Essex · London and the South East
Chimney survey in Loughton, Essex
Get a clear view of the chimney stack at a property in Loughton. Visits run on weekdays and weekends, in the daytime.
- Bricks with flaking faces
- Mortar washing out of the joints
- Cracked or missing flaunching
About our chimney survey in Loughton
A chimney survey is about the outside of the stack and the roof around it. It’s not a flue inspection, a chimney sweep or a gas safety inspection. If you use a fire or a gas appliance, the flue should be checked by a sweep or a Gas Safe registered engineer as appropriate. We will tell you if we see anything that suggests they should take a look. We survey brick chimney stacks, lead flashings and chimney breasts, and people most frequently book us about eroded joints in the brickwork and frost-damaged brickwork on the stack.
Loughton mixes older houses, frequently slate or clay tiled, with newer estates, many of them with concrete tiles. Older homes often keep chimney stacks long after the fireplaces went, and their flashings and pointing still matter. Newer homes have fewer chimneys but their own weak points at ridges, verges and gutters.
The report records the chimney stack as we found it on the day. That makes it useful now and a handy reference later, such as when you want to compare after future work.
- Location
- Loughton (IG10, IG9)
- Region
- Essex
- Cost
- From £150 inc. VAT
- Report
- Emailed report with photos and recommendations
- Survey days
- Weekdays, Saturdays and Sundays
- Cover
- PI and public liability insurance
- Telephone
- 07833 053749
- Last updated
- 27 October 2026
What a chimney survey does not cover
Some things can’t be seen without opening up the roof, so a survey has limits:
- Gas safety checks, which need a Gas Safe registered engineer
- Conditions inside walls
- Areas we can’t view from safe positions
Not sure which survey suits your roof? You can call 07833 053749 or send us an email and we’ll tell you before you book. What our survey covers.
Roof types and parts we check
- Lead flashings
- Chimney pots and cowls
- Flaunching
- Chimney breasts
- Brick chimney stacks
- Shared and party-wall stacks
What we look for on each type of roof
Chimney pots and cowls
For unused flues, we check whether caps or cowls allow ventilation. Poor capping can lead to damp inside the stack.
Lead flashings
Over time, lead can lift or come away from the brickwork. Any loose or split flashings are recorded.
Should I look at the roof myself first?
You can learn a lot from ground level. Binoculars help you spot slipped slates or tiles, gaps along the ridge and a leaning stack. Please don’t climb up for a closer look.
A DIY look is useful, but it is not a survey. From the ground, valleys, flashings and the backs of chimneys are often out of sight, and those are details a survey looks at closely.
Local roofs in Loughton
About 4.1 miles north-east lies Hill Hall, a reminder of how long the area around Loughton has been built on. