Essex · London and the South East
Little Totham Chimney Survey
We take a careful look at the chimney stack at your property in Little Totham, and put it all in a report with photos.
- Mortar washing out of the joints
- Gaps in the mortar around the pots
- A chimney out of line
Chimney surveys for homes and businesses in Little Totham
Many homes have chimneys that are no longer used. A disused stack still needs looking after. If it has been capped without ventilation, damp can build up inside it. Our survey looks at how each unused stack has been capped and checks the breasts for damp. The report sets out what we found and what we recommend. If you’ve noticed flaunching that has broken away and a stack that appears to lean, a survey will tell you what’s going on, whatever the roof.
Village roofs often face open fields and take the full force of wind and rain, so ridges, chimney stacks, flashings and gutters work hard. Older walls take a long time to dry once water gets in. A roof report shows what needs attention first. Lead flashings and old chimney stacks are frequently where weather gets in first.
It isn’t only a list of defects. For each finding, it explains what it is, why it matters and what we’d recommend, so you can decide what to do next.
- Where
- Little Totham (CM9)
- Wider area
- Essex
- Price
- From £150 inc. VAT
- Reports
- Written, with photos, emailed to you
- Appointments
- Monday to Sunday, daytime
- Insured
- Professional indemnity and public liability
- Telephone
- 07833 053749
- Page updated
- 27 October 2026
Little Totham questions
Is the coastal weather around Little Totham hard on roofs?
Near the coast, roofs face more wind and more salt than further inland. Salt is hard on nails, clips and metal flashings, while strong wind lifts anything already loose.
Is my home in Little Totham listed or in a conservation area?
For listing, use Historic England’s list; for conservation areas, ask the council. The answer matters most when a change of material is on the cards.
Do you inspect shared chimneys?
Yes. Shared stacks are common on terraced and semi-detached houses. We record the stack as far as we can see it and flag anything on the neighbour’s side.
How do you inspect a chimney without scaffolding?
We use safe viewpoints rather than climbing onto the stack. Where it applies, our Premium Survey adds a drone inspection for a closer view. Any area we couldn’t view is noted.
Should a redundant chimney be removed?
There’s no single answer. The survey shows its condition and how it’s been capped. If you are thinking of removing it, check with the council first in a conservation area or on a listed building.
Will I get photos?
Yes. Photographs are part of every report.
Are you structural engineers?
No. Visible signs such as deflection or sagging are recorded, but calculations and an engineer’s opinion are outside what we do. The report will say if you need an engineer.
Landlords, agents and block managers in Little Totham
If the property is let, the agent or a tenant can let us in, at a time agreed in advance. We survey seven days a week, which helps when tenants work during the week.
Freeholders and residents’ companies use a roof report to plan and budget, with the most urgent items set out first.
Can I check my roof myself?
What you cannot do safely is get up close. Roofs are fragile and slippery. That’s where a survey comes in, using safe viewpoints and a drone where it applies.
Keep a simple record: when leaks happen, ground-level photos and any past roof work. Share it with us as you book and it will help the survey.
Roofs, chimneys and gutters in Little Totham
Little Totham is within about 3 miles of the coast, and being near the sea means more wind and salt than a roof inland would face. Near the sea, metal fixings wear faster and loose pieces on a roof are more likely to lift. Weatherboarded walls and clay tile roofs are typical of older Essex buildings, with post-war and more recent estates making up much of the newer housing. Each of these coverings has its own weak points, from fixings and valleys to flashings, chimneys and gutters.
If you let a flat or house near Witham station, knowing the condition of the roof, chimneys and gutters helps you plan work rather than react to complaints. Layer Marney Tower lies about 4.1 miles north-east, so building around Little Totham goes back a long way. Older homes in the area may have roofs that need matching materials when work is done. For an older house near a landmark like Church of All Saints, the nails, lead and mortar on the roof may be wearing out even where the slates or tiles look fine.
