Essex · London and the South East
Chimney survey in Chipping Ongar, Essex
An experienced roof surveyor for chimney surveys in Chipping Ongar. Over 5,000 surveys and 20+ years behind us across London and the South East.
- Loose, cracked or missing pots
- Worn or missing pointing
- Damp on a chimney breast inside
Chimney survey in Chipping Ongar: what you get
Many terraced and semi-detached homes share their chimney stacks with a neighbour. We check what can safely be seen and what the owner gives us access to. Where a problem seems to involve a neighbour’s side, the report records it, so you can talk to them. You get a written report with photos and what we recommend. If you’ve noticed signs that a stack is leaning and damp patches on chimney breasts, a survey will tell you what’s going on, whatever the roof.
Around Chipping Ongar, older cottages sit alongside bungalows and newer houses. Older roofs can have slate, clay tiles or other traditional coverings, while many later ones have concrete tiles. On older homes, chimney stacks, valleys and gutters are usually where the work is, and the fixings under the coverings matter too. The fixings under an older roof often fail before good slates or tiles do.
The report does not just list problems. For each finding, it explains what it is, why it matters and what we’d recommend.
- Where
- Chipping Ongar (CM5)
- Region
- Essex
- Price
- From £150 inc. VAT
- Reports
- Emailed report with photos and recommendations
- When we survey
- Monday to Sunday, daytime
- Cover
- Professional indemnity and public liability
- Phone
- 07833 053749
- Page updated
- 27 October 2026
Roof by roof
Chimney breasts and the loft
If a chimney breast has been removed below, we note what we can see of the support above. Confirming the support is a job for a structural engineer.
Lead flashings
Where the chimney meets the roof slopes, lead flashings keep water out. We check for lifting, splits and gaps in the joints.
Chipping Ongar homes and their roofs
About 4.4 miles south-west lies Hill Hall, a reminder of how long the area around Chipping Ongar has been built on. If your house is among the older ones, expect a mix of original materials and later repairs on the roof, and the council can say whether a home is in a conservation area. Older buildings in Essex often have clay tiles and weatherboarding, alongside a good many post-war and newer estates. Whatever the covering, it’s frequently the fixings, flashings, valleys and gutters that give out first.
For an older house near a landmark like United Reformed Church, 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 Chipping Ongar Primary School, its roofs, gutters and any chimneys need the same checks as a house’s, just on a bigger scale.
Chipping Ongar is about 6 miles north-west of Brentwood, in Essex. Chipping Ongar is one of many places we visit across Essex. Chipping Ongar is one of the places in Essex where we work. For surveys nearby, see our Chelmsford page.
Every address in CM5 is within our area for chimney surveys, from the main roads to the quietest streets. We offer chimney surveys to properties on High Street, Lavender Mews and Stanley Place. Main roads around Chipping Ongar include the A128, so getting to you is simple. If you’re just outside Chipping Ongar, we cover Greensted (1 mile west), Shelley (1 mile north), High Ongar (1 mile east), Greensted Green (2 miles west) and Norton Mandeville (2 miles north-east). We also work in nearby towns like Chelmsford (11 miles east), Basildon (13 miles south-east), Harlow (7 miles north-west), Brentwood (6 miles south-east), Billericay (9 miles south-east) and Loughton (9 miles south-west).
Around Chipping Ongar
In Chipping Ongar, that means homes and buildings near The Ongar Academy and The Royal Oak pub and the streets around them. A little further out are Willingale Doe (4.5 miles north-east) and St. Margaret's Hospital (5.2 miles west). The countryside around Chipping Ongar includes Gernon Bushes.
Honest limits
Our survey is not a RICS Level 2 or Level 3 survey, a structural engineer’s report or an asbestos survey. Other limits to bear in mind:
- Flue inspections or sweeping
- Structural calculations for a leaning stack
- What’s inside the brickwork or behind render, without opening up
If you’re not sure which survey you need, ring 07833 053749 or email us and we will give you a straight answer before you book. What a survey covers and does not.
