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What changes the price of chimney flashing?
Chimney flashing in Cheshire is priced by the joint being replaced, the metal named, how many courses of brick are involved, and the access. This guide does not print a figure, so compare quotes that describe the same joint.
Last reviewed:The joint, not the whole stack
Water gets in where a chimney passes through the tiles or slates, because two materials meet and move differently. The pieces that close that joint are what people mean by flashing. Lead is the metal many roofers will name. This guide does not treat lead as the only lawful material, and it does not quote a code of practice for thickness. It asks you to make the quote name the metal and the pieces.
Crewe, Nantwich and Sandbach are the first towns this page is written for. The same questions apply when you post from anywhere else in the UK.
What you can describe from the garden
You can often see, without leaving the ground, whether the mark on the ceiling is near a stack, and whether the mortar on top of the stack looks cracked. You cannot see the soakers under the tiles. Say what you can see and stop there. HSE says work at height is any place where a fall could cause injury, including through a fragile roof, and that such work should be avoided where reasonably practicable [S1].
Photos of the stack from two sides, and of the ceiling, are enough for a first price. If the stain appears only in driving rain from one direction, say which direction. That is a clue. It is not a diagnosis.
HSE: work at height. QuoteZila is not affiliated with this organisation.
What "lead flashing" has to mean on the paper
Ask for these words, in the roofer's own writing:
- Which faces of the stack: front, back, both sides, or all four.
- Whether the old metal comes off or is dressed down and left.
- Whether brick joints the metal tucks into will be raked and filled.
- Whether the flaunching on top of the stack is in the price.
- What happens if the brick is soft when they open the joint.
Citizens Advice says some traders charge for quotes, so ask first, and to collect written quotes from at least 3 traders [S2]. A quote is a fixed price and an estimate is a rough guess [S2]. Extra work has to be agreed, unless there was a genuine mistake in the written price [S2]. NFRC says a refurbishment estimate can change once tiles or slates come off and the sub-structure is visible [S3]. A flashing job that discovers rotten fillet timbers is that sentence. Agree the extra before it is built [S2].
NFRC recommends asking for an insurance-backed guarantee on refurbishment work [S3]. A small flashing job may not carry one. Membership of the federation is voluntary [S3].
If a deposit cannot be avoided, Citizens Advice says not to go above 25%, and to take a receipt [S2]. A business registers for VAT when taxable turnover for the last 12 months goes over £90,000, or is expected to within 30 days [S4].
Access and the point where a flashing job becomes a roof
HSE says sloping roofs require scaffolding, with edge protection at the eaves of a terrace, at the rear and the front [S5]. Short tasks, measured in minutes, may use properly secured ladders and proper roof ladders [S5]. A chimney on a ridge is a poor candidate for a guess that the work will be over in minutes. Ask the roofer to state the access. A price with no access line is not comparable with one that includes a tower.
If they have to strip a wide area of tiles to remake the joint, look at the re-cover rules. The Planning Portal says a re-cover of a pitched or flat roof does not normally need a building control application when less than 25 per cent of the building envelope and less than 50 per cent of the roof are affected [S6]. Approval follows if those limits are passed, if the structure is altered, if fire performance of a new covering is significantly different, or if the new covering increases weight by 15 per cent or more [S6]. GOV.UK lists replacing roof coverings among works that can need building regulations approval, separate from planning permission [S7]. NFRC's scheme in England and Wales applies where more than 50 per cent of the roof area is replaced [S3].
GOV.UK: find your local council for building control. QuoteZila is not affiliated with this organisation.
A listed house is a further question. GOV.UK says altering a listed building in a way that affects its character requires listed building consent, and that carrying out such works without consent is a criminal offence [S8]. Replacing flashing on a listed stack is something to ask the council about before the old lead is scrapped.
| Line | Why it changes the job |
|---|---|
| Faces of the stack | One apron is not four sides |
| Metal | Named, rather than "seal the chimney" |
| Chase and point | Joints filled, or only a surface smear |
| Flaunching | In or out |
| Tiles lifted | How far, and who refits them |
| Access | Scaffold or a short task they will defend [S5] |
| Rotten timber | A new agreement, not an open extra [S2] |
| VAT | Beside the £90,000 threshold [S4] |
Aprons, soakers, and the room the water reaches
Roofers use different names for the pieces. An apron is the sheet on the lower face of the stack, where water running down the slope meets the brick. Soakers are the small pieces woven with the tiles at the sides. A back gutter sits on the uphill face, where water would otherwise sit against the brick. You do not need to use those names correctly. You need the quote to use them, or to say in plain words which faces are included. A price for "the front only" leaves the side joints for another visit.
Back gutters are where debris collects, because they are a tray rather than a slope you can see from the street. If your stain is on the ceiling just uphill of the stack, say that. It is a reason to ask about that tray specifically.
Inside, the breast may be damp even after the outside is sound, because the masonry holds water. Ask whether the quote includes drying time and making good the plaster in the bedroom, or whether that is a later decorator. A roofing price that stops at the metal is legitimate if it says so. It is a poor surprise if it does not.
If a pot is cracked or the mortar cap on top of the stack is loose, that is adjacent work, not the flashing itself. Put it as its own line. Combining it without saying so is how two quotes stop being comparable. If an appliance still uses the flue, do not ask the roofer to cap it as part of the flashing. That is a different trade and, for gas, a different register.
Birds and jackdaws nesting at a pot are a reason to pause, not a reason to poke the nest from a bedroom. Mention them. The roofer can say whether the visit has to wait.
