Essex · London and the South East
Chimney survey in East Horndon, Essex
A careful look at the chimney stack at your property in East Horndon, with photos and a written report.
- Lifted or split lead flashings
- Eroded joints in the brickwork
- Signs that a stack is leaning
Leave it or get it looked at?
Loose pots and bricks on a stack are a safety concern. A survey picks them out so they can be made safe by a suitable contractor. For older village homes like those around East Horndon, the right replacement materials are not always easy to find quickly. Spotting a problem early leaves room to find them.
Prices quoted always include VAT, and the written report is part of the package. Prices start from £150, including VAT. Where your roof sits in the range depends on its size, height and access.
Why book with us
- Photos and a written report every time
- An independent look at the roof
- 5,000+ roofs surveyed
- 98% of clients satisfied
See our cost guide or our case studies.
Chimney survey in East Horndon: what you get
On terraced and semi-detached houses, a chimney stack is often shared with next door. We check what can be seen safely and what the owner gives us access to. If a defect appears to be on the neighbour’s side, we note it, so you can talk to them. Everything is written up with photos and our recommendations. We survey brick chimney stacks, lead flashings and chimney pots and cowls, and people most often book us about loose, cracked or missing pots and signs that a stack is leaning.
In a small place like East Horndon, many roofs stand in the open, which is hard on ridges, chimneys, flashings and gutters. Older walls take a long time to dry once water gets in. A roof report shows what needs attention first. Lead flashings and old chimney stacks are frequently where weather gets in first.
You receive the findings by email, ready to forward to whoever needs them. Basic reports come within 48 hours, Standard within 24–48 hours and Premium on the day.
- Location
- East Horndon (CM13)
- Wider area
- Essex
- Cost
- From £150 inc. VAT
- Your report
- A written report with photos, by email
- When we survey
- Monday to Sunday, daytime
- Insurance
- Professional indemnity and public liability
- Telephone
- 07833 053749
- Last updated
- 27 October 2026
How we price chimney surveys
Several things affect the price of a survey:
- If the survey needs thermal imaging or a drone
- The height of the building and how the roof can safely be seen
- House, block, shop or office
- Which survey package you book
There are three survey packages: Basic from £150, Standard from £250 and Premium from £400, with VAT included. The price for your roof depends on its size, access and what you want to find out.
What we need to know
Getting the details right at the start saves time. Please include:
- Anything about access we should know
- Any deadline, such as an exchange date
- The type of building and roof, such as pitched or flat
- What made you get in touch
Our phone lines are open seven days a week. To book or ask a question, call 07833 053749 or use the contact form.
Nearby places to East Horndon
What else we do in East Horndon
Can I check my roof myself?
Keep a simple record: when leaks happen, ground-level photos and any past roof work. Share it with us when booking and it will help the survey.
A DIY look is useful, but it is not a survey. From the ground, valleys, flashings and the backs of chimneys are frequently out of sight.
What we do, step by step
We look at the roof from outside and, where it is relevant and there’s safe access, from inside the loft space too. Inside, we look for staining, damp, gaps and signs of movement, as far as the space allows. All in, the survey normally takes about one to two hours at a house, as part of a look at the roof around the stack. Rural addresses near East Horndon can be hard to find from a postcode alone, so a few directions, or a note of a nearby landmark, help us arrive on time. After that, the survey runs as it would anywhere.
- You tell us how many stacks there are and any damp or problems you’ve noticed.
- Each chimney is viewed from wherever it can safely be seen.
- The pots, cowls, flaunching, pointing, brickwork and flashings are checked and photographed.
- We check the chimney breasts and the stack in the loft space where we can reach them.
- We send a written report with photos, the defects found and what we recommend.
Preparing for the visit
- Keep pets in another room
- If you are buying, check with the agent that we can get in
- For a flat or shared roof, check access with whoever owns or manages the building
Booking a survey
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 use the contact form.