Roof types and parts we check
- Chimney breasts
- Chimney pots and cowls
- Flaunching
- Brick chimney stacks
- Lead flashings
- Shared and party-wall stacks
Towns and villages near Chipping Ongar
More services for Chipping Ongar
Landlords, agents and block managers in Chipping Ongar
Surveys can also be booked by buyers’ agents acting for a client. Reports are emailed, so they’re easy to pass on.
Landlords, agents and building managers in Chipping Ongar and across Essex can book any of our surveys. For a price for a let property or a block, phone 07833 053749 or send us an email.
Why act early in Chipping Ongar
Before deciding what to do with a redundant stack, a survey shows how it’s doing. In a conservation area or on a listed building, changes may need permission from the council, so check with them first. On a bungalow or cottage around Chipping Ongar, the roof sits close to the rooms below, so a small leak can mark a ceiling within a few storms. Catching the cause first saves redecorating as well.
The cost of a survey depends on the roof: its size, its height, how many sections it has and how it can be reached and seen safely. Chimney survey starts from £150, including VAT.
What you get with us
- An independent look at the roof
- PI and public liability insurance
- Clear package prices, with VAT included
- Two decades and more of roof surveys
Take a look at our cost guide or our case studies.
How the survey works
A survey visit follows a simple order: we listen to what’s been worrying you, look at the roof from every safe viewpoint, take photos as we go and record our findings for the written report. Most visits take between one and two hours on an ordinary house, and longer for a large or complex roof. For a survey in Chipping Ongar, we agree the time, the access and parking before the day. Visits can be on weekdays, Saturdays or Sundays. If there are outbuildings or garages you want looked at, mention them.
- We go through the chimneys, any damp and any work done on them.
- We look at every stack from wherever it can safely be seen.
- 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.
- The report, with photographs and recommendations, is emailed to you.
How to prepare
- If you’re buying, let the agent know when we’re coming
- Unlock side gates and any roof access doors
- Let us know where we can park nearby
Getting a price
Photos help, if you have them. Take them safely from ground level or a window. To get started, ring 07833 053749 or send us an email.
Advice
What a survey costs
Not every roof costs the same to survey, for these reasons:
- Whether it is a home or a commercial building
- Basic, Standard or Premium
- How tall the building is and how easy the roof is to see
- The use of thermal imaging or a drone
The Premium Survey includes thermal imaging and drone inspection where applicable, which starts from £400, inc. VAT. We can help you choose the package that fits what you want to find out.
What we need to know
Before you get in touch, it is useful to have:
- Any marks or damp showing indoors
- Your postcode, so we can check access and travel
- When you need the report by
- Anything about access we should know
To book a survey, ring 07833 053749 or email us and tell us the address and what’s prompted the survey. You will know the price before anything is booked.
Questions from Chipping Ongar
Is my home in Chipping Ongar listed or in a conservation area?
We can’t confirm that for you, but Historic England’s list and your council can. A change of roofing material may need consent in either case.
Will you come out to Chipping Ongar?
Yes. Chipping Ongar is within the area we cover, which takes in towns, villages and rural addresses. Our area covers London and the South East. Let us know about access, parking and anything unusual about getting there when booking.
Is this a RICS survey?
No. Our survey looks at the roof, not the whole building. For the rest of the building, a RICS home survey is a separate job.
How do I arrange a chimney survey in Chipping Ongar?
Simply phone 07833 053749 or drop us an email. We will ask a few questions, confirm the price and agree a date, weekday or weekend.
Will you go up on the roof?
Not unless it is safe. Most of what we need can be seen from safe viewpoints, the loft and, where it applies, a drone, and anything out of sight is recorded in the report.
How long have you been surveying roofs?
More than 5,000 surveys over 20+ years.
Can you tell me if my roof has asbestos?
No. We can flag materials that might contain asbestos, but only a specialist asbestos surveyor can confirm it. Buildings built or refurbished before 2000 may contain it.