Medway · London and the South East
Chimney survey in Cooling, Medway
A survey of chimney stacks, pots, flashings and flaunching across Cooling, using drones and thermal imaging where applicable. Call or email for a price.
- Frost-damaged brickwork on the stack
- Lifted or split lead flashings
- Gaps in the mortar around the pots
Different roofs, different checks
Flaunching
We often find flaunching that has cracked or broken away. It is usually a modest repair when it’s caught early.
Brick stacks
Spalled bricks, where the face has flaked off, are a sign of water and frost. We record any we can see.
Chimney survey in Cooling
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. You get photographs and findings you can take back to the seller or agent. It complements a RICS home survey rather than replacing it. Common reasons to book are loose, cracked or missing pots and flashings pulling away from the stack, on flaunching, chimney pots and cowls and brick chimney stacks.
In a village or hamlet like Cooling, older cottages and farmhouses often sit alongside barns, outbuildings and a few newer houses. Older roofs may be clay tile, slate, stone or thatch, often with chimneys that have stood a long time. 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 is normally the chimneys and lead flashings that need work first.
The report is written in plain words, so it makes sense without any roofing background. Each point is backed by a photograph where possible.
- Place
- Cooling (ME3)
- Region
- Medway
- Cost
- From £150 inc. VAT
- Report
- Written, with photos, emailed to you
- When we survey
- Monday to Sunday, daytime
- Cover
- Professional indemnity and public liability
- Telephone
- 07833 053749
- Page updated
- 27 October 2026
Tips from our surveys
These tips come from what we see on roofs every week:
- Ask about consent before removing a chimney on an older property
- Look at the chimneys with binoculars after a storm
- Keep track of stains on chimney breasts
- Do not use a ladder to reach the stack yourself
Questions about the findings are always welcome. The Standard Survey includes a follow-up consultation and the Premium Survey an in-person consultation.
Have aerial and dish brackets on the stack checked, and moved if they’re working it loose. Less load on the stack means less strain in wind.
Checking the roof from ground level
Inside, the loft is a good place to look, with care. Use a torch and stay on the joists or boards, checking for stains, damp wood or chinks of daylight.
It is useful to keep a record: dates of leaks, photos from the ground and any work done on the roof. Share it with us when booking.
Also near Cooling
More services for Cooling
What a chimney survey looks like in Cooling
Cooling lies within about 3 miles of the sea, so there’s more wind and more salt in the air than further inland. Salt corrodes metal fixings and flashings, and wind lifts loose slates, tiles and ridge pieces. Historic houses such as Restoration House, about 4.9 miles south, show how far back building in the area around Cooling goes. Period homes nearby can have lead valleys, tall chimneys and a patchwork of past repairs, and a listed home or one in a conservation area may need consent for changes of material.
Landlords with a home close to Higham station may find that a roof report helps you deal with small faults before they turn into a call from a tenant.
Cooling is about 5 miles north of Rochester, in Medway. In Cooling, as across Medway, every roof gets the same careful survey. Our area takes in places right across Medway, from the larger towns to small villages. Maidstone is in our area too.
Postcode districts we cover here for chimney surveys: ME3. We cover properties on Main Road and Cooling Road. We also cover the places around Cooling: Cooling Street (1 mile south-west), High Halstow (2 miles east), Sharnal Street (2 miles south-east), Fenn Street (2 miles east) and Chattenden (2 miles south). Larger places within reach include Gillingham (6 miles south), Chatham (7 miles south), Rochester (5 miles south), Rainham (7 miles south-east), Strood (5 miles south-west) and Luton (6 miles south).
Local landmarks in Cooling
The closest station to Cooling is Higham station, roughly 3.3 miles south-west. A little further out are Upnor Castle (3.4 miles south) and French Hospital (4.8 miles south). Not far away are Canvey Wick and Gad's Hill.
The survey, step by step
The visit has one job: to look at the chimney stack as closely as is safe and record what we find. Everything we note and photograph goes into the written report. It typically takes roughly 1–2 hours for most homes, a little longer where there are several stacks. For a village or hamlet like Cooling, the journey is planned in advance: let us know about narrow lanes, gates, long drives and where we can park. The roof is looked at from the ground, from windows, from the loft where there’s safe access and from the roof where it’s safe.
- First you let us know about the chimneys, any damp on the chimney breasts and any worries.
- Each chimney is viewed from wherever it can be seen safely.
- We check and photograph the pots, cowls, flaunching, pointing and flashings.
- Inside, we look for damp on chimney breasts and in the loft where there is safe access.
- We send a written report with photos, the defects found and what we recommend.
Before the survey
- Make sure we can get to the back of the property
- Jot down any questions you want answered
- Keep pets inside or away from the areas we are looking at
Getting a price
A quick phone call is usually the easiest start: call 07833 053749 or drop us an email, and we’ll ask about the building and what you need. You will have a price before anything is arranged.
Advice
What we are asked to look at in Cooling
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.
A survey can pick up problems like:
- Lifted or split lead flashings
- Damaged chimney pots and cowls
- Worn or missing pointing
- A chimney out of line
If you live in an older home near St James' Church, old fixings, lead flashings and tall chimneys are typical of older roofs.
What to check before booking
- Whether you can ask questions once you have the report
- Will the report include photos?
- What’s outside the scope of the survey
- Their insurance cover
What affects the price in Cooling
We confirm the price for the job before you book. This is what makes a difference:
- The shape of the roof and its details
- The roof’s overall size
- How tall the building is and how easy the roof is to see
- The use of thermal imaging or a drone
A small, low roof with good viewpoints takes less time than a tall, complicated one, and the package you pick makes a difference too. The price is always agreed first.
What to tell us when you get in touch
If you can, have these to hand when you get in touch:
- Pictures of the roof from a safe spot, if you have them
- The property’s address and postcode
- Anything about access we should know
- Your timetable, such as an exchange date
Surveys can be booked for weekdays, Saturdays or Sundays. To arrange a day that suits you, ring 07833 053749 or drop us an email.
Common questions in Cooling
Is my home in Cooling listed or in a conservation area?
You can check whether a building is listed on Historic England’s list, and your council can tell you if it’s in a conservation area. Listed building consent is needed for changes that affect a listed building’s special interest, and conservation areas can limit changes of roofing material.
Does being near the coast affect roofs in Cooling?
Places near the sea get more wind and more salt in the air than inland, and both are hard on roofs. Salt corrodes metal fixings and flashings, and wind lifts loose slates, tiles and ridge pieces.
What causes damp on a chimney breast?
Damp on a chimney breast usually means water is getting into the stack, or moisture is trapped inside it. The survey looks at the stack, the flashings and the capping, and record what we find.
Do you use drones?
Where it helps and it’s safe, yes. Whether we can fly on the day depends on the weather and the airspace rules. We hold a CAA Flyer ID and Operator ID.
Do you test for asbestos?
No. We don’t sample or test for asbestos. Where a material might contain it, such as old cement sheets on a building from before 2000, the report flags it.
Is Cooling in your area?
Yes. We cover Cooling and the rest of Medway, as part of our work across London and South East England. To book, ring 07833 053749 or drop us an email.
How do you inspect a chimney without scaffolding?
We inspect from wherever is safe: from the ground, windows and vantage points, and from the loft where there is access. Our Premium Survey includes a drone inspection where applicable. We note anything we couldn’t see.