Kent · London and the South East
Chimney Survey in Bobbing
Find out what’s going on with the chimney stack before you decide what to do next. We carry out chimney surveys in Bobbing, with photos and a clear written report.
- Frost-damaged brickwork on the stack
- Unused flues sealed without airflow
- Staining on walls around the chimney
Checking the roof from the ground
A lot can be seen from ground level. With binoculars, look for slipped or missing slates and tiles, gaps along the ridge and leaning chimneys. Never climb onto the roof to look.
During heavy rain, look at the gutters from ground level or a window. Water spilling over the edge can be a sign of a blockage or a gutter that has dropped.
Chimney survey in Bobbing
On terraced and semi-detached houses, a chimney stack is often shared with next door. We inspect the parts we can see safely and the parts the owner gives us access to. Where a problem seems to involve a neighbour’s side, the report records it, so you can talk to them. You get a report with photos and our recommendations. We are often asked to look into lifted or split lead flashings and signs that a stack is leaning, across chimney breasts, chimney pots and cowls and shared and party-wall stacks.
Some older homes in villages like Bobbing are listed or in a conservation area. That can affect what materials can be used when work is done, so check with the council before planning anything. Knowing the roof’s condition helps you plan ahead with that in mind. Older materials such as clay tiles, slate and stone are frequently matched when work is done.
The report records the chimney stack as we found it on the day. It’s useful right away, and a good reference for later, like when you want to compare after future work.
- Location
- Bobbing (ME9)
- Region
- Kent
- Price
- From £150 inc. VAT
- Report
- Emailed report with photos and recommendations
- Appointments
- Weekdays, Saturdays and Sundays
- Cover
- PI and public liability insurance
- Phone
- 07833 053749
- Updated
- 27 October 2026
The survey, step by step
It is useful to start with what’s prompted the survey: buying, a leak, storm damage, new work or just wanting to know where things stand. It helps us focus on what matters most to you. The visit typically takes roughly 1–2 hours at most homes; commercial roofs usually need 3–4 hours. For a village or hamlet like Bobbing, the journey is planned in advance: let us know about lanes, gates and parking. The roof is looked at from ground level, from windows, from the loft where there is safe access and from the roof where it’s safe.
- First you let us know about the chimneys, any damp on the chimney breasts and any worries.
- We inspect each stack from safe viewpoints outside.
- The pots, cowls, flaunching, pointing, brickwork and flashings are checked and photographed.
- Where there’s safe access, we look at the stack in the loft and the chimney breasts for damp.
- You get a photo-illustrated written report and our recommendations.
Before the survey
- Check pets are kept safely away
- Gather any invoices or paperwork from past roof work
- Leave side gates unlocked
How to book
Prices start from £150, including VAT. The exact figure depends on the roof and the package, so phone 07833 053749 or email us with the details.
Read more
Nearby places to Bobbing
What else we do in Bobbing
Bobbing questions
How do I find out if my home in Bobbing is listed?
The council and Historic England’s list are the places to check. Either can affect what roof work is allowed, so it is worth checking before planning any.
I let a flat near Newington station. Can you check the roof?
Yes, rented property is part of what we cover. You can phone 07833 053749 or send us an email with the address and some details, including who will give access on the day.
What does the report include?
It works through the roof part by part, in writing and with photos, and ends with what we recommend. Points are put in order of urgency where relevant.
Which parts of the chimney do you look at?
The whole stack, as far as it can safely be seen: from the pots and flaunching down to the flashings. Leaning, unused stacks and damp on chimney breasts are recorded too.
Can you inspect my roof with a drone?
Where it helps and the rules allow, yes. We hold a CAA Flyer ID and Operator ID and fly a drone under 250g, and the airspace and weather are checked before every flight.
How long does the survey take?
Most surveys take roughly 1–2 hours at a typical home, though large, tall or awkward roofs take more time. The report follows by email.
Is this an asbestos survey?
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, with a recommendation to have a specialist asbestos surveyor check before it is disturbed.
