Essex · London and the South East
Birch Green Chimney Survey
A survey of chimney stacks, pots, flashings and flaunching around Birch Green, with a written report you can act on. Book a weekday or weekend visit.
- Signs that a stack is leaning
- Damp on a chimney breast inside
- Damaged chimney pots and cowls
Do you need a chimney survey in Birch Green?
Many chimneys are no longer used. If a stack is capped or blocked without ventilation, moisture can build up inside. Damp patches can appear on chimney breasts even when nothing is leaking.
We are often asked to look at:
- A stack that appears to lean
- Cracked or missing flaunching
- Damp on a chimney breast inside
- Spalled or crumbling bricks
Take a building like Birch Church of England Voluntary Aided Primary School: its roofs, gutters and any chimneys need the same checks as a house’s, just on a bigger scale.
Questions to ask before booking
- Which parts of the roof they’ll actually see
- How soon the report will arrive
- Whether the inside of the roof is included
- Their drone registration, if they fly one
About our chimney survey in Birch Green
For buyers, a chimney survey before exchange can flag work you may want to raise. Cracked flaunching, failed flashings and worn pointing are common findings on older stacks. Our report gives you specific points to raise with the seller or agent. It complements a RICS home survey rather than replacing it. If you’re worried about a chimney out of line and gaps where the stack meets the roof, we can find out what’s behind it.
In a village or hamlet like Birch Green, older cottages and farmhouses often sit alongside barns, outbuildings and a few newer houses. Older roofs may be clay tile, slate, stone or thatch, often with chimneys that have stood a long time. We report on whatever is safely visible, and thatch is a specialist material. On older roofs, it is typically the chimneys and lead flashings that need work first.
You receive the findings by email, ready to forward to whoever needs them. Basic reports come within 48 hours, Standard within 24–48 hours and Premium on the day.
- Where
- Birch Green (CO2)
- Wider area
- Essex
- Prices
- From £150 inc. VAT
- Reports
- A written report with photos, by email
- Appointments
- Weekdays, Saturdays and Sundays
- Insurance
- Professional indemnity and public liability
- Telephone
- 07833 053749
- Updated
- 27 October 2026
What affects the cost of chimney surveys
Our packages start from £150, with VAT included. The price for your roof depends on:
- The package you choose: Basic, Standard or Premium
- Chimneys, valleys, parapets and other details
- How tall the building is and how easy the roof is to see
- Extensions, dormers and garages with roofs of their own
A Basic Survey starts from £150, including VAT. The Standard Survey starts from £250 and the Premium Survey from £400. We confirm the price for the job before booking.
Helping us price your survey
What helps most when you contact us:
- Pictures from the garden or a window, if you have them
- What made you get in touch
- How the loft is reached, if there is one
- Any deadline, like an exchange date
Our phone lines are open seven days a week. To book or ask a question, ring 07833 053749 or email us.
How the survey changes by roof type
Flaunching
Flaunching takes the worst of the weather. The survey checks for cracking and gaps around each pot.
Chimney breasts and the loft
Stains on timbers or brickwork around the stack can point to a leak. We record what we see with photos.
How it works
Every roof is different; as a rough guide, the survey takes about one to two hours for most homes, a little longer where there are several stacks. You are welcome to ask questions while we are there. Older rural homes like those around Birch Green can have a main roof, lower lean-to roofs and outbuildings all joined together. We work round each section in turn, from the safest viewpoints, and anything we cannot see is noted.
- 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.
- We look for damp on chimney breasts and in the loft space.
- You get a written report with photos and recommendations by email.
Before the survey
- Check we can get to the back of the property
- Agree roof access with the managing agent if it’s shared
- Show us where any leaks or stains appear
Book a survey
To book a survey, ring 07833 053749 or send us an email and tell us the address and what’s prompted the survey. We will confirm the price before you book.
Read more
Landlord and commercial surveys in Birch Green
Landlords, agents and building managers in Birch Green and across Essex can book any of our surveys. To discuss a property or a block, ring 07833 053749 or send us an email.
