Essex · London and the South East
Finchingfield Chimney Survey
Chimney surveys in Finchingfield, backed by more than 20 years’ experience. You get a clear report with photographs.
- Frost-damaged brickwork on the stack
- Eroded joints in the brickwork
- A chimney out of line
Chimney survey in Finchingfield
A damp patch on a chimney breast doesn’t always come from the same place. Water may be getting in at the top through cracked flaunching or an uncapped pot, through the brickwork, or at the flashings. 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 unused flues sealed without airflow and a chimney out of line, we can find out what’s behind it, on brick chimney stacks, flaunching and chimney breasts alike.
Village roofs often face open fields and take the full force of wind and rain, so ridges, chimney stacks, flashings and gutters work hard. Older walls take a long time to dry once water gets in. A written report sets out what to deal with and in what order. Lead flashings and old chimney stacks are often where weather gets in first.
Report times depend on the survey you book: the Basic Survey within 48 hours, the Standard Survey in 24 to 48 hours and the Premium Survey on the same day.
- Place
- Finchingfield (CM7)
- Wider area
- Essex
- Prices
- From £150 inc. VAT
- Your report
- Written, with photos, emailed to you
- When we survey
- Monday to Sunday, daytime
- Insurance
- PI and public liability insurance
- Call
- 07833 053749
- Page updated
- 27 October 2026
What affects the cost of chimney surveys
A few things affect what a survey costs:
- Height and safe access
- The roof’s overall size
- The package you choose: Basic, Standard or Premium
- How complicated the roof is, with its valleys, chimneys and parapets
All our prices include VAT. Chimney survey starts from £150, including VAT. You will know the price for the job before you book.
Getting in touch
We’ll usually ask about:
- Your timetable, like an exchange date
- The reason for the survey, like buying, a leak or storm damage
- Anything about access we should know
- Where any leaks, stains or damp patches show inside
To arrange a survey, call 07833 053749 or drop us an email and let us know the address and what’s prompted the survey. We will confirm the price before booking.
How it works
After the inspection, everything we found is written up as a written report with photos. As for time on site, most surveys take between one and two hours at a house, as part of a look at the roof around the stack. For a village or hamlet like Finchingfield, the journey is planned in advance: let us know about lanes, gates and parking. On the day, we inspect whatever is safely visible, inside and out.
- You let us know whether any stacks are shared, unused or leaning.
- The flashings and the roof around each chimney are inspected.
- We look at the flaunching and pots on every stack.
- Any lean, spalling or worn pointing is recorded.
- The report explains the condition and which work is most urgent.
Getting ready for the survey
- Find any records of previous roof work
- Have any questions written down, so nothing gets missed
- Mention any parking restrictions on your street
Book a survey
Booking is simple: just ring 07833 053749 or use the contact form, let us know about the property and we’ll explain which survey suits. The price is agreed up front.
Read more
Why it is worth a survey now in Finchingfield
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. Where a roof is exposed, as many are in small places like Finchingfield, driving rain gets into any weakness, and older walls, once damp, take a long time to dry.
The Premium Survey includes thermal imaging and drone inspection where it applies, which starts from £400, with VAT included. We’ll tell you which package suits the questions you have.
Why us?
- Over 5,000 surveys carried out
- CAA-registered drone operator (Flyer ID and Operator ID)
- Covered by professional indemnity and public liability insurance
- Clear package prices, inc. VAT
Read how roof surveys are priced or what we found on two real jobs.
What a chimney survey looks like in Finchingfield
What can be done to an older roof may depend on listing or a conservation area. The council is the place to check, along with Historic England’s list. Older buildings in Essex often have clay tiles and weatherboarding, 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.
The streets around a church like Parish Church of St John the Baptist are often among the oldest in a place, and if your home is one of the older ones nearby, old fixings, lead flashings and tall chimneys are typical of older roofs.
Finchingfield is about 8 miles north-west of Braintree, in Essex. We survey roofs in Finchingfield as part of our work across London and South East England. We cover towns and villages across Essex. Chelmsford is in our area too.
We cover every part of CM7 for chimney surveys and the streets around it. If you need a chimney survey at a property on The Pightle, Church Hill and Stephen Marshall Avenue or anywhere close by, we can help. If you’re just outside Finchingfield, we cover Great Bardfield (1 mile south-west), Wethersfield (2 miles south-east), Little Bardfield (2 miles south-west), Bardfield Saling (3 miles south) and Crow's Green (4 miles south). We also work in nearby towns such as Braintree (8 miles south-east), Witham (14 miles south-east), Saffron Walden (10 miles north-west), Halstead (8 miles east), Great Dunmow (8 miles south-west) and Stansted Mountfitchet (12 miles west).
What’s near Finchingfield
Around Finchingfield, our work takes us to homes and buildings near The Red Lion Inn and the streets around them. Not far away are West Wood.
DIY checks: what’s safe
It helps to keep a record: dates of leaks, photos from the ground and any work done on the roof. Share it with us when you book, as it helps us focus the survey.
The one thing to avoid is getting up close. Roofs are fragile and slippery, and falls from height are serious. That is where a survey comes in, using safe viewpoints and a drone where it applies.
What we can’t see
Before you book, it is worth knowing what a survey won’t do:
- Whether the flue is safe to use
- Structural calculations for a leaning stack
- Hidden sides of a shared stack
If in doubt, phone 07833 053749 or email us and we will recommend the right survey before you book. What our survey covers.
Roof types and parts we check
- Flaunching
- Shared and party-wall stacks
- Chimney pots and cowls
- Chimney breasts
- Brick chimney stacks
- Lead flashings
Common roof problems in Finchingfield
Many chimneys are no longer used. A stack sealed without ventilation can trap damp. Damp patches can appear on chimney breasts even when nothing is leaking.
Here are some of the things we see often:
- Damp on a chimney breast inside
- Gaps where the stack meets the roof
- Eroded joints in the brickwork
- Flaunching that has broken away
In and around Finchingfield, as anywhere, a roof is easiest to deal with when its problems are found early.
Choosing a roof surveyor
- Their drone registration, if they fly one
- Whether VAT is in the quoted price
- Whether they hold professional indemnity and public liability insurance
- What happens after the report arrives
Also near Finchingfield
Other services in Finchingfield
Finchingfield: your questions answered
Do you cover Finchingfield?
Yes, Finchingfield is within the area we cover. Our area covers London and the South East. You can phone 07833 053749 or email us with the address and some details.
Is my home in Finchingfield 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 is 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.
Can you survey a shared roof?
Yes, once access has been agreed. Roofs over flats are often shared, so whoever owns or manages the building needs to agree access. We inspect only the parts we are allowed to reach.
What does a roof survey cost?
Our price is from £150, including VAT. Our three packages are Basic from £150, Standard from £250 and Premium from £400, including VAT.
What will the report tell me?
It sets out what we found, why it matters and what we recommend, backed by photos. Anything we couldn’t see safely is noted too, so you know exactly what was covered.
Does the report include photographs?
Yes, plenty. Each finding is shown in a picture where possible.
Will you check the loft?
Typically, 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.