Essex · London and the South East
Great Warley Chimney Survey
A survey of chimney stacks, pots, flashings and flaunching in Great Warley. More than 5,000 surveys completed across London and South East England.
- Bricks with flaking faces
- Loose, cracked or missing pots
- Eroded joints in the brickwork
Your questions about chimney surveys in Great Warley
Do you cover smaller places like Great Warley?
Yes, Great Warley is covered. We cover the whole of London and South East England, from towns to the smallest villages. The journey is planned ahead, so it’s useful to know about access.
I let a flat near Brentwood station. Can you check the roof?
Yes, rented property is part of what we cover. You can ring 07833 053749 or use the contact form with the address and a few details, including who will give access on the day.
What happens after the survey?
We email you the written report with photos and recommendations. It is yours to share with a seller, insurer, roofer or managing agent, whichever applies.
How long does the survey take?
It normally takes about 1–2 hours at a house, as part of a look at the roof around the stack. We will confirm the timing when you book.
Do you use drones?
Where it helps and it’s safe, yes. Flights depend on the weather on the day and airspace rules. We hold a CAA Flyer ID and Operator ID.
Will you go up on the roof?
Not unless it is safe. Most of what we need can be seen from safe viewpoints, the loft and, where it applies, a drone, and anything out of sight is recorded in the report.
Is a chimney survey the same as a flue inspection?
No. We survey the stack and its weathering, not the flue. The flue should be checked by a sweep, or by a Gas Safe registered engineer for gas appliances.
About our chimney survey in Great Warley
A chimney survey looks at the stack and everything around it: the pots and cowls, the flaunching on top, the pointing, the brickwork and the flashings where it meets the roof. We also look for damp on chimney breasts and in the loft where there’s safe access. You get a photo-illustrated written report and our recommendations. We survey single stacks on houses and groups of stacks on bigger buildings. Common reasons to book are flaunching that has broken away and disused chimneys trapping moisture, on lead flashings, shared and party-wall stacks and brick chimney stacks.
Older buildings in small places like Great Warley may be 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. A roof report helps you plan work with that in mind. Where a building is listed, matching the existing roof materials is often expected.
Where we can’t see part of the chimney stack, the report says so. That way, it’s clear what was covered and what wasn’t.
- Location
- Great Warley (CM13)
- Wider area
- Essex
- Prices
- From £150 inc. VAT
- Report
- Written, with photos, emailed to you
- Appointments
- Weekdays, Saturdays and Sundays
- Insured
- PI and public liability insurance
- Call
- 07833 053749
- Updated
- 27 October 2026
Nearby places to Great Warley
Other services in Great Warley
Tips that help
A little preparation and a few simple habits help, both for the survey and for the roof itself. Some pointers:
- Make sure fixings on the stack are secure
- File photos of the stacks with your home records
- Make sure unused flues are capped with ventilation
- Have the flue swept and checked if you use the fire
With a shared stack, the report can help when talking to next door. The photos show the problem and which side it’s on, as far as we could see.
Get small mortar repairs done while they’re small. Small repairs now can save bigger work later.
Surveys for landlords and agents in Great Warley
Businesses and commercial landlords can book us too, from shops and offices to industrial units. Larger roofs take longer, and they’re priced for the size.
We survey roofs for letting agents and landlords as well as householders. The report gives you a dated record of the chimney stack, with photographs, which helps you plan work between tenancies.
When to book a survey in Great Warley
The flaunching on top of a stack holds the pots in place and sheds water. Once it cracks, water gets in and frost makes the cracks bigger. In time, the pots can become loose.
Problems we come across often include:
- Lifted or split lead flashings
- Mortar washing out of the joints
- Disused chimneys trapping moisture
- A chimney out of line
If you look after a building such as Woodlands School Great Warley, large buildings have long gutter runs and big roofs that need checking like any other.
Choosing a roof surveyor
- Which limits apply to the survey
- Do they have a CAA Flyer ID and Operator ID for drone work?
