Chimneys and parapets
The gathering above a fireplace is cracked where it passes through the loft and the stack outside is upright. What joint is the crack in?
The crack is in the gathering, where the fireplace narrows as it passes through the loft, not in a lean of the stack. The stack outside is upright. The gathering is the masonry in the roof space that funnels the flue toward the stack. A crack there is a crack in that gathering. The survey has recorded it. It has not proved the flue leaks smoke, and the upright stack has not proved the gathering is sound.
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?
Gatherings are built in the loft, with a parged flue inside, so you see the outer face rather than the flue wall. A crack in that face can be old, or it can mean the parging and the masonry are parting. An upright stack means the chimney was not leaning as seen from outside. It does not stitch a crack in the loft. The survey did not smoke-test the flue. The cracked gathering and the plumb stack are both in the note, and they are not the same defect.
Ask a chimney specialist to inspect the gathering in the loft and to say whether the flue needs a closer look. Tell the solicitor the crack is in the gathering and the outside stack was upright. Do not rebuild the stack on this crack alone, and do not ignore the crack because the stack is plumb. The survey has not tested the flue and it has not specified a repair.
What should you ask your surveyor?
- Is the crack in the gathering in the loft, rather than in the external stack?
- Was the stack outside upright?
- Has the flue been left untested?
What are the typical next steps?
- Treat the crack as a gathering defect, not as a proved lean.
- Ask a chimney specialist to inspect the gathering and the flue.
- Do not rebuild the external stack on this crack alone.
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
If the fireplace still draws, is the gathering sound?
A fire that draws, if you have watched one, is not an inspection of the cracked gathering. The survey did not smoke-test the flue. Draw on one evening does not close a crack in the loft, and the upright stack does not either. The joint that is cracked is the gathering. It has not been proved sound.
Does an upright pot prove the gathering is uncracked?
No. The pot and the external stack were the outside picture, and the stack is upright. The crack is inside, in the gathering where it passes through the loft. Outside plumb does not erase that crack. The survey has not tested the flue and has not said the gathering is intact.