Essex · London and the South East
Chimney Survey in Abbess Roding
Chimney surveys across Abbess Roding, backed by more than 20 years’ experience. Every survey ends with a written report and photos.
- Signs that a stack is leaning
- Gaps in the mortar around the pots
- Bricks with flaking faces
What we do, step by step
Safety comes first on every visit. Everything that can safely be seen is inspected, and if part of the roof can’t be seen, the report says so. The survey normally takes between one and two hours for most houses; commercial roofs usually need 3–4 hours. Somewhere as small as Abbess Roding, access is often the only tricky part. Mention any outbuildings, barns or garages you want included, and anything about the roof you already know. Visits can be on weekdays, Saturdays or Sundays.
- We go through the chimneys, any damp and any work done on them.
- Each stack is inspected from safe positions outside.
- Pots, cowls, flaunching, pointing and flashings are checked and photographed.
- Inside, the chimney breasts and the loft are checked for damp where there is access.
- You get a written report with photos and recommendations by email.
Preparing for the visit
- Have any paperwork from past roof work to hand
- Make a note of anything you’d like us to look at
- Keep pets out of the way during the survey
Booking a survey
For a price for chimney surveys in Abbess Roding, ring 07833 053749 or email us. A few details about the property and the roof help us give you an accurate price.
Advice
How a chimney survey works in Abbess Roding
A leaning chimney stack is worth having looked at. Stacks can lean when mortar on one side breaks down, often after years of flue gases and damp. The survey notes how the stack looks, how far it seems to lean and the state of the bricks and joints. Where it may be a structural concern, we will recommend a structural engineer. Common reasons to book are frost-damaged brickwork on the stack and gaps in the mortar around the pots, across lead flashings, flaunching and chimney pots and cowls.
Village roofs often face open fields and take the full force of wind and rain, so ridges, chimney stacks, flashings and gutters work hard. Damp in old walls is slow to dry, so a small leak can do a lot of harm. A written report sets out what to deal with and in what order. Lead flashings and old chimney stacks are often where weather gets in first.
The report records the chimney stack as we found it on the day. That makes it useful now and a handy reference later.
- Location
- Abbess Roding (CM5)
- Wider area
- Essex
- Price
- From £150 inc. VAT
- Reports
- Emailed report with photos and recommendations
- Survey days
- Weekdays and weekends
- Insurance
- Professional indemnity and public liability
- Phone
- 07833 053749
- Page updated
- 27 October 2026
Abbess Roding: your questions answered
Do you carry out roof surveys in Abbess Roding?
Yes. We work right across London and South East England, and Abbess Roding is part of that. You can ring 07833 053749 or send us an email with the address and a few details.
Is Abbess Roding within the area you cover?
Yes, smaller places are covered as well as towns. Our area covers London and South East England. Just mention lanes, gates or anything else about the route when you book.
What insurance do you have?
Every survey is covered by professional indemnity and public liability insurance.
Which parts of the chimney do you look at?
The survey covers the pots and cowls, the flaunching, the pointing, the bricks and the flashings. Inside, we look for damp on chimney breasts and in the loft where there is safe access. You get a written report with photos.
Does this replace a RICS home survey?
No. Our survey looks at the roof, not the whole building. If you need a full building survey, you will need a RICS survey as well.
My chimney looks like it’s leaning. What should I do?
Have it checked rather than leaving it. Stacks can lean when mortar on one side breaks down. We record its condition with photos, and a structural engineer can assess whether it needs work.
What causes damp on a chimney breast?
Normally it’s water getting in from outside, or condensation in a sealed stack. The survey looks at the stack, the flashings and the capping and records the likely cause.
Landlords, agents and block managers in Abbess Roding
If you own several properties, surveys can be booked for more than one address. To discuss a number of properties, ring 07833 053749 or use the contact form with the addresses.
Landlords and letting agents in Abbess Roding book surveys as well as homeowners. A report with photos gives you a clear record of the chimney stack.
Common roof problems in Abbess Roding
A stack takes the weather from every direction. Frost opens up cracks in the mortar, and rain gets into worn bricks and joints. Most people book after spotting damp or a loose pot, or before buying.
A survey can pick up problems like:
- Lifted or split lead flashings
- Flaunching that has broken away
- Mortar washing out of the joints
- Spalled or crumbling bricks
The streets around a church such as Church of St Edmund are frequently among the oldest in a place, and if your house is among the older ones nearby, the nails, lead and mortar on the roof may be wearing out even where the slates or tiles look fine.
Choosing a roof surveyor
- Is there a chance to talk the report through?
- Which limits apply to the survey
- Their insurance cover
- What experience they bring
Chimney surveys around Abbess Roding
Clay tiles and timber weatherboarding mark out many of the older buildings in Essex, with post-war and more recent estates making up much of the newer housing. Whichever you have, the details that tend to fail before the covering itself get the closest look. Barrington Hall, about 4.2 miles north, is one of the historic houses in the wider area around Abbess Roding. If your house is among the older ones, expect a mix of original materials and later repairs on the roof.
Abbess Roding is about 7 miles east of Harlow, in Essex. We carry out chimney surveys for homes and businesses in Abbess Roding and the surrounding area. Our area takes in places right across Essex, large and small. You can also see our page for Chelmsford.
We survey roofs across the CM5 postcode area for chimney surveys. If you need a chimney survey at a property on School Lane and Horsecroft or anywhere close by, we can survey it. We also cover the places around Abbess Roding: Beauchamp Roding (1 mile south-east), White Roding (1 mile north-west), Manwood Green (2 miles north-west), Norwood End (2 miles south) and Little Laver (2 miles south-west). Larger places within reach include Chelmsford (9 miles east), Braintree (14 miles north-east), Harlow (7 miles west), Brentwood (11 miles south), Billericay (12 miles south-east) and Witham (15 miles east).
Local landmarks in Abbess Roding
A little further out are Willingale Doe (2.5 miles south-east).
Prices for chimney surveys in Abbess Roding
To price your survey, we look at:
- The type of building, from a house to a block or an office
- The number of roofs, including extensions and garages
- Building height and the viewpoints available
- Basic, Standard or Premium
Thermal imaging and drone inspection (where it applies) come with the Premium Survey, from £400 with VAT included. We can help you choose the package that fits what you’d like to know.
Booking your survey
You do not need to know any roofing terms. It is enough to tell us:
- Anything about access we should know
- Pictures from the garden or a window, if you have them
- What kind of property and roof it is
- Where any leaks, stains or damp patches show inside
Most bookings start with a short call: phone 07833 053749 or email us and we’ll ask a few questions about the roof. You’ll have a price before anything is arranged.
Before and after the survey
Most of what helps is simple and safe from ground level. Our suggestions:
- Use a Gas Safe registered engineer for gas appliances
- Remove aerials or dishes from the stack if they’re no longer needed
- Ask for ventilated caps on redundant stacks
- Ask about consent before removing a chimney on an older property
The report is emailed to you, ready to share with a roofer or builder. We use plain English and a photo for each defect, so it’s easy to follow.
Make sure redundant flues are capped with ventilation. That helps stop damp building up inside.
Honest limits
To be straight with you, a roof survey has limits:
- Whether a stack needs rebuilding on structural grounds
- Hidden sides of a shared stack
- What’s inside the brickwork or behind render, without opening up
Not sure which survey suits your roof? You can ring 07833 053749 or send us an email and we’ll tell you. The full list of what we check.
Roof types and parts we check
- Chimney pots and cowls
- Shared and party-wall stacks
- Flaunching
- Brick chimney stacks
- Chimney breasts
- Lead flashings