Essex · London and the South East
Chimney survey in Bradfield Heath, Essex
A survey of chimney stacks, pots, flashings and flaunching around Bradfield Heath, with findings in writing and pictures to back them up. Book a weekday or weekend visit.
- Unused flues sealed without airflow
- Damp on a chimney breast inside
- Eroded joints in the brickwork
How a chimney survey works in Bradfield Heath
Many homes have chimneys that are no longer used. A disused stack still needs looking after. If it has been capped without ventilation, damp can build up inside it. We check how redundant stacks have been capped and look for damp in the chimney breasts. The report sets out what we found and what we recommend. We survey shared and party-wall stacks, chimney pots and cowls and brick chimney stacks, and the problems we’re asked to look at most are gaps in the mortar around the pots and gaps where the stack meets the roof.
Some older homes in villages like Bradfield Heath are 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 often matched when work is done.
Nothing in the report is left vague: where something needs attention, it says so plainly.
- Location
- Bradfield Heath (CO11)
- Wider area
- Essex
- Price
- From £150 inc. VAT
- Your report
- Written, with photos, emailed to you
- Survey days
- Monday to Sunday, daytime
- Insurance
- PI and public liability insurance
- Phone
- 07833 053749
- Updated
- 27 October 2026
Questions from Bradfield Heath
Can a landlord with a rental near Mistley station book a roof survey?
Yes, that is a common request. We just need to know who will give access, and the report can go straight to you or your agent.
How do I find out if my home in Bradfield Heath is listed?
We can’t confirm that for you, but Historic England’s list and your council can. A change of roofing material may need consent in either case.
Should a redundant chimney be removed?
An unused stack still needs to stay weathertight and ventilated. Capping without airflow can lead to damp. We check how it’s capped and its condition, so you can plan what to do with it.
Will I get photos?
Yes. We photograph the roof as we go, and the report uses them to show each finding.
Do you need to go on the roof to check the chimney?
We look from the ground, from windows and from the loft where it is safe. A drone inspection is part of the Premium Survey where applicable. Any area we couldn’t view is noted.
What happens after the survey?
You will get the report by email, with photographs and clear recommendations. The Standard Survey includes a follow-up consultation, and the Premium Survey an in-person consultation.
Is this a RICS survey?
No. We look at the roof, not the whole building, so it’s not a RICS Level 2 or Level 3 survey. Many buyers have both.
Other services in Bradfield Heath
What a survey costs
All our prices include VAT. The things that change the price are:
- The roof’s overall size
- The shape of the roof and its details
- Basic, Standard or Premium
- The number of roofs, including extensions and garages
Our price is from £150, including VAT. What you pay depends on how big and how high the roof is, access and which survey you book.
Helping us price your survey
What helps most when you contact us:
- Pictures from the garden or a window, if you have them
- The kind of building and roof involved
- Any deadline, such as an exchange date
- What made you get in touch
A quick phone call is typically the easiest start: call 07833 053749 or send us an email, and we’ll ask about the building and what you need. You will have a price before anything is arranged.
DIY checks: what’s safe
It helps to keep a record: dates of leaks, photos from the ground and any work done on the roof. Send it with your enquiry and it will help the survey.
Fresh stains on ceilings or walls after rain are worth noting. Photograph them and note the date, as it helps a surveyor trace the cause.
When you need someone else
We only report whatever is safely visible on the day, so some things are outside what a survey can do:
- Areas we cannot view from safe positions
- Whether a gas appliance or its flue is safe
- Whether the flue is safe to use
Not sure which survey suits your roof? You can phone 07833 053749 or send us an email and we will tell you. The full list of what we check.
