Is this due to a leaking roof or chimney issue?

[Takemetothelakes45]

As above really! This image is on a chimney breast. We have had this issue for over a year now and have never been in a position financially to do anything about it. I personally thought it was perhaps an issue with the chimney ventilation (this chimney breast is unused and unvented) or perhaps the cowls / chimney pots are damaged. We are now in a position to fix it however we have had tow roofers round and they have just said we need a new roof. Now we do need a new one, current one is old, poorly insulated and looking worse for wear but other than this damp on the chimney breast we actually have no other issues. Infact we have full access to the loft and there is no visible leaks / damp patches up there which I assume there would be if the roof was leaking? The way it is laid out, you can get to all parts of the roof. I am happy to pay for a new roof if it will fix my issue but I am just worried it won’t and I will be almost 10k out of pocket because a roofer has seen an easy win.

The roofers will probably tell you you need a new roof regardless. Maybe a structural engineer could give a better, unbiased, opinion.

@DuchessOfSausage this was my worry! Thanks I will look to a more unbiased professional for advice 😊

When we needed a new roof in an old terrace the leaking was actually visible in the corner of the bedroom and affected the wallpaper.

So I would be wary if you can’t see anything.

That happened to a chimney breast in my house. Unfortunately there were a few issues that resulted in the damp staining (hopefully yours will be less complicated). It was a chimney breast where the Aga flue was located, connecting to a liner. Basically needed a cherry picker to check the damage up top. Storm damage had left a cowl/pot damaged enough (not obvious from the ground) to be accessed by a bird that had built a nest in the chimney. That in turn had pushed the liner down and damaged the liner and the Aga flue. All that got fixed and whilst they were up there they noticed the chimney itself had missing/broke tiles on the ‘shoulders’ of the chimney and also the pointing was quite old and damaged and that also needed redoing. All of that had obviously m, gradually, led to water ingress and staining. All fixed now and the damp drying out - though it has stained the chimney so will need redecorating too. I actually first knew there was an issue last winter when the Aga was being serviced after being off for the summer - engineer couldn’t get it to draw and so I asked a specialist fireplace/chimney/stove company to come out to assess. They were personally recommended so knew I could trust them. I’m guess it’s possible if I’d have got a roofer out they may have said new roof. Of course in your case it could actually be the roof, but maybe get a different kind of trade in to check it?

Get more quotes. Preferably from someone recommended by word of mouth.

Get the builders to explain why replacing the roof would sort the problem. If they can show where water is coming in through the roof, you probably don't need one. It is probably better to replace a knackered roof before it leaks though!

Can you re-take a photo from further away so we can put the damp into perspective in the room? Is it an outside wall? What is immediately above it on the outside? Have you looked in the loft space above?

When there was a problem in a previous house, it was the flashing around the chimney stack that needed fixing. Nothing more dramatic. We've got a problem in our current house and think it's to do with cracked render.

You probably don't need a structural engineer.

We had similar chimney breast patches but on painted brick, I knew there was something of an issue as a few drops of rain would come down the chimney in the bedroom above but not enough to bother with for a few years. A heavy downpour changed that, it was like a tap coming in the corner of the chimney. Re did the flashing around plus repointed the chimney and added a cowl to the chimney pot. Looks like it has done the job and keeping fingers crossed the patches don't return.

Thanks for all the replies! I will have a look in the locals area to see if there is anyone who would specialise in chimney repairs etc!

@NigelHarmansNewWife it is an external wall, on the top floor and the damp patch is maybe 4 foot from the ceeling, wich is why I don’t think it is the roof. Yes we have access to the loft and full roof space there is no sign of leaks and damp in there. All that it above this is the chimney pot itself. Took photo the way it is due to clutter / personal items lower down that I didn’t want in the photo😊