Medway · London and the South East
Capstone Chimney Survey
We take a careful look at the chimney stack at your property in Capstone, and put it all in a photo-illustrated written report.
- Disused chimneys trapping moisture
- Gaps where the stack meets the roof
- Staining on walls around the chimney
When to book a survey in Capstone
The flaunching on top of a stack holds the pots in place and sheds water. Once it cracks, water gets in and frost makes the cracks bigger. Loose pots can follow.
These are some of the problems a survey can pick up:
- Loose, cracked or missing pots
- Damp patches on chimney breasts
- Unused flues sealed without airflow
- Lifted or split lead flashings
If you look after a building such as Hempstead Infant School, its roofs, gutters and any chimneys need the same checks as a house’s, just on a bigger scale.
Before booking anyone
- Which limits apply to the survey
- Do they have a CAA Flyer ID and Operator ID for drone work?
- What experience they bring
- What the report includes, and whether it has photos
About our chimney survey in Capstone
A chimney stands up above the roof, exposed to wind, rain and frost on every side. In time, flaunching cracks, mortar washes out and flashings come loose. That lets water into the brickwork, which can show up as damp on a chimney breast or in the loft space. A survey finds these problems and records them with photos. We’re often asked to look into bricks with flaking faces and lifted or split lead flashings, on chimney pots and cowls, flaunching and shared and party-wall stacks.
Somewhere as small as Capstone, homes are frequently older cottages and farmhouses, with outbuildings and some 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. Chimneys and lead flashings on old roofs frequently need the most attention.
Pictures do a lot of the work in our reports, so you can see each defect rather than just read about it. If something couldn’t be seen safely, the report is clear about it.
- Location
- Capstone (ME7)
- Region
- Medway
- Cost
- From £150 inc. VAT
- Your report
- Written, with photos, emailed to you
- When we survey
- Weekdays, Saturdays and Sundays
- Insured
- Professional indemnity and public liability
- Call
- 07833 053749
- Updated
- 27 October 2026
Checking the roof from the ground
A lot can be seen from the ground. Binoculars help you spot slipped slates or tiles, gaps along the ridge and a leaning stack. Never climb onto the roof to look.
If you have a loft with safe access, take a look inside. Use a torch and stay on the joists or boards, checking for stains, damp wood or chinks of daylight.
What else we do in Capstone
Chimney surveys in Capstone: local notes
The coast is about 3 miles or less from Capstone, so there is more wind and more salt in the air than further inland. Salt is hard on nails, clips and metal flashings, and strong wind lifts anything already loose on a roof, while driving rain finds any gap. Across Kent, older roofs are frequently handmade clay or peg tiles, and tile-hanging on upper walls is a familiar sight. Kent’s older buildings take in oast houses and timber-framed Wealden hall houses as well. Knowing the covering helps explain which parts of a roof are likely to need work first.
Homes near green spaces such as Darland Banks can get more leaves in their gutters in autumn, and an overflowing gutter soon means a wet wall. If you own a rental within reach of Gillingham (Kent) station, a roof report between tenancies helps plan work before a small defect becomes a tenant’s leak.
Capstone is about 1 mile south-west of Gillingham, in Medway. We visit Capstone as part of our work across Medway, for homes and businesses alike. We cover towns and villages across Medway, large and small. Maidstone is in our area too.
Every address in ME7 is covered for chimney surveys, from the main roads to the quietest streets. We also cover the places around Capstone: Darland (1 mile north), Hale (1 mile north-west), Hempstead (1 mile south-east), Gillingham (1 mile north-east) and Chatham (1 mile west). Further out, we also cover Rochester (4 miles north-west), Strood (4 miles north-west), Hoo St Werburgh (5 miles north), Rochester Riverside (3 miles north-west), Peters Village (4 miles west) and Brompton (3 miles north-west).
Around Capstone
Typical jobs here are in homes near Chatham Grammar School for Girls, The Star pub and The Robert Napier School. Capstone’s nearest station is Gillingham (Kent) station, roughly 2 miles north of the centre. Other landmarks nearby include Medway Maritime Hospital (1.7 miles north-west) and Pentagon Shopping Centre (2.3 miles north-west). Not far away are Burham Down and Blue Bell Hill.
