Kent · London and the South East
Chimney Survey in Greatness
A careful look at the chimney stack at your property in Greatness, with photos and a written report.
- Loose, cracked or missing pots
- Gaps in the mortar around the pots
- Flashings pulling away from the stack
How a chimney survey works in Greatness
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. You get a report with photographs and our recommendations. It suits a single stack on a house as well as several on a larger building. We survey shared and party-wall stacks, chimney breasts and brick chimney stacks, and the problems we’re asked to look at most are loose, cracked or missing pots and a stack that appears to lean.
Around Greatness, gardens, hedges and nearby trees can mean leaves and moss end up on roofs and in gutters. Blocked gutters overflow and soak the walls below. A report spots that kind of slow problem before it becomes damp inside. Plants growing from a gutter or moss on the tiles are signs worth noting from the ground.
Every survey ends with a written report, with photographs, sent by email. It explains the condition of the chimney stack, the defects we found and what we recommend.
- Place
- Greatness (TN13, TN14, TN15)
- Wider area
- Kent
- Price
- From £150 inc. VAT
- Your report
- Emailed report with photos and recommendations
- Appointments
- Monday to Sunday, daytime
- Insured
- PI and public liability insurance
- Telephone
- 07833 053749
- Updated
- 27 October 2026
For landlords and managing agents
Surveys can also be booked by buyers’ agents acting for a client. The report is emailed, so it can go straight to your client, photographs included.
With a portfolio of properties, surveys can be booked for more than one address. To arrange surveys for several addresses, ring 07833 053749 or use the contact form.
What affects the price in Greatness
Several things affect the price of a survey:
- Extra roofs, like extensions, dormers or garages
- The height of the building and how the roof can be seen safely
- The roof’s overall size
- How complicated the roof is, with its valleys, chimneys and parapets
Simple, low roofs take less time to survey than tall or complicated ones, and the package you pick makes a difference too. We’ll give you the figure before anything is booked.
Booking your survey
What helps most when you contact us:
- Where water is showing inside, if it is
- Dates you’re working to, such as exchange
- What’s prompted the survey
- The address and postcode of the property
When you are ready to go ahead, call 07833 053749 or email us. We’ll suggest a package, agree the price and find a date, weekday or weekend.
Can I check my roof myself?
It is useful to keep a record: when leaks happen, ground-level photos and any past roof work. Send it with your enquiry.
You can learn a lot from the ground. Binoculars help you spot slipped slates or tiles, gaps along the ridge and a leaning stack. Never climb onto the roof to look.
Nearby places to Greatness
More services for Greatness
What a chimney survey looks like in Greatness
Historic houses such as Knole House, about 1.7 miles south, show how far back building in the area around Greatness goes. Older roofs in the wider area can hide decades of patch repairs, so the detail matters. Across Kent, older roofs are frequently handmade clay or peg tiles, and tile-hanging on upper walls is a familiar sight. The county’s older buildings also include oast houses and timber-framed Wealden hall houses. Knowing the covering helps explain which parts of a roof are likely to need work first.
Take an older house close to St John the Baptist: corroded nails, tired lead and weathered chimney pointing are the things to watch on older roofs. If you let a flat or house near Bat & Ball station, knowing the condition of the roof, chimneys and gutters helps you plan work rather than react to complaints.
Greatness is about 1 mile north-east of Sevenoaks, in Kent. Wherever you are in Greatness, we can carry out chimney surveys at your property, on a weekday, Saturday or Sunday. We cover towns and villages across Kent, large and small. We also survey roofs in Maidstone.
Chimney surveys in TN13, TN14 and TN15 are booked the same way as anywhere else. We cover properties on Seal Road, Mill Lane and Sandy Lane and the roads around them. Neighbouring places we cover for chimney surveys include Seal (1 mile east), Godden Green (2 miles south-east), Styants Bottom (3 miles east), Bitchet Green (3 miles south-east) and Stone Street (3 miles south-east). Larger places within reach include Maidstone (14 miles east), Dartford (11 miles north), Royal Tunbridge Wells (11 miles south), Gravesend (12 miles north-east), Tonbridge (7 miles south-east) and Northfleet (12 miles north-east).
