There are some jobs you take on because they need doing, and there are others where the location makes the day memorable before you’ve even got the cherry picker off the trailer.
This one definitely fell into the second category.
I travelled over to Bolton to meet Danny Smith from Kingfisher Roofing and provide cherry picker access to work on the chimney at Fred Dibnah’s former home. Danny has a genuine passion for chimneys and Fred Dibnah, so getting the opportunity to work on this particular property was a bit of a dream job for him.
The plan was simple enough: get up there, inspect the chimney properly and potentially carry out some chimney flaunching.
As it turned out, the most professional thing we could do was almost nothing at all.
👉 Watch the full video of our day at Fred Dibnah’s house — then come back, because there’s a bit more to this story than a chimney.
Meeting Danny from Kingfisher Roofing
I’d actually never met Danny in person before this job.
We’d got talking online after somebody had decided to have a pop at both of us. Rather than achieving whatever he hoped to achieve, he inadvertently introduced two people who got on rather well.
For nearly a year we’d been messaging, commenting on each other’s content and generally cheering one another on, always saying that eventually we’d have to work together.
This was finally that day.
And Danny hadn’t simply been handed the Fred Dibnah job. He’d actively gone after the opportunity and made it happen. Once he’d secured it, he asked if I’d bring the machine along and provide the cherry picker access.
I wasn’t exactly going to say no.
The Plan: Re-Flaunch Fred Dibnah’s Chimney
Once we’d arrived and looked at the property, the proposed work was to remove the old mortar flaunching surrounding the chimney pots, clean and prepare the surface and install new flaunching.
For anyone unfamiliar with the term, chimney flaunching is the mortar or concrete formed around the chimney pots at the top of the stack. Its shape helps shed rainwater away while also helping secure the pots.
Failed, cracked or loose flaunching is something I regularly encounter when carrying out chimney maintenance and repairs. Left deteriorating, defects around the top of a stack can contribute to water ingress, loose masonry and eventually more substantial chimney repairs.
But there was an important first step.
We needed to get close enough to see what condition it was actually in.
Why a Proper Roof or Chimney Inspection Matters
Drone footage had made the flaunching look worse than it really was.
Once the cherry picker put us alongside the chimney, the situation looked quite different. There were no significant cracks, nothing was rocking, the chimney pots appeared sound and the existing flaunching was still remarkably solid.
That is precisely why proper inspection matters.
Aerial photographs and drone footage are extremely useful, and I use them extensively for roof surveys, but there are occasions where getting physically close to a defect gives you information that photographs simply can’t.
For that reason, a good roof survey and report should be about identifying what genuinely needs attention rather than finding work for the sake of finding work.
Sometimes the Best Repair Is to Leave It Alone
We could have started attacking the old flaunching.
But why?
Removing something that is still solid could have caused more damage than leaving it exactly where it was, particularly around the stonework.
So we cleaned things up, inspected it and decided the best course of action was to leave it alone.
As I said in the video: if it isn’t broken, don’t fix it.
Knowing how to carry out a repair is important. Knowing when a repair isn’t necessary is equally important.
That’s something applicable to everything from chimney repointing and roof leak repairs to general roof repairs. Repair what has failed, address the cause of the problem and avoid unnecessarily disturbing sound materials.
Why I Like Cherry Pickers for Chimney Repairs
While we were up there, Danny and I inevitably got talking about access.
I’ve spent years working from ladders. I’m certainly not unfamiliar with them. But for many chimney jobs, powered access simply makes the whole process more practical.
If we’d needed to remove all that old flaunching, for example, we could have loaded the waste into the basket and brought it down. We could then mix the replacement material at ground level and take everything back up in the machine.
The cherry picker does a lot of the physical work for you.
That’s one reason I now provide specialist cherry picker hire and high-level access for roofers, chimney specialists, property owners and other trades.
It doesn’t mean a cherry picker is automatically the correct access method for every job. Sometimes ladders work. Sometimes scaffolding is required. The important thing with working at height is selecting suitable access for the job in front of you.
Two Blokes Who Apparently Really Like Chimneys
One thing became abundantly clear while we were standing up there: Danny and I are both slightly obsessed with chimneys.
Ask me what roofing-related job I enjoy and chimney flaunching is right up there.