Leave it or get it looked at?
If you’re thinking of removing or reducing a stack, it helps to know its condition first. In a conservation area or on a listed building, changes may need permission from the council and the council can advise. For older village homes like those around Capstone, the right replacement materials aren’t always easy to find quickly. Spotting a problem early leaves room to find them.
Prices start from £150, inc. VAT, for a Basic Survey. Standard is from £250 and Premium from £400, both inc. VAT. We confirm the price for your survey before booking.
Why book with us
- An independent look at the roof
- Professional indemnity and public liability insurance
- Surveys seven days a week
- 98% of clients satisfied
Read how roof surveys are priced and what we found on two real jobs.
What a survey costs
All our prices include VAT. The things that change the price are:
- How tall the building is and how easy the roof is to see
- Features like valleys, chimneys, dormers and parapets
- The number of roofs, including extensions and garages
- The package you choose: Basic, Standard or Premium
The cost of a survey depends on the roof: how big it is, how high it is, the number of separate roofs and how safely it can be seen. Chimney survey starts from £150, including VAT.
What we need to know
What helps most when you contact us:
- Any deadline, like an exchange date
- The address and postcode of the property
- Pictures from the garden or a window, if you have them
- Whether there’s a loft hatch, a shared roof or tricky access
Chimney survey starts from £150, including VAT. What you pay depends on the roof’s size, access and the package, so ring 07833 053749 or email us with the details.
Tips from our surveys
You don’t need to be a roofer to help. What helps most:
- File photos of the stacks with your home records
- Keep track of stains on chimney breasts
- Have brackets on the chimney checked
- Check that disused chimneys can still breathe
You get the report by email and can pass it to whoever does the work. Each defect is described in plain words and shown in a photo so anyone reading it can see what we saw.
Make sure fixings on the stack are sound, and moved if they’re working it loose. Less load on the stack means less strain in wind.
Your questions about chimney surveys in Capstone
Is the coastal weather around Capstone hard on roofs?
It can do. Capstone is within about 3 miles of the sea, and coastal roofs tend to see faster wear on metal parts and more wind lifting loose pieces.
Do you cover smaller places like Capstone?
Yes. Capstone is within the area we cover, which takes in towns, villages and rural addresses. We cover the whole of London and South East England. Just mention lanes, gates or anything else about the route as you book.
How do you inspect a chimney without scaffolding?
Each stack is viewed from the safest viewpoints: from the ground, windows and vantage points, and from the loft where there’s access. A drone inspection is included in our Premium Survey where it applies. We note anything we couldn’t see.
Do you survey on Saturdays and Sundays?
We survey seven days a week: weekdays, Saturdays and Sundays. Tell us which days suit you when booking.
Does this replace a RICS home survey?
No. We check the roof, not the whole building, so it is not a RICS Level 2 or Level 3 survey. It can sit alongside a RICS survey if you want both.
What does a roof survey cost?
Chimney survey starts from £150, including VAT. The final figure depends on the roof and the package you choose, confirmed before anything is booked.
What happens next?
You’ll 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, so you can talk the findings through.
What we do, step by step
A survey visit follows a simple order: we hear what you’ve seen, look at the roof from every safe viewpoint, photograph what we find and make notes for the report. Most visits take roughly 1–2 hours for most homes, a little longer where there are several stacks. Somewhere as small as Capstone, access is often the only tricky part. Let us know about outbuildings, past repairs and any leaks you’ve noticed. Visits can be on weekdays, Saturdays or Sundays.
- First we talk through the stacks, their history and any problems.
- We check every stack from wherever it can be seen safely.
- We photograph and record the pots, flaunching, pointing and flashings.
- We look for damp on chimney breasts and in the roof space.
- You get a written report with photos and recommendations by email.
How to prepare
- Tell us where we can park nearby
- Clear the way to the loft hatch
- Have keys ready for side gates, garages or roof access doors
How to book
Every survey is priced before it is booked, so you know where you stand. Our price is from £150, including VAT. For a price for your roof, ring 07833 053749 or drop us an email.