Essex · London and the South East
Chimney survey in Great Bardfield, Essex
Chimney surveys in Great Bardfield and the rest of Essex. Surveys run seven days a week.
- Cracked or missing flaunching
- Signs that a stack is leaning
- Lifted or split lead flashings
Tips that help
You do not need to be a roofer to help. Here’s what helps most:
- Check your stacks from ground level after strong winds
- Don’t use a ladder to reach the stack yourself
- Remove aerials or dishes from the stack if they’re no longer needed
- Ask about consent before removing a chimney on an older property
Once we have been, the findings are written up with photos. It covers the pots, flaunching, pointing, brickwork and flashings, and any damp we found inside. Turnaround is within 48 hours for Basic, 24 to 48 hours for Standard and the same day for Premium.
Keep an eye on chimney breasts for new damp patches. Early signs are easier to trace.
Chimney surveys for homes and businesses in Great Bardfield
A chimney survey looks at the stack and everything around it: pots, cowls, flaunching, pointing, bricks and the flashings at the roof line. We also look for damp on chimney breasts and in the loft where there is safe access. The findings come in a written report with photos and recommendations. We survey single stacks on houses and groups of stacks on bigger buildings. We survey flaunching, brick chimney stacks and shared and party-wall stacks, and common reasons people get in touch are damaged chimney pots and cowls and gaps in the mortar around the pots.
Some older homes in villages like Great Bardfield are listed or in a conservation area. That can affect what materials can be used when work is done, so check with the council before planning anything. Knowing the roof’s condition helps you plan ahead with that in mind. Where a building is listed, matching the existing roof materials is often expected.
The report doesn’t just list problems. For each finding, it explains what it is, why it matters and what we’d recommend, so you can plan your next steps.
- Place
- Great Bardfield (CM7)
- Region
- Essex
- Cost
- From £150 inc. VAT
- Report
- A written report with photos, by email
- When we survey
- Monday to Sunday, daytime
- Cover
- PI and public liability insurance
- Telephone
- 07833 053749
- Updated
- 27 October 2026
Different roofs, different checks
Chimney pots and cowls
Damaged pots are a safety concern as well as a leak risk. We record their condition with photographs.
Brick stacks
Frost can damage bricks that have soaked up water, making the faces flake away. We record any we can see.
DIY checks: what’s safe
The one thing to avoid is getting up close. Slates, tiles, flat roofs and rooflights can give way. That part is for a survey.
A DIY look is useful, but it isn’t a survey. From ground level, valleys, flashings and the backs of chimneys are frequently out of sight, and those are details a survey looks at closely.
For landlords and managing agents
With a portfolio of properties, surveys can be booked for more than one address. To arrange surveys for several addresses, ring 07833 053749 or send us an email with the addresses.
For blocks of flats, a roof survey helps managing agents and residents’ management companies plan ahead. The report sets out what needs attention now and what can wait.
FAQs for Great Bardfield
Is Great Bardfield within the area you cover?
Yes. Great Bardfield is within the area we cover, which takes in towns, villages and rural addresses. We cover the whole of London and South East England. Just mention lanes, gates or anything else about the route when you book.
Is my home in Great Bardfield listed or in a conservation area?
Start with Historic England’s list for listing and your council for conservation areas. Either can affect what roof work is allowed, so it is worth checking before planning any.
Do you climb onto every roof?
Only when it is safe. Some roofs are too steep or fragile to walk on safely. We use safe viewpoints, the roof space and a drone where it applies, and the report records anything we couldn’t see.
Does this replace a RICS home survey?
No. It is a specialist roof survey, not a RICS Level 2 or Level 3 building survey. It focuses on the roof and can sit alongside a RICS survey.
Can you inspect my roof with a drone?
Yes, where it is applicable. We hold a CAA Flyer ID and Operator ID and fly a drone under 250g, and the airspace and weather are checked before every flight.
Is a leaning chimney dangerous?
Don’t ignore it. Stacks can lean when mortar on one side breaks down. We record its condition with photos, and a structural engineer can assess whether it needs work.
What should I do with a chimney I don’t use?
A redundant chimney needs looking after like any other. Capping without airflow can lead to damp. We check how it’s capped and its condition, so you can plan what to do with it.
Also near Great Bardfield
More services for Great Bardfield
How it works
Before we start, let us know why you’ve booked: buying, a leak, storm damage, new work or just wanting to know where things stand. That way we can focus on what matters to you. The visit usually takes about 1–2 hours at a house, as part of a look at the roof around the stack. Rural addresses near Great Bardfield can be hard to find from a postcode alone, so a few directions are welcome. After that, the survey runs as it would anywhere.
- We start by noting which stacks are in use, shared or causing concern.
- We check the roof around each stack, including the flashings.
- The top of each stack is checked for cracked flaunching and loose pots.
- We note the brickwork, pointing and any sign of leaning.
- The report explains the condition and which work is most urgent.
Before the survey
- Clear the way to the loft hatch
- Make sure we can get to the back of the property
- Make a note of anything you’d like us to look at
Booking a survey
If you have photos of the roof, send them over. Pictures from ground level or a window are fine; never climb up to get a better view. To send them or to book, phone 07833 053749 or email us.
Read more
Roofs, chimneys and gutters in Great Bardfield
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, before anyone quotes for re-roofing. Older buildings in Essex often have clay tiles and weatherboarding, alongside plenty of post-war and newer estates. Knowing the covering helps explain which parts of a roof are likely to need work first.
If you look after a building such as Great Bardfield Primary School, large buildings have long gutter runs and big roofs that need checking like any other. For an older house near a landmark such as Parish Church of St Mary the Virgin, old fixings, lead flashings and tall chimneys are typical of older roofs.
Great Bardfield is about 7 miles north-west of Braintree, in Essex. If you are in Great Bardfield, booking works exactly as it does anywhere else: get in touch, agree the price and pick a day. We cover towns and villages across Essex, large and small. For surveys nearby, see our Chelmsford page.
Postcode districts we cover here for chimney surveys: CM7. Whether your property is on High Street, The Corniche and Vine Street or a nearby road, we can help. Close by, we survey roofs in Little Bardfield (1 mile west), Finchingfield (1 mile north-east), Bardfield Saling (2 miles south-east), Wethersfield (2 miles east) and Crow's Green (3 miles south). Within a short drive, we also cover Chelmsford (15 miles south), Braintree (7 miles south-east), Witham (13 miles south-east), Saffron Walden (10 miles north-west), Halstead (9 miles east) and Great Dunmow (6 miles south-west).
Near you in Great Bardfield
Around Great Bardfield, our work takes us to homes and buildings near The Vine pub, among other places. The countryside around Great Bardfield includes West Wood.
What a chimney survey does not cover
Our survey is not a RICS Level 2 or Level 3 survey, a structural engineer’s report or an asbestos survey. It also has these limits:
- Whether a stack needs rebuilding on structural grounds
- The inside of the flue, which needs a sweep or flue specialist
- What’s inside the brickwork or behind render, without opening up
If in doubt, call 07833 053749 or send us an email and we’ll point you to the right survey. What a survey covers and doesn’t.
What this survey covers
- Brick chimney stacks
- Shared and party-wall stacks
- Flaunching
- Chimney pots and cowls
- Lead flashings
- Chimney breasts