Essex · London and the South East
Chimney survey in Chickney, Essex
Know where you stand with the chimney stack before you spend money on it. We carry out chimney surveys in Chickney.
- Bricks with flaking faces
- Lifted or split lead flashings
- Cracked or missing flaunching
Chimney survey in Chickney
For buyers, a chimney survey before exchange can flag work you may want to raise. Cracked flaunching, failed flashings and worn pointing are common findings on older stacks. Our report gives you specific points to raise with the seller or agent. It complements a RICS home survey rather than replacing it. We’re often asked to look into gaps in the mortar around the pots and frost-damaged brickwork on the stack, on flaunching, chimney breasts and brick chimney stacks.
In a small place like Chickney, 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 often the first to give way.
The Standard Survey adds moisture detection, a structural check and a follow-up consultation. The Premium Survey adds thermal imaging, drone inspection where it applies, structural analysis and an in-person consultation.
- Place
- Chickney (CM6)
- Wider area
- Essex
- Cost
- From £150 inc. VAT
- Report
- Emailed report with photos and recommendations
- Survey days
- Weekdays, Saturdays and Sundays
- Cover
- PI and public liability insurance
- Phone
- 07833 053749
- Page updated
- 27 October 2026
Chickney: your questions answered
How do I find out if my home in Chickney is listed?
We can’t confirm that for you, but Historic England’s list and your council can. Both listing and conservation areas can limit changes of roofing material.
I let a flat near Stansted Airport station. Can you check the roof?
Yes, that’s a common request. We just need to know who will give access, and the report can go straight to you or your agent.
I live in a flat. Can you survey the roof?
Yes. A shared roof needs access agreed first. Let us know about it when booking and we will plan the survey around it.
Do you inspect the flue?
No. A flue inspection, sweep or gas safety check is a separate job. We check the structure and weathering of the stack and any damp, and we will say if anything suggests the flue needs checking.
Is a leaning chimney dangerous?
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 assess whether it needs work.
How can you see the top of the stack?
Each stack is viewed from the safest viewpoints: the ground, nearby windows and higher points, and the loft space. A drone inspection is included in our Premium Survey where it applies. We note anything we couldn’t see.
How do I arrange a chimney survey in Chickney?
To book, ring 07833 053749 or email us and let us know the address and what you need to know. We will confirm the price and agree a day with you.
What affects the cost of chimney surveys
A few things affect what a survey costs:
- Chimneys, valleys, parapets and other details
- Commercial roofs and larger buildings
- The roof’s overall size
- Whether you choose the Basic, Standard or Premium Survey
Price depends partly on the package: from £150 for Basic, £250 for Standard and £400 for Premium, including VAT. Size, height and access can affect the price too.
What to tell us when you contact us
Getting the details right at the start saves time. It helps to include:
- Access details, such as a loft hatch or a shared roof
- Pictures from the garden or a window, if you have them
- Your timetable, such as an exchange date
- Why you want a survey: buying, a leak, a storm or new work
When you’re ready to go ahead, ring 07833 053749 or drop us an email. From there it is a case of choosing a package, agreeing the price and fixing a day, weekday or weekend.
What this survey can’t tell you
Every survey has limits, and we’d rather be clear about that before booking. Bear these in mind:
- Structural calculations for a leaning stack
- Areas we can’t view from safe positions
- Hidden damage within the stack
If you are not sure which survey you need, call 07833 053749 or email us and we’ll give you a straight answer before booking. What a survey covers and doesn’t.
Roof types and parts we check
- Flaunching
- Chimney breasts
- Lead flashings
- Shared and party-wall stacks
- Brick chimney stacks
- Chimney pots and cowls
How the survey works
We check the roof from outside and, where it’s relevant and there’s safe access, from inside the roof space too. Inside, we look for staining, damp, gaps and signs of movement. All in, the survey normally takes about 1–2 hours at a house, as part of a look at the roof around the stack. For a village or hamlet like Chickney, 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 is access.
- The report, with photographs and recommendations, is emailed to you.
Before the survey
- Keep pets out of the way during the survey
- Show us where any leaks or stains appear
- Clear the way to the loft hatch
How to book
For a price for chimney surveys in Chickney, call 07833 053749 or use the contact form. The address, the type of property and what you need to know help us give you an accurate price.
Read more
Tips that help
Most of what helps is simple and safe from the ground. A few suggestions:
- Keep the report to compare against at the next survey
- Remove aerials or dishes from the stack if they’re no longer needed
- Keep track of stains on chimney breasts
- Check with the council before altering a stack in a conservation area or on a listed building
Questions about the findings are always welcome. The Standard Survey includes a follow-up consultation and the Premium Survey an in-person consultation.
Look at your chimneys from ground level now and then, particularly after strong winds. Binoculars help you spot loose pots, missing mortar or lifted flashings.
Nearby places to Chickney
More services for Chickney
Do you need a chimney survey in Chickney?
Many chimneys are no longer used. A stack sealed without ventilation can trap damp. That can lead to damp patches on chimney breasts, even with the roof in good order.
Signs worth acting on include:
- Unused flues sealed without airflow
- Bricks with flaking faces
- Damp on a chimney breast inside
- Pots or cowls that look unsafe
For landlords with property near Stansted Airport station, a roof report between tenancies helps plan work before a small defect becomes a tenant’s leak.
What to check before booking
- Whether they hold professional indemnity and public liability insurance
- Whether the loft is part of the inspection
- Whether the price includes VAT
- Their drone registration, if they fly one
Chickney homes and their roofs
With Horham Hall about 1.7 miles north, Chickney sits in an area with a long building history. Older roofs in the wider area can hide decades of patch repairs, so the detail matters, and a listed home or one in a conservation area may need consent for changes of material. In Essex, older buildings are frequently clay-tiled, many with weatherboarding, and lots of post-war and modern estates besides. Each of these coverings has its own weak points, from fixings and valleys to flashings, chimneys and gutters.
Take an older house close to Church of St Mary the Virgin: old fixings, lead flashings and tall chimneys are typical of older roofs.
Chickney is about 4 miles north-west of Great Dunmow, in Essex. Bookings from Chickney are handled just like any other: a call or an email, a price, then a date. Chickney is one of the places in Essex we cover. We also survey roofs in Chelmsford.
Every address in CM6 is within our area for chimney surveys, from the main roads to the quietest streets. Neighbouring places we cover for chimney surveys include Tilty (1 mile east), Duton Hill (1 mile east), Great Easton (2 miles south-east), Monk Street (2 miles north-east) and Sibley's Green (2 miles north-east). Further out, we also cover Chelmsford (15 miles south-east), Braintree (11 miles east), Harlow (13 miles south-west), Saffron Walden (8 miles north), Halstead (14 miles east) and Great Dunmow (4 miles south-east).
What’s near Chickney
For rail, the closest station is Stansted Airport station, about 2.5 miles south-west of the centre. Other landmarks nearby include Little Easton Moat (2.4 miles south-east). Not far away are Portingbury Hills and Aubrey Buxton Nature Reserve.
Different roofs, different checks
Flaunching
Flaunching is the mortar on top of a stack that holds the pots and sheds water. Once it cracks, water can get straight into the brickwork.
Rendered stacks
Water can get in through cracks and then struggle to dry out. Cracks are photographed and noted.