Chimney Repairs · Pleasley NG19
Chimney Repairs In Pleasley
Is your Pleasley chimney stone, brick, and on which side of the river?
Lime repointing, lead and caps on village stone stacks, colliery rows and Pleasley Hill semis
Pleasley's chimneys range from stone stacks in the old village by St Michael's to brick ones on the colliery rows of Upper Pleasley and the council-built semis of Pleasley Hill. Some are bedded in lime, some in cement, and a fair few have had the wrong one used to patch them. Good chimney repairs in Pleasley start by working out which is which. Then there's the paperwork. The village is Derbyshire, under Bolsover District Council, while Pleasley Hill is Mansfield District, and down in the vale a conservation area runs over both. We check all of that before quoting.
Free chimney repairs survey in Pleasley
Leave your details and we'll ring you back to arrange a survey. The visit is free, you're under no obligation once we've been, and a roof that doesn't need work gets called a roof that doesn't need work.
Fully insured
Free Pleasley surveys
Itemised fixed prices
about 10 minutes from base
Who does the work
Old stacks, patiently put right
Chris runs our roofing. He grew up locally, got onto roofs as a teenager and has more than 20 years in the trade now. The way he sees it, a chimney isn't finished until it's keeping the weather out, so if raking out soft mortar by hand runs into the evening, that's what happens.
Old stone in a village like this needs that slow approach, and his team take it as well. They're a hard-working lot, proud to work for a firm that cares more about the customer than the money or an early finish, and nobody rushes the last few joints just because it's getting late.
1,000+
Repairs carried out
10 years
Workmanship guarantee, on paper
Free
Surveys, quotes and honest bad news
No upselling
A patch that will hold gets recommended as a patch
Chimney symptoms in Pleasley's mix of stone and brick
The same symptom can mean something quite different on a stone stack in the village and a brick one on Pleasley Hill.
Stone faces flaking around hard grey pointing
Someone has repointed an old stone stack in cement. The mortar is now harder than the stone, so water leaves through the stone instead and takes the surface with it.
Damp on the chimney breast of a Pleasley Hill semi
On a newer brick stack this is usually a cracked crown or open joints near the top, letting rain soak down through the brickwork.
A stack on an Upper Pleasley row that's started to lean
It could be long-term decay on one face from old coal fires, or it could be historic movement. Either way it needs someone to look closely, not guess from the pavement.
Lead lifting away from the stack
The flashing has worked loose from its joint, or was only ever stuck on. Water gets behind it and runs into the loft beside the breast.
Chimney repairs suited to Pleasley's houses and rules
The boundary checked first
We confirm whether your address is Bolsover or Mansfield and whether it's in a conservation area, before suggesting anything that might need consent.
Lime where the house was built with lime
Older stone stacks in the village and the vale get a lime mortar that lets the masonry breathe, not cement that traps the damp.
Like-for-like means like-for-like
Matching stone, pots and lead details keep a repair a repair, which matters most inside the conservation area.
Brick stacks get a suitable mix
On the Pleasley Hill semis and the colliery rows, the mortar is chosen to suit the bricks rather than whatever's in the van.
Cold flues capped and ventilated
A disused flue gets a vented cap so rain stays out and air keeps moving, which stops the chimney breast sweating indoors.
Removal priced honestly
If you'd rather lose a redundant stack, we'll price it. If it faces the road inside Mansfield's half of the vale, we'll tell you to check with the council first.
Two centuries of chimneys in one small valley
The cotton mills in the vale were running by 1785, the colliery was winding coal by the late 1870s, and each brought its own housing. That's why a short walk in Pleasley takes you past stone cottages, pit-era brick terraces and post-war council semis, each with a different kind of chimney. The oldest stacks were laid in lime and need lime to repair them. Patching them with sand and cement, which plenty of people have done over the years, is what usually causes the faces to fail. Inside Pleasley Park and Vale, the two councils expect repairs to match what was there, and on Mansfield's side the Article 4 direction makes that a firm line for slopes facing the road or the river. The same care is needed on the flat roofs of the extensions and garages that back onto many of these stacks.
"Many of the old stone chimneys we're asked to look at in Pleasley have already been repointed in cement at some point, and putting that right in lime is often the bigger part of the job."
From chimney repairs enquiries Roof Repairs Mansfield handles in Pleasley
How we repair a chimney in Pleasley
Free survey, address checked
We confirm the council and conservation status, then look at the stack from above and the breast and timbers from the loft.
