Kent · London and the South East
Finglesham Chimney Survey
Chimney surveys across Finglesham, with over 20 years’ experience behind it. You get a clear report with photographs.
- Pots or cowls that look unsafe
- Bricks with flaking faces
- Flaunching that has broken away
Practical tips
Most of what helps is simple and safe from ground level. A few suggestions:
- Don’t use a ladder to reach the stack yourself
- Have brackets on the chimney checked
- File photos of the stacks with your home records
- Ask for ventilated caps on redundant stacks
If the stack is shared, you can pass the report to your neighbour. The photos show the problem and which side it’s on from the viewpoints we used.
Keep an eye on chimney breasts for new damp patches. The sooner damp is spotted, the easier the cause is to find.
About our chimney survey in Finglesham
Many terraced and semi-detached homes share their chimney stacks with a neighbour. We look at 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 what we recommend. We’re often asked to look into damaged chimney pots and cowls and damp patches on chimney breasts, across flaunching, lead flashings and brick chimney stacks.
In a small place like Finglesham, 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 often where weather gets in first.
What you get is a clear record of the chimney stack on the day we saw it. It’s useful right away, and a good reference for later, like when you want to compare after future work.
- Location
- Finglesham (CT14)
- Wider area
- Kent
- Price
- From £150 inc. VAT
- Report
- A written report with photos, by email
- When we survey
- Monday to Sunday, daytime
- Insured
- Professional indemnity and public liability
- Phone
- 07833 053749
- Page updated
- 27 October 2026
Leave it or get it looked at?
Chimneys are easy to forget because you rarely see the top of them. Problems frequently go unnoticed until damp appears inside. A survey gives you a clear picture before that happens. Matching old materials, such as handmade tiles or stone slates, can take time to source. Spotting a problem early leaves room to find them.
We offer three survey packages: Basic from £150, Standard from £250 and Premium from £400, all including VAT. The price for your roof depends on its size, access and what you want to find out.
Why book with us
- Visits on any day of the week
- PI and public liability insurance
- An independent view of the roof
- Thermal imaging and drones used where they help
Read what a roof survey costs or what we found on two real jobs.
Also near Finglesham
Other services in Finglesham
What we cannot see
Some things cannot be seen without opening up the roof, and that sets some limits:
- What’s inside the brickwork or behind render, without opening up
- Areas we can’t view from safe positions
- Checks on boilers, fires or their flues
If in doubt, call 07833 053749 or use the contact form and we will recommend the right survey before you book. What a survey covers and does not.
Roofs we survey in Finglesham
- Lead flashings
- Chimney breasts
- Shared and party-wall stacks
- Chimney pots and cowls
- Flaunching
- Brick chimney stacks
Rented homes, blocks and businesses
A roof problem in a let property affects your tenants as well as the building. A survey helps you spot issues early and plan the work around your tenants.
Letting agents frequently book on a landlord’s behalf, with the report sent to whoever needs it. We agree a time with the tenant beforehand.
Chimney surveys around Finglesham
Finglesham is within about 3 miles of the coast, where sea air brings more salt and stronger wind than inland. Salt corrodes metal fixings and flashings, and wind lifts loose slates, tiles and ridge pieces, while driving rain finds any gap. Historic houses such as Walmer Castle, about 3.4 miles south-east, show how far back building in the area around Finglesham goes. Older homes in the wider area often have features worth a closer look, like lead valleys, tall stacks and roofs that have been patched over the years, and the council can say whether a home is in a conservation area.
Take a building like Northbourne Church of England Primary School: its roofs, gutters and any chimneys need the same checks as a house’s, just on a bigger scale. Trees in and around Betteshanger Park shed leaves that can end up in nearby gutters, and an overflowing gutter soon means a wet wall. If you own a rental within reach of Sandwich station, a roof report between tenancies helps plan work before a small defect becomes a tenant’s leak.
Finglesham is about 2 miles north-west of Deal, in Kent. Finglesham gets the same service as everywhere else we work: a careful inspection, photographs and a written report. Our area takes in places right across Kent, large and small. For surveys nearby, see our Canterbury page.
Chimney surveys in CT14 are booked the same way as anywhere else. If you are just outside Finglesham, we cover Marley (1 mile south-west), Hacklinge (1 mile north-east), Ham (1 mile north-west), Northbourne (1 mile south) and Sholden Meadows (1 mile south-east). Further out, we also cover Canterbury (12 miles west), Margate (10 miles north), Dover (7 miles south), Folkestone (13 miles south-west), Ramsgate (8 miles north) and Broadstairs (9 miles north).
What’s near Finglesham
Around Finglesham, our work takes us to homes and buildings near Sandwich Technology School, Betteshanger Park and The Crown Inn and the streets around them. For rail, the closest station is Sandwich station, about 2.4 miles north. Well-known places in the area include Deal Museum (2.5 miles east) and Sandown Castle (2.4 miles east). Not far away are Monk's Wall nature reserve.
Checking the roof from ground level
You can learn a lot from ground level. With binoculars, look for slipped or missing slates and tiles, gaps along the ridge and leaning chimneys. Please don’t climb up for a closer look.
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.
Finglesham questions
Does being near the coast affect roofs in Finglesham?
Generally, yes: wind and salt air take more of a toll near the sea. Ridges, verges, flashings and fixings are where it typically shows.
Does a conservation area affect roof work in Finglesham?
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. If a 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.
Can you tell me if my roof has asbestos?
No. We do not carry out asbestos surveys or testing. If we see materials that could contain asbestos, such as cement roof sheets or soffits on buildings from before 2000, we flag them and suggest a specialist asbestos surveyor checks them before any work.
How soon will I get the report?
Basic reports arrive within 48 hours, Standard reports in 24–48 hours and Premium reports on the same day. All of them come by email, ready to forward.
How do you inspect a chimney without scaffolding?
We inspect from wherever is safe: from the ground, windows and vantage points, and from the loft where there is access. Our Premium Survey includes a drone inspection where applicable. If part of a stack cannot be seen, the report says so.
Will you walk on the roof?
Not unless it is safe. Safe viewpoints, the roof space and a drone where applicable cover most of what’s needed.
Will you fly a drone over my roof?
Where it helps and it is safe, yes. Flights depend on the weather on the day and airspace rules, and we check for restrictions near airports before flying. We are a CAA-registered drone operator.
What happens on the day
We look at the roof from outside and, where it is relevant and there’s safe access, from inside the roof space too. Inside, we look for staining, damp, gaps and signs of movement, as far as the space allows. The whole visit typically takes about one to two hours on an ordinary house, and about three to four hours for a commercial roof. Rural addresses near Finglesham 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. The visit itself is the same as anywhere else.
- 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.
- Inside, the chimney breasts and the loft are checked for damp where there’s access.
- The report, with photographs and recommendations, is emailed to you.
Before the survey
- Leave side gates unlocked
- If you’re buying, let the agent know when we’re coming
- Agree roof access with the managing agent if it’s shared
Getting a price
Not sure which survey you need? The easiest way is to ring 07833 053749 or send us an email and describe the roof and what’s worrying you. We will explain the options and the price.