Medway · London and the South East
Chimney Survey in Borstal
Know where you stand with the chimney stack before you spend money on it. We carry out chimney surveys in Borstal.
- A stack that appears to lean
- Gaps in the mortar around the pots
- Loose, cracked or missing pots
Do you need a chimney survey in Borstal?
Many chimneys are no longer used. If a stack is capped or blocked without ventilation, moisture can build up inside. That can lead to damp patches on chimney breasts, even with the roof in good order.
Signs worth acting on include:
- Damaged chimney pots and cowls
- Lifted or split lead flashings
- Gaps in the mortar around the pots
- Signs that a stack is leaning
Temple Manor lies about 1 mile north, so building around Borstal goes back a long way. Older homes in the area may have roofs that need matching materials when work is done.
Questions to ask before you book
- Whether the loft is part of the inspection
- What the survey won’t cover
- Do they have a CAA Flyer ID and Operator ID for drone work?
- What insurance they carry
Chimney surveys for homes and businesses in Borstal
A chimney survey is about the outside of the stack and the roof around it. It is not a flue inspection, a chimney sweep or a gas safety inspection. For the flue itself, you’ll need a sweep or, for gas appliances, a Gas Safe registered engineer. If something we see points to the flue, we will say so. We survey brick chimney stacks, shared and party-wall stacks and chimney breasts, and people most frequently book us about damp on a chimney breast inside and worn or missing pointing.
Around Borstal, gardens, hedges and nearby trees can mean leaves and moss end up on roofs and in gutters. Blocked gutters overflow and soak the walls below. A report spots that kind of slow problem before it becomes damp inside. Plants growing from a gutter or moss on the tiles are signs worth noting from ground level.
Pictures do a lot of the work in our reports, so you can see each defect rather than just read about it. Anything out of sight on the day is listed as such.
- Location
- Borstal (ME1, ME2)
- Region
- Medway
- Price
- From £150 inc. VAT
- Reports
- Written, with photos, emailed to you
- Survey days
- Monday to Sunday, daytime
- Insurance
- PI and public liability insurance
- Phone
- 07833 053749
- Page updated
- 27 October 2026
What we look for on each type of roof
Rendered stacks
Cracked render can let water in and trap it behind. We record any cracking and where it is.
Flaunching
Flaunching is the mortar on top of a stack that holds the pots and sheds water. Cracks in it let water into the stack.
DIY checks: what’s safe
You can learn a lot from ground level. Binoculars help you spot slipped slates or tiles, gaps along the ridge and a leaning stack. Never climb onto the roof to look.
It is useful to keep a record: dates of leaks, photos from ground level and any work done on the roof. Share it with us when you book.
The survey, step by step
We work from the outside in: outside views come first, then the loft space if there’s safe access. All told, expect an hour or two for a house; commercial roofs usually need 3–4 hours. In a smaller place like Borstal, parking is seldom the issue; lanes, gates and long drives are worth mentioning. On bungalows and lower roofs, much can be seen from ground level, with the loft showing the underside, while taller roofs may need other vantage points or the drone where applicable.
- 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’s access.
- You get a written report with photos and recommendations by email.
Getting ready for the survey
- Mention any parking restrictions on your street
- Jot down any questions you want answered
- Check pets are kept safely away
How to book
Getting a price is simple: just phone 07833 053749 or drop us an email and give us a few details about the property and we will recommend the right survey. The price is agreed up front.
Advice
Local roofs in Borstal
Borstal lies within about 4 miles of the sea, and being near the sea means more wind and salt than a roof inland would face. Near the sea, metal fixings wear faster and loose pieces on a roof are more likely to lift, while driving rain finds any gap. Handmade clay tiles, including Kent peg tiles hung on pegs through two holes, are typical of older Kent buildings. Kent’s older buildings take in oast houses and timber-framed Wealden hall houses as well. Each of these coverings has its own weak points, from fixings and valleys to flashings, chimneys and gutters.
Landlords with a home close to Cuxton station may find that knowing the condition of the roof, chimneys and gutters helps you plan work rather than react to complaints. If you look after a building like St William of Perth Roman Catholic Primary School, a written record of a large roof helps plan work for the holidays rather than in term time.
Borstal is about 1 mile south-west of Rochester, in Medway. We provide chimney surveys for homeowners, landlords and businesses in Borstal. Borstal is one of the places in Medway where we work for chimney surveys. We also survey roofs in Maidstone.
We survey roofs across ME1 and ME2 for chimney surveys. You’ll find streets such as Hill Road, Manor Lane and Mount Road. Main roads around Borstal include the M2, so getting to you is simple. Neighbouring places we cover for chimney surveys include Rochester (1 mile north-east), Strood (1 mile north), Cuxton (1 mile west), North Halling (2 miles west) and Wouldham (2 miles south-west). Larger places within reach include Gillingham (4 miles east), Rainham (5 miles east), Park Wood (5 miles east), Lordswood (4 miles south-east), Twydall (4 miles east) and Hoo St Werburgh (5 miles north-east).
Landmarks near Borstal
Locally, jobs take us to homes and businesses close to Sir Joseph Williamson's Mathematical School, Former Ordnance Store At Chatham Gun Wharf and St John Fisher RC Comprehensive School. The nearest railway station is Cuxton station, about 1 mile west. Nearby you will also find Six Poor Travellers House (1.3 miles north-east) and Rochester Castle (1.3 miles north-east). The countryside around Borstal includes Blue Bell Hill and Ranscombe Farm.
What a chimney survey doesn’t cover
Some things can’t be seen without opening up the roof, so a survey has limits:
- What’s inside the brickwork or behind render, without opening up
- Parts of the stack that cannot be seen safely or belong to a neighbour we can’t access
- Flue inspections or sweeping
Not sure which survey suits your roof? You can phone 07833 053749 or email us and we will tell you. The full list of what we check.
What this survey covers
- Chimney breasts
- Chimney pots and cowls
- Lead flashings
- Brick chimney stacks
- Flaunching
- Shared and party-wall stacks
Borstal: your questions answered
Does being near the coast affect roofs in Borstal?
Generally, yes: wind and salt air take more of a toll near the sea. Exposed details such as ridges, verges, flashings and metal fixings are the ones to watch, and Borstal is within about 4 miles of the coast.
Is Borstal within the area you cover?
We do. Villages and rural addresses get the same survey as a town house.
Will you walk on the roof?
Only when it is safe. Most of what we need can be seen from safe viewpoints, the loft and, where applicable, a drone, and the report notes anything we couldn’t see.
Do I have to be there for the survey?
It depends on what we need to see. Inside the building and in the loft, we need someone to let us in.
What should I do with a chimney I don’t use?
There is no single answer. We record how the stack is doing and whether it’s capped with ventilation. In a conservation area or on a listed building, changes may need consent.
Why is my chimney breast damp?
There are a few common causes: water getting in at the top, through the brickwork or at the flashings, or moisture trapped in a stack with no ventilation. We check each one and note the most likely cause.
How do you inspect a chimney without scaffolding?
We look from ground level, from windows and from the loft where it is safe. Where applicable, our Premium Survey adds a drone inspection for a closer view. Any area we couldn’t view is noted.
Rented homes, blocks and businesses
For blocks of flats, a roof survey helps managing agents and residents’ management companies plan ahead. Recommendations are set out in order of urgency where relevant, which helps when budgeting.
If the property is let, the agent or a tenant can let us in. We survey seven days a week, which helps when tenants work during the week.