Danny was much the same. Flaunching, pointing, repairing damaged stacks, removing chimneys and making the roof good afterwards – anything involving a chimney and he’s happy.
There’s something satisfying about working on older chimney stacks, particularly when you find good traditional brickwork.
On many older properties, the chimney contains some of the best masonry on the entire building. They were prominent architectural features and tradesmen took considerable pride in constructing them properly.
Maintaining that existing workmanship rather than unnecessarily ripping it apart seemed particularly appropriate on this job.
More Than Just a Roofing Video
The chimney was only part of my reason for wanting to make this video.
Danny is also behind Operation Roofing Man, something he started because he was fed up with constantly seeing negativity and wanted to see whether one bloke could make a small difference.
The idea is straightforward: use his skills to help people who genuinely need it without charging them.
As Danny puts it, the thing he gets out of it is seeing people smile.
We talk much more about Operation Roofing Man in the video, along with the unexpected friendships and experiences that have come from it.
👉 Watch the full Fred Dibnah chimney video on YouTube
From Fred Dibnah’s House to India Mill
Because the chimney didn’t need the work we’d expected, we finished rather earlier than planned.
So what do two men with an unhealthy interest in chimneys do when they’ve suddenly got some spare time in Bolton?
Go and look at another chimney, obviously.
Danny took me over towards India Mill in Darwen, where the enormous mill chimney dominates the skyline. The transcript describes the stack as dating from 1867 and being modelled on St Mark’s Campanile in Venice.
Not exactly your average domestic chimney repair.
A Job Where Doing Less Was the Right Decision
I travelled to Bolton expecting to help a mate carry out some chimney flaunching.
Instead, we inspected the chimney and decided the best thing for it was to leave it alone.
That’s not a wasted journey. That’s the correct outcome of an inspection.
Whether I’m looking at chimney repairs, roof repairs, gutter cleaning, roof leak repair or other high-level maintenance, the objective shouldn’t be to manufacture work. It’s to identify the problem and work out the most sensible solution.
And on this occasion, the chimney didn’t need us.
I still came away rather well, though.
As I said at the end of the video, I went to Bolton to give a mate a hand with a chimney, only to discover the chimney didn’t need me. But I came home with a proper friend and a little lead kingfisher.
Not a bad day’s work.
Need Help With a Chimney or Difficult-to-Reach Roof?
A lot of my work involves jobs where the repair itself isn’t necessarily complicated – access is the difficult bit.
Using specialist cherry pickers and spider lifts allows me to reach many chimneys, roofs, gutters and awkward high-level areas without automatically resorting to scaffolding.
If you’ve got a leaking or deteriorating chimney, damaged roof, inaccessible guttering or another high-level problem, you can find out more about my chimney repair services, roof repair work and cherry picker access on my website.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is chimney flaunching?
Chimney flaunching is the mortar or concrete around the chimney pots at the top of a stack. It helps secure the pots and directs rainwater away from the chimney; if it becomes badly cracked or loose, chimney maintenance and repair may be required.
How do you know if chimney flaunching needs replacing?
Cracking, loose sections, deterioration or movement can indicate failed flaunching, but appearance from ground level isn’t always enough to judge its condition. A close inspection or suitable roof survey can help establish whether repair is genuinely necessary.
What causes roof leaks around chimneys?
Water ingress around chimneys can have several causes, including failed flaunching, defective pointing, deteriorated leadwork or problems with the surrounding roof covering. The important thing with any roof leak repair is to identify the actual entry point before deciding what needs replacing.
Can a cherry picker be used for chimney repairs?
Yes, where the site and access allow it. A cherry picker can provide an efficient working platform for chimney repointing, flaunching, inspections and other high-level repairs while also helping move tools, materials and waste.
Do all damaged-looking chimneys need repairing?
No. As this job demonstrated, something can look questionable in photographs yet prove perfectly sound when inspected closely. Good chimney repair is about preserving serviceable materials as well as replacing failed ones.
Do you need scaffolding for every roof or chimney repair?
No. Depending on the property and work required, access might be possible using a cherry picker, scaffold, ladders or another suitable method. The correct solution depends on the height, working area, ground conditions, duration of work and the task being carried out.
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