Diary of a Chartered Surveyor in Charente Maritime Part 6 - Chimneys

May I wish each and all a merry Christmas and a happy new year. I sincerely hope everybody has a better year. It has been a long and depressing time for many of us and my hopes are that the housing market recovers. There are signs of a mini recovery in England where my contacts inform me of some new sales however there are still a large number of people being repossessed of their homes which is sad at any time but particularly so at this time of year.

However to put a positive spin on things, the future is looking brighter,  we appear to be coming out of the disastrous financial mess and we can look forward to better times. Let’s go with that, I get a bit brie-d off with the prophets of doom who want to talk us all into/onto Valium!

 

Again I remind you all to check those seals around the bath and shower, not forgetting the windows and doors if you dare venture outside.

 

Another source of damp penetration is from the chimneystack, obviously due to their exposed nature they tend to deteriorate faster than the rest of the structure. Again the roof is normally full of timber so again rot can occur and go undetected.

 

I wonder how many of you have looked up at the chimney to check its general condition. Just a little tip we surveyors tend to use binoculars to bring the chimney to us.

 

Are the pots cracked or broken? Is the stone or brickwork in good condition? Does it require repointing? Does the render appear porous? Are the flashings adequate?  These are questions you should be asking yourself.

 

Often in France cement flashings are used. This is a poor/inexpensive detail; the cement will eventually crack allowing water penetration.  This applies to other situations not only chimneys, for example where the roofs are at different levels or where flat roofs abut the main structure.

 

To this end I have attached a link to a work sheet from the lead sheet association to show you how chimneystacks should be made waterproof which I hope you will find of interest. Also if you type in lead flashings on your search engine there is also a good guide from ‘Wicks’

 

www.leadsheetassociation.org.uk › ... › LSA POCKET GUIDE

 

Well that’s all for now folks! Have a good one!

Brian

 

 

If anyone has any specific problems (related to property) they can telephone me on 0044- (0)7802222504 or get in touch through the website or comment on this blog.

 

PS My new year’s resolution is not to have one!

 

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Posted by: Brian Lindley on 23 December 2009