Medway · London and the South East
Burham Chimney Survey
A survey of chimney stacks, pots, flashings and flaunching for Burham and the rest of Medway. Surveys run seven days a week.
- A chimney out of line
- Mortar washing out of the joints
- Flashings pulling away from the stack
Signs you need a chimney survey in Burham
Many chimneys are no longer used. If a stack is capped or blocked without ventilation, moisture can build up inside. That can lead to damp patches on chimney breasts, even with the roof in good order.
These are some of the problems a survey can pick up:
- Loose, cracked or missing pots
- Mortar washing out of the joints
- Gaps in the mortar around the pots
- Signs that a stack is leaning
If you live near a park such as Burham Marsh, or anywhere with mature trees, autumn leaves can block gutters and valleys, and an overflowing gutter soon means a wet wall.
Before you book any roof surveyor
- What the survey won’t cover
- Whether the roof space is looked at, where there is one
- How much experience they have with roofs like yours
- Whether you can ask questions once you have the report
Chimney surveys for homes and businesses in Burham
On terraced and semi-detached houses, a chimney stack is often shared with next door. We inspect the parts we can see safely and the parts the owner gives us access to. If a defect appears to be on the neighbour’s side, we note it, so you can talk to them. You get a photo-illustrated written report and our recommendations. If you’re worried about staining on walls around the chimney and redundant stacks capped without ventilation, a survey will tell you what’s going on, whatever the roof.
In a village or hamlet like Burham, older cottages and farmhouses often 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’s typically the chimneys and lead flashings that need work first.
We keep jargon out of it: if work is needed, the report says so clearly.
- Where
- Burham (ME1)
- Region
- Medway
- Price
- From £150 inc. VAT
- Report
- Written, with photos, emailed to you
- Survey days
- Monday to Sunday, daytime
- Cover
- PI and public liability insurance
- Phone
- 07833 053749
- Page updated
- 27 October 2026
Places near Burham
Other services in Burham
What affects the price in Burham
We confirm the price for your survey before you book. This is what makes a difference:
- Chimneys, valleys, parapets and other details
- The roof’s overall size
- The number of roofs, including extensions and garages
- If the survey needs thermal imaging or a drone
A Basic Survey starts from £150, with VAT included. Standard is from £250 and Premium from £400. We confirm the price for the job before booking.
What to let us know when you get in touch
These details help when you contact us:
- What made you get in touch
- Your postcode, so we can check access and travel
- Pictures of the roof from a safe spot, if you have them
- How the loft is reached, if there is one
Our phone lines are open seven days a week, including Saturdays and Sundays. To book or ask a question, phone 07833 053749 or email us.
Before and after the survey
Here are a few things we’d tell any owner:
- Ask for ventilated caps on redundant stacks
- Ask about consent before removing a chimney on an older property
- Never climb onto the roof to look at a chimney
- Remove aerials or dishes from the stack if they’re no longer needed
If the report recommends a structural engineer, a sweep or a Gas Safe registered engineer, it will say why. That helps you brief them.
Look at your chimneys from ground level now and then, especially after strong winds. With binoculars, you can often see cracked flaunching or lifted lead.
What we do, step by step
Photos are taken throughout the visit, so you can see in the report what we found and where. Close-ups come from the safest viewpoint available, including by drone where it’s applicable and the weather allows. A typical visit takes roughly 1–2 hours at a typical home, and more on a big or complicated roof. In a hamlet or village like Burham, a postcode doesn’t always lead to the right gate, so a few directions, or a note of a nearby landmark, help us arrive on time. The visit itself is the same as anywhere else.
- We start with the details: how many stacks, whether any are shared and any signs of damp.
- Each chimney is viewed from wherever it can safely be seen.
- Every part we can see is looked at: 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.
How to prepare
- Have any questions written down, so nothing gets missed
- Have keys ready for side gates, garages or roof access doors
- For a flat or shared roof, check access with the building owner or managing agent
Book a survey
Chimney survey starts from £150, including VAT. The exact figure depends on the roof and the package, and you can ring 07833 053749 or use the contact form to find out.
Read more
Burham homes and their roofs
With Starkey Castle about 2.4 miles north, Burham sits in an area with a long building history. If you own one of the older houses, expect a mix of original materials and later repairs on the roof, and a listed home or one in a conservation area may need consent for changes of material. 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. Each of these coverings has its own weak points, from fixings and valleys to flashings, chimneys and gutters.
Landlords with a home close to Snodland station may find that a roof report helps you deal with small faults before they turn into a call from a tenant. Take an older house close to St Mary's Church: old fixings, lead flashings and tall chimneys are typical of older roofs.
Burham is about 3 miles south-west of Chatham, in Medway. We carry out chimney surveys for homeowners, landlords and businesses in Burham and the surrounding area. Our area takes in places right across Medway, from the larger towns to small villages.
Postcode districts we cover here for chimney surveys: ME1. Local streets include New Road, St Mary's Walk and Brisley's Row, all of which we cover. Other places close to Burham include Scarborough (1 mile north-west), Eccles (1 mile south), Peters Village (1 mile north-west), Holborough (2 miles west) and Wouldham (2 miles north-west). We also work in nearby towns such as Gillingham (5 miles north-east), Chatham (3 miles north-east), Rochester (4 miles north), Rainham (6 miles east), Strood (4 miles north) and Luton (4 miles north-east).
Local landmarks in Burham
Locally, jobs take us to homes and businesses close to The Windmill pub, The Holmesdale School and Burham Marsh and the streets around them. The closest station to Burham is Snodland station, about 1.3 miles west of the centre. Other landmarks nearby include St. Catherine's Hospital (3.8 miles north) and Medway megaliths (1.3 miles south-east). The countryside around Burham includes Burham Down and Blue Bell Hill.
Rented homes, blocks and businesses
Freeholders and residents’ companies use a roof report to plan and budget, with the most urgent items set out first.
For blocks of flats, a roof survey helps managing agents and residents’ management companies plan ahead. Recommendations are set out by urgency where it matters.
Burham: your questions answered
Do you survey roofs for landlords with property near Snodland station?
Of course. We just need to know who will give access, and the report can go straight to you or your agent.
Does a conservation area affect roof work in Burham?
For listing, use Historic England’s list; for conservation areas, ask the council. The answer matters most when a change of material is on the cards.
Will you check the chimney is safe to use with a fire?
No. We survey the stack and its weathering, not the flue. The flue should be checked by a sweep, or by a Gas Safe registered engineer for gas appliances.
Do you survey roofs on blocks of flats?
Yes. A shared roof needs access agreed first, with the freeholder or managing agent. Mention it when you get in touch and we’ll plan the survey around it.
How do you inspect a chimney without scaffolding?
We look from ground level, from windows and from the loft where it is safe. Where applicable, our Premium Survey adds a drone inspection for a closer view. Any area we couldn’t view is noted.
Does this replace a RICS home survey?
No. This is a survey of the roof only, so it is not a RICS Level 2 or Level 3 survey. It can sit alongside a RICS survey if you want both.
What causes damp on a chimney breast?
There are a few common causes: cracked flaunching, worn pointing, failed flashings, uncapped pots, or damp trapped in an unventilated stack. We look at each one and note the most likely cause.
DIY checks: what’s safe
The one thing to avoid is getting up close. Slates, tiles, flat roofs and rooflights can give way, and falls from height are serious. That part is for a survey.
Keep a simple record: when leaks happen, ground-level photos and any past roof work. Send it with your enquiry.