Southend-on-Sea · London and the South East
Great Wakering Chimney Survey
A survey of chimney stacks, pots, flashings and flaunching for Great Wakering, from an experienced roof surveyor. Every survey comes with a written report and photographs.
- Damp patches on chimney breasts
- Eroded joints in the brickwork
- Signs that a stack is leaning
Why it is worth a survey now in Great Wakering
If you are buying, find out about the stacks before you exchange. After that, any work is yours to arrange and pay for. Our report gives you facts to raise with the seller or agent. Around Great Wakering, a leak in an older house can soak into timbers and plaster, and that’s a much bigger job than the original defect.
For a price for your roof in Great Wakering, ring 07833 053749 or send us an email with the address and a few details. We will confirm the figure before booking.
Why book with us
- Over 20 years’ experience
- 5,000+ surveys completed
- Thermal imaging and drones used where they help
- An independent view of the roof
Read our cost guide and what we found on two real jobs.
Chimney surveys for homes and businesses in Great Wakering
Many terraced and semi-detached homes share their chimney stacks with a neighbour. We look at whatever is safely visible and what the owner gives us access to. Where a problem seems to involve a neighbour’s side, the report records it, so you can talk to them. Everything is written up with photos and what we recommend. If you’ve noticed gaps in the mortar around the pots and unused flues sealed without airflow, a survey will tell you what’s going on.
Around Great Wakering, gardens, hedges and nearby trees can mean leaves and moss end up on roofs and in gutters. Once gutters and outlets block, water spills over and soaks the walls. It’s the kind of slow problem a roof report picks up early. Moss on the roof and weeds in the gutter are both easy to spot from ground level.
Most points in the report come with a picture, because a photo of a cracked flashing says more than a paragraph. If something couldn’t be seen safely, the report is clear about it.
- Location
- Great Wakering (SS3)
- Wider area
- Southend-on-Sea
- Cost
- From £150 inc. VAT
- Your report
- Written, with photos, emailed to you
- Survey days
- Weekdays and weekends
- Insurance
- Professional indemnity and public liability
- Phone
- 07833 053749
- Page updated
- 27 October 2026
What happens on the day
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. All in, the survey usually takes between one and two hours for most homes, a little longer where there are several stacks. In a smaller place like Great Wakering, as anywhere, the forecast plays a part: drone flights and thermal imaging need the right conditions, while a look from the ground and the loft can go ahead in most weather.
- 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.
How to prepare
- Check pets are kept safely away
- Agree roof access with the managing agent if it’s shared
- Let us know about parking near the property
How to book
When you are ready to go ahead, ring 07833 053749 or send us an email. We’ll suggest a package, agree the price and find a date.
Related advice
Towns and villages near Great Wakering
What else we do in Great Wakering
Tips that help
A little preparation and a few simple habits help, both for the survey and for the roof itself. Some pointers:
- Don’t use a ladder to reach the stack yourself
- Have the flue swept and checked if you use the fire
- Keep track of stains on chimney breasts
- Check that disused chimneys can still breathe
You can send the report to roofers or builders for quotes. Because everyone is pricing the same findings, the quotes are easier to compare.
Have aerial and dish brackets on the stack checked and taken off if they’re no longer needed. Less load on the stack means less strain in wind.
Common questions in Great Wakering
Is Great Wakering within the area you cover?
Yes, smaller places are covered as well as towns. Our area covers London and South East England. Let us know about access, parking and anything unusual about getting there when you book.
Do roofs near the sea, like those around Great Wakering, take more of a battering?
Places near the sea get more wind and more salt in the air than inland, and both are hard on roofs. Salt is hard on nails, clips and metal flashings, while strong wind lifts anything already loose.
Is this a RICS survey?
No. We are experienced roof surveyors, and our survey covers the roof rather than the whole building. If you need a full building survey, you will need a RICS survey as well.
What do I do with the report?
We email you the written report with photos and recommendations. You can use it to talk to a seller, an insurer, a roofer or a managing agent, whichever applies.
What does a roof survey cost?
Chimney survey starts from £150, including VAT. The final figure depends on the roof and the package you choose, confirmed before anything is booked.
Which days do you carry out surveys?
Surveys run on any day of the week. To arrange a date, ring 07833 053749 or email us.
Should a redundant chimney be removed?
A redundant chimney needs looking after like any other. If it is capped without ventilation, damp can build up inside. We check how it’s capped and its condition, so you can plan what to do with it.
Landlord and commercial surveys in Great Wakering
Letting agents can arrange access with tenants. Surveys run on weekdays, Saturdays and Sundays, which helps when tenants work during the week.
Roof problems in a rented home affect tenants as well as the building. A survey shows what needs attention, so you can plan the work around your tenants.
What you can safely check yourself
After strong wind, take a look from the pavement or garden: broken slates or tiles in the garden, gaps along the ridge or loose lead are signs to note. Leave anything above ground level to a survey.
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.
Local roofs in Great Wakering
The coast is about 2 miles or less from Great Wakering, where sea air brings more salt and stronger wind than inland. Metal fixings and flashings corrode faster in salt air, while gales work at loose ridges, slates and tiles, while driving rain finds any gap. The wider area around Great Wakering has a long history of building, with Southchurch Hall about 3.4 miles west. Older roofs in the wider area can hide decades of patch repairs, so the detail matters, and any change of roofing material on a listed home needs checking with the council first.
If you own one of the older houses in the streets near Church of St Nicholas, its roof may have old fixings, lead flashings and chimneys that need a closer look. For site and facilities teams at buildings like Great Wakering Primary Academy, large buildings have long gutter runs and big roofs that need checking like any other. Landlords with a home close to Shoeburyness station may find that the gap between tenancies is a good time to have the roof looked at.
Great Wakering is about 1 mile north-east of Shoeburyness, in Southend-on-Sea. Great Wakering is one of many places we visit across Southend-on-Sea, for houses, flats and commercial buildings. Great Wakering is one of the places in Southend-on-Sea we cover for chimney surveys. There is also a page for Chelmsford.
We survey roofs across the SS3 postcode area for chimney surveys and the streets around it. Whether your property is on High Street, Conway Avenue and North Street or a nearby road, we can help. Close by, we survey roofs in Little Wakering (1 mile north-west), North Shoebury (1 mile south-west), Shoeburyness (1 mile south-west), Barling (2 miles north-west) and Stonebridge (2 miles west). Within a short drive, we also cover Southend-on-Sea (5 miles west), Prittlewell (4 miles west), Leigh-on-Sea (7 miles west), Westcliff-on-Sea (5 miles west), Southchurch (3 miles west) and Chalkwell (6 miles west).
Landmarks near Great Wakering
Locally, jobs take us to homes and businesses close to Shoeburyness High School and The White Hart Public House, among other places. Great Wakering’s nearest station is Shoeburyness station, roughly 1.5 miles south of the centre. Well-known places in the area include Southend University Hospital (5.1 miles west). Not far away are Gunners Park and Shoebury Ranges.
What we look for on each type of roof
Chimney breasts and the loft
Stains on timbers or brickwork around the stack can point to a leak. What we find is photographed and described.
Brick stacks
Many older stacks were built with lime mortar. We note where repairs should match the original mortar.