Chimney Removal in Birmingham
We take down chimney stacks on Birmingham homes and close up the roof behind them, so a stack you no longer use stops costing you repairs.
- Quotes in writing
- 17 areas covered
Birmingham Roof Pros removes chimney stacks from houses in Birmingham and nearby towns. We take the stack down, close the hole in the roof with matching tiles or slates, and seal the edges. When a chimney is still sound and you want to keep it, our chimney repairs page covers that instead.
Before any brick comes off, we find out which parts of the chimney you want gone, whether next door shares it, and what permissions apply. The answers shape the quote.
Stack, breast or both
A chimney has two main parts. LABC Front Door, a building control advice site for homeowners, uses the word stack for the brickwork that runs through the whole house, not just the top you see above the roof. It calls the breast the visible part of the chimney that you can see on every floor.
LABC says you won't need a building regulations application to take down just the part of the stack above the roof.
LABC says you will need an application to remove all of the stack through the house, because it may hold up walls, floors or the roof. It also says an application will be needed to remove a chimney breast, since the breast gives the house important structural support.
When the breast comes out
LABC says a structural engineer's designs must go to building control before work starts. It suggests a full plans application, where the plans are checked first, may suit better than a building notice, because the calculations need approval before you begin.
The engineer decides how to hold up what is left. LABC says that may be a fire-protected steel beam, or brackets known as gallows brackets.
LABC also says any gas, plumbing or electrical appliances and services need to be cut off and moved or removed first. We arrange the roof side of the job and work to the engineer's plan for anything inside.
Shared stacks and party walls
LABC says that if you share a stack, the whole stack will have to come down, so you and your neighbour will need to agree.
A party wall is the wall your house shares with next door. GOV.UK guidance on the Party Wall etc Act 1996 lists removing chimney breasts from a party wall as work the Act may cover. It says the owner doing the work must give the neighbours notice in the way the Act sets out. The neighbours can agree or disagree, and the Act gives a way to settle it if they disagree.
GOV.UK also says the Act is separate from planning permission and building regulations approval.
Planning and conservation areas
LABC says other permissions may be needed in a listed building or a conservation area. If only part of a stack is coming down, it says the stack should ideally be cut to no more than one metre above where it leaves the roof, and to check with the planning officer first in case planning permission is needed.
In Bournville, Birmingham City Council's design guide says the chimneys are an important part of the area's character and must not be taken down or altered. If you live there, we will not quote for removal until you have checked with the council.
Questions about chimney removal in Birmingham
Can I remove a chimney I still use?
No. LABC says to reduce or remove a chimney only when you are sure it is not giving ventilation or serving as a flue for any appliance that makes heat, such as a boiler or stove.
Do I need a structural engineer to remove just the stack?
We check from the loft how the stack sits on the breast below and tell you if we think an engineer should look at it.
What happens to the hole in the roof?
We fit new battens and felt over the gap, then lay tiles or slates that match the rest of the roof. We also put back any flashing next to the opening.
My neighbour already removed their side. Does that matter?
It can. We look at what is holding up your half of the stack before we quote, and the engineer may want to see it too.
Will removing the chimney stop the damp on my wall?
We look first to find where the damp comes from. If rain is getting in at the stack, we take it down and close the roof so that route is gone.
Can you do this when you replace the roof?
Yes, we can. Taking a stack down during a roof replacement means the roof is already open and the scaffold is already up.
Get a chimney removal quote
Tell us your postcode, whether the stack is shared, and which floors still have a chimney breast. We will come and look, then send you a written quote.
Ready to talk about your roofing job?
Send the quote form with your postcode and what you need. We will get back to you with a written quote.