Essex · London and the South East
Chimney survey in Great Berry, Essex
A survey of chimney stacks, pots, flashings and flaunching around Great Berry, with a written report you can act on. Weekday and weekend visits available.
- Redundant stacks capped without ventilation
- Cracked or missing flaunching
- Damp patches on chimney breasts
Chimney surveys for homes and businesses in Great Berry
For buyers, a chimney survey before exchange can flag work you may want to raise. Cracked flaunching, failed flashings and worn pointing are common findings on older stacks. You get photos and findings you can take back to the seller or agent. It works alongside a RICS home survey, not instead of one. We survey chimney breasts, chimney pots and cowls and lead flashings, and the problems we are asked to look at most are gaps where the stack meets the roof and pots or cowls that look unsafe.
Trees around homes in smaller places like Great Berry drop leaves, twigs and moss onto roofs and into gutters. Once gutters and outlets block, water spills over and soaks the walls, and moss holds water against tiles. A report spots that kind of slow problem before it becomes damp inside. Moss on the roof and weeds in the gutter are both easy to spot from the ground.
What you get is a clear record of the chimney stack on the day we saw it. It is useful straight away, and a good reference for later, for example when you want to check whether anything has changed.
- Place
- Great Berry (SS16, SS15, CM13)
- Region
- 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
Great Berry homes and their roofs
Great Berry is within about 5 miles 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, and driving rain gets into whatever gap is left. Older buildings may be listed or sit in a conservation area. Historic England’s list shows listed buildings, and the council can say whether a street is in a conservation area. Re-roofing in different materials may need permission there.
Take an older house close to St John: old fixings, lead flashings and tall chimneys are typical of older roofs. For businesses in and around places such as Eastgate Shopping Centre, a dated report on the roof is useful for planning and for any lease discussions.
Great Berry is about 2 miles west of Basildon, in Essex. We survey roofs in Great Berry and the surrounding area as part of our work across London and the South East. We cover towns and villages across Essex. We also survey roofs in Chelmsford.
Chimney surveys in SS16, SS15 and CM13 are booked the same way as anywhere else. Whether your property is on New Avenue, Coburg Lane and West Avenue or a nearby road, we can help. Neighbouring places we cover for chimney surveys include Langdon Hills (1 mile south-east), Laindon (1 mile north-east), Lee Chapel (2 miles east), Steeple View (2 miles north-east) and Basildon (2 miles east). Further out, we also cover Chelmsford (12 miles north), Brentwood (6 miles north-west), Canvey Island (8 miles east), Billericay (4 miles north), Rayleigh (9 miles east) and Wickford (6 miles north-east).
Near you in Great Berry
We work in homes and buildings around Gloucester Park and The James Hornsby School, among other places. For rail, the closest station is Laindon station, about 0.7 miles east. Nearby you’ll also find Basildon University Hospital (1.9 miles east) and Eastgate Shopping Centre (2.2 miles east). Not far away are Langdon Nature Reserve.
Why act early in Great Berry
A leaning stack should be looked at sooner rather than later. Our survey records it and says when a structural engineer should look at it, so you can decide what to do next. Blocked gutters on homes around Great Berry overflow and soak walls, especially where trees overhang. Dealing with the cause is simple; drying out a wall is not.
Simple, low roofs take less time to survey than tall or complicated ones, and the package matters as well. We’ll give you the figure before anything is booked.
What you get with us
- An independent view of the roof
- Clear package prices, inc. VAT
- Photographs and a written report every time
- Weekday and weekend surveys
Do you need a chimney survey in Great Berry?
TV aerials, satellite dishes and their brackets are often fixed to chimneys. The extra load in wind can work bricks and joints loose. We check fixings on the stack as part of the survey.
A survey can pick up problems such as:
- Damaged chimney pots and cowls
- Gaps in the mortar around the pots
- Lifted or split lead flashings
- Spalled or crumbling bricks
Take a building like Great Berry Primary School: its roofs, gutters and any chimneys need the same checks as a house’s, just on a bigger scale.
Choosing a roof surveyor
- If they fly a drone, whether they hold a CAA Flyer ID and Operator ID
- What insurance they carry
- Whether the loft is part of the inspection
- When you’ll get the report
Nearby places to Great Berry
More services for Great Berry
Practical tips
There’s plenty you can do without going near the roof. What helps most:
- Look at the chimneys with binoculars after a storm
- Keep the report to compare against at the next survey
- Have brackets on the chimney checked
- Book a sweep for flues that are in use
If the stack is shared, you can pass the report to your neighbour. The photos show the problem and which side it is on, as far as we could see.
Keep an eye on chimney breasts for new damp patches. The sooner damp is spotted, the easier the cause is to find.
Great Berry: your questions answered
I let a flat near Laindon station. Can you check the roof?
Yes, that’s a common request. We just need to know who will give access, and we can send the report to you or your agent.
Will you come out to Great Berry?
Yes, we do. We cover the whole of London and South East England, from towns to the smallest villages. The journey is planned ahead, so it helps to know about access.
Do I have to be there for the survey?
That depends on the survey. Inside the building and in the loft, we need someone to let us in; we’ll agree the details as you book.
What does the report include?
You get our findings in writing, part by part, with photos. Points are put in order of urgency where relevant.
Can you tell me if my roof has asbestos?
No. We don’t carry out asbestos surveys or testing. We flag materials that could contain asbestos, such as cement sheets or soffits on pre-2000 buildings.
Is this a RICS 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 and can sit alongside a RICS survey.
What does a chimney survey cover?
The survey covers the pots and cowls, the flaunching, the pointing, the bricks and the flashings. Inside, we look for damp on chimney breasts and in the loft where there’s safe access. Everything is written up with photographs.
What we do, step by step
Where it is relevant and can be reached safely, the loft space is checked as well as the outside. Inside, we look for staining, damp, gaps and signs of movement, as far as the space allows. All in, the survey usually takes roughly 1–2 hours at a house, as part of a look at the roof around the stack. For a survey in Great Berry, we agree the time, the access and parking before the day. Weekday and weekend visits are both possible. Tell us about any garages, outbuildings or extensions you want included.
- We start with the details: how many stacks, whether any are shared and any signs of damp.
- Each chimney is viewed from wherever it can be seen safely.
- The pots, cowls, flaunching, pointing, brickwork and flashings are checked and photographed.
- Where there’s safe access, we check the stack in the loft and the chimney breasts for damp.
- You get a photo-illustrated written report and our recommendations.
Before the survey
- Point out any leaks or damp patches
- Have any questions written down, so nothing gets missed
- Keep pets in another room
Getting a price
If you have photos of the roof, send them over. Take them safely from ground level or a window; never climb up to get a better view. To get started, call 07833 053749 or email us.
Read more
How the survey changes by roof type
Chimney breasts and the loft
In the loft, staining around the stack often shows where water is getting in. What we find is photographed and described.
Lead flashings
Where the chimney meets the roof slopes, lead flashings keep water out. The survey looks at whether the lead is tight, sound and well fixed.
Checking the roof from ground level
If you have a loft with safe access, take a look inside. Use a torch and stay on the joists or boards, and look for staining, damp timber or daylight coming through.
It helps to keep a record: when leaks happen, ground-level photos and any past roof work. Send it with your enquiry and it will help the survey.