Chimneys are placed outside the home, and as such, they are built to withstand high temperatures during the summer, wind-driven rain, and heavy storms. However, nothing lasts forever. Over time, constant exposure to such elements takes its toll on the chimney, wearing away the bricks and causing water to leak into the roof. What’s the solution? Repointing your chimney—this helps in repairing the damage caused by adverse weather conditions. But how much does repointing a chimney cost?
On average, the cost is repointing your chimney ranges from $8 to $30 per square foot, or $750 to $2500. The price you pay usually depends on the location of your house, the size of the chimney, the type of brick used, and the overall damage to the chimney.
However, there are a lot of things to consider, if you must get the right estimate for the cost of repointing your chimney. Hence, in the next section, we’ll be looking at the cost of repointing your chimney in detail.
How much does Repointing A Chimney cost?
The cost of repointing a chimney isn’t fixed because it depends on a variety of factors (which we’ll be looking at later on in this guide).
For starters, the individual price of hiring professionals to repoint the chimney on a semi-detached house costs around $750 on average. This is usually broken down into the average daily rate of a roofer ($185 per day) multiple by two; since roofers usually work in pairs due to safety reasons.
Also, you’ll have to consider the cost of materials as well as the cost of erecting scaffolding—which is around $120 per day.
Once you have factored all that, you are close to determining the amount it’ll cost you to repair your chimney. What’s left is the duration of the job. For smaller chimneys, it could take up to a day; while larger chimneys can take two to three. Depending on the size of your chimney, multiply your estimated cost based on the guide by the number of days it’ll take to get it fixed. That’ll give you the overall cost of repointing your chimney.
The average cost of repointing different types of chimneys
| Type of Chimney | Type of Scaffolding Required | Average Cost |
| Chimney on a bungalow | None | $300 |
| Chimney on the side of a semi-detached house | Scaffold tower | $750 |
| Chimney in the centre of a semi-detached house | Scaffold over ridge | $1300 |
Factors Affecting the Cost
Remember, you can only estimate the cost, and sometimes, your estimated value may be higher or lower than the actual value because of the factors that affect the cost.
Some of the key factors you should consider when estimating the cost include:
Location
The location of the home has a role in determining the cost of repointing your chimney. Just like any other trade, the cost of repointing chimneys in big cities is far more expensive than the cost in smaller cities.
Ease of Access
Chimneys can be located in different places, on different houses, and that has a role to play in determining the cost of repointing the chimney. The ease of access to your chimney has to do with whether or not it’s easy to access your chimney for repairs. If your chimney is in a difficult spot to access easily then a scaffold might be needed which will, in turn, raise the overall cost of repointing the chimney.
Scaffolding
If your home is taller than a bungalow then it’s more likely that the tradesmen working on your chimney might need scaffolding before they’ll be able to complete the job safely. Also, depending on the location of the chimney on your roof, they might need different variations of scaffolding. The more complex the scaffolding structure is, the more expensive it becomes, and this adds to the overall cost of repointing your chimney.
Conclusion
The cost of repointing a chimney is not fixed and that’s because a lot of factors are being considered before a quote for the cost is given. Factors such as the location of your home, the type of building, and even the location of the chimney on your roof can make the cost of repointing your chimney expensive or cheap.
Frequently Asked Questions
- What is chimney repointing?
Over time, chimneys can develop damaged joints which allow moisture entry into the roof; repointing is the process of removing the damaged portions of the chimney and replacing them with proper or appropriate materials.
- How can I tell if my chimney needs repointing?
The average homeowner doesn’t access their roof to check if their chimney needs repointing. However, there are several signs to look out for which indicate that your chimney might be damaged.
Some of the key signs you should look out for include:
- Cracked chimney crowns
- Spalling bricks
- Damaged mortar joints
- Cracks in the Masonry and Mortar
- Leaning or crumbling chimney
