Kent · London and the South East
Brabourne Lees Chimney Survey
Chimney surveys in Brabourne Lees and the rest of Kent. Surveys run on any day of the week.
- Lifted or split lead flashings
- Disused chimneys trapping moisture
- Eroded joints in the brickwork
Chimney survey in Brabourne Lees
Chimney stacks take more weather than almost any other part of a house. In time, flaunching cracks, mortar washes out and flashings come loose. That lets water into the brickwork, which can show up as damp on a chimney breast or in the roof space. A survey finds these problems and records them with photos. If you’re worried about gaps where the stack meets the roof and disused chimneys trapping moisture, we can find out what’s behind it, whatever the roof.
Older buildings in small places like Brabourne Lees may be listed or in a conservation area. If yours is, re-roofing in different materials may need consent, so the council is the place to check. 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.
Nothing in the report is left vague: if work is needed, the report says so clearly, and where it can wait, that is said too.
- Where
- Brabourne Lees (TN25)
- Region
- Kent
- Prices
- From £150 inc. VAT
- Reports
- Written, with photos, emailed to you
- When we survey
- Weekdays and weekends
- Insured
- Professional indemnity and public liability
- Telephone
- 07833 053749
- Updated
- 27 October 2026
What a chimney survey looks like in Brabourne Lees
Handmade clay tiles, including Kent peg tiles hung on pegs through two holes, are typical of older Kent buildings. Oast houses and timber-framed Wealden hall houses are part of the county’s older buildings too. On roofs like these, good slates or tiles can outlast the nails, battens, lead and mortar around them. Historic houses like Westenhanger Castle, about 3.2 miles south-east, show how far back building in the area around Brabourne Lees goes. Older homes in the wider area frequently have features worth a closer look, such as lead valleys, tall stacks and roofs that have been patched over the years, and any change of roofing material on a listed home needs checking with the council first.
If you live in an older home near Church of St Mary, its chimney, valleys and lead work are likely to be the parts that need attention first. If you look after a building such as Smeeth Community Primary School, long gutter runs and wide roofs on a building that size are worth checking on a regular cycle. For landlords with property near Westenhanger station, a roof report helps you deal with small faults before they turn into a call from a tenant.
Brabourne Lees is about 5 miles east of Ashford, in Kent. We provide chimney surveys for homes and businesses in Brabourne Lees and the surrounding area. Our area takes in places right across Kent. We also survey roofs in Canterbury.
All of TN25 is within our area for chimney surveys. Local streets include Knatchbull Way, Mountbatten Way and Prospect Way, all of which we cover. Neighbouring places we cover for chimney surveys include Smeeth (1 mile south-west), Lilyvale (1 mile south-east), Bircholt Forstal (1 mile north), Ridgeway (1 mile west) and Stone Hill (1 mile south-east). Larger places within reach include Ashford (5 miles west), Canterbury (12 miles north-east), Dover (14 miles east), Folkestone (9 miles east), Faversham (14 miles north) and Hythe (6 miles south-east).
What’s near Brabourne Lees
For rail, the closest station is Westenhanger station, about 3.4 miles south-east. A little further out are Lympne Castle (4.2 miles south-east) and William Harvey Hospital (2.9 miles north-west). Open spaces near Brabourne Lees include Hatch Park and Tolsford Hill.
FAQs for Brabourne Lees
I let a flat near Westenhanger station. Can you check the roof?
Of course. We just need to know who will give access, and we can send the report to you or your agent.
Is Brabourne Lees within the area you cover?
Yes, we do. We cover the whole of London and South East England, and smaller places are part of that. Longer journeys are simply planned beforehand.
How much is a survey?
Our price is from £150, including VAT. We confirm the price for your survey before booking. For a price, call 07833 053749 or drop us an email.
Will you check the chimney is safe to use with a fire?
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 will say if anything suggests the flue needs checking.
How long will you be at the property?
