Kent · London and the South East
Detling Chimney Survey
Chimney surveys in Detling, with over 20 years’ experience behind it. You get a clear report with photographs.
- Unused flues sealed without airflow
- Eroded joints in the brickwork
- Damp on a chimney breast inside
What you can safely check yourself
Look up at the roof after a storm, from ground level: broken slates or tiles in the garden, gaps along the ridge or loose lead are signs to note. Leave anything above ground level to a survey.
Keep a simple record: dates of leaks, photos from the ground and any work done on the roof. Send it with your enquiry.
About our chimney survey in Detling
Damp on a chimney breast can have several causes. It might come in at the top, through worn pointing or porous bricks, or where the flashings meet the roof. Condensation inside an unventilated stack is another common cause. We check each possibility and record what we find. That points the work in the right direction. If you are worried about a stack that appears to lean and staining on walls around the chimney, a survey will tell you what’s going on.
Older buildings in small places like Detling 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. Where a building is listed, matching the existing roof materials is frequently expected.
After the visit, you get a report with photos, emailed to you. It sets out the condition of the chimney stack, any defects and our written recommendations.
- Where
- Detling (ME14)
- Wider area
- Kent
- Cost
- From £150 inc. VAT
- Report
- Written, with photos, emailed to you
- Survey days
- Weekdays and weekends
- Cover
- Professional indemnity and public liability
- Telephone
- 07833 053749
- Updated
- 27 October 2026
Prices for chimney surveys in Detling
All our prices include VAT. The things that change the price are:
- House, block, shop or office
- Height and safe access
- Features like valleys, chimneys, dormers and parapets
- Which survey package you book
To find out what your survey will cost, phone 07833 053749 or email us with the address and some details. We will confirm the figure before booking.
What to let us know when you contact us
If you can, have these to hand when you contact us:
- What’s prompted the survey
- The style of property, from a terrace to a block
- Your timetable, such as an exchange date
- Your postcode, so we can check access and travel
Photos help, if you have them. Take them safely from the ground or a window. To send them or to book, call 07833 053749 or email us.
When you need someone else
It is a careful look at the chimney stack, not the whole story. Its limits include:
- Hidden damage within the stack
- Whether the flue is safe to use
- Checks on boilers, fires or their flues
Not sure which survey suits your roof? You can phone 07833 053749 or email us and we will tell you before you book. What a survey covers and doesn’t.
What we check
- Shared and party-wall stacks
- Chimney pots and cowls
- Chimney breasts
- Flaunching
- Brick chimney stacks
- Lead flashings
Chimney surveys in Detling: local notes
Historic houses such as Stoneacre, about 3 miles south, show how far back building in the area around Detling goes. Period homes nearby can have lead valleys, tall chimneys and a patchwork of past repairs, and any change of roofing material on a listed home needs checking with the council first. Many older homes in Kent have handmade clay tiles, including Kent peg tiles held by pegs through two holes, and tile-hanging on their upper walls. Oast houses and timber-framed Wealden hall houses are part of the county’s older buildings too. On roofs like these, good slates or tiles can outlast the nails, battens, lead and mortar around them.
Living close to The Larches is pleasant, but mature trees mean leaves in gutters and valleys each autumn, and an overflowing gutter soon means a wet wall. If you live in an older home near St Martin of Tours Church, its chimney, valleys and lead work are likely to be the parts that need attention first.
Detling is about 3 miles north-east of Maidstone, in Kent. We visit Detling as part of our work across Kent, for houses, flats and commercial buildings. Our area takes in places right across Kent.
Here we cover the ME14 postcode area for chimney surveys. If you need a chimney survey at a property on The Street, Princes Way and Queens Way or anywhere close by, we can survey it. If you are just outside Detling, we cover Thurnham (1 mile south-east), Grove Green (1 mile south-west), Harbourland (1 mile west), Weavering (2 miles south) and Bearsted (2 miles south). Larger places within reach include Maidstone (3 miles south-west), Sittingbourne (8 miles north-east), Gravesend (12 miles north-west), Tonbridge (14 miles south-west), Faversham (14 miles east) and Northfleet (14 miles north-west).
Around Detling
In Detling, that means homes and buildings near The Larches and The Cock Horse pub, among other places. For rail, the closest station is Bearsted station, about 1.4 miles south. Nearby you’ll also find KIMS hospital (0.8 miles south-west) and The Mall Maidstone (2.4 miles south-west). The countryside around Detling includes Burham Down and Detling Hill.
More services for Detling
How the survey works
When we arrive, we begin with a quick chat about the roof and anything that’s worrying you. We then inspect everything that can be seen safely, from ground level, from windows, in the loft space and by drone where it applies. The survey normally takes an hour or two at a house, as part of a look at the roof around the stack. Around Detling, older homes can have small or awkward roof spaces, so let us know about the loft hatch and any ladder. We only go where it is safe.
- First we talk through the stacks, their history and any problems.
- We check 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.
- You get a written report with photos and recommendations by email.
How to prepare
- For a flat or shared roof, check access with the building owner or managing agent
- Point out any leaks or damp patches
- Tell us where we can park nearby
Booking a survey
Unsure which package suits your roof? It’s easiest 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.
Read more
Why it is worth a survey now in Detling
A leaning stack should be looked at sooner rather than later. We record its condition and recommend a structural engineer where needed, so you know where you stand. For an older or listed building in a place like Detling, repairs may need matching materials and consent, so leaving a defect until it is urgent leaves less time to plan.
Chimney survey starts from £150, including VAT. Basic starts from £150, Standard from £250 and Premium from £400, VAT included.
Why choose Independent Roof Survey in Detling
- Over 20 years’ experience
- 98% customer satisfaction
- An independent look at the roof
- Covered by professional indemnity and public liability insurance
Common questions in Detling
Is my home in Detling listed or in a conservation area?
Your council is the best source, with Historic England’s list for listed buildings. A change of roofing material may need consent in either case, and councils can also use Article 4 directions.
Will you come out to Detling?
Yes. Detling 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 as you book.
How do you inspect a chimney without scaffolding?
We look from ground level, from windows and from the loft where it is safe. A drone inspection is part of the Premium Survey where applicable. Any area we couldn’t view is noted.
Do you inspect shared chimneys?
Yes. Shared stacks are common on terraced and semi-detached houses. We survey what we can see safely, and note anything that seems to involve next door.
How much is a survey?
Chimney survey starts from £150, including VAT. The final figure depends on the roof and the package you choose, confirmed before anything is booked.
Can you inspect my roof with a drone?
Yes, where it’s applicable. We hold a CAA Flyer ID and Operator ID and fly a drone under 250g, and the airspace and weather are checked before every flight.
Do you test for asbestos?
No. Asbestos surveys and sampling aren’t something we do. Where a material might contain it, like old cement sheets on a building from before 2000, the report flags it, with a recommendation to have a specialist asbestos surveyor check before it’s disturbed.
Do you need a chimney survey in Detling?
Flaunching is the mortar bed that holds the pots and throws water off the top. Once it cracks, water gets in and frost makes the cracks bigger. In time, the pots can become loose.
Signs worth acting on include:
- Redundant stacks capped without ventilation
- Eroded joints in the brickwork
- Spalled or crumbling bricks
- Pots or cowls that look unsafe
Shop and office owners around The Mall Maidstone may find that a roof report helps plan work around trading rather than after a leak.
Questions to ask before booking
- Whether VAT is added on top
- Which parts of the roof they’ll actually see
- Whether the inside of the roof is included
- Is there a chance to talk the report through?