Essex · London and the South East
Blackmore Chimney Survey
Chimney surveys around Blackmore, with findings in writing and pictures to back them up. Book a weekday or weekend visit.
- Loose, cracked or missing pots
- Lifted or split lead flashings
- Bricks with flaking faces
About our chimney survey in Blackmore
If you’re buying a home with chimneys, it is worth knowing their condition before you exchange. On older stacks, we often find cracked flaunching, loose flashings and worn pointing. Our report gives you specific points to raise with the seller or agent. It works alongside a RICS home survey, not instead of one. We survey brick chimney stacks, shared and party-wall stacks and lead flashings, and the problems we are asked to look at most are bricks with flaking faces and signs that a stack is leaning.
Village roofs often face open fields and take the full force of wind and rain, which is hard on ridges, chimneys, flashings and gutters. Older walls take a long time to dry once water gets in. A roof report shows what needs attention first. On exposed older roofs, chimneys and lead flashings are often the first to give way.
The report works through the roof section by section, from the main slopes down to the gutters and outlets, with a note and a photo for each point. It records what’s sound as well as what is not.
- Location
- Blackmore (CM4)
- Wider area
- Essex
- Prices
- From £150 inc. VAT
- Your report
- Emailed report with photos and recommendations
- Survey days
- Monday to Sunday, daytime
- Cover
- Professional indemnity and public liability
- Phone
- 07833 053749
- Updated
- 27 October 2026
Rented homes, blocks and businesses
Letting agents can arrange access with tenants, at a time agreed in advance. Surveys run seven days a week, which helps when tenants work during the week.
Shared roofs need a little more planning: we need access agreed with the freeholder or managing agent. Mention it when you get in touch and we’ll plan the visit with that in mind.
What we can’t see
We only report everything that’s safely in view on the day, so some things are outside what a survey can do:
- What’s inside the brickwork or behind render, without opening up
- The inside of the flue, which needs a sweep or flue specialist
- Checks on boilers, fires or their flues
If you’re not sure which survey you need, ring 07833 053749 or send us an email and we will give you a straight answer. What our survey covers.
Roofs we survey in Blackmore
- Chimney pots and cowls
- Chimney breasts
- Brick chimney stacks
- Lead flashings
- Flaunching
- Shared and party-wall stacks
The survey, step by step
The visit has one job: to see as much of the chimney stack as can safely be seen and record it clearly. Everything we note and photograph goes into the written report. It usually takes between one and two hours at a house, as part of a look at the roof around the stack. In a small place like Blackmore, access is normally the main thing to plan. Let us know about outbuildings, past repairs and any leaks you’ve noticed. Visits can be on weekdays, Saturdays or Sundays.
- First we talk through the stacks, their history and any problems.
- We check every stack from wherever it can safely be seen.
- We photograph and record the pots, flaunching, pointing and flashings.
- 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.
How to prepare
- If it is not your property yet, arrange access through the agent
- Dig out any old roof reports or invoices
- Keep pets in another room
Booking a survey
Most bookings start with a short call: call 07833 053749 or drop 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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What a chimney survey looks like in Blackmore
Clay tiles and timber weatherboarding mark out many of the older buildings in Essex, alongside a good many post-war and newer estates. Knowing the covering helps explain which parts of a roof are likely to need work first. About 3.8 miles south-east lies Ingatestone Hall, a reminder of how long the area around Blackmore has been built on. Older roofs in the wider area can hide decades of patch repairs, so the detail matters, and any change of roofing material on a listed home needs checking with the council first.
If you let a flat or house near Ingatestone station, a roof report between tenancies helps plan work before a small defect becomes a tenant’s leak. For site and facilities teams at buildings such as Blackmore Primary School, its roofs, gutters and any chimneys need the same checks as a house’s, just on a bigger scale. Take an older house close to Church of St Laurence: its roof may have old fixings, lead flashings and chimneys that need a closer look.
