Essex · London and the South East
Great Burstead Chimney Survey
Chimney surveys in Great Burstead and the rest of Essex. We survey seven days a week.
- Eroded joints in the brickwork
- Redundant stacks capped without ventilation
- Signs that a stack is leaning
Chimney survey in Great Burstead
A chimney survey is about the outside of the stack and the roof around it. It’s not a flue inspection, a chimney sweep or a gas safety inspection. For the flue itself, you will need a sweep or, for gas appliances, a Gas Safe registered engineer. We’ll tell you if we see anything that suggests they should take a look. If you’re worried about loose, cracked or missing pots and disused chimneys trapping moisture, a survey will tell you what’s going on.
Somewhere as small as Great Burstead, homes are frequently older cottages and farmhouses, with outbuildings and some newer houses. Roofs there can be clay tile, slate, stone or thatch, and chimney stacks are frequently old. We report on what can be seen safely, and thatch is a specialist material. On older roofs, it is usually the chimneys and lead flashings that need work first.
How fast the report arrives depends on the package: the Basic Survey within 48 hours, the Standard Survey in 24 to 48 hours and the Premium Survey on the same day.
- Where
- Great Burstead (CM11, SS15)
- Region
- Essex
- Cost
- From £150 inc. VAT
- Report
- A written report with photos, by email
- When we survey
- Monday to Sunday, daytime
- Insurance
- PI and public liability insurance
- Call
- 07833 053749
- Last updated
- 27 October 2026
How we price chimney surveys
Prices always include VAT. The things that change the price are:
- The number of roofs, including extensions and garages
- Any need for thermal images or a drone flight
- The roof’s overall size
- How tall the building is and how easy the roof is to see
Larger roofs, taller buildings and commercial roofs take longer, so the price reflects that. You will know the figure before booking.
Getting in touch
The more you let us know, the easier it is to price the survey. When you contact us, it helps to mention:
- When you need the report by
- Any stains, drips or damp patches you’ve seen indoors
- How the loft is reached, if there is one
- The property’s address and postcode
When you are ready to go ahead, ring 07833 053749 or email us. We’ll suggest a package, agree the price and find a date.
How the survey changes by roof type
Brick stacks
Many older stacks were built with lime mortar. We note where repairs should match the original mortar.
Chimney pots and cowls
On redundant flues, we look at how the pots are capped. Capping without ventilation can trap moisture.
Nearby places to Great Burstead
What else we do in Great Burstead
DIY checks: what’s safe
Look up at the roof after a storm, from ground level: pieces of tile or slate on the ground, a gap in the ridge or a lifted flashing are all worth noting. Don’t go up yourself.
After heavy rain, check ceilings and the tops of walls for new stains. Photograph them and note the date, which helps when we check the roof.
What we are asked to look at in Great Burstead
A stack takes the weather from every direction. Frost works into cracks in the flaunching and pointing, and rain soaks into worn brickwork. People typically call us when they notice damp or a problem with the stack, or before a purchase.
Typical things we are asked to look at include:
- Unused flues sealed without airflow
- Damp on a chimney breast inside
- Spalled or crumbling bricks
- Gaps in the mortar around the pots
If your house is among the older ones in the streets near Church of St Mary Magdalene, the nails, lead and mortar on the roof may be wearing out even where the slates or tiles look fine.
What to check before booking
- What insurance they carry
- Do they have a CAA Flyer ID and Operator ID for drone work?
- Is there a chance to talk the report through?
- What exactly goes into their report
Chimney surveys around Great Burstead
Clay tiles and timber weatherboarding mark out many of the older buildings in Essex, alongside plenty of post-war and newer estates. Each of these coverings has its own weak points, from fixings and valleys to flashings, chimneys and gutters. With Ingatestone Hall about 4.6 miles north-west, Great Burstead sits in an area with a long building history. On older houses around here, roofs frequently carry the marks of earlier repairs, from replaced slates to new lead, and the council can say whether a home is in a conservation area.
