Kent · London and the South East
Chimney Survey in Bircholt Forstal
A careful look at the chimney stack at your property in Bircholt Forstal, and put it all in a photo-illustrated written report.
- Signs that a stack is leaning
- Staining on walls around the chimney
- Eroded joints in the brickwork
What we are asked to look at in Bircholt Forstal
Stacks that were used for open fires for many years can weaken from the inside. Mortar can deteriorate unevenly from flue gases and moisture, which can make a stack lean.
Things that frequently lead to a survey include:
- Worn or missing pointing
- Gaps where the stack meets the roof
- Gaps in the mortar around the pots
- Unused flues sealed without airflow
If you own a rental within reach of Westenhanger station, the gap between tenancies is a good time to have the roof looked at.
Before you book anyone
- Whether the inside of the roof is included
- Is VAT included in the price?
- What happens after the report arrives
- Which viewpoints they use to see the roof
How a chimney survey works in Bircholt Forstal
Chimney stacks take more weather than almost any other part of a house. Over the years, the flaunching cracks, the pointing wears and flashings lift. Water then gets into the stack and can show as damp on a chimney breast or a stain in the loft. A survey finds these problems and records them with photos. Typical surveys look at cracked or missing flaunching and lifted or split lead flashings, across lead flashings, brick chimney stacks and chimney pots and cowls.
In a village or hamlet like Bircholt Forstal, 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. Each needs checking in its own way, and thatch is a specialist material we report on as far as it can be seen. Chimneys and lead flashings on old roofs frequently need the most attention.
The Standard Survey adds moisture detection, a structural check and a follow-up consultation. The Premium Survey goes further, with thermal imaging, drone inspection where it applies, structural analysis and an in-person consultation.
- Place
- Bircholt Forstal (TN25)
- Wider area
- Kent
- Cost
- From £150 inc. VAT
- Reports
- A written report with photos, by email
- Appointments
- Monday to Sunday, daytime
- Insured
- Professional indemnity and public liability
- Phone
- 07833 053749
- Last updated
- 27 October 2026
The survey, step by step
The visit has one job: to look at the chimney stack as closely as is safe and record what we find. Notes and photos go into the written report. It normally takes an hour or two for a house, rising to roughly 3–4 hours on a commercial building. Rural addresses near Bircholt Forstal can be hard to find from a postcode alone, so a few directions, or a note of a nearby landmark, help us arrive on time. The visit itself is the same as anywhere else.
- We start with the details: how many stacks, whether any are shared and any signs of damp.
- We inspect each stack from safe viewpoints outside.
- Every part we can see is looked at: pots, cowls, flaunching, pointing, bricks and flashings.
- Inside, we look for damp on chimney breasts and in the loft where there is safe access.
- The findings are written up with photos and recommendations and emailed to you.
Getting ready for the survey
- Clear the way to the loft hatch
- Keep pets out of the way during the survey
- Check we can get to the back of the property
How to book
Most bookings start with a short call: ring 07833 053749 or send us an email, and we will ask about the building and what you need. The price is agreed before a date is set.
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Questions from Bircholt Forstal
Do you survey roofs for landlords with property near Westenhanger station?
Yes. We survey roofs for landlords, letting agents and managing agents as well as owners. Just ring 07833 053749 or drop us an email with the details, and we’ll talk through which survey suits.
Is my home in Bircholt Forstal listed or in a conservation area?
You can check whether a building is listed on Historic England’s list, and your council can tell you if it’s in a conservation area. Listed building consent is needed for changes that affect a listed building’s special interest, and conservation areas can limit changes of roofing material.
Do you test for asbestos?
No. We don’t sample or test for asbestos. The report may flag materials that could contain asbestos on buildings built or refurbished before 2000.
Do I need to be at home?
It depends on what we need to see. Inside the building and in the loft, we need someone to let us in, while outside access can be discussed as you book.
How can you see the top of the stack?
We inspect from wherever is safe: the ground, nearby windows and higher points, and the roof space. A drone inspection is included in our Premium Survey where it applies. If part of a stack can’t be seen, the report says so.
What happens after the survey?
You will receive the report by email, and you decide the next step: raise it with a seller, send it to an insurer, brief a roofer or share it with a managing agent.
Do you carry professional indemnity insurance?
We’re covered by professional indemnity and public liability insurance.
Surveys for landlords and agents in Bircholt Forstal
A roof problem in a let property affects your tenants as well as the building. A survey shows what needs attention, so you can plan the work around your tenants.
Where a roof is shared: we need access agreed with the freeholder or managing agent. Let us know about it when booking and we’ll plan the visit with that in mind.
How the survey changes by roof type
Flaunching
We often find flaunching that has cracked or broken away. It’s normally a modest repair when it’s caught early.
Lead flashings
Mortar fillets are sometimes used where lead would typically be. They tend to crack, so we look at them closely.
Local roofs in Bircholt Forstal
The wider area around Bircholt Forstal has a long history of building, with Westenhanger Castle about 3.6 miles south-east. 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. Across Kent, older roofs are often handmade clay or peg tiles, and tile-hanging on upper walls is a familiar sight. You will also find oast houses and timber-framed Wealden hall houses among the county’s older buildings. Whatever the covering, it’s frequently the fixings, flashings, valleys and gutters that give out first.
For site and facilities teams at buildings like Brabourne Church of England Primary School, its roofs, gutters and any chimneys need the same checks as a house’s, just on a bigger scale.
Bircholt Forstal is about 5 miles east of Ashford, in Kent. Bircholt Forstal gets the same service as everywhere else we work: a proper look at whatever is safely visible, photos and a clear written report. Our Kent coverage includes Bircholt Forstal and the places around it. You can also see our page for Canterbury.
We survey roofs across TN25 for chimney surveys. Nearby, we also carry out chimney surveys in Brabourne Lees (1 mile south), Brabourne (1 mile east), Smeeth (1 mile south-west), Ridgeway (1 mile south-west) and Lilyvale (1 mile south). Further out, we also cover Ashford (5 miles west), Canterbury (11 miles north-east), Dover (14 miles east), Folkestone (9 miles south-east), Whitstable (15 miles north) and Faversham (13 miles north).
Around Bircholt Forstal
Bircholt Forstal’s nearest station is Westenhanger station, about 3.8 miles south-east of the centre. Well-known places in the area include William Harvey Hospital (2.8 miles west) and Lympne Castle (4.7 miles south-east). For a walk, there is Tolsford Hill and Hatch Park.
Towns and villages near Bircholt Forstal
Also in Bircholt Forstal
Leave it or get it looked at?
A damp chimney breast seldom dries out until the cause is found. It can spoil decoration and plaster. Finding the cause means the right work can be planned. In a small place like Bircholt Forstal, homes can be exposed to wind and rain, which finds any gap, and older walls, once damp, take a long time to dry.
There are three survey packages: the Basic Survey from £150, the Standard Survey from £250 and the Premium Survey from £400, with VAT included. What your roof costs depends on its size, access and what you want to find out.
Why book with us
- Over 5,000 surveys carried out
- Drone and thermal imaging surveys available
- Photos and a written report every time
- An independent view of the roof
Take a look at what a roof survey costs or what we found on two real jobs.
Before and after the survey
Nothing here needs a ladder. Our suggestions:
- Glance at the stacks from the street now and then
- Use the report as a baseline for future checks
- Check with the council before altering a stack in a conservation area or on a listed building
- Check that disused chimneys can still breathe
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.
Check your stacks from the street or garden after a storm. Binoculars help you spot loose pots, missing mortar or lifted flashings.