Essex · London and the South East
Braiswick Chimney Survey
Know where you stand with the chimney stack before you decide what to do next. We carry out chimney surveys in Braiswick, with photos and a clear written report.
- Frost-damaged brickwork on the stack
- Gaps where the stack meets the roof
- Flaunching that has broken away
Chimney surveys for homes and businesses in Braiswick
On terraced and semi-detached houses, a chimney stack is often shared with next door. We check everything that’s safely in view and what the owner gives us access to. If a defect appears to be on the neighbour’s side, we note it and you can then discuss it with them. Everything is written up with photos and our recommendations. We survey chimney breasts, chimney pots and cowls and brick chimney stacks, and common reasons people get in touch are damp on a chimney breast inside and damaged chimney pots and cowls.
In a village or hamlet like Braiswick, older cottages and farmhouses often sit alongside barns, outbuildings and a few newer houses. Older roofs may be clay tile, slate, stone or thatch, often with chimneys that have stood a long time. We report on everything that’s safely in view, and thatch is a specialist material. Chimneys and lead flashings on old roofs frequently need the most attention.
You receive the findings by email, ready to forward to whoever needs them. Turnaround is within 48 hours for Basic, 24–48 hours for Standard and same day for Premium.
- Where
- Braiswick (CO3)
- Region
- Essex
- Prices
- From £150 inc. VAT
- Your report
- Emailed report with photos and recommendations
- Appointments
- Weekdays and weekends
- Cover
- PI and public liability insurance
- Call
- 07833 053749
- Last updated
- 27 October 2026
Do you need a chimney survey in Braiswick?
Flaunching is the mortar bed that holds the pots and throws water off the top. Once it cracks, water gets in and frost makes the cracks bigger. In time, the pots can become loose.
Here are some of the things we see often:
- Bricks with flaking faces
- Unused flues sealed without airflow
- Flashings pulling away from the stack
- Eroded joints in the brickwork
Take a building like Colchester County High School for Girls: large buildings have long gutter runs and big roofs that need checking like any other.
Before booking any roof surveyor
- What insurance they carry
- Whether the inside of the roof is included
- Whether VAT is added on top
- How they’ll see the roof: from the ground, the loft, the roof or by drone
What we do, step by step
Every visit follows the same pattern: we hear what you’ve seen, inspect the roof from every safe vantage point, photograph what we find and record our findings for the written report. It usually takes about 1–2 hours at most homes, rising to roughly 3–4 hours on a commercial building. For a village or hamlet like Braiswick, the journey is planned ahead of time: tell us about narrow lanes, gates, long drives and where we can park. The roof is looked at from the ground, from windows, from the loft where there is safe access and from the roof where it is 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.
- We check the chimney breasts and the stack in the roof space where we can reach them.
- We send a written report with photos, the defects found and what we recommend.
Getting ready for the survey
- Keep pets out of the way during the survey
- Agree roof access with the managing agent if it is shared
- Have keys ready for side gates, garages or roof access doors
Arrange a survey
Every survey is priced before it’s booked, so you know where you stand. Chimney survey starts from £150, including VAT. For a price for your roof, ring 07833 053749 or use the contact form.
Related advice
Also near Braiswick
What else we do in Braiswick
Common questions in Braiswick
Will you come out to Braiswick?
Yes, Braiswick is covered. We survey roofs across London and the South East, and smaller places are part of that. The journey is planned ahead, so it’s useful to know about access.
Does a conservation area affect roof work in Braiswick?
Start with Historic England’s list for listing and your council for conservation areas. Either can affect what roof work is allowed, so it is worth checking before planning any.
Can you give me structural calculations?
No. We point out what can be seen, such as sagging or deflection, but we are not structural engineers and do not carry out calculations. If we think you need an engineer, the report says so.
Can you survey a chimney stack we share with next door?
Yes. We look at the parts we can see safely and the parts you can give us access to. If a defect seems to be on your neighbour’s side, the report records it, so you can discuss it with them.
Do you carry professional indemnity insurance?
Every survey is covered by professional indemnity and public liability insurance, and we can provide details if a managing agent needs them.
Do you carry out surveys on Saturdays and Sundays?
We survey on any day from Monday to Sunday, during the day, which suits people who work during the week. Just say which days work for you.