Time on site depends on the roof; most visits take about one to two hours for most homes, a little longer where there are several stacks. The written report follows by email.
Will you fly a drone over my roof?
Yes, where it applies and safe. We are a CAA-registered drone operator (Flyer ID and Operator ID), flying a sub-250g drone. It’s included in the Drone Roof Survey and, where it applies, the Premium Survey.
Will you check the loft?
Where it’s relevant to the survey and there’s safe access, yes. A clear path to the hatch helps.
Practical tips
You do not need to be a roofer to help. Here’s what helps most:
- Check unused flues are capped with ventilation
- Don’t use a ladder to reach the stack yourself
- Photograph damp patches with the date
- Look at the chimneys with binoculars after a storm
After the visit, we write up the report with photographs of each stack. It covers the pots, flaunching, pointing, brickwork and flashings, and any damp we found inside. Basic reports arrive within 48 hours, Standard reports in 24 to 48 hours and Premium reports the same day.
Make sure redundant flues are capped with ventilation. That helps stop damp building up inside.
What this survey cannot tell you
It is a careful look at the chimney stack, not the whole story. Its limits include:
- The inside of the flue, which needs a sweep or flue specialist
- Structural calculations for a leaning stack
- Hidden damage within the stack
If you’re not sure which survey you need, ring 07833 053749 or use the contact form and we’ll give you a straight answer before booking. What our survey covers.
Roof types and parts we check
- Chimney pots and cowls
- Brick chimney stacks
- Flaunching
- Shared and party-wall stacks
- Chimney breasts
- Lead flashings
What happens on the day
A survey visit follows a simple order: we hear what you’ve seen, inspect the roof from every safe viewpoint, photograph what we find and record our findings for the written report. Most visits take an hour or two on an ordinary house, while a commercial roof takes nearer three to four hours. For a village or hamlet like Brabourne Lees, the journey is planned beforehand: let us know about lanes, gates and parking. On the day, we inspect everything that’s safely in view, inside and out.
- First you let us know about the chimneys, any damp on the chimney breasts and any worries.
- The stacks are looked at from the ground, from windows and from other safe vantage points.
- The pots, cowls, flaunching, pointing, brickwork and flashings are checked and photographed.
- Inside, we look for damp on chimney breasts and in the loft where there’s safe access.
- You get a report with photos and our recommendations.
Preparing for the visit
- Check the loft hatch can be reached
- Jot down any questions you want answered
- Find any records of previous roof work
Booking a survey
Not sure which survey you need? The easiest way is to call 07833 053749 or send us an email and describe the roof and what’s worrying you. We’ll talk you through the options and what they cost.
Related advice
Nearby places to Brabourne Lees
Other services in Brabourne Lees
Leave it or get it looked at?
A small amount of repointing or new flaunching is usually a modest job. Left for a few winters, frost and water can loosen pots and bricks and the job gets bigger. For older village homes like those around Brabourne Lees, the right replacement materials aren’t always easy to find quickly. That’s one more reason to find defects before they become urgent.
For a price for your roof in Brabourne Lees, ring 07833 053749 or drop us an email and let us know about the roof. The price is agreed before a date is set.
What you get with us
- Clear package prices, inc. VAT
- Surveys seven days a week
- Every finding written up with photos
- 5,000+ roofs surveyed
What you can safely check yourself
Look up at the roof after a storm, from ground level: pieces of tile or slate on the ground, a gap in the ridge or a lifted flashing are all worth noting. Don’t go up yourself.
What you can’t do safely is get up close. Roofs are fragile and slippery, and falls from height are serious. That is where a survey comes in, using safe viewpoints and a drone where applicable.
Different roofs, different checks
Chimney pots and cowls
Damaged pots are a safety concern as well as a leak risk. We photograph each pot and note any damage.
Lead flashings
Some older stacks have mortar fillets instead of lead. They crack with age, and we check them too.