Chimneys and parapets
The breast has gone and a corbel remains in the alcove. Has the masonry above that corbel been checked for support?
No. The masonry above that corbel has not been checked for support. The breast has gone and a corbel remains in the alcove, a projecting piece that used to help carry the breast. Taking the breast away can leave weight from the stack still relying on whatever remains. The survey saw the corbel. It did not open the floors or the stack, did not trace the load path, and has not decided that the masonry above is supported or that it is not.
Last reviewed 24 October 2026. Written for buyers in England and Wales unless this answer says otherwise. No named surveyor has signed this page. It is general guidance, not a report on your house, and not legal advice.
What is the fuller explanation?
A corbel is a clue that the breast was built to be carried, not a proof that the carrying is still complete once the breast has been cut back. The masonry overhead may bear on a beam, on the remaining corbel, on the party wall, or on a combination nobody has exposed. This visit did not expose it. Cracks around the alcove, if any, were not turned into a calculation. The survey's sentence is visual: breast gone, corbel left, support unchecked.
Ask your solicitor for any building-control or design paper for the breast removal, and ask whether the corbel was meant to stay as support. A structural check of the masonry above would be a further instruction. Do not tell a lender the stack is safely carried because a corbel is still visible. Visibility is not a check of the load path, and this visit did not make that check.
What should you ask your surveyor?
- Was the masonry above the corbel checked for support?
- Has the load path after the breast removal been traced?
- Is the surviving corbel being treated as proof of support?
What are the typical next steps?
- Treat support above the corbel as unchecked.
- Ask the solicitor for any design paper for the breast removal.
- Do not describe the stack as safely carried.
Costs vary with the building and with who you instruct. Where this page does not cite a published figure, ask the surveyor, a relevant specialist, or your solicitor for a written quote. Do not treat a forum average as the price.
Also asked about this
Does a neat alcove finish mean the support was redesigned?
A neat finish means plaster and paint. It does not mean a beam was designed, installed or checked. The survey saw a corbel left in the alcove and did not check the masonry above it. Decoration can hide an incomplete removal. Ask for the papers. Do not read a smooth wall as a structural certificate.
Was the neighbour's side of this breast considered?
Not as a support check. The survey looked at this alcove and the remaining corbel. It did not open the neighbour's side and did not decide how the stack is shared. Support of the masonry above the corbel is still unchecked on the evidence of this visit. A party-wall question, if one arises, belongs with your solicitor.