Little Totham is about 4 miles north-east of Maldon, in Essex. Surveys in Little Totham work the same way as everywhere we cover: a proper look at what can be seen safely, photos and a clear written report. Little Totham is one of the towns and villages in Essex we cover for chimney surveys. There is also a page for Chelmsford.
We cover every part of CM9 for chimney surveys and the streets around it. Local streets include The Street, Sawyer's Road and Bakers Lane, all of which we cover. If you are just outside Little Totham, we cover Tolleshunt Major (1 mile south-east), Totham Hill (1 mile west), Oxley Green (2 miles north-east), Goldhanger (2 miles south) and Tolleshunt Knights (2 miles north-east). Further out, we also cover Colchester (10 miles north-east), Chelmsford (11 miles west), Braintree (11 miles north-west), Maldon (4 miles south-west), Rayleigh (14 miles south-west) and Witham (5 miles west).
Local landmarks in Little Totham
Locally, jobs take us to homes and businesses close to The Swan pub and the streets around them. For rail, the closest station is Witham station, about 4.8 miles north-west. Other landmarks nearby include Maldon & District Agricultural & Domestic Museum (2 miles south-east). For a walk, there is Tiptree Heath Nature Reserve.
How it works
We check the roof from outside and, where it’s relevant and there’s safe access, from inside the roof space too. In the loft, the signs we look for are staining, damp, daylight and sagging. The whole visit normally takes an hour or two at most homes, while a commercial roof takes nearer three to four hours. For a village or hamlet like Little Totham, the journey is planned beforehand: let us know about narrow lanes, gates, long drives and where we can park. On the day, we inspect everything that’s safely in view, inside and out.
- You let us know whether any stacks are shared, unused or leaning.
- We check the roof around each stack, including the flashings.
- The top of each stack is checked for cracked flaunching and loose pots.
- We note the brickwork, pointing and any sign of leaning.
- The report explains the condition and which work is most urgent.
How to prepare
- Dig out any old roof reports or invoices
- Have any questions written down, so nothing gets missed
- If the roof is shared, arrange access with whoever manages the building
Arrange a survey
Our price is from £150, including VAT. The exact figure depends on the roof and the package, and you can phone 07833 053749 or email us to find out.
Related advice
What affects the price in Little Totham
Every roof is different, so prices are confirmed before you book. These are the things that affect it:
- The number of roofs, including extensions and garages
- Whether thermal imaging or a drone is needed
- Basic, Standard or Premium
- House, block, shop or office
Simple, low roofs take less time to survey than tall or complicated ones, and the package you pick makes a difference too. We will give you the figure before anything is booked.
Booking your survey
If you can, have these to hand when you contact us:
- Your postcode, so we can check access and travel
- The style of property, from a terrace to a block
- What’s prompted the survey
- Pictures of the roof from a safe spot, if you have them
Our phone lines are open seven days a week, including Saturdays and Sundays. To book or ask a question, ring 07833 053749 or drop us an email.
Nearby places to Little Totham
More services for Little Totham
Why get it checked now?
If a stack seems to lean, don’t leave it. We record its condition and recommend a structural engineer where needed, so you know where you stand. Around Little Totham, older homes often have old roof timbers, and water through a failed covering can rot timber if it is left.
Bigger, taller and commercial roofs take more time to survey, so they’re priced to match. The price is confirmed before you book.
Why book with us
- 98% of clients satisfied
- Surveys on any day of the week
- 5,000+ surveys completed
- Drone and thermal imaging surveys available
Take a look at what a roof survey costs or two real surveys.
What we cannot see
We only report whatever is safely visible on the day, so there are some things a survey cannot cover:
- Structural calculations for a leaning stack
- Gas safety checks, which need a Gas Safe registered engineer
- Hidden damage within the stack
If you’re not sure which survey you need, phone 07833 053749 or use the contact form and we’ll give you a straight answer. What a survey covers and doesn’t.
Roofs we survey in Little Totham
- Brick chimney stacks
- Shared and party-wall stacks
- Chimney pots and cowls
- Chimney breasts
- Lead flashings
- Flaunching