Letting agents and landlords in Birch Green book surveys as well as householders. The report gives you a dated record of the chimney stack, with photos, useful for planning maintenance.
Why get it checked now?
If you are buying, find out about the stacks before you exchange. After that, any work is yours to arrange and pay for. A report gives you something specific to put to the seller. In a small place like Birch Green, homes can be exposed to wind and rain, which finds any gap, and damp in older walls is slow to dry out.
The Premium Survey includes thermal imaging and drone inspection where applicable, which starts from £400, inc. VAT. We can help you choose the package that fits what you want to find out.
Why us?
- Surveys seven days a week
- We hold a CAA Flyer ID and Operator ID
- Covered by professional indemnity and public liability insurance
- Every finding written up with photos
Birch Green: your questions answered
Do you survey roofs for landlords with property near Marks Tey station?
Yes, letting agents and landlords book with us as well as owners. Just ring 07833 053749 or send us an email and let us know about the building.
Do you cover smaller places like Birch Green?
Yes, smaller places are covered as well as towns. Our area covers London and the South East. Just mention lanes, gates or anything else about the route as you book.
Why is my chimney breast damp?
It can come from several places: water getting in at the top, through the brickwork or at the flashings, or moisture trapped in a stack with no ventilation. Our survey checks each of these and records the likely cause.
Will you walk on the roof?
Only where it’s safe to do so. We inspect whatever is safely visible: from the ground, from windows, from inside the loft space, from the roof where it is safe and by drone where applicable. The report says if anything couldn’t be seen.
How long will you be at the property?
Most surveys take roughly 1–2 hours at a house, as part of a look at the roof around the stack. The report follows by email.
How fast do I get the report?
Each package has its own report time. Basic: within 48 hours. Standard: 24 to 48 hours. Premium: the same day. Mention any deadline when you book.
Is this an asbestos survey?
No. Asbestos surveys and testing are not part of what we do. If we see materials that could contain asbestos, such as cement roof sheets or soffits on buildings from before 2000, we flag them.
Chimney surveys around Birch Green
Birch Green lies within about 5 miles of the sea, so there’s more wind and more salt in the air than further inland. Near the sea, metal fixings wear faster and loose pieces on a roof are more likely to lift, and driving rain gets into whatever gap is left. Layer Marney Tower, about 1.4 miles south-west, is one of the historic houses in the wider area around Birch Green. Period homes nearby can have lead valleys, tall chimneys and a patchwork of past repairs, and a listed home or one in a conservation area may need consent for changes of material.
For an older house near a landmark such as St Mary's Church, its chimney, valleys and lead work are likely to be the parts that need attention first. If you let a flat or house near Marks Tey station, a roof report helps you deal with small faults before they turn into a call from a tenant.
Birch Green is about 5 miles south-west of Colchester, in Essex. We carry out chimney surveys for householders, landlords and businesses in Birch Green and nearby. Birch Green is one of the places in Essex we cover for chimney surveys. Our Chelmsford page covers surveys nearby.
Every address in CO2 is covered for chimney surveys. We cover properties on Luard Way, Birch Street and Hollingtons Grove. Neighbouring places we cover for chimney surveys include Birch (1 mile north), Layer Breton (1 mile south), Heckfordbridge (2 miles north), Layer-de-la-Haye (2 miles east) and Copford Green (2 miles north). Within a short drive, we also cover Colchester (5 miles north-east), Braintree (11 miles west), Clacton-on-Sea (14 miles east), Maldon (10 miles south-west), Witham (8 miles west) and Camulodunum (4 miles north-east).
Near you in Birch Green
We work in homes and buildings around Hare And Hounds Public House and the streets around them. The closest station to Birch Green is Marks Tey station, about 3.4 miles north-west of the centre. Well-known places in the area include Anchor Press Museum (3.2 miles south-west) and Essex County Hospital (4.6 miles north-east). Open spaces near Birch Green include Abberton Reservoir.