- What happens after the report arrives
- How long they’ve been surveying roofs
The survey, step by step
Once we’ve finished looking, we write up our findings as a photo-illustrated written report, emailed to you. As for time on site, it normally takes about one to two hours for most houses; commercial roofs usually need 3–4 hours. Cottages and farmhouses around Great Warley often have roofs at several levels, with lean-tos and outbuildings attached. Each part is looked at from wherever it can be seen safely.
- You tell us how many stacks there are and any damp or problems you’ve noticed.
- Each chimney is viewed from wherever it can safely be seen.
- The pots, cowls, flaunching, pointing, brickwork and flashings are checked and photographed.
- Where there is safe access, we check the stack in the loft and the chimney breasts for damp.
- You get a report with photographs and our recommendations.
Before the survey
- Dig out any old roof reports or invoices
- Move anything stored under the loft hatch
- Mention any parking restrictions on your street
Arrange a survey
If you have photos of the roof, send them over. Take them safely from ground level or a window, and please don’t climb up for a closer look. To send them or to book, call 07833 053749 or send us an email.
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What affects the price in Great Warley
Prices vary from roof to roof, for these reasons:
- The roof’s overall size
- If the survey needs thermal imaging or a drone
- The type of building, from a house to a block or an office
- Basic, Standard or Premium
To find out what your survey will cost, ring 07833 053749 or email us and tell us about the roof. We will confirm the figure before booking.
What to let us know when you contact us
If you can, have these to hand when you get in touch:
- Whether there is a loft hatch, a shared roof or tricky access
- The property’s address and postcode
- Pictures of the roof from a safe spot, if you have them
- Where any leaks, stains or damp patches show inside
Surveys can be booked for weekdays, Saturdays or Sundays. To find a date that works for you, call 07833 053749 or drop us an email.
Chimney surveys around Great Warley
The wider area around Great Warley has a long history of building, with Hare Hall about 3.3 miles west. On older houses around here, roofs often carry the marks of earlier repairs, from replaced slates to new lead, and a listed home or one in a conservation area may need consent for changes of material. Clay tiles and timber weatherboarding mark out many of the older buildings in Essex, alongside plenty of post-war and newer estates. Whatever the covering, it is often the fixings, flashings, valleys and gutters that give out first.
Living close to Tylers Common is pleasant, but mature trees mean leaves in gutters and valleys each autumn, so outlets and downpipes are worth watching. If your house is among the older ones in the streets near St. Mary the Virgin, old fixings, lead flashings and tall chimneys are typical of older roofs.
Great Warley is about 3 miles south of Brentwood, in Essex. We survey roofs in Great Warley and the surrounding area across London and South East England. Great Warley is one of the towns and villages in Essex we cover for chimney surveys. We also survey roofs in Chelmsford.
All of CM13 is within our area for chimney surveys, from the main roads to the quietest streets. Streets in the area include Forge Close, Dark Lane and Great Warley Street. If you are just outside Great Warley, we cover Cranham (2 miles south), Puddle Dock (2 miles south), Harold Wood (2 miles west), Upminster (3 miles south-west) and Emerson Park (3 miles south-west). Larger places within reach include Chelmsford (13 miles north-east), Basildon (8 miles east), Harlow (14 miles north-west), Brentwood (3 miles north), Canvey Island (14 miles east) and Billericay (6 miles north-east).
Local landmarks in Great Warley
In Great Warley, that means homes and buildings near Thatchers Arms Inn, Brentwood County High School and Tylers Common and the streets around them. The closest station to Great Warley is Brentwood station, roughly 1.7 miles north-east of the centre. Nearby you will also find Upminster Tithe Barn Museum of Nostalgia (2.1 miles south-west) and Spire Hartswood Hospital (0.7 miles north-east). The countryside around Great Warley includes Warley Place.
When you need someone else
A survey is a careful look at the chimney stack, but it cannot do everything. Its limits include:
- Structural calculations for a leaning stack
- Hidden damage within the stack
- Whether the flue is safe to use
Not sure which survey suits your roof? You can phone 07833 053749 or send us an email and we will tell you. What a survey covers and does not.
What we look at
- Chimney breasts
- Brick chimney stacks
- Lead flashings
- Shared and party-wall stacks
- Chimney pots and cowls
- Flaunching