Kent · London and the South East
Hawkhurst Chimney Survey
A survey of chimney stacks, pots, flashings and flaunching in Hawkhurst, carried out by an experienced roof surveyor. Every survey comes with a written report and photos.
- Frost-damaged brickwork on the stack
- Flaunching that has broken away
- Flashings pulling away from the stack
Local roofs in Hawkhurst
With Great Dixter about 5 miles south-east, Hawkhurst sits in an area with a long building history. Older roofs in the wider area can hide decades of patch repairs, so the detail matters, and the council can say whether a home is in a conservation area. Handmade clay tiles, including Kent peg tiles hung on pegs through two holes, are typical of older Kent buildings. Oast houses and timber-framed Wealden hall houses are part of the county’s older buildings too. Whichever you have, the details that tend to fail before the covering itself get the closest look.
If yours is one of the older homes in the streets near Church of All Saints, the nails, lead and mortar on the roof may be wearing out even where the slates or tiles look fine. Living close to Collingwood Nature Reserve is pleasant, but mature trees mean leaves in gutters and valleys each autumn, so outlets and downpipes are worth watching.
Hawkhurst is about 12 miles south-east of Royal Tunbridge Wells, in Kent. We survey roofs in Hawkhurst across London and South East England. Our Kent coverage includes Hawkhurst. Maidstone is in our area too.
We survey roofs across the TN18 postcode area for chimney surveys and the streets around it. We offer chimney surveys to properties on High Street, Barretts Road and Norris Close. If you’re just outside Hawkhurst, we cover Beal's Green (1 mile north), Pipsden (1 mile east), The Moor (1 mile south-west), Gill's Green (1 mile north) and Little Conghurst (1 mile south-east). Further out, we also cover Maidstone (15 miles north), Royal Tunbridge Wells (12 miles north-west), Tonbridge (14 miles north-west), Paddock Wood (10 miles north-west), Tenterden (8 miles east) and Southborough (13 miles north-west).
Near you in Hawkhurst
In Hawkhurst, that means homes and buildings near Collingwood Nature Reserve, The Queen's Hotel and Marlborough House School, among other places. The closest station to Hawkhurst is Etchingham station, about 4 miles south-west. A little further out are Ticehurst House Hospital (4.9 miles west).
About our chimney survey in Hawkhurst
Our chimney survey covers the stack and the details that keep water out around it: the pots and cowls, the flaunching on top, the pointing, the brickwork and the flashings where it meets the roof. Inside, we check chimney breasts and the stack in the loft where it’s safe to reach. You get a report with photos and our recommendations. We survey single stacks on houses and groups of stacks on bigger buildings. Typical surveys look at frost-damaged brickwork on the stack and worn or missing pointing, on flaunching, chimney pots and cowls and lead flashings.
Trees around homes in smaller places like Hawkhurst drop leaves, twigs and moss onto roofs and into gutters. Blocked gutters overflow and soak the walls below. It’s the kind of slow problem a roof report picks up early. Plants growing from a gutter or moss on the tiles are signs worth noting from the ground.
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.
- Place
- Hawkhurst (TN18)
- Region
- Kent
- Price
- From £150 inc. VAT
- Reports
- Emailed report with photos and recommendations
- Appointments
- Weekdays and weekends
- Insured
- PI and public liability insurance
- Telephone
- 07833 053749
- Updated
- 27 October 2026
Practical tips
From years of surveys, a few habits stand out:
- Book a sweep for flues that are in use
- Find out whether changes to a stack need permission
- Do not use a ladder to reach the stack yourself
- Ask for ventilated caps on redundant stacks
If anything in the report isn’t clear, just ask us. The Standard Survey includes a follow-up consultation and the Premium Survey an in-person consultation.
Get small mortar repairs done while they’re small. It is far simpler than rebuilding a stack later.
Why it is worth a survey now in Hawkhurst
Chimneys are easy to forget because you rarely see the top of them. Defects tend to go unseen until there is a stain. A survey gives you a clear picture before that happens. On a bungalow or cottage around Hawkhurst, the roof sits close to the rooms below, so water can show inside quickly once it gets past the covering. Catching the cause first saves redecorating as well.
