Essex · London and the South East
Chimney survey in Havering's Grove, Essex
Chimney surveys around Havering's Grove, with findings in writing and pictures to back them up. Book a weekday or weekend visit.
- Frost-damaged brickwork on the stack
- Damaged chimney pots and cowls
- Cracked or missing flaunching
Chimney survey in Havering's Grove: what you get
If you are buying a home with chimneys, it’s worth knowing their condition before you exchange. On older stacks, we frequently find cracked flaunching, loose flashings and worn pointing. Our report gives you specific points to raise with the seller or agent. It works alongside a RICS home survey, not instead of one. We survey chimney breasts, shared and party-wall stacks and lead flashings, and the problems we are asked to look at most are flaunching that has broken away and bricks with flaking faces.
Older buildings in small places like Havering's Grove 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. Knowing the roof’s condition helps you plan ahead with that in mind. Older materials such as clay tiles, slate and stone are frequently matched when work is done.
The report is written in plain words, so it makes sense without any roofing background. Photos show what each point refers to.
- Place
- Havering's Grove (CM13, CM12)
- Wider area
- Essex
- Prices
- From £150 inc. VAT
- Your report
- A written report with photos, by email
- When we survey
- Weekdays and weekends
- Insured
- Professional indemnity and public liability
- Call
- 07833 053749
- Page updated
- 27 October 2026
Havering's Grove questions
I let a flat near Billericay station. Can you check the roof?
Of course. We just need to know who will give access, and we can send the report to you or your agent.
Is Havering's Grove within the area you cover?
We do. A small place gets exactly the same survey as a big one.
Do I have to be there for the survey?
Someone needs to let us in if we’re looking inside or in the loft. We will talk about access when booking.
Will you check the chimney is safe to use with a fire?
No. It isn’t a flue, sweep or gas safety inspection. We check the stack, pots, flaunching, pointing and flashings, and damp inside and flag anything that suggests the flue needs a look.
What causes damp on a chimney breast?
Usually it is water getting in from outside, or condensation in a sealed stack. The survey looks at the stack, the flashings and the capping, and record what we find.
Does the weather affect the survey?
Light rain is typically fine; heavy rain and wind are different. High wind or heavy rain can make access unsafe and ground a drone, so we’d move the date with you.
Should a redundant chimney be removed?
It depends on its condition and your plans. We record how the stack is doing and whether it’s capped with ventilation. If you’re thinking of removing it, check with the council first in a conservation area or on a listed building.
How we price chimney surveys
We confirm the price for your roof before booking. This is what makes a difference:
- Basic, Standard or Premium
- Roof area
- The type of building, from a house to a block or an office
- Features like valleys, chimneys, dormers and parapets
One thing that affects the price is the package: from £150 for Basic, £250 for Standard and £400 for Premium, inc. VAT. The roof’s size, height and access matter as well.
Booking your survey
The more you tell us, the easier it is to price the survey. When you contact us, tell us:
- Pictures of the roof from a safe spot, if you have them
- What kind of property and roof it is
- Any deadline, such as an exchange date
- What’s prompted the survey
If you have photos of the roof, send them over. Pictures from ground level or a window are fine. To send them or to book, call 07833 053749 or email us.
Places near Havering's Grove
More services for Havering's Grove
What we are asked to look at in Havering's Grove
Flaunching is the mortar bed that holds the pots and throws water off the top. Cracked flaunching lets water in, and each winter makes it worse. Loose pots can follow.
A survey makes sense if you’ve noticed:
- Gaps where the stack meets the roof
- Unused flues sealed without airflow
- Frost-damaged brickwork on the stack
- Damp on a chimney breast inside
For an older house near a landmark such as Church of All Saints, its chimney, valleys and lead work are likely to be the parts that need attention first.
