Essex · London and the South East
Chimney survey in Fordstreet, Essex
Chimney surveys in Fordstreet and the rest of Essex. Surveys run on weekdays and at weekends.
- Damp on a chimney breast inside
- A stack that appears to lean
- Lifted or split lead flashings
How a chimney survey works in Fordstreet
Redundant chimneys are common, particularly where fires have been replaced by central heating. A disused stack still needs looking after. Capping a stack without ventilation can trap moisture and lead to damp inside. We check how redundant stacks have been capped and look for damp in the chimney breasts. You get photos of each stack and our recommendations. We survey lead flashings, shared and party-wall stacks and flaunching, and common reasons people get in touch are lifted or split lead flashings and redundant stacks capped without ventilation.
Older buildings in small places like Fordstreet 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. Older materials such as clay tiles, slate and stone are frequently matched when work is done.
The report works through the roof section by section, from the main slopes down to the gutters and outlets, with a note and a photo for each point. You will see the good as well as the bad.
- Where
- Fordstreet (CO6)
- Wider area
- Essex
- Price
- From £150 inc. VAT
- Your report
- Written, with photos, emailed to you
- Survey days
- Weekdays, Saturdays and Sundays
- Cover
- Professional indemnity and public liability
- Telephone
- 07833 053749
- Page updated
- 27 October 2026
What a chimney survey looks like in Fordstreet
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. Weatherboarded walls and clay tile roofs are typical of older Essex buildings, 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.
If you own a rental within reach of Chappel & Wakes Colne station, the gap between tenancies is a good time to have the roof looked at. Anyone responsible for a site like Holy Trinity CofE Primary School will know that long gutter runs and wide roofs on a building that size are worth checking on a regular cycle.
Fordstreet is about 5 miles west of Colchester, in Essex. We cover Fordstreet and the rest of Essex, as part of our work across London and South East England. Across Essex, we cover Fordstreet. You can also see our page for Chelmsford.
We work across CO6 for chimney surveys. Streets in the area include Ford Street, Fordstreet Hill and Ponders Road, and we cover them all. If you’re just outside Fordstreet, we cover Rose Green (1 mile north-west), Chappel (2 miles north-west), Swan Street (2 miles west), Wakes Colne (2 miles north-west) and Great Tey (2 miles west). Further out, we also cover Colchester (5 miles east), Braintree (10 miles west), Maldon (13 miles south), Witham (10 miles south-west), Camulodunum (4 miles south-east) and Halstead (7 miles west).
Local landmarks in Fordstreet
We work in homes and buildings around The Queen's Head Public House and the streets around them. The nearest railway station is Chappel & Wakes Colne station, roughly 1.8 miles north-west. Nearby you will also find Essex County Hospital (4.4 miles east) and Mount Bures (3.6 miles north). For a walk, there’s Iron Latch.
What we can’t see
This is not a RICS building survey, a structural engineer’s report or an asbestos survey. It also has these limits:
- Checks on boilers, fires or their flues
- The inside of the flue, which needs a sweep or flue specialist
- Areas we can’t view from safe positions
If in doubt, call 07833 053749 or drop us an email and we’ll suggest the right survey. What a survey covers and doesn’t.
What this survey covers
- Flaunching
- Shared and party-wall stacks
- Brick chimney stacks
- Lead flashings
- Chimney pots and cowls
- Chimney breasts
When to book a survey in Fordstreet
Years of fires can affect the mortar inside a stack. Flue gases and damp can break down the mortar, sometimes more on one side than the other, which can make a stack lean.
People usually book a survey after spotting something like this:
- Gaps where the stack meets the roof
- Staining on walls around the chimney
- Frost-damaged brickwork on the stack
- Flaunching that has broken away
If you own one of the older houses in the streets near Church of St Margaret and St Catherine, corroded nails, tired lead and weathered chimney pointing are the things to watch on older roofs.