What’s near Greatness
In Greatness, that means homes and buildings near The Old Bat and Ball pub, Wildernesse School and Knole Academy. There is a railway station in Greatness itself: Bat & Ball station. Well-known places in the area include Sevenoaks Museum (1.3 miles south) and Kemsing Castle Bank (1.7 miles north-east). Not far away are Dryhill Nature Reserve.
Why it is worth a survey now in Greatness
Damp in a chimney breast normally gets worse while the cause is left. It can spoil decoration and plaster. Finding the cause means the right work can be planned. Blocked gutters on homes around Greatness overflow and soak walls, particularly where trees overhang. It’s easy to sort the cause early and slow to dry a damp wall.
The Premium Survey includes thermal imaging and drone inspection where applicable, which starts from £400, with VAT included. We can help you choose the package that fits what you want to find out.
Why us?
- Professional indemnity and public liability insurance
- Thermal imaging and drone inspection where they help
- Satisfaction rate of 98%
- 5,000+ roofs surveyed
Take a look at what a roof survey costs or two real surveys.
What we do, step by step
Every visit follows the same pattern: we listen to what’s been worrying you, inspect the roof from every safe viewpoint, take photos as we go and make notes for the report. It normally takes about one to two hours at most homes, with bigger or more complicated roofs taking longer. Some parts of a survey depend on the weather, so a visit to Greatness is booked with the forecast in mind: drone flights and thermal imaging need the right conditions, while a look from ground level and the loft can go ahead in most weather.
- We start by noting which stacks are in use, shared or causing concern.
- We check the roof around each stack, including the flashings.
- We look at the flaunching and pots on every stack.
- Any lean, spalling or worn pointing is recorded.
- The report explains the condition and which work is most urgent.
Getting ready for the survey
- Have any questions written down, so nothing gets missed
- Tell us about parking before the day
- Gather any invoices or paperwork from past roof work
Book a survey
If you’re buying, it helps to book soon after your offer is accepted, so you have the findings in time to act on them before you exchange. Otherwise, simply call 07833 053749 or use the contact form whenever suits you.
Advice
Your questions about chimney surveys in Greatness
I let a flat near Bat & Ball station. Can you check the roof?
Yes, rented property is part of what we cover. You can ring 07833 053749 or send us an email with the address and a few details.
Is my home in Greatness 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’s worth checking before planning any.
How can you see the top of the stack?
We use safe viewpoints rather than climbing onto the stack. A drone inspection is part of the Premium Survey where applicable. The report is clear about anything that couldn’t be seen.
Will I get photos?
Yes. Photos are taken throughout the survey, and the report uses them to show each finding.
What does the report include?
Written findings with photographs, explaining the condition of the chimney stack, any defects and our recommendations. The Standard Survey adds moisture detection and a structural check, and the Premium Survey adds thermal imaging, drone inspection where it applies and structural analysis.
What does a roof survey cost?
Chimney survey starts from £150, including VAT. What you pay for your roof depends on its size, height, access and the package.
When does the report arrive?
The Premium Survey report comes the same day, the Standard within 24–48 hours and the Basic within 48 hours. Each one is emailed.
Common roof problems in Greatness
Lots of homes have redundant stacks. A stack sealed without ventilation can trap damp. Damp patches can appear on chimney breasts even when nothing is leaking.
A survey makes sense if you’ve noticed:
- Flashings pulling away from the stack
- A stack that appears to lean
- Pots or cowls that look unsafe
- Damp patches on chimney breasts
Trees in and around Montreal Park shed leaves that can end up in nearby gutters, and blocked gutters overflow and soak walls.
Before booking any roof surveyor
- How much experience they have with roofs like yours
- Whether VAT is in the quoted price
- Whether you get a written report with photos
- Whether the loft is part of the inspection