Medway · London and the South East
Chimney survey in Grain, Medway
An experienced roof surveyor for chimney surveys in Grain. More than 20 years and over 5,000 surveys.
- Spalled or crumbling bricks
- Disused chimneys trapping moisture
- Pots or cowls that look unsafe
Different roofs, different checks
Chimney pots and cowls
For unused flues, we check whether caps or cowls allow ventilation. Poor capping can lead to damp inside the stack.
Flaunching
Sitting at the very top, flaunching is fully exposed. We look for cracks, gaps around the pots and missing pieces.
About our chimney survey in Grain
Our survey covers the structure of the stack and its weathering details. It’s not a flue inspection, a chimney sweep or a gas safety inspection. If you use a fire or a gas appliance, the flue should be checked by a sweep or a Gas Safe registered engineer as appropriate. We’ll tell you if we see anything that suggests they should take a look. Typical surveys look at flashings pulling away from the stack and damp patches on chimney breasts, across chimney breasts, chimney pots and cowls and flaunching.
Somewhere as small as Grain, homes are often older cottages and farmhouses, with outbuildings and some newer houses. Roofs there can be clay tile, slate, stone or thatch, and chimney stacks are often old. We report on whatever is safely visible, and thatch is a specialist material. Chimneys and lead flashings on old roofs often need the most attention.
Findings are set out part by part, from the coverings down to the gutters, with a note and a photo for each point. It records what’s sound as well as what isn’t.
- Location
- Grain (ME3)
- Wider area
- Medway
- Price
- From £150 inc. VAT
- Reports
- A written report with photos, by email
- Appointments
- Weekdays and weekends
- Cover
- Professional indemnity and public liability
- Call
- 07833 053749
- Updated
- 27 October 2026
How it works
The visit has one job: to see as much of the chimney stack as can be seen safely and record it clearly. Notes and photos go into the written report. The visit typically takes an hour or two for a house, and longer for a large or complex roof. Rural addresses near Grain can be hard to find from a postcode alone, so a few directions are welcome. After that, the survey runs as it would anywhere.
- First we talk through the stacks, their history and any problems.
- Each stack is inspected from safe positions outside.
- Pots, cowls, flaunching, pointing and flashings are checked and photographed.
- We look for damp on chimney breasts and in the loft space.
- You get a written report with photos and recommendations by email.
Preparing for the visit
- Let us know about parking near the property
- Keep pets in another room
- Make sure the loft hatch can be reached
How to book
Photos help, if you have them. Take them safely from ground level or a window. To get started, call 07833 053749 or send us an email.
Advice
Can I check my roof myself?
What you cannot do safely is get up close. Slates, tiles, flat roofs and rooflights can give way, and a fall can be serious. That part is for a survey, using safe viewpoints and a drone where applicable.
A DIY look is useful, but it isn’t a survey. You won’t see flashings, valleys or the backs of chimneys properly from the ground, and those are details a survey looks at closely.
Rented homes, blocks and businesses
If you own several properties, surveys can be booked for more than one address. To discuss a number of properties, call 07833 053749 or drop us an email.
Landlords, agents and building managers in Grain and across Medway can book any of our surveys. To discuss a property or a block, phone 07833 053749 or use the contact form.
Nearby places to Grain
What else we do in Grain
Do you need a chimney survey in Grain?
Chimney stacks stand above the roof, exposed to wind, rain and frost on every side. Frost works into cracks in the flaunching and pointing, and rain soaks into worn brickwork. Most people book after spotting damp or a loose pot, or before buying.
A survey can pick up problems such as:
- Bricks with flaking faces
- A stack that appears to lean
- Disused chimneys trapping moisture
- Damp patches on chimney breasts
If you look after a building such as St James Church of England Primary Academy, large buildings have long gutter runs and big roofs that need checking like any other.
Questions to ask before booking
- Their report turnaround times
- Which parts of the roof they’ll actually see
- Do they have a CAA Flyer ID and Operator ID for drone work?
- Is there a chance to talk the report through?
Useful tips for Grain property owners
A survey works best with a little help from you, before and after. Some tips:
- Never climb onto the roof to look at a chimney
- Find out whether changes to a stack need permission
- File photos of the stacks with your home records
- Glance at the stacks from the street now and then
Questions about the findings are always welcome. Standard Surveys come with a follow-up consultation, and Premium Surveys with an in-person one.
Have aerial and dish brackets on the stack checked, and moved if they’re working it loose. Less load on the stack means less strain in wind.
Grain questions
Does a conservation area affect roof work in Grain?
For listing, use Historic England’s list; for conservation areas, ask the council. The answer matters most when a change of material is on the cards.
Do roofs near the sea, like those around Grain, take more of a battering?
Generally, yes: wind and salt air take more of a toll near the sea. Ridges, verges, flashings and fixings are where it typically shows, and Grain is within about 1 mile of the coast.
Does this replace a RICS home survey?
No. Our survey is a roof survey, not a RICS Level 2 or Level 3 survey of the whole building. It focuses on the roof, so it sits alongside a building survey rather than replacing it.
What do I do with the report?
You’ll get the report by email. With Standard there’s a follow-up consultation; with Premium, an in-person consultation.
Is this an asbestos survey?
No. We can flag materials that might contain asbestos, but only a specialist asbestos surveyor can confirm it. Buildings built or refurbished before 2000 may contain it.
Do you survey on Saturdays and Sundays?
Visits run seven days a week in the daytime. Just say which days work for you.
How long does the survey take?
Most surveys take roughly 1–2 hours for most homes, a little longer where there are several stacks. The report follows by email.
Grain homes and their roofs
The coast is about 1 mile or less from Grain, and places near the sea get more salt in the air and more wind than inland. Near the sea, metal fixings wear faster and loose pieces on a roof are more likely to lift. Across Kent, older roofs are often handmade clay or peg tiles, and tile-hanging on upper walls is a familiar sight. The county’s older buildings also include oast houses and timber-framed Wealden hall houses. Whichever you have, the details that tend to fail before the covering itself get the closest look.
If you own one of the older houses in the streets near Church of St James, old fixings, lead flashings and tall chimneys are typical of older roofs. If you let a flat or house near Sheerness-On-Sea station, knowing the condition of the roof, chimneys and gutters helps you plan work rather than react to complaints.
Grain is about 5 miles north-west of Minster, in Medway. We survey roofs in Grain and the rest of Medway. Grain is one of the places in Medway we cover for chimney surveys. We also survey roofs in Maidstone.
We cover every part of ME3 for chimney surveys. Streets in the area include High Street, Power Station Road and Chapel Road, all of which we cover. Other places close to Grain include Wallend (1 mile west), Blue Town (2 miles south-east), Sheerness (2 miles south-east), Queenborough (3 miles south-east) and Rushenden (3 miles south). Further out, we also cover Gillingham (8 miles south-west), Chatham (10 miles south-west), Rochester (10 miles south-west), Rainham (8 miles south-west), Strood (11 miles south-west) and Luton (10 miles south-west).
Near you in Grain
Locally, jobs take us to homes and businesses close to The Hogarth Inn and the streets around them. The nearest railway station is Sheerness-On-Sea station, about 2.1 miles south-east. Other landmarks nearby include Bluetown Heritage Centre (1.8 miles south-east).