Kent · London and the South East
Folkestone Chimney Survey
A survey of chimney stacks, pots, flashings and flaunching across Folkestone, using drones and thermal imaging where it applies. Call or email for a price.
- Damp on a chimney breast inside
- Damaged chimney pots and cowls
- Spalled or crumbling bricks
Chimney survey in Folkestone
Damp on a chimney breast can have several causes. Water may be getting in at the top through cracked flaunching or an uncapped pot, through the brickwork, or at the flashings. Moisture trapped inside a stack with no ventilation can also cause damp. Our survey checks each of these and records the likely cause. That points the work in the right direction. Typical surveys look at signs that a stack is leaning and spalled or crumbling bricks, on flaunching, brick chimney stacks and lead flashings.
Folkestone mixes older houses, often slate or clay tiled, with newer estates, many of them with concrete tiles. Chimneys on older houses may be redundant, capped or leaning, and their lead flashings still need to be sound. Newer homes have fewer chimneys but their own weak points at ridges, verges and gutters.
Pictures do a lot of the work in our reports, because a photo of a cracked flashing says more than a paragraph. If something couldn’t be seen safely, the report is clear about it.
- Place
- Folkestone (CT20, CT19, CT21)
- Region
- Kent
- Price
- From £150 inc. VAT
- Reports
- A written report with photos, by email
- Survey days
- Monday to Sunday, daytime
- Insured
- PI and public liability insurance
- Call
- 07833 053749
- Updated
- 27 October 2026
What you can safely check yourself
During heavy rain, look at the gutters from ground level or a window. Overflowing water can be a sign of a blockage or a gutter that has dropped.
Fresh stains on ceilings or walls after rain are worth noting. Photograph them and note the date, which helps when we look at the roof.
When you need someone else
A survey is a proper look at the chimney stack, but it can’t do everything. The main limits are:
- Structural calculations for a leaning stack
- Areas we cannot view from safe positions
- Conditions inside walls
If you’re not sure which survey you need, call 07833 053749 or use the contact form and we will give you a straight answer before booking. The full list of what we check.
Roofs we survey in Folkestone
- Chimney pots and cowls
- Shared and party-wall stacks
- Chimney breasts
- Flaunching
- Lead flashings
- Brick chimney stacks
Chimney surveys around Folkestone
Folkestone is within about 1 mile of the coast, where sea air brings more salt and stronger wind than inland. Near the sea, metal fixings wear faster and loose pieces on a roof are more likely to lift. The wider area around Folkestone has a long history of building, with Acrise Place about 3.9 miles north. 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.
For landlords with property near Folkestone Central station, a dated record of the roof is useful when planning maintenance across a let. Homes near green spaces such as Lower Leas Coastal Park can get more leaves in their gutters in autumn, and an overflowing gutter soon means a wet wall.
Folkestone is in Kent. In Folkestone, as across Kent, every roof gets the same careful survey. Folkestone is one of the towns and villages in Kent where we work. You can also see our page for Canterbury.
Chimney surveys in CT20, CT19 and CT21 are booked the same way as anywhere else. If you need a chimney survey at a property on Christ Church Road, Middelburg Square and Station Road or a nearby road, we can help. With the A259 and A260 close by, Folkestone is simple for us to get to. We also cover Cheriton (1 mile west), Sandgate (1 mile south-west), Hawkinge (2 miles north), Arpinge (2 miles north-west) and Seabrook (2 miles west). Within a short drive, we also cover Ashford (14 miles west), Canterbury (14 miles north), Dover (7 miles north-east), Deal (13 miles north-east), Hythe (4 miles west) and Tower Hamlets (7 miles north-east). As one of the bigger places in Kent, Folkestone has homes, rented property and businesses of every kind.
Local landmarks in Folkestone
Typical jobs here are in homes near The Park Inn Hotel, Lower Leas Coastal Park and The Harvey Grammar School, among other places. There is a railway station in Folkestone itself: Folkestone Central station. A little further out are Folkestone Museum (0.7 miles south-east) and Folkestone Castle (1 mile north). Not far away are Sugar Loaf Hill.