Do you need a chimney survey in Bobbing?
Where a chimney meets the roof, lead flashings keep water out. They can lift in wind, crack with age or pull out of the mortar joints. When flashings fail, water often shows up in the loft or on the chimney breast. Lead flashings can also be stolen.
Signs worth acting on include:
- Worn or missing pointing
- Flashings pulling away from the stack
- Bricks with flaking faces
- A stack that appears to lean
For an older house near a landmark such as Church of St Bartholomew, corroded nails, tired lead and weathered chimney pointing are the things to watch on older roofs.
What to check before booking
- What they won’t be able to tell you
- Do they have a CAA Flyer ID and Operator ID for drone work?
- How much experience they have with roofs like yours
- How they plan to inspect the roof safely
Tips from our surveys
Some practical points come up on survey after survey. They apply to most roofs:
- Have the flue swept and checked if you use the fire
- Ask for ventilated caps on redundant stacks
- Check fixings on the stack are secure
- Glance at the stacks from the street now and then
If the report recommends a structural engineer, a sweep or a Gas Safe registered engineer, it will say why. That helps you brief them.
Have worn pointing and cracked flaunching dealt with early. Small repairs now can save bigger work later.
What a chimney survey looks like in Bobbing
The coast is about 3 miles or less from Bobbing, so there’s more wind and more salt in the air than further inland. Salt corrodes metal fixings and flashings, and wind lifts loose slates, tiles and ridge pieces. Handmade clay tiles, including Kent peg tiles hung on pegs through two holes, are typical of older Kent buildings. You will also find oast houses and timber-framed Wealden hall houses among the county’s older buildings. Each of these coverings has its own weak points, from fixings and valleys to flashings, chimneys and gutters.
Landlords with a home close to Newington station may find that a roof report between tenancies helps plan work before a small defect becomes a tenant’s leak. If you look after a building such as Grove Park Primary School, a written record of a large roof helps plan work for the holidays rather than in term time.
Bobbing is about 2 miles west of Sittingbourne, in Kent. Bobbing is part of the area we cover and the surrounding area as part of our work across London and the South East. Bobbing is one of the towns and villages in Kent we cover for chimney surveys. Maidstone is in our area too.
We work across ME9 for chimney surveys and the streets around it. Streets in the area include Bobbing Hill, Cold Harbour Lane and Ladyfields Close. Nearby, we also carry out chimney surveys in Keycol (1 mile west), Chestnut Street (1 mile south-west), Danaway (1 mile south-west), Newington (1 mile west) and Oad Street (2 miles south-west). We also work in nearby towns such as Maidstone (9 miles south-west), Gravesend (15 miles west), Whitstable (14 miles east), Faversham (8 miles east), Minster (7 miles north-east) and Kings Hill (14 miles south-west).
Landmarks near Bobbing
We work in homes and buildings around Westlands School, among other places. The nearest railway station is Newington station, roughly 1.4 miles west of the centre. A little further out are Court Hall Museum (1.4 miles east) and Bayford Court (1.9 miles east).
Different roofs, different checks
Chimney pots and cowls
On redundant flues, we check how the pots are capped. Poor capping can lead to damp inside the stack.
Lead flashings
Mortar fillets are sometimes used where lead would typically be. They crack with age, and we check them too.
What happens if roof problems are left?
Most people never get a careful look at their chimney stacks. Defects tend to go unseen until there is a stain. Surveying the stack now can catch problems first. For an older or listed building in a place like Bobbing, repairs may need matching materials and consent, so a defect found early gives time to plan the work properly.
Our price is from £150, including VAT. The final price depends on how big and how high the roof is, access and which survey you book.
What you get with us
- A sub-250g drone, flown with a CAA Flyer ID and Operator ID
- Insured for professional indemnity and public liability
- Surveys on weekdays, Saturdays and Sundays
- An independent view of the roof
Take a look at how roof surveys are priced or what we found on two real jobs.