If you let a flat or house near Billericay station, a roof report between tenancies helps plan work before a small defect becomes a tenant’s leak. If you look after a shop, office or commercial unit, for example near Eastgate Shopping Centre, a roof report helps plan work around trading rather than after a leak.
Great Burstead is about 2 miles south-east of Billericay, in Essex. Great Burstead is part of the area we cover and the surrounding area across London and South East England. Our Essex coverage includes Great Burstead. We also survey roofs in Chelmsford.
Here we cover the CM11 and SS15 postcode area for chimney surveys. We cover properties on Mill Road, Southend Road and Tyrrells Road. We also cover the places around Great Burstead: Crays Hill (1 mile east), Little Burstead (1 mile west), Billericay (2 miles north-west), Ramsden Bellhouse (2 miles north-east) and Ramsden Heath (3 miles north-east). Larger places within reach include Chelmsford (9 miles north), Brentwood (6 miles west), Maldon (13 miles north-east), Canvey Island (8 miles south-east), Rayleigh (7 miles east) and Wickford (4 miles east).
Around Great Burstead
Around Great Burstead, our work takes us to homes and buildings near Kings Head pub and The Billericay School. The nearest railway station is Billericay station, about 2.1 miles north-west of the centre. Well-known places in the area include Eastgate Shopping Centre (2.5 miles south) and Barleylands Farm Museum (under half a mile south). For a walk, there’s Norsey Wood.
For landlords and managing agents
For a freeholder or residents’ company, a roof report is a sound basis for a maintenance plan.
Where a roof is shared: we need access agreed with whoever owns or manages the building. Mention it when you get in touch and we’ll plan the visit with that in mind.
How it works
Where it’s relevant and can be reached safely, the loft space is checked as well as the outside. In the loft, the signs we look for are staining, damp, daylight and sagging. All in, the survey usually takes an hour or two for most homes, a little longer where there are several stacks. For a village or hamlet like Great Burstead, the journey is planned ahead of time: tell us about narrow lanes, gates, long drives and where we can park. The roof is looked at from ground level, from windows, from the loft where there’s safe access and from the roof where it is safe.
- First you let us know about the chimneys, any damp on the chimney breasts and any worries.
- The stacks are looked at from ground level, from windows and from other safe vantage points.
- We check and photograph the pots, cowls, flaunching, pointing and flashings.
- Where there’s safe access, we look at the stack in the loft and the chimney breasts for damp.
- The findings are written up with photographs and recommendations and emailed to you.
How to prepare
- If the roof is shared, arrange access with whoever manages the building
- Jot down any questions you want answered
- Buyers: confirm access with the estate agent or seller
How to book
Surveys can be booked for weekdays, Saturdays or Sundays. To arrange a day that suits you, call 07833 053749 or use the contact form.
Related advice
FAQs for Great Burstead
Will you come out to Great Burstead?
Yes. Great Burstead is within the area we cover, which takes in towns, villages and rural addresses. Our area covers London and South East England. Just mention lanes, gates or anything else about the route when booking.
Do you survey roofs for landlords with property near Billericay station?
Of course. We just need to know who will give access, and we can send the report to you or your agent.
How much does a chimney survey cost in Great Burstead?
Prices start from £150, including VAT. Our three packages are Basic from £150, Standard from £250 and Premium from £400, including VAT.
Will you fly a drone over my roof?
Where it helps and the rules allow, yes. Our sub-250g drone is flown by a CAA-registered operator with a Flyer ID and Operator ID, and every flight depends on the airspace and the weather.
Do you survey on Saturdays and Sundays?
We survey seven days a week: weekdays, Saturdays and Sundays. Let us know which days suit you when booking.
Will you go up on the roof?
Not always. Some roofs are too steep or fragile to walk on safely. Safe viewpoints, the loft and a drone where it applies let us see the rest, and the report records anything we couldn’t see.
Can you tell me if my roof has asbestos?
No. We do not carry out asbestos surveys or testing. We flag materials that could contain asbestos, such as cement sheets or soffits on pre-2000 buildings and suggest a specialist asbestos surveyor checks them before any work.