Essex · London and the South East
Bures Chimney Survey
A survey of chimney stacks, pots, flashings and flaunching for Bures, from an experienced roof surveyor. You get a clear written report with photos.
- A chimney out of line
- Gaps where the stack meets the roof
- Pots or cowls that look unsafe
Chimney survey in Bures
Each stack is looked at from the safest viewpoints available: the ground, nearby windows and higher points, and the roof space where it’s safe. A drone inspection is part of our Premium Survey where applicable. If we cannot see part of the stack, the report makes that clear. Every defect we find is photographed and described in plain words. If you’re worried about signs that a stack is leaning and mortar washing out of the joints, a survey will tell you what’s going on.
In a small place like Bures, many roofs stand in the open, which is hard on ridges, chimneys, flashings and gutters. Older walls take a long time to dry once water gets in. A roof report shows what needs attention first. On exposed older roofs, chimneys and lead flashings are frequently the first to give way.
Most points in the report come with a picture, because a photo of a cracked flashing says more than a paragraph. If something couldn’t be seen safely, the report is clear about it.
- Place
- Bures (CO8)
- Wider area
- Essex
- Price
- From £150 inc. VAT
- Report
- A written report with photos, by email
- When we survey
- Monday to Sunday, daytime
- Insured
- Professional indemnity and public liability
- Telephone
- 07833 053749
- Updated
- 27 October 2026
Leave it or get it looked at?
If you are buying, find out about the stacks before you exchange. After that, any work is yours to arrange and pay for. A report gives you something specific to put to the seller. Outbuildings and barns around Bures are easy to forget, but a failed roof there can spoil what’s stored inside. It’s worth including them in a survey before a winter does the damage.
Our price is from £150, including VAT. The final price depends on how big and how high the roof is, access and the package you choose.
Why book with us
- A sub-250g drone, flown with a CAA Flyer ID and Operator ID
- Visits on any day of the week
- Satisfaction rate of 98%
- Professional indemnity and public liability insurance
Read our cost guide and two real surveys.
Places near Bures
More services for Bures
When you need someone else
It is a careful look at the chimney stack, not the whole story. Its limits include:
- Flue inspections or sweeping
- Hidden damage within the stack
- Checks on boilers, fires or their flues
Not sure which survey suits your roof? You can ring 07833 053749 or drop us an email and we’ll tell you. What a survey covers and doesn’t.
What this survey covers
- Shared and party-wall stacks
- Chimney breasts
- Brick chimney stacks
- Chimney pots and cowls
- Flaunching
- Lead flashings
Questions from Bures
Can a landlord with a rental near Bures station book a roof survey?
Yes, landlords and agents are among the people we work for. Just phone 07833 053749 or send us an email with the details.
Does a conservation area affect roof work in Bures?
Historic England’s list shows listed buildings, and the local council can tell you about conservation areas. If a home is listed, changes that affect its special interest need listed building consent, and in a conservation area re-roofing in different materials may need permission.
My chimney looks like it is leaning. What should I do?
Have it checked rather than leaving it. Leaning often comes from mortar breaking down unevenly. We record its condition with photographs, and a structural engineer can confirm whether it is stable.
What do you check on a chimney?
We check the pots, cowls, flaunching, pointing, brickwork and flashings. We also check chimney breasts and the stack in the roof space where we can reach. You get a written report with photos.
How experienced are you?
We have completed more than 5,000 surveys, across 20+ years of surveying roofs, and 98% of clients are satisfied.
Do you carry professional indemnity insurance?
We hold professional indemnity and public liability insurance.
Can you survey a chimney stack we share with next door?
Yes. We inspect whatever is safely visible and what you give us access to. If a defect seems to be on your neighbour’s side, the report records it and you can raise it with them.
The survey, step by step
Every roof is different; as a rough guide, the survey takes an hour or two for most homes, a little longer where there are several stacks. You are welcome to ask questions while we are there. For a village or hamlet like Bures, the journey is planned ahead of time: let us know about lanes, gates and parking. On the day, we inspect everything that’s safely in view, inside and out.
- First we talk through the stacks, their history and any problems.
- 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
- Tell us about any leaks, stains or damp patches you know of
- Leave a clear route to the loft
- For flats, check roof access has been agreed
Arrange a survey
We survey roofs on weekdays and at weekends. To find a date that works for you, ring 07833 053749 or send us an email.
Read more
Signs you need a chimney survey in Bures
Aerials and dishes are often fixed to stacks. Their weight and the wind on them can loosen bricks and pointing. Any fixings on the stack are checked and recorded.
Common reasons to book include:
- Bricks with flaking faces
- Worn or missing pointing
- Unused flues sealed without airflow
- Damp patches on chimney breasts
For landlords with property near Bures station, the gap between tenancies is a good time to have the roof looked at.
Before booking anyone
- If they fly a drone, whether they hold a CAA Flyer ID and Operator ID
- When you will get the report
- Their track record with similar roofs
- Whether the loft is part of the inspection
Tips that help
A few practical points come up again and again on our surveys. They’re worth knowing whatever the roof:
- File photos of the stacks with your home records
- Check with the council before altering a stack in a conservation area or on a listed building
- Look at the chimneys with binoculars after a storm
- Book a sweep for flues that are in use
With a shared stack, the report can help when talking to next door. It shows what we found and where from the viewpoints we used.
Get small mortar repairs done while they’re small. It is far simpler than rebuilding a stack later.
Landlords, agents and block managers in Bures
Managing agents and residents’ management companies use roof surveys to plan maintenance. The report sets out what needs attention now and what can wait.
Letting agents can arrange access with tenants. We survey seven days a week, which can make access easier.
Bures homes and their roofs
The wider area around Bures has a long history of building, with Gainsborough's House about 5 miles north-west. Older homes in the wider area often have features worth a closer look, like lead valleys, tall stacks and roofs that have been patched over the years, and a listed home or one in a conservation area may need consent for changes of material. In Essex, older buildings are often clay-tiled, many with weatherboarding, and a good many post-war and modern estates besides. Knowing the covering helps explain which parts of a roof are likely to need work first.
If your home is one of the older ones in the streets near Church of St Mary the Virgin, the nails, lead and mortar on the roof may be wearing out even where the slates or tiles look fine. For site and facilities teams at buildings such as Bures Church of England Voluntary Controlled Primary School, a written record of a large roof helps plan work for the holidays rather than in term time.
Bures is in Essex. Roofs in Bures get the same thorough look as anywhere else in Essex. Our Essex coverage includes Bures. Chelmsford is in our area too.
Every address in CO8 is covered for chimney surveys. You will find streets such as Church Square, High Street and Bridge Street, all of which we cover. Other places close to Bures include Bures Green (1 mile north-east), Mount Bures (1 mile south), Lamarsh (1 mile north-west), Alphamstone (2 miles north-west) and Cross End (3 miles west). Within a short drive, we also cover Colchester (8 miles south-east), Braintree (11 miles south-west), Witham (13 miles south-west), Camulodunum (7 miles south-east), Halstead (6 miles west) and Greenstead (9 miles south-east).
Local landmarks in Bures
Around Bures, our work takes us to homes and buildings near Tiger Hill and Three Horseshoes Inn, among other places. Bures has its own railway station: Bures station. A little further out are Mount Bures (0.9 miles south). Open spaces near Bures include Sergeants Orchard.