Do you need to get into the loft?
Yes, where the survey calls for it and there’s safe access. Inside, we look for damp, staining, gaps and sagging.
What we look for on each type of roof
Flaunching
Flaunching takes the worst of the weather. The survey checks for cracking and gaps around each pot.
Lead flashings
Some older stacks have mortar fillets instead of lead. They crack with age, and we check them too.
Why act early in Braiswick
For a buyer, the best time to learn about a chimney is before exchange. After that, any work is yours to arrange and pay for. A report gives you something specific to put to the seller. Older cottages and farmhouses around Braiswick can have roof timbers that have been there a very long time, where water from a failed roof can cause rot if it’s left.
Thermal imaging and drone inspection (where applicable) come with the Premium Survey, which starts from £400, with VAT included. We can help you choose the package that fits what you want to find out.
Why us?
- Customer satisfaction of 98%
- Over 5,000 surveys carried out
- Package prices that include VAT
- Drones and thermal imaging where it applies
Take a look at what a roof survey costs and what we found on two real jobs.
Chimney surveys around Braiswick
In Essex, older buildings are often clay-tiled, many with weatherboarding, alongside plenty of post-war and newer estates. On roofs like these, good slates or tiles can outlast the nails, battens, lead and mortar around them. Before planning roof work on an older home, find out whether it is listed or in a conservation area. Listed building consent covers changes to a listed building’s special interest, and an Article 4 direction can bring extra controls in a conservation area.
If you run a business near Lion Walk, a roof report helps plan work around trading rather than after a leak. If you live near a park such as Spring Lane Meadows, or anywhere with mature trees, autumn leaves can block gutters and valleys, and an overflowing gutter soon means a wet wall.
Braiswick is about 1 mile north of Camulodunum, in Essex. Braiswick is part of the area we cover as part of our work across London and South East England. Braiswick is one of the places in Essex we cover for chimney surveys. We also survey roofs in Chelmsford.
Every address in CO3 is within our area for chimney surveys, from the main roads to the quietest streets. That includes homes and businesses on Park Road, Church Lane and Lexden Road. With the A1124 close by, Braiswick is simple for us to get to for chimney surveys. We also cover the places around Braiswick: Camulodunum (1 mile south), Lexden (1 mile south), Colchester (1 mile east), Abbey Field (2 miles south-east) and Beacon End (2 miles west). We also work in nearby towns such as Braintree (13 miles west), Clacton-on-Sea (13 miles south-east), Maldon (14 miles south-west), Witham (12 miles south-west), Halstead (11 miles west) and Heybridge (13 miles south-west).
Around Braiswick
In Braiswick, that means homes and buildings near Spring Lane Meadows, The Sun Inn and Home Farm Primary School and the streets around them. Braiswick’s nearest station is Colchester station, roughly 1.2 miles north-east. Nearby you’ll also find Colchester Castle (1.4 miles east) and Social History Museum (1.2 miles east). Not far away are Lexden Gathering Grounds.
Before and after the survey
A little preparation and a few simple habits help, both for the survey and for the roof itself. Our tips:
- Look at the chimneys with binoculars after a storm
- Photograph damp patches with the date
- File photos of the stacks with your home records
- Leave close inspection to people with safe access
Many people use the report to get quotes for the work. Because everyone is pricing the same findings, the quotes are easier to compare.
Watch for damp or staining on chimney breasts. The sooner damp is spotted, the easier the cause is to find.
Prices for chimney surveys in Braiswick
Every roof is different, so prices are confirmed before booking. This is what makes a difference:
- How tall the building is and how easy the roof is to see
- Any need for thermal images or a drone flight
- Extensions, dormers and garages with roofs of their own
- House, block, shop or office
Our price is from £150, including VAT. Basic starts from £150, Standard from £250 and Premium from £400, VAT included.
Getting in touch
These details help when you contact us:
- The kind of building and roof involved
- Access details, like a loft hatch or a shared roof
- Why you want a survey: buying, a leak, a storm or new work
- Any deadline, such as an exchange date
If you are buying, it’s useful to book soon after your offer is accepted, so you have the findings in time to act on them before you exchange. Otherwise, simply ring 07833 053749 or drop us an email whenever suits you.