Before you book anyone
- Whether you get a written report with photos
- What they won’t be able to tell you
- What experience they bring
- Which viewpoints they use to see the roof
Towns and villages near Fordstreet
What else we do in Fordstreet
What happens on the day
When we arrive, we start by asking what you’ve noticed and what you’d like to know. After that, we look at everything we can see safely, from ground level, from windows, in the roof space and by drone where applicable. Most surveys take about 1–2 hours at a house, as part of a look at the roof around the stack. Somewhere as small as Fordstreet, access is often the only tricky part. Mention any outbuildings, barns or garages you want included, and anything about the roof you already know. Visits can be on weekdays, Saturdays or Sundays.
- We go through the chimneys, any damp and any work done on them.
- Each stack is inspected from safe positions outside.
- We photograph and record the pots, flaunching, pointing and flashings.
- Inside, the chimney breasts and the loft are checked for damp where there is access.
- You get a written report with photos and recommendations by email.
Before the survey
- Make a note of anything you’d like us to look at
- Have any paperwork from past roof work to hand
- If the roof is shared, arrange access with whoever manages the building
Book a survey
Unsure which package suits your roof? It is easiest to call 07833 053749 or use the contact form and describe the roof and what’s worrying you. We will talk you through the options and what they cost.
Advice
FAQs for Fordstreet
Does a conservation area affect roof work in Fordstreet?
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.
Is Fordstreet within the area you cover?
Yes. Fordstreet is within the area we cover, which takes in towns, villages and rural addresses. We work right across London and South East England. Let us know about access, parking and anything unusual about getting there when you book.
Does this replace a RICS home survey?
No. We’re experienced roof surveyors, and our survey covers the roof rather than the whole building. For the rest of the building, a RICS home survey is a separate job.
Is a leaning chimney dangerous?
Have it checked rather than leaving it. Leaning frequently comes from mortar breaking down unevenly. We record its condition with photos, and a structural engineer can assess whether it needs work.
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 it applies. Any area we couldn’t view is noted.
What happens after the survey?
You receive the written report by email, with photos and recommendations. You can use it to talk to a seller, an insurer, a roofer or a managing agent, whichever applies.
What should I do with a chimney I don’t use?
It depends on its condition and your plans. The survey shows its condition and how it’s been capped. In a conservation area or on a listed building, changes may need consent.
Checking the roof from the ground
What you cannot do safely is get up close. Roofs are fragile and slippery, and a fall can be serious. That is where a survey comes in, using safe viewpoints and a drone where applicable.
You can learn a lot from the ground. With binoculars, look for slipped or missing slates and tiles, gaps along the ridge and leaning chimneys. Never climb onto the roof to look.
Why it is worth a survey now in Fordstreet
For a buyer, the best time to learn about a chimney is before exchange. Once you’ve exchanged, the work is down to you. Our report gives you facts to raise with the seller or agent. Where a roof is exposed, as many are in small places like Fordstreet, driving rain gets into any weakness, and older walls, once damp, take a long time to dry.
Larger roofs, taller buildings and commercial roofs take longer, so they’re priced to match. You’ll know the figure before booking.
Why book with us
- More than 20 years surveying roofs
- Professional indemnity and public liability insurance
- Weekday and weekend surveys
- Thermal imaging and drone inspection where they help
Read what a roof survey costs or two real surveys.
What affects the cost of chimney surveys
Every roof is different, so prices are confirmed before you book. This is what makes a difference:
- How tall the building is and how easy the roof is to see
- Any need for thermal images or a drone flight
- Commercial roofs and larger buildings
- How complicated the roof is, with its valleys, chimneys and parapets
Prices quoted always include VAT, and the report isn’t charged as an extra. Our price is from £150, including VAT. Where your roof sits in the range depends on its size, height and access.
Booking your survey
You do not need to know any roofing terms. It’s enough to let us know:
- Where the property is, with the postcode
- How the loft is reached, if there is one
- What made you get in touch
- The kind of building and roof involved
If you are buying, it helps to book soon after your offer is accepted, so you have the findings in time to act on them before you exchange. For any other survey, just phone 07833 053749 or email us when you’re ready.