For a price for your roof in Hawkhurst, phone 07833 053749 or email us with the address and a few details. The price is agreed before a date is set.
Why choose Independent Roof Survey in Hawkhurst
- Thermal imaging and drone inspection where they help
- Clear package prices, including VAT
- Weekday and weekend surveys
- Every finding written up with photos
Take a look at our cost guide or what we found on two real jobs.
How it works
Time on site depends on the size and shape of the roof; as a rough guide, the survey takes between one and two hours for a house, or half a day or so for a commercial building. If you have questions on the day, just ask. A visit to a smaller place like Hawkhurst is no different on the day: we look from the ground, from windows, from the loft and from the roof where it’s safe. It helps to show us anything you’ve already noticed.
- First you let us know about the chimneys, any damp on the chimney breasts and any worries.
- We inspect each stack from safe viewpoints outside.
- We check and photograph the pots, cowls, flaunching, pointing and flashings.
- We check the chimney breasts and the stack in the loft space where we can reach them.
- The findings are written up with photos and recommendations and emailed to you.
Getting ready for the survey
- Jot down any questions you want answered
- Gather any invoices or paperwork from past roof work
- For flats, make sure roof access has been agreed
Book a survey
If you have photos of the roof, send them over. Take them safely from the ground or a window, and please don’t climb up for a closer look. To send them or to book, call 07833 053749 or email us.
Advice
What you can safely check yourself
A DIY look is useful, but it isn’t a survey. You will not see flashings, valleys or the backs of chimneys properly from the ground, and those are details a survey looks at closely.
If you have a loft with safe access, take a look inside. Use a torch and stay on the joists or boards, checking for stains, damp wood or chinks of daylight.
Towns and villages near Hawkhurst
Other services in Hawkhurst
Hawkhurst: your questions answered
Is my home in Hawkhurst listed or in a conservation area?
You can check whether a building is listed on Historic England’s list, and your council can tell you if it is in a conservation area. Listed building consent is needed for changes that affect a listed building’s special interest, and conservation areas can limit changes of roofing material.
Can a landlord with a rental near Etchingham station book a roof survey?
Yes, that’s a common request. Let us know whether a tenant or an agent will let us in, and the report can go straight to you or your agent.
Can you survey a chimney stack we share with next door?
Yes. We inspect whatever is safely visible and what you give us access to. Where a problem appears to be on next door’s side, we note it and you can raise it with them.
Can you survey a shared roof?
Yes, if the building owner or managing agent agrees access. We check the parts we are given access to, and the report makes that clear.
Do you inspect the flue?
No. A flue inspection, sweep or gas safety check is a separate job. We check the stack, pots, flaunching, pointing and flashings, and damp inside, and we’ll say if anything suggests the flue needs checking.
Can you tell me if my roof has asbestos?
No. Asbestos surveys and testing are not part of what we do. We flag materials that could contain asbestos, such as cement sheets or soffits on pre-2000 buildings, and recommend a specialist asbestos surveyor checks them before they’re disturbed.
Will I get photos?
Yes, plenty. Each finding is shown in a picture where possible, so you can see what we mean.
Honest limits
We only report everything that’s safely in view on the day, so some things are outside what a survey can do:
- Areas we cannot view from safe positions
- Conditions inside walls
- Whether a gas appliance or its flue is safe
Not sure which survey suits your roof? You can phone 07833 053749 or email us and we will tell you. The full list of what we check.
What this survey covers
- Chimney pots and cowls
- Shared and party-wall stacks
- Flaunching
- Brick chimney stacks
- Lead flashings
- Chimney breasts
What we are asked to look at in Hawkhurst
Flashings seal the gap where a stack passes through the roof. With age they can lift, split or come away from the joints. When flashings fail, water frequently shows up in the loft or on the chimney breast. Lead flashings can also be stolen.
A survey can pick up problems like:
- Signs that a stack is leaning
- Staining on walls around the chimney
- Unused flues sealed without airflow
- Mortar washing out of the joints
For landlords with property near Etchingham station, knowing the condition of the roof, chimneys and gutters helps you plan work rather than react to complaints.
Before booking anyone
- Their drone registration, if they fly one
- How they plan to inspect the roof safely
- Is VAT included in the price?
- Whether the roof space is looked at, where there is one