Essex · London and the South East
Chimney Survey in Breach Barns
Get a clear view of the chimney stack at a property in Breach Barns. We visit on weekdays and at weekends.
- Spalled or crumbling bricks
- Mortar washing out of the joints
- Gaps in the mortar around the pots
About our chimney survey in Breach Barns
Redundant chimneys are common, particularly where fires have been replaced by central heating. A disused stack still needs looking after. Capping a stack without ventilation can trap moisture and lead to damp inside. Our survey looks at how each unused stack has been capped and checks the breasts for damp. The report sets out what we found and what we recommend. We are often asked to look into damp on a chimney breast inside and a chimney out of line, on lead flashings, flaunching and brick chimney stacks.
In a village or hamlet like Breach Barns, older cottages and farmhouses frequently sit alongside barns, outbuildings and a few newer houses. Roofs there can be clay tile, slate, stone or thatch, and chimney stacks are often old. Each needs checking in its own way, and thatch is a specialist material we report on as far as it can be seen. On older roofs, it is normally the chimneys and lead flashings that need work first.
What you get is a clear record of the chimney stack on the day we saw it. That makes it useful now and a handy reference later.
- Place
- Breach Barns (EN9)
- Wider area
- Essex
- Cost
- From £150 inc. VAT
- Your report
- A written report with photos, by email
- Survey days
- Weekdays and weekends
- Insured
- PI and public liability insurance
- Call
- 07833 053749
- Page updated
- 27 October 2026
How the survey changes by roof type
Flaunching
Sitting at the very top, flaunching is fully exposed. We look for cracks, gaps around the pots and missing pieces.
Brick stacks
Frost can damage bricks that have soaked up water, making the faces flake away. We record any we can see.
Also near Breach Barns
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Breach Barns questions
Do you cover smaller places like Breach Barns?
Yes, smaller places are covered as well as towns. Our area covers London and South East England. Just mention lanes, gates or anything else about the route as you book.
Is my home in Breach Barns listed or in a conservation area?
Start with Historic England’s list for listing and your council for conservation areas. It’s worth checking before planning roof work, as both can affect what’s allowed.
Do you need to get into the loft?
Usually, if there is one and it can be reached safely. The loft space can show things the outside can’t, such as damp timbers, staining or daylight.
What happens after the survey?
The report arrives by email, with photographs and clear recommendations. With Standard there is a follow-up consultation; with Premium, an in-person consultation, so you can talk the findings through.
What’s in the report?
You get our findings in writing, part by part, with photos. The most urgent items are made clear.
Our stack is shared. Can you still survey it?
Yes. Shared stacks are common on terraced and semi-detached houses. We survey what we can see safely, and note anything that seems to involve next door.
Is it a structural engineer’s report?
No. We point out what can be seen, like sagging or deflection, but we’re not structural engineers and don’t carry out calculations. Where an engineer is needed, we say so in the report.
What we can’t see
It is a careful look at the chimney stack, not the whole story. The main limits are:
- Flue inspections or sweeping
- Whether a gas appliance or its flue is safe
- Conditions inside walls
If in doubt, call 07833 053749 or send us an email and we’ll suggest the right survey before booking. The full list of what we check.
Roofs we survey in Breach Barns
- Lead flashings
- Shared and party-wall stacks
- Chimney pots and cowls
- Chimney breasts
- Brick chimney stacks
- Flaunching
Surveys for landlords and agents in Breach Barns
Buyers’ agents can book surveys on behalf of their clients. Reports are emailed, so they’re easy to pass on, photos included.
Letting agents can arrange access with tenants. We survey on any day of the week, which helps when tenants work during the week.
Checking the roof from ground level
During heavy rain, look at the gutters from ground level or a window. Overflowing water can point to a blockage or a sagging run.
Keep a simple record: when leaks happen, ground-level photos and any past roof work. Share it with us when booking, as it helps us focus the survey.
Leave it or get it looked at?
Most people never get a proper look at their chimney stacks. Defects tend to go unseen until there is a stain. A survey gives you a clear picture before that happens. Older cottages and farmhouses around Breach Barns can have roof timbers that have been there a very long time, and water through a failed covering can rot timber if it’s left.
We offer three survey packages: the Basic Survey from £150, the Standard Survey from £250 and the Premium Survey from £400, with VAT included. The price for your roof depends on its size, access and what you want to find out.
Why book us in Breach Barns
- Weekday and weekend surveys
- 98% customer satisfaction
- Covered by professional indemnity and public liability insurance
- 20+ years’ experience
Take a look at what a roof survey costs and two real surveys.
What we do, step by step
It’s useful to start with what’s prompted the survey: a purchase, a leak, a storm, new work or simply peace of mind. It helps us focus on what matters most to you. The visit usually takes about 1–2 hours on an ordinary house, and longer for a large or complex roof. For a village or hamlet like Breach Barns, the journey is planned in advance: let us know 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’s safe.
- First you let us know about the chimneys, any damp on the chimney breasts and any worries.
- Each chimney is viewed from wherever it can be seen safely.
- Every part we can see is checked: pots, cowls, flaunching, pointing, bricks and flashings.
- Inside, we look for damp on chimney breasts and in the loft where there is safe access.
- The findings are written up with photos and recommendations and emailed to you.
Before we arrive
- Dig out any old roof reports or invoices
- If it isn’t your property yet, arrange access through the agent
- Check we can get to the back of the property
Getting a price
Photos help, if you have them. Take them safely from ground level or a window; never climb up to get a better view. To send them or to book, ring 07833 053749 or use the contact form.
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Chimney surveys around Breach Barns
In Essex, older buildings are frequently clay-tiled, many with weatherboarding, and plenty of post-war and modern estates besides. Whichever you have, the details that tend to fail before the covering itself get the closest look. If your home is older, it’s worth knowing whether it’s listed or in a conservation area before planning roof work. 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 look after a building such as Upshire Primary Foundation School, large buildings have long gutter runs and big roofs that need checking like any other. The streets around a church like Church of St Thomas are often among the oldest in a place, and if your house is among the older ones nearby, its chimney, valleys and lead work are likely to be the parts that need attention first. If you own a rental within reach of Cheshunt station, knowing the condition of the roof, chimneys and gutters helps you plan work rather than react to complaints.
Breach Barns is about 2 miles north-east of Waltham Abbey, in Essex. Breach Barns is part of the area we cover across London and South East England. Breach Barns is one of the towns and villages in Essex we cover for chimney surveys. For surveys nearby, see our London page.
All of EN9 is within our area for chimney surveys. Streets in the area include North Side, Second Avenue and First Avenue, and we cover them all. Close by, we survey roofs in Aimes Green (1 mile north-west), Holyfield (1 mile west), Bumble's Green (2 miles north), Epping Green (2 miles north-east) and Lower Nazeing (3 miles north). Further out, we also cover Harlow (6 miles north-east), Brentwood (13 miles south-east), Loughton (4 miles south), Epping (3 miles east), Stansted Mountfitchet (15 miles north-east) and Harold Wood (11 miles south-east).
Around Breach Barns
Locally, jobs take us to homes and businesses close to King Harold Business & Enterprise Academy. For rail, the closest station is Cheshunt station, about 2.6 miles west. Well-known places in the area include Nazeing Glass Museum (3.2 miles north-west) and St. Margaret's Hospital (3.7 miles east). For a walk, there’s Home Mead and Cheshunt Lake.