Before booking any roof surveyor
- If they fly a drone, whether they hold a CAA Flyer ID and Operator ID
- How they’ll see the roof: from ground level, the loft, the roof or by drone
- What the report includes, and whether it has photographs
- What’s outside the scope of the survey
Chimney surveys in Havering's Grove: local notes
Historic houses such as Ingatestone Hall, about 2.4 miles north, show how far back building in the area around Havering's Grove goes. 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. Weatherboarded walls and clay tile roofs are typical of older Essex buildings, and lots of post-war and modern estates besides. Whichever you have, the details that tend to fail before the covering itself get the closest look.
If you own a rental within reach of Billericay station, a roof report helps you deal with small faults before they turn into a call from a tenant. If you live near a park like Hutton Country Park, or anywhere with mature trees, autumn leaves can block gutters and valleys, and an overflowing gutter soon means a wet wall.
Havering's Grove is about 2 miles west of Billericay, in Essex. We carry out chimney surveys for householders, landlords and businesses in Havering's Grove. Our Essex coverage includes Havering's Grove and the places around it. There is also a page for Chelmsford.
Chimney surveys in CM13 and CM12 work the same way as everywhere else we cover. Whether your property is on London Road, North Drive and Rayleigh Road or anywhere close by, we can survey it. If you are just outside Havering's Grove, we cover Hutton (1 mile west), Buttsbury (2 miles north), Hutton Mount (2 miles west), Mountnessing (2 miles north-west) and Ingrave (2 miles south-west). Further out, we also cover Chelmsford (9 miles north-east), Basildon (5 miles south-east), Harlow (15 miles north-west), Brentwood (3 miles west), Maldon (15 miles north-east) and Canvey Island (11 miles south-east).
Near you in Havering's Grove
In Havering's Grove, that means homes and buildings near Hutton Country Park and The Mesken Hutton pub. The nearest railway station is Billericay station, about 1.5 miles east of the centre. Well-known places in the area include Barleylands Farm Museum (3.3 miles south-east) and Mayflower Community Hospital (1 mile south-east). The countryside around Havering's Grove includes Norsey Wood.
Before and after the survey
Nothing here needs a ladder. A few suggestions:
- Check that disused chimneys can still breathe
- Keep the report to compare against at the next survey
- Leave close inspection to people with safe access
- Keep track of stains on chimney breasts
If the report recommends a structural engineer, a sweep or a Gas Safe registered engineer, it will say why. That helps you brief them.
Have aerial and dish brackets on the stack checked, and moved if they’re working it loose. Less load on the stack means less strain in wind.
What we do, step by step
The visit typically starts outside and finishes in the loft: outside views come first, then the loft space if there’s safe access. All told, expect between one and two hours at a house, as part of a look at the roof around the stack. Older rural homes like those around Havering's Grove can have a main roof, lower lean-to roofs and outbuildings all joined together. We work round each section in turn, from the safest viewpoints, and anything we cannot see is noted.
- 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.
- 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.
- You get a photo-illustrated written report and our recommendations.
Getting ready for the survey
- Have any paperwork from past roof work to hand
- Mention any parking restrictions on your street
- Buyers: confirm access with the estate agent or seller
Getting a price
To get a price for chimney surveys in Havering's Grove, ring 07833 053749 or use the contact form. A few details about the property and the roof help us price the survey accurately.
Read more
Landlords, agents and block managers in Havering's Grove
We survey roofs for landlords and agents as well as homeowners. The report gives you a dated record of the chimney stack, with photographs.
Freeholders and residents’ companies use a roof report to plan and budget, putting the urgent items at the top.
Why it’s worth a survey now in Havering's Grove
Damp in a chimney breast normally gets worse while the cause is left. It can stain walls and damage plaster. Knowing whether it is the flaunching, flashings, brickwork or ventilation means the right fix can be planned. Outbuildings and barns around Havering's Grove are easy to forget, but a failed roof there can spoil what’s stored inside. A quick look before winter can save a lot.
Every price we give includes VAT, and the report isn’t charged as an extra. Our price is from £150, including VAT. Size, height and access decide where your roof falls.
Why book with us
- Prices that include VAT
- Covered by professional indemnity and public liability insurance
- 20+ years’ experience
- Surveys seven days a week
See what a roof survey costs and our case studies.