Essex · London and the South East
Chimney survey in Crow's Green, Essex
We take a careful look at the chimney stack at your property in Crow's Green, and put it all in a photo-illustrated written report.
- Mortar washing out of the joints
- Pots or cowls that look unsafe
- Staining on walls around the chimney
Chimney survey in Crow's Green
If you are buying a home with chimneys, it’s worth knowing their condition before you exchange. On older stacks, we frequently find cracked flaunching, loose flashings and worn pointing. Our report gives you specific points to raise with the seller or agent. It works alongside a RICS home survey, not instead of one. We survey brick chimney stacks, lead flashings and chimney pots and cowls, and common reasons people get in touch are a stack that appears to lean and flashings pulling away from the stack.
In a village or hamlet like Crow's Green, older cottages and farmhouses often sit alongside barns, outbuildings and a few newer houses. Roofs there can be clay tile, slate, stone or thatch, and chimney stacks are frequently 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 often need the most attention.
The report does not just list problems. For each finding, it explains what it is, why it matters and what we’d recommend.
- Location
- Crow's Green (CM7)
- Region
- Essex
- Cost
- From £150 inc. VAT
- Reports
- Written, with photos, emailed to you
- Appointments
- Weekdays, Saturdays and Sundays
- Cover
- Professional indemnity and public liability
- Telephone
- 07833 053749
- Page updated
- 27 October 2026
Do you need a chimney survey in Crow's Green?
TV aerials, satellite dishes and their brackets are often fixed to chimneys. The extra load in wind can work bricks and joints loose. We check fixings on the stack as part of the survey.
Typical things we’re asked to look at include:
- Frost-damaged brickwork on the stack
- Damp patches on chimney breasts
- Flashings pulling away from the stack
- Flaunching that has broken away
If you own a rental within reach of Braintree station, a roof report helps you deal with small faults before they turn into a call from a tenant.
Questions to ask before you book
- Whether the price includes VAT
- Their report turnaround times
- What the report includes, and whether it has photographs
- Which limits apply to the survey
Leave it or get it looked at?
A small amount of repointing or new flaunching is typically a modest job. Leave it, and frost can work the stack loose, and the work grows. Around Crow's Green, older homes often have old roof timbers, where water from a failed roof can cause rot if it’s left.
Simple, low roofs take less time to survey than tall or complicated ones, and the package matters as well. We’ll give you the figure before anything is booked.
Why book us in Crow's Green
- An independent view of the roof
- Satisfaction rate of 98%
- More than 5,000 surveys completed
- A sub-250g drone, flown with a CAA Flyer ID and Operator ID
See what a roof survey costs and our case studies.
Towns and villages near Crow's Green
Also in Crow's Green
Crow's Green questions
How do I find out if my home in Crow's Green is listed?
The council and Historic England’s list are the places to check. It’s worth checking before planning roof work, as both can affect what’s allowed.
Will you come out to Crow's Green?
Yes, Crow's Green is on our map. Villages and rural addresses get the same survey as a town house.
How long will you be at the property?
Most surveys take between one and two hours for most homes, a little longer where there are several stacks. We will confirm the timing when you book.
Do you look in the roof space?
Normally, if there is one and it can be reached safely. From inside, the underside of the roof often shows damp, staining or daylight that cannot be seen from outside.
My chimney looks like it is leaning. What should I do?
Have it checked rather than leaving it. Leaning frequently comes from mortar breaking down unevenly. We record its condition with photos, and a structural engineer can confirm whether it is stable.
Are you structural engineers?
No. We note visible signs like sagging or deflection, but we are not structural engineers and do not carry out calculations. If we think you need an engineer, the report says so.
Is it a problem to have an unused chimney?
A redundant chimney needs looking after like any other. If it’s capped without ventilation, damp can build up inside. Our survey records its condition and how it’s capped, so you can decide with a builder what to do.
Tips from our surveys
You don’t need to be a roofer to help. What helps most:
- Remove aerials or dishes from the stack if they’re no longer needed
- Note any damp on chimney breasts and when it appears
- Have the flue swept and checked if you use the fire
- Check your stacks from the ground after strong winds
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 it’s easy to follow.
Keep an eye on chimney breasts for new damp patches. Early signs are easier to trace.
How it works
Photos are taken throughout the visit, so you can see in the report what we found and where. We take close-ups from wherever is safe. Most surveys take between one and two hours at a house, as part of a look at the roof around the stack. In a small place like Crow's Green, access is usually the main thing to plan. Let us know about outbuildings, past repairs and any leaks you’ve noticed. Weekday and weekend visits are available.
- We go through the chimneys, any damp and any work done on them.
- Each stack is inspected from safe positions outside.
- Pots, cowls, flaunching, pointing and flashings are checked and photographed.
- We look for damp on chimney breasts and in the roof space.
- You get a written report with photos and recommendations by email.
Before the survey
- Find any records of previous roof work
- Keep pets inside or away from the areas we’re looking at
- Clear the way to the loft hatch
Getting a price
We confirm the exact price before you book, so you know where you stand. Chimney survey starts from £150, including VAT. To book, ring 07833 053749 or use the contact form.
Related advice
What a chimney survey looks like in Crow's Green
Older buildings may be listed or sit in a conservation area. To find out, check Historic England’s list and ask the council about conservation areas. In either case, a change of roofing material may need consent. Weatherboarded walls and clay tile roofs are typical of older Essex buildings, while many towns grew with post-war and newer estates. On roofs like these, good slates or tiles can outlast the nails, battens, lead and mortar around them.
If you live in an older home near Church of St James, old fixings, lead flashings and tall chimneys are typical of older roofs.
Crow's Green is about 5 miles west of Braintree, in Essex. We visit Crow's Green as part of our work across Essex, for homes and businesses alike. Our Essex coverage includes Crow's Green. Chelmsford is in our area too.
Every address in CM7 is covered for chimney surveys. If you’re just outside Crow's Green, we cover Great Saling (1 mile south-east), Bardfield Saling (1 mile north), Great Bardfield (3 miles north), Wethersfield (3 miles north) and Little Bardfield (4 miles north-west). Further out, we also cover Chelmsford (12 miles south), Braintree (5 miles east), Witham (10 miles south-east), Saffron Walden (12 miles north-west), Halstead (8 miles east) and Great Dunmow (5 miles south-west).
Landmarks near Crow's Green
In Crow's Green, that means homes and buildings near The White Hart Inn, among other places. The closest station to Crow's Green is Braintree station, about 4.7 miles south-east of the centre. Nearby you’ll also find Braintree Community Hospital (3.9 miles south-east).
How we price chimney surveys
Every roof is different, so prices are confirmed before you book. This is what makes a difference:
- Basic, Standard or Premium
- The use of thermal imaging or a drone
- Commercial roofs and larger buildings
- How big the roof is
One thing that affects the price is the package: from £150 for Basic, £250 for Standard and £400 for Premium, with VAT included. The roof’s size, height and access matter as well.
What we need to know
To price your survey accurately, we’ll ask about:
- Where the property is, with the postcode
- The reason for the survey, such as buying, a leak or storm damage
- What kind of property and roof it is
- Pictures of the roof from a safe spot, if you have them
Unsure which package suits your roof? The easiest way is to call 07833 053749 or send us an email and describe the roof and what’s worrying you. We’ll talk you through the options and what they cost.
Roof by roof
Flaunching
Flaunching takes the worst of the weather. The survey checks for cracking and gaps around each pot.
Lead flashings
Mortar fillets are sometimes used where lead would normally be. They tend to crack, so we look at them closely.