Kent · London and the South East
Cranbrook Common Chimney Survey
We carry out chimney surveys in Cranbrook Common and the rest of Kent. We survey on weekdays, Saturdays and Sundays.
- A chimney out of line
- Damp on a chimney breast inside
- Spalled or crumbling bricks
Questions from Cranbrook Common
Is Cranbrook Common within the area you cover?
We do. Villages and rural addresses get the same survey as a town house, with the route planned beforehand.
Is my home in Cranbrook Common listed or in a conservation area?
Check Historic England’s online list first, then ask the council about conservation areas and any Article 4 direction. The answer matters most when a change of material is on the cards.
Do you carry out surveys on Saturdays and Sundays?
Surveys run seven days a week. To arrange a date, call 07833 053749 or drop us an email.
Does someone need to be in?
That depends on the survey. Inside the building and in the loft, we need someone to let us in.
Do you need to get into the loft?
Yes, where the survey calls for it and there’s safe access. We look for staining, damp, daylight and signs of movement.
Can you inspect my roof with a drone?
Yes, where it’s applicable. Flights depend on the weather on the day and airspace rules. We hold a CAA Flyer ID and Operator ID.
Is it a problem to have an unused chimney?
An unused stack still needs to stay weathertight and ventilated. Capping without airflow can lead to damp. We check how it is capped and its condition, so you can decide with a builder what to do.
How a chimney survey works in Cranbrook Common
Redundant chimneys are common, especially where fires have been replaced by central heating. A disused stack still needs looking after. If it has been capped without ventilation, damp can build up inside it. We check how redundant stacks have been capped and look for damp in the chimney breasts. You get photos of each stack and our recommendations. If you are worried about signs that a stack is leaning and damp patches on chimney breasts, a survey will tell you what’s going on, whatever the roof.
Older buildings in small places like Cranbrook Common may be listed or in a conservation area. If yours is, re-roofing in different materials may need consent, so the council is the place to check. A roof report helps you plan work with that in mind. Older materials like clay tiles, slate and stone are often matched when work is done.
After the visit, you get a written report with photos, sent by email. It explains the condition of the chimney stack, the defects we found and what we recommend.
- Location
- Cranbrook Common (TN17)
- Wider area
- Kent
- Cost
- From £150 inc. VAT
- Report
- Emailed report with photos and recommendations
- When we survey
- Monday to Sunday, daytime
- Insurance
- PI and public liability insurance
- Phone
- 07833 053749
- Updated
- 27 October 2026
What we look for on each type of roof
Brick stacks
Brick stacks rely on sound pointing to keep water out. The survey looks for crumbling bricks and worn or missing mortar.
Chimney breasts and the loft
In the loft, staining around the stack often shows where water is getting in. What we find is photographed and described.
What happens on the day
Time on site depends on the size and shape of the roof; as a rough guide, the survey takes an hour or two for most homes, a little longer where there are several stacks. You’re welcome to ask questions while we’re there. In a small place like Cranbrook Common, access is usually the main thing to plan. Mention any outbuildings, barns or garages you want included, and anything about the roof you already know. Visits can be on weekdays, Saturdays or Sundays.
- You let us know whether any stacks are shared, unused or leaning.
- We check the roof around each stack, including the flashings.
- The top of each stack is checked for cracked flaunching and loose pots.
- Any lean, spalling or worn pointing is recorded.
- The report explains the condition and which work is most urgent.
Before the survey
- Keep pets inside or away from the areas we’re looking at
- Agree roof access with the managing agent if it’s shared
- Jot down any questions you want answered
Booking a survey
Once you know what you need, call 07833 053749 or email us. We’ll suggest a package, agree the price and find a date, weekday or weekend.
Related advice
Towns and villages near Cranbrook Common
Also in Cranbrook Common
Chimney surveys in Cranbrook Common: local notes
There are about 500,000 buildings on England’s list of listed buildings, and around 10,000 conservation areas. If your home is listed, changes that affect its special interest need listed building consent, and in a conservation area re-roofing in different materials may need permission, so the council is the place to ask. Handmade clay tiles, including Kent peg tiles hung on pegs through two holes, are typical of older Kent buildings. The county’s older buildings also include oast houses and timber-framed Wealden hall houses. Whichever you have, the details that tend to fail before the covering itself get the closest look.
If you let a flat or house near Staplehurst station, a roof report helps you deal with small faults before they turn into a call from a tenant. For site and facilities teams at buildings such as Cranbrook School, large buildings have long gutter runs and big roofs that need checking like any other. If your house is among the older ones in the streets near Church of the Holy Trinity, its roof may have old fixings, lead flashings and chimneys that need a closer look.
Cranbrook Common is about 10 miles south of Maidstone, in Kent. In Cranbrook Common, as across Kent, every roof gets the same careful survey. Our area takes in places right across Kent. There’s also a page for Maidstone.
Postcode districts we cover here for chimney surveys: TN17. We also cover the places around Cranbrook Common: Sissinghurst (1 mile south), Wilsley Pound (1 mile south-west), Knox Bridge (1 mile north), Wilsley Green (2 miles south-west) and Frittenden (2 miles north-east). Larger places within reach include Maidstone (10 miles north), Ashford (13 miles east), Royal Tunbridge Wells (13 miles west), Tonbridge (13 miles north-west), Kings Hill (12 miles north-west) and Foley Park (11 miles north).
What’s near Cranbrook Common
We work in homes and buildings around The Bull Public House. The nearest railway station is Staplehurst station, about 3.5 miles north. Other landmarks nearby include Sissinghurst Castle (1 mile east) and Sissinghurst Castle (1 mile east).
When you need someone else
Before booking, it is worth knowing what a survey will not do:
- A structural engineer’s assessment
- Hidden damage within the stack
- Checks on boilers, fires or their flues
If you’re not sure which survey you need, phone 07833 053749 or send us an email and we will give you a straight answer. What a survey covers and doesn’t.
What this survey covers
- Brick chimney stacks
- Shared and party-wall stacks
- Flaunching
- Chimney pots and cowls
- Chimney breasts
- Lead flashings
Can I check my roof myself?
After strong wind, take a look from the pavement or garden: pieces of tile or slate on the ground, a gap in the ridge or a lifted flashing are all worth noting. Leave anything above ground level to a survey.
After heavy rain, check ceilings and the tops of walls for new stains. Take a photo and write down when you saw it, as it helps a surveyor trace the cause.
Tips that help
Small things make a difference, both for the survey and for the roof itself. Our tips:
- Use the report as a baseline for future checks
- Ask about consent before removing a chimney on an older property
- Ask for ventilated caps on redundant stacks
- Have brackets on the chimney checked
The report is emailed to you, ready to share with a roofer or builder. We use plain English and a photo for each defect so anyone reading it can see what we saw.
Keep an eye on chimney breasts for new damp patches. Early signs are easier to trace.
Landlords, agents and block managers in Cranbrook Common
Where a roof is shared: we need access agreed with whoever owns or manages the building. Mention it when you get in touch and we’ll plan the visit with that in mind.
Letting agents often book on a landlord’s behalf, and the report can go to both. We agree a time with the tenant beforehand.