Blackmore is about 5 miles north of Brentwood, in Essex. We provide chimney surveys for homes and businesses in Blackmore. Blackmore is one of the towns and villages in Essex where we work. There’s also a page for Chelmsford.
We survey roofs across CM4 for chimney surveys and the streets around it. Local streets include Jericho Place, Woollard Way and Fingrith Hall Lane, all of which we cover. Neighbouring places we cover for chimney surveys include Wyatt's Green (2 miles south), Beggar Hill (2 miles east), Green Street (2 miles south-east), Doddinghurst (2 miles south) and Swallows Cross (2 miles south). Larger places within reach include Chelmsford (8 miles north-east), Basildon (10 miles south-east), Harlow (10 miles north-west), Brentwood (5 miles south), Billericay (6 miles south-east) and Rayleigh (14 miles south-east).
Landmarks near Blackmore
Typical jobs here are in homes near The Bull Inn, among other places. For rail, the closest station is Ingatestone station, about 3.4 miles south-east of the centre. Well-known places in the area include Brentwood Community Hospital (4.8 miles south) and Willingale Doe (3.9 miles north).
Also near Blackmore
What else we do in Blackmore
What happens if roof problems are left?
A leaning stack should be looked at sooner rather than later. We record its condition and recommend a structural engineer where needed, so you know where you stand. Outbuildings and barns around Blackmore are easy to forget, but a failed roof there can spoil what’s stored inside. It is worth including them in a survey before a winter does the damage.
All our prices include VAT. Our price is from £150, including VAT. You’ll know the exact price before booking.
Why us?
- PI and public liability insurance
- Packages from £150, including VAT
- Over 20 years’ experience
- A sub-250g drone, flown with a CAA Flyer ID and Operator ID
Read our cost guide or two real surveys.
What a survey costs
To price your survey, we look at:
- Whether it is a home or a commercial building
- Chimneys, valleys, parapets and other details
- Roof area
- Whether thermal imaging or a drone is needed
Larger roofs, taller buildings and commercial roofs take longer, so they’re priced to match. You will know the figure before booking.
Booking your survey
These details help when you get in touch:
- How the loft is reached, if there is one
- Any stains, drips or damp patches you’ve seen indoors
- Any deadline, like an exchange date
- What kind of property and roof it is
Prices start from £150, including VAT. The exact figure depends on the roof and the package, so call 07833 053749 or drop us an email with the details.
Blackmore questions
Is my home in Blackmore listed or in a conservation area?
Your council is the best source, with Historic England’s list for listed buildings. A change of roofing material may need consent in either case, and councils can also use Article 4 directions.
Do you survey roofs for landlords with property near Ingatestone station?
Yes. We survey roofs for landlords, letting agents and managing agents as well as owners. You can ring 07833 053749 or email us with the address and what you need.
What insurance do you have?
We hold professional indemnity and public liability insurance, for every survey we carry out.
What’s the best way to book?
It is easiest to phone 07833 053749 or send us an email. Give us the address and some details about the roof. Surveys run on weekdays, Saturdays and Sundays.
Is a chimney survey the same as a flue inspection?
No. A flue inspection, sweep or gas safety check is a separate job. We check the structure and weathering of the stack and any damp, and we’ll say if anything suggests the flue needs checking.
How much is a survey?
Chimney survey starts from £150, including VAT. You’ll know the price for your survey before booking, and it depends on the roof’s size, access and the package you choose. For a price, ring 07833 053749 or use the contact form.
What happens next?
You’ll get the report by email, with photos and clear recommendations. The Standard Survey includes a follow-up consultation, and the Premium Survey an in-person consultation, so you can talk the findings through.
Before and after the survey
Over many surveys, some simple habits stand out as worth the effort:
- Keep the report to compare against at the next survey
- Look at the chimneys with binoculars after a storm
- Make sure unused flues are capped with ventilation
- Book a sweep for flues that are in use
If anything in the report isn’t clear, just ask us. Standard Surveys come with a follow-up consultation, and Premium Surveys with an in-person one.
Unused stacks should be capped in a way that still lets air through. That helps stop damp building up inside.