
For most standard concrete interlocking profiles we carry matching tiles on the van. For conservation area repairs requiring reclaimed clay tile or matched Welsh slate, we source from Kent and Sussex demolition salvage and confirm match quality before committing. We show samples on any repair where visual matching is important before starting work.
We cover Ashford and all of the surrounding Kent area: Folkestone, Hythe, Canterbury, Maidstone, Tenterden, and the villages across the Weald. If you are outside Ashford town, call us and we will confirm whether we cover your postcode. Most Kent postcodes within 25 miles of Ashford are in our standard service area.
Last reviewed: July 2026
Annual visual inspection for open mortar joints, salt staining and cracked pots, with repointing every 20-30 years and lead flashing replacement every 25-35 years.
Yes. A redundant stack sees the same weather as an active one without the drying airflow. Fit cowl caps to the flue tops and inspect every 5 years.
Correctly specified repointing lasts 20-30 years. Repointing that fails within 10 years was specified or carried out incorrectly and needs raking back and redoing.
Damp on the chimney breast wall after rain, mortar fragments on the roof below, open joints visible from the ground, and white salt staining on the brickwork.