Photos and a written price
You get pictures of each face and one itemised price, with scaffold or tower listed separately so the access cost is clear.
Work done as agreed
Raking out, lime or brick pointing, flaunching, lead or a cap, exactly as quoted. Anything unexpected is shown to you before it's added.
Finished photos, site cleared
We photograph the stack when it's done and take away every bit of old mortar, broken pot and offcut lead.
Written ten year guarantee
Our workmanship is covered for ten years, and the guarantee is handed over in writing when the job's finished.
Ten years, in writing, before we leave the drive
Every roofer in Nottinghamshire will tell you their work is guaranteed. Ask to see the paper and the conversation often changes. Ours doesn't: work booked through Roof Repairs Mansfield carries a 10 year workmanship guarantee as a physical document, dated, signed and handed over with the completion photos - not a line in an email you'll never find again. Materials sit on top of that with their manufacturers' own cover, which differs product to product, so your paperwork names the cover that actually applies to your job.
A guarantee that long only makes commercial sense if repairs are done in a way that doesn't invite a return visit. Around Mansfield that means respecting what the housing actually is: coverings and fixings from the colliery era that fail as systems, not as single tiles, and mortar that has been quietly powdering since the pits shut. So failed material gets stripped back to something sound before new goes on, mortar gets matched to the age of the brick, and anything we can't make right on the day gets said out loud rather than covered over.
The blunt version: if water we were paid to stop finds its way back through our work inside 10 years, we return and put it right at our own cost. That promise has to be cheap to honour - and it is, because of how the work gets done the first time.
10 yrs
Written workmanship cover
1,000+
Repairs carried out
Insured
Public liability held
Named
Manufacturer cover per job
Before you hire anyone for a Pleasley chimney
These three questions will quickly show whether a roofer understands old masonry and the local rules.
Which mortar are you using?
On a stone stack in the village or the vale, the answer should be lime. If it's a strong cement mix, the stone will pay for it.
Which council covers my house?
Anyone working in Pleasley should know the Meden splits Bolsover from Mansfield. If they don't, they may not spot when consent is needed.
Will the lead go into the joint?
Flashing should be tucked into a raked-out joint and wedged. Lead stuck to the face with sealant is the sort of shortcut that won't pass as like-for-like.
Lime Or Cement For Repointing A Pleasley Chimney?
On the Pleasley Hill semis, a modern mix is fine. On the village's older stone stacks, the choice of mortar decides how long the stone lasts. Here's how they compare.
| Comparison point | Lime mortar | Cement mortar |
|---|---|---|
| Best suited to | Old stone and soft brick laid in lime originally. | Newer, harder brick built with cement mortar. |
| Moisture | Breathes, so damp can dry out through the joints. | Dense, so damp is pushed out through the stone or brick instead. |
| Effect on old stone | Wears first, so the stone doesn't have to. | Harder than the stone, so the faces flake around it. |
| Working time | Slower to lay and cure, and needs a dry spell. | Quicker and less fussy about conditions. |
| In the conservation area | Matches the original, so it counts as like-for-like. | Can change how an old stack looks and weathers. |
What affects the price of a chimney repair in Pleasley
New flaunching and rebedded pots are usually a few hundred pounds, and a full repoint and reflash tends to land in the low four figures. In Pleasley, these are the things that move the price.
Lime takes longer
Raking out old cement by hand and repointing in lime is slower than standard pointing, and the extra time is reflected in the price.
The vale and the old village
Houses in Pleasley Vale and around the old village often sit on slopes or tight plots, so getting a tower or scaffold up can take more planning and appears on its own line.
Matching materials
Reclaimed stone, matching pots or a particular lead detail cost more than standard parts, but they keep the work like-for-like.
A planning application, if one's needed
For a change rather than a repair inside Mansfield's Article 4 area, an application adds time and a fee. We flag it at the survey, before you agree a price.
Pleasley chimney questions
Do I need planning permission to repair or remove a chimney in Pleasley?
A like-for-like repair needs no application on either side. Who you'd ask about anything more depends on your address. Pleasley village and Upper Pleasley are in Derbyshire, under Bolsover District Council, and Pleasley Hill is under Mansfield District Council. The Pleasley Park and Vale conservation area crosses the boundary and is designated by both councils. Mansfield's half has an Article 4 direction, which removes permitted development rights for roof slopes facing a road, waterway or open space, so taking down a stack or changing its look there should be checked with the council first.