Roofs we survey in Bradfield Heath
- Chimney pots and cowls
- Lead flashings
- Chimney breasts
- Shared and party-wall stacks
- Flaunching
- Brick chimney stacks
What a chimney survey looks like in Bradfield Heath
The coast is about 2 miles or less from Bradfield Heath, where sea air brings more salt and stronger wind than inland. Salt corrodes metal fixings and flashings, and wind lifts loose slates, tiles and ridge pieces, while driving rain finds any gap. Castle House, about 5 miles west, is one of the historic houses in the wider area around Bradfield Heath. Period homes nearby can have lead valleys, tall chimneys and a patchwork of past repairs, and any change of roofing material on a listed home needs checking with the council first.
If you let a flat or house near Mistley station, a roof report helps you deal with small faults before they turn into a call from a tenant. Take an older house close to Church of St Lawrence: its chimney, valleys and lead work are likely to be the parts that need attention first. Take a building like Bradfield Primary School: long gutter runs and wide roofs on a building that size are worth checking on a regular cycle.
Bradfield Heath is about 7 miles west of Harwich, in Essex. We provide chimney surveys for homes and businesses in Bradfield Heath. Our Essex coverage includes Bradfield Heath and the places around it. Chelmsford is in our area too.
Here we cover the CO11 postcode area for chimney surveys. We cover properties on Heath Road, Winney Close and King Street. Close by, we survey roofs in Bradfield (1 mile north-east), Wix (2 miles south-east), Wix Green (2 miles south-east) and Wrabness (3 miles east). Within a short drive, we also cover Colchester (9 miles west), Clacton-on-Sea (9 miles south), Harwich (7 miles east), Camulodunum (10 miles west), Greenstead (8 miles west) and Wivenhoe (8 miles south-west).
Near you in Bradfield Heath
Typical jobs here are in homes near The Village Maid pub and Manningtree High School. The nearest railway station is Mistley station, about 1.6 miles north-west. Green spaces nearby include Alton Water and Wrabness Nature Reserve.
How it works
When we arrive, we start by asking what you’ve noticed and what you need to know. We then inspect everything that can safely be seen, from the ground, from windows, in the loft space and by drone where applicable. Most surveys take an hour or two for most houses, and longer for a large or complex roof. Somewhere like Bradfield Heath needs a little journey planning: let us know about narrow lanes, gates, long drives and where we can park. The roof is looked at from ground level, from windows, from the loft where there’s safe access and from the roof where it is safe.
- You tell us whether any stacks are shared, unused or leaning.
- The flashings and the roof around each chimney are inspected.
- We check the flaunching and pots on every stack.
- Any lean, spalling or worn pointing is recorded.
- You receive a written report setting out what needs attention first.
Before we arrive
- Clear the way to the loft hatch
- Find any records of previous roof work
- Tell us where we can park nearby
How to book
If you have photos of the roof, send them over. Pictures from the ground or a window are fine; never climb up to get a better view. To send them or to book, ring 07833 053749 or send us an email.
Advice
Before and after the survey
Getting the most from a chimney survey starts before we arrive and carries on afterwards. Tips:
- Use the report as a baseline for future checks
- Do not use a ladder to reach the stack yourself
- Find out whether changes to a stack need permission
- Have the flue swept and checked if you use the fire
After the visit, we write up the report with photos of each stack. It explains the condition of each part of the stack and any damp inside. Turnaround is within 48 hours for Basic, 24 to 48 hours for Standard and the same day for Premium.
Have worn pointing and cracked flaunching dealt with early. It’s far simpler than rebuilding a stack later.
Why it’s worth a survey now in Bradfield Heath
Cracked flaunching and worn pointing are frequently modest repairs when they’re caught early. Left for a few winters, frost and water can loosen pots and bricks and the job gets bigger. Older and listed buildings around Bradfield Heath may need consent and matching materials for repairs, so a defect found early gives time to plan the work properly.
What a survey costs comes down to the roof itself: how big it is, how high it is, the number of separate roofs and how it can be reached and seen safely. Our price is from £150, including VAT.
Why book with us
- Professional indemnity and public liability insurance
- A sub-250g drone, flown with a CAA Flyer ID and Operator ID
- Thermal imaging and drone inspection where they help
- Over 5,000 surveys carried out
Read what a roof survey costs and two real surveys.