If several stacks share one roof, name which stack. A mid-terrace can have a stack on the party line and another on a rear wing. Pricing "the chimney" then produces a visit to the wrong one. A photo with an arrow, taken from the garden, is clearer than a compass point. Say whether the ceiling stain is in a bedroom, on a landing, or in a cupboard you only open to reach the tank. The cupboard case is often a small area of plaster, and it is still worth naming so making good is not forgotten. If you have had the stack repointed before and the stain came back, say that the last visit did not hold, without blaming a named firm. The new quote should say what will be different: metal replaced, or only mortar. Two visits that both "seal it" are not a comparison.
Jobs you might post
These are examples, not taken from real job posts.
- Stain on a chimney breast upstairs after rain from the south. Photo of the stack from the pavement. Ask for a flashing price that names the metal and the sides.
- Cracked mortar on top of the stack, seen with binoculars from the garden. Ask whether flaunching is included. Say you will not go up.
- Listed house. Ask the roofer to say if they will wait for listed building consent before removing metal.
Anyone in the UK can post or register. QuoteZila is a new, early-stage project, so replies depend on who has joined near you [QZ5]. Up to five matched local businesses can quote [QZ2]. QuoteZila is free for customers and local businesses [QZ1].
A smaller total
Citizens Advice says to be cautious if a price is a lot lower, because the work may not be the same work [S2]. Check the number of faces and the access before you treat the gap as a saving. Pay by card, in stages [S2]. Check the roofer's insurance yourself [S2].
Scaffold for a stack is an HSE roof work question. Listed-building consent sits with GOV.UK guidance.
This page is general information, not professional or legal advice. QuoteZila does not check Gas Safe, WaterSafe, NFRC, NICEIC or other registrations against the register on your behalf: look them up yourself.
Honest status: QuoteZila is new. We're starting in Cheshire, beginning with Crewe, Nantwich and Sandbach, and growing area by area. Anyone in the UK can still post a job or register a business. How fast you get quotes depends on how many local businesses have joined near you. Businesses can register and receive jobs straight away. We don't check insurance, qualifications or registrations, so please check these yourself before you hire.
Posting a job is not open yet
Roofers do this work. Builders if the stack itself is being rebuilt. Scaffolders if access is hired separately. Leaks more widely are in the roof repair cost guide. All services.
Questions about chimney flashing
How much does lead flashing on a chimney cost?
This page does not print a figure. A short apron on the lower side of a stack is not the same job as new pieces on all four sides plus repointing the flaunching. Ask each roofer to name the sides they will do and the metal they will use.
Is the flashing the same as the chimney pot?
No. Flashing is the weather joint where the stack comes through the covering. Pots, flaunching and a liner are other parts. Say which of those you can see from the ground, and say if you cannot see any of them.
Can I press the lead back into place?
No. HSE says roof work must be done by trained competent people, and that sloping roofs need scaffolding so people and materials do not fall from the edge. This page does not tell you to go up, to dress metal, or to seal a gap with a tube from the loft.
Does new flashing need building regulations approval?
A joint repair is not automatically a re-cover. The Planning Portal says a re-cover needs approval once 25 per cent of the building envelope or 50 per cent of the roof is affected, or if the structure changes, or if a new covering increases weight by 15 per cent or more. Ask the roofer whether your job stays a flashing repair.
What if the house is listed?
GOV.UK says works that alter a listed building in a way that affects its character as a building of special architectural or historic interest need listed building consent, and that doing them without consent is a criminal offence. Ask before the old pieces come off.
Does QuoteZila check roofers?
No. We don't check insurance, qualifications or registrations, so please check these yourself before you hire. You can report a quote or a business from your job page.
Part of Cost guides. All services
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Related pages
- Chimney Sweep Work in Cheshire: What to Ask. What to tell a chimney sweep in Cheshire: the appliance, how the flue is reached, and when the job is a rebuild rather than a sweep.
- Concrete Guttering: What Changes the Quote. What moves a concrete guttering quote: repair, relining or removal, length, height, scaffolding, the roof edge and the neighbour's side. No price printed.
Sources
- QZ1: QuoteZila product fact. QuoteZila pricing line.
- QZ2: QuoteZila product fact. QuoteZila FAQ.
- QZ5: QuoteZila product fact. QuoteZila home callout.
- S1: Introduction to working at height safely, Health and Safety Executive. Accessed 2026-10-28. https://www.hse.gov.uk/work-at-height/introduction.htm
- S2: Before you get work done on your home, Citizens Advice. Accessed 2026-10-28. https://www.citizensadvice.org.uk/consumer/getting-home-improvements-done/before-you-get-building-work-done/
- S3: Choosing a roofing contractor: homeowners, National Federation of Roofing Contractors. Accessed 2026-10-28. https://www.nfrc.co.uk/find-a-member/choosing-a-roofing-contractor/homeowners.html
- S4: When to register for VAT, GOV.UK. Accessed 2026-10-28. https://www.gov.uk/register-for-vat
- S5: Roof work, Health and Safety Executive. Accessed 2026-10-28. https://www.hse.gov.uk/construction/safetytopics/roofwork.htm
- S6: Work to an existing roof, Planning Portal. Accessed 2026-10-28. https://www.planningportal.co.uk/permission/common-projects/roof/building-regulations-work-to-an-existing-roof/
- S7: Building regulations approval, GOV.UK. Accessed 2026-10-28. https://www.gov.uk/building-regulations-approval
- S8: Conserving and enhancing the historic environment, GOV.UK. Accessed 2026-10-28. https://www.gov.uk/guidance/conserving-and-enhancing-the-historic-environment