Why is the stone on my old Pleasley chimney crumbling?
Most often it's because the stack has been repointed in cement at some point. Old stone needs mortar softer than itself so the joints wear before the stone does. When cement goes in, the moisture escapes through the stone and the surface flakes away. Raking out the cement and repointing in lime usually stops it.
Which council do I deal with for a chimney on Pleasley Hill?
Mansfield District Council. Pleasley Hill is on the Nottinghamshire side of the River Meden, along the A617. The village across the river is Derbyshire and comes under Bolsover. For an everyday chimney repair it makes no difference, but it matters if you want a stack removed or changed.
Is it worth keeping a chimney nobody uses?
Often, yes. Repointing, a new crown and a vented cap usually costs less on the day than taking a stack down and making the roof good. In the vale or the old village it also keeps the house looking the way it should. If you'd rather it went, we'll price removal and tell you whether the council needs to be asked.
Can you redo the lead around my chimney without disturbing the stone?
Yes. We rake out the joint the old flashing sat in, dress new lead to the same detail and wedge it in, then point it in a mortar to match. On stone stacks we take care when raking out so the edges of the stone aren't damaged.
What to do in Pleasley
Mills, mining and a wooded river valley are all within a short walk of each other here.
Pleasley Pit
The colliery's 1873 engine house still holds two winding engines, one from the 1900s and one from the 1920s, both restored and running on electricity. Volunteers run a museum and café, and the engines turn on event days.
Find it on Google Maps : Pleasley Pit
Pleasley Pit Country Park
The pit's spoil tips are now a Land Trust nature reserve of ponds, grass and woodland around the old headstocks, joined to the traffic-free Pleasley Trails on the former railway lines.
Find it on Google Maps : Pleasley Pit Country Park
Pleasley Vale
Footpaths follow the Meden through a steep limestone valley, past the Hollins cotton mills, their ponds and the listed Tudor-style lodges at the entrance.
Find it on Google Maps : Pleasley ValeFinding Pleasley
Pleasley is about 10 minutes from our Mansfield yard. Most of it is under Bolsover District Council, with Pleasley Hill on the Mansfield District side.
Word from around the town
What homeowners across the Mansfield patch made of the work, in their own words.
"The back bedroom ceiling had a mark that came and went for two years and I'd stopped even noticing it. When Babet hit it turned into a proper leak overnight. They came out two days later, found a split flashing round the chimney - nowhere near where the stain was - and had it done in a morning. Showed me photos of the fault before and after. The quote and the invoice were the same number, which I'm told is rarer than it should be."
"Ours is one of the old colliery houses and the ridge had been shedding bits of mortar onto the path for months. I expected to be told we needed a new roof - the bloke next door had been quoted for exactly that by someone else. Instead they rebedded the ridge, refixed four tiles and told me the rest of the roof was fine for years yet. Charged a fraction of what I'd braced myself for."
"Water was streaming down the front of the house whenever it rained hard and I assumed the worst about the roof. Turned out the gutter had lost its fall and was tipping everything over the edge in one spot. They reset the brackets, sorted a joint, checked the gully at the bottom and were gone within a couple of hours. Also pointed out a slate that wants watching next year rather than fixing now - appreciated that."
"Bought a 1900s terrace near the town centre and the survey flagged the chimney. Two other firms quoted to take it down entirely. These lads went up, told me the stack itself was sound and it just needed repointing with the right mortar, new flaunching and a cap on the dead flue. Three years on the chimney breast is bone dry. Kept the chimney, saved about two grand."
"The extension roof had ponded for years and every couple of winters someone would patch it and it would come back. They were the first to explain the actual problem - no fall on the deck - and quoted to sort that rather than just laying another layer of felt over it. New rubber roof, water actually runs off it now. You get told the truth, which is worth paying for on its own."
Been a customer?
A short review is the most useful thing you can give a local firm - it tells the next household in Mansfield with a dripping ceiling who they can trust with it.
Areas we cover
We cover Pleasley and every town and village around Mansfield. Choose yours below, or see our chimney repair pages for the rest of the area.
Book a chimney survey in Pleasley
Village, vale or Pleasley Hill, tell us what's wrong with the stack. We'll check which council covers you, survey the chimney, and give you photos and a written price.