Water marks on chimney breast.

Our master bedroom is above the sitting room and recently there has been a lot of water marks appearing on the bedroom wall where the chimney breast would be. Given the recent bad weather I'm anxious to get it sorted beofre the real bad weather sets in.

The ouside of the house has a small roofed area about 2 foot Sq beside the Chimney stack. Is it a case that this roofed area might be leaking and causing the wet patches in the interior walls or is it more serious?

Should I contact a roofer or a builder or both?

Any ideas welcome.

Maybe - hard to say from what you say.

Is the chimney externally brick?
If it is you might consider plastering it.
Also consider putting up a crow guard (one of those "chinese" hat types).

Best thing to do is get a good builder up to look at it.

You also need to check the flashing round the stack. If the damp is on the wall then this is more likely to be the cause of the problem as damp coming through the small roofed area is more likely to affect the ceiling.

Had a similar problem last year and the builder checked it out. Firstly he put up a 'cowl' . He also noticed a cracked tile near the chimney and replaced it. Finally there was a crack on the plaster on the chimney itself so he repaired this. We dont know which was the actual source of the wet patch on the chimney breast but it is no longer a problem.

Eoghanlk