Related advice
Chimney surveys in East Horndon: local notes
In Essex, older buildings are often clay-tiled, many with weatherboarding, with post-war and more recent estates making up much of the newer housing. Knowing the covering helps explain which parts of a roof are likely to need work first. There are about 500,000 buildings on England’s list of listed buildings, and around 10,000 conservation areas. Listed building consent is needed for changes that affect a listed building’s special interest, and conservation areas can limit changes of roofing material, so the council is the place to ask.
If you own a rental within reach of West Horndon station, knowing the condition of the roof, chimneys and gutters helps you plan work rather than react to complaints. For an older house near a landmark such as All Saints Church, corroded nails, tired lead and weathered chimney pointing are the things to watch on older roofs.
East Horndon is about 4 miles south-east of Brentwood, in Essex. East Horndon gets the same service as everywhere else we work: a careful inspection, photographs and a written report. East Horndon is one of the towns and villages in Essex where we work. For surveys nearby, see our Chelmsford page.
All of CM13 is covered for chimney surveys. We cover properties on Southend Arterial Road, Elliots Close and Tilbury Road. Neighbouring places we cover for chimney surveys include West Horndon (1 mile south-west), Herongate (1 mile north), Childerditch (2 miles west), Little Warley (2 miles west) and Bulphan (2 miles south). We also work in nearby towns such as Chelmsford (12 miles north-east), Basildon (4 miles east), Brentwood (4 miles north-west), Canvey Island (11 miles east), Billericay (4 miles north-east) and Rayleigh (11 miles east).
Around East Horndon
The closest station to East Horndon is West Horndon station, roughly 1 mile south-west. Well-known places in the area include Spire Hartswood Hospital (3.1 miles north-west). The countryside around East Horndon includes Langdon Nature Reserve.
What we are asked to look at in East Horndon
Removing a chimney breast inside can leave questions about how the stack is supported. We record what we can see in the loft and outside, and the report recommends a structural engineer if support is a concern.
A survey can pick up problems such as:
- Frost-damaged brickwork on the stack
- A chimney out of line
- Staining on walls around the chimney
- Cracked or missing flaunching
If you look after a building such as West Horndon Primary School, long gutter runs and wide roofs on a building that size are worth checking on a regular cycle.
Before you book anyone
- Whether VAT is in the quoted price
- Their track record with similar roofs
- What the survey will not cover
- What insurance they carry
Questions from East Horndon
Do you survey roofs for landlords with property near West Horndon station?
Yes, rented property is part of what we cover. Just phone 07833 053749 or send us an email and let us know about the building.
Is East Horndon within the area you cover?
Yes, East Horndon is covered. We survey roofs across London and the South East, and smaller places are part of that. Longer journeys are simply planned beforehand.
What insurance do you have?
Every survey is covered by professional indemnity and public liability insurance.
Can you survey a shared roof?
Yes. A shared roof needs access agreed first, with whoever owns or manages the building. Tell us about it as you book and we’ll explain what’s needed.
How do I book a survey in East Horndon?
It’s easiest to phone 07833 053749 or use the contact form. Give us the address and some details about the roof. We survey seven days a week.
What do you check on a chimney?
We check the pots, cowls, flaunching, pointing, brickwork and flashings. Inside, we look for damp on chimney breasts and in the loft where there’s safe access. Everything is written up with photographs.
Does the report include photos?
Yes, every report has them. Pictures sit next to the findings they show, so you can see what we mean.
Tips from our surveys
Some practical points come up on survey after survey. They apply to most roofs:
- Use a Gas Safe registered engineer for gas appliances
- Ask for ventilated caps on redundant stacks
- File photos of the stacks with your home records
- Keep track of stains on chimney breasts
Questions about the findings are always welcome. The Standard Survey includes a follow-up consultation and the Premium Survey an in-person consultation.
Look at your chimneys from the ground now and then, especially after strong winds. Binoculars help you spot loose pots, missing mortar or lifted flashings.