How we price chimney surveys
We confirm the price for the job before booking. These are the things that affect it:
- The height of the building and how the roof can safely be seen
- How big the roof is
- Extensions, dormers and garages with roofs of their own
- Whether you choose the Basic, Standard or Premium Survey
Prices quoted always include VAT, and the written report is part of the package. Chimney survey starts from £150, including VAT. Where your roof sits in the range depends on its size, height and access.
What to let us know when you get in touch
If you can, have these to hand when you contact us:
- What kind of property and roof it is
- How the loft is reached, if there is one
- When you need the report by
- The property’s address and postcode
When you’re ready to go ahead, phone 07833 053749 or email us. We’ll suggest a package, agree the price and find a date.
FAQs for Folkestone
How do I find out if my home in Folkestone is listed?
Check Historic England’s online list first, then ask the council about conservation areas and any Article 4 direction. It matters most if you’re planning to re-roof in a different material.
Is the coastal weather around Folkestone hard on roofs?
Often, yes. Within about 1 mile of the sea, as Folkestone is, metal fixings wear faster and gales find any loose ridge or slate.
Should a redundant chimney be removed?
There is no single answer. We record how the stack is doing and whether it’s capped with ventilation. If you are thinking of removing it, check with the council first in a conservation area or on a listed building.
How long will you be at the property?
Most surveys take roughly 1–2 hours for a house, and about three to four hours for a commercial roof. The report follows by email.
Do you inspect shared chimneys?
Yes. We inspect everything that’s safely in view and what you give us access to. Where a problem appears to be on next door’s side, we note it and you can raise it with them.
Is it a structural engineer’s report?
No. Our survey is not a structural engineer’s report, and it does not include calculations. We’ll recommend an engineer if we see signs that call for one.
Will you go up on the roof?
Only if it is safe. We look at everything that can be seen safely: from ground level, from windows and vantage points, from the loft space, from the roof itself where safe and by drone where it applies. Anything we can’t see is noted in the report.
Tips from our surveys
Most of what helps is simple and safe from ground level. Our suggestions:
- Have the flue swept and checked if you use the fire
- Keep track of stains on chimney breasts
- Have brackets on the chimney checked
- Ask about consent before removing a chimney on an older property
If the stack is shared, you can pass the report to your neighbour. It shows what we found and where from the viewpoints we used.
Watch for damp or staining on chimney breasts. Early signs are easier to trace.
What we do, step by step
The visit typically starts outside and finishes in the loft: first the slopes, edges and gutters from every safe viewpoint, then the roof space where it can be reached. All told, expect between one and two hours at a house, as part of a look at the roof around the stack. For a visit in Folkestone, we need access to the loft, any rooms with leaks or stains, and the outside of the building. Mention gates, side passages and anything at the back. Weekday and weekend visits are available.
- You let us know how many stacks there are and any damp or problems you’ve noticed.
- Each chimney is viewed from wherever it can be seen safely.
- Every part we can see is looked at: pots, cowls, flaunching, pointing, bricks and flashings.
- We check the chimney breasts and the stack in the loft space where we can reach them.
- The findings are written up with photographs and recommendations and emailed to you.
Before we arrive
- If you are buying, check with the agent that we can get in
- Leave side gates unlocked
- Let us know about parking near the property
Getting a price
Getting a price is simple: just phone 07833 053749 or use the contact form and give us some details about the property and we’ll explain which survey suits. We confirm the price before anything is booked.
Related advice
Other services in Folkestone
Do you need a chimney survey in Folkestone?
Where a chimney meets the roof, lead flashings keep water out. With age they can lift, split or come away from the joints. Failed flashings are one of the most common causes of damp around chimneys. Lead is also a target for theft.
Signs worth acting on include:
- Unused flues sealed without airflow
- Spalled or crumbling bricks
- Lifted or split lead flashings
- A chimney out of line
If yours is one of the older homes in the streets near United Reformed Church, its chimney, valleys and lead work are likely to be the parts that need attention first.
Questions to ask before you book
- Whether the price includes VAT
- Is there a chance to talk the report through?
- If they fly a drone, whether they hold a CAA Flyer ID and Operator ID
- When you’ll get the report