We’ve worked on Poets Corner roofs for years — a Victorian terrace on Shakespeare Street, the terraces, the newer builds — and our chimney repointing reflects it: matched, tidy, guaranteed.
Tell us the job in 30 seconds. No pushy sales, no call-out fee.
20+
Years Local
127
5★ Reviews
24/7
Emergency
10yr
Guarantee
For Poets Corner chimneys we rake out failed pointing and re-point in a mortar matched to the brick, re-bed pots and re-flaunch where needed, and renew lead flashing at the base. Free survey and a fixed written quote, no call-out fee.
✓ NFRC Registered
✓ Fully Insured
✓ 10 Year Guarantee
✓ Free Quotes
✓ No Hidden Costs
✓ Coastal Specialists
Customer Reviews
What Poets Corner Homeowners Say
★★★★★
“Damp on the chimney breast upstairs on our place off Shakespeare Street. They repointed the stack and renewed the flashing, dry now. Straightforward and honest.”
James P. · Shakespeare Street
★★★★★
“Called about a previous repair in hard cement that had cracked the brick. Redid it in lime, matched the joints. Good communication throughout.”
Neil J. · Shakespeare Street
★★★★★
“Had a tired-looking stack before we sold at our Poets Corner home. They repointed it and it looks solid again — highly recommend.”
Tom W. · Byron Street
Honest advice
Is Chimney Repointing the Right Fix?
In Poets Corner, most chimney repointing jobs announce themselves before you ever get on the roof. A stack shedding mortar or letting in damp usually needs repointing — though it is worth being sure it is the pointing, not just the flashing.
What to look for:
Crumbling, missing or sandy mortar on the stack
Damp on the chimney breast inside or in the loft
Cracked pointing from an earlier hard-cement repair
Loose pots or eroded flaunching at the top
Plant growth or spalling brick on the stack
When it is not the answer: If the stack itself is sound and only the lead flashing has failed, renewing the flashing is enough — repointing is not needed — see our guide.
Chimney flashing detail — where lead meets brick is the usual leak point.
Local Knowledge
Chimney Repointing in Poets Corner: Local Factors
On Poets Corner's period stacks the mortar is usually the first thing to fail — decades of weather and, often, an earlier repair in hard cement that has cracked the soft brick. the Victorian bye-law terraces of Cowper and Shakespeare Street are tightly packed with limited rear access and permit-controlled pavements. We match the mortar to the brick, using lime where the original did, so the pointing sheds water without trapping it in the masonry.
On Poets Corner stacks around Cowper Street, Shakespeare Street, Byron Street, we match the mortar to the original and work to what Brighton & Hove City Council expects where the property is listed or in a conservation area.
Local conditions shape the work here: just back from Hove seafront, Poets Corner still sees salt-laden wind and driving rain off the sea. We factor that into every survey, so the quote reflects your actual roof in Poets Corner rather than a generic price — and we always tell you honestly if the job is smaller than you feared.
How It Works
How We Handle Chimney Repointing in Poets Corner
Survey the stack
We assess the pointing, flaunching, pots and flashing from a safe platform and confirm the right mortar mix.
Rake out & prepare
Perished mortar is raked out to a sound depth and the joints cleaned ready for re-pointing.
Re-point & re-flaunch
We re-point in the matched mix, re-flaunch around the pots and reset any loose pots.
Flashing & finish
Lead flashing is renewed if needed, debris cleared and the written guarantee issued.
Every Poets Corner job runs the same way: a free survey first, then a fixed written quote with no call-out fee and nothing hidden. We turn up when we say we will, keep you posted as the work goes on, protect the areas around the work and clear the site before we leave. You deal with the roofer doing the job, not a call centre — and the price we quote is the price you pay unless we find something and agree it with you first.
In Depth
Repointing a Poets Corner Chimney: What's Involved
Repointing means raking out the old, perished mortar from the joints and replacing it with fresh mortar that sheds water and lets the brick breathe. On Poets Corner's period stacks the mortar is usually the first thing to go — decades of exposure, often made worse by an earlier repair in hard cement that has trapped moisture and cracked the soft brick behind it.
The mix matters more than anything. Soft period brick wants a lime-based mortar, not modern cement: lime flexes, breathes and releases moisture, whereas cement is harder than the brick and forces damp into the masonry until the faces blow. Matching the mortar to the brick is the single biggest factor in whether repointing lasts or fails within a few winters.
While the scaffold is up, it is usually sensible to deal with the whole top of the stack at once — re-flaunching around the pots, resetting any that are loose, and renewing the lead flashing at the base. Doing it together means one lot of access and a stack that is sound top to bottom.
Timescales
How Long Does It Take?
As a guide to what to expect in Poets Corner, typical job times run:
Job
Typical duration
Re-point a small stack
Half a day
Re-point & re-flaunch
Half to a full day
Re-point + renew flashing
1 day
Rebuild top courses + re-point
1–2 days
Full stack repoint (large)
1–2 days
Around Poets Corner, pointing needs dry conditions to cure, so we plan stack work around the forecast and protect fresh mortar from rain.
Access
Access, Scaffolding & Permits in Poets Corner
On Poets Corner roofs, a chimney cannot be repointed safely from a ladder — stack work needs scaffold or a tower with a chimney platform. Scaffold is specified for all repointing work — a stack needs a safe standing platform — always itemised in your written quote, never a hidden extra, and we arrange it.
In Poets Corner, the Victorian bye-law terraces of Cowper and Shakespeare Street are tightly packed with limited rear access and permit-controlled pavements. Pavement scaffold and skip permits go through Brighton & Hove City Council; allow a few working days on streets like Cowper Street, Shakespeare Street, Byron Street where space is tight.
Pricing
What Chimney Repointing Costs in Poets Corner
Typical chimney repointing costs in Poets Corner (your written quote is fixed after survey):
Job
Typical range
Notes
Re-point a small stack
£250–£400
Access dependent
Re-point & re-flaunch
£350–£600
Incl. pots reset
Re-point + renew flashing
£450–£800
Stack + lead
Rebuild top courses + re-point
£600–£1,000
Where brick has gone
Full stack repoint (large)
£500–£900
Tall/multiple flues
What moves the price in Poets Corner
Stack height and the scaffold needed to reach it
Mortar type — lime for soft period brick
Whether flaunching, pots or flashing are done at once
Extent of raking out and any brick replacement
Worked example: A re-point and re-flaunch with the pots reset on a Victorian terrace on Shakespeare Street typically runs around £500, including access and waste.
For Poets Corner homeowners: no deposit on repointing under £500; staged terms on larger stack work, materials first.
Guarantee
Your Guarantee, Explained
Our workmanship is backed by a written 10-year guarantee, with manufacturer warranties on materials on top — the same written cover on every Poets Corner job.
Covered: our workmanship for 10 years, in writing, and transferable if you sell.
On top: manufacturer warranties on materials (terms vary by product).
Not covered: storm or impact damage — that is an insurance matter, which we document for your claim.
A covered fault means we return and fix it at our cost — that is what the guarantee is for.
Good to know
Living Around the Work in Poets Corner
Scaffold to the stack and some mortar debris, sheeted and cleared; the fireplace is protected if the flue is disturbed. It is a routine sight on Poets Corner streets. You do not need to stay home for external work — we just need power and access agreed in advance.
We plan repointing for dry spells so the mortar cures properly; damp or frosty weather postpones it. Locally, just back from Hove seafront, Poets Corner still sees salt-laden wind and driving rain off the sea.
FAQ
Frequently Asked Questions
We match the mortar to the brick. On Poets Corner's soft period brick that usually means a lime mortar, not hard cement — cement traps moisture and cracks the brick. Matching the mix is what makes repointing last and protects the masonry.
Usually failed pointing or flaunching letting water into the stack, or lead flashing that has cracked at the base. We survey the stack and tell you which — sometimes both — and quote the repointing and any flashing together.
Yes. A stack cannot be repointed safely from a ladder, so we use scaffold or a tower with a chimney platform. It is itemised in your quote and we arrange it — never a hidden extra.
Yes, and it is usually the sensible time to do it. While the scaffold is up we can re-flaunch, reset loose pots and renew the lead flashing at the base of the stack in the same visit.
Repointed in the correct mortar, a stack should be good for several decades. The failures we are called back to fix are almost always earlier jobs done in hard cement on soft brick — which is exactly what we avoid by matching the mix to the masonry.
We can, but on an older Poets Corner stack it is usually false economy — if one elevation has failed the others are rarely far behind, and the scaffold is the main cost. We will give you both options honestly and let you decide.
Free survey, written quote, no call-out fee. NFRC registered and fully insured, with a 10-year guarantee on all work across Poets Corner and East Sussex.
