Chimneys and parapets
Cement has been used to point a listed chimney and the rest of the stack is in lime. Can the survey order the cement to be raked out?
No. The survey cannot order the cement to be raked out. Cement pointing on a listed chimney, beside lime on the rest of the stack, is a condition contrast the inspection can record. Hard cement and lime behave differently in weather, and the survey can say which material was seen where. Historic England explains that listing covers the whole building, including this stack. An order to rake out and repoint is a specification, and on a listed chimney it can also be a consent question. The survey has given neither. It has not instructed a mason and it has not granted consent.
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?
Cement pointing is stiffer than lime and can trap moisture in a stack built to be pointed in lime. The contrast here is cement in some joints and lime in the others. That contrast does not write a method. Raking out means cutting the joints back, which is work to listed fabric, and the mix is a mason's specification. The survey saw the two finishes. It did not design the raking out, and it did not decide that every cement joint must come out. Description and an order are different.
Ask the solicitor whether raking out cement on this listed stack needs consent, and ask a mason used to lime to specify any work as a separate instruction. Historic England explains that listing covers the whole building, and the survey does not grant consent or order the cement out. Tell a lender, if asked, that the note is mixed pointing, not a contracted repair. Do not rake the joints out on the survey's authority, and do not ignore the cement because the rest of the stack is still in lime.
What should you ask your surveyor?
- Where is the cement pointing, and where is the stack still in lime?
- Have you ordered the cement to be raked out, or only recorded it?
- Has any consent for repointing this listed chimney been given by the survey?
What are the typical next steps?
- Record mixed pointing, and do not order the cement raked out.
- Ask the solicitor whether consent is needed for the stack.
- If a specification is wanted, ask a lime mason separately.
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 cement is only a few joints, must they still be raked out?
The survey has not said they must. A few cement joints are still a condition note beside lime on the rest of the stack. Historic England explains that listing covers the whole building. The survey has not ordered raking out and has not granted consent. How many joints justify work is a later specification.
Does lime on the rest of the stack approve the cement?
No. Lime elsewhere describes the other joints. It does not approve the cement, and it does not make the cement traditional. The survey cannot order the cement out and cannot bless it. Historic England explains that listing covers the whole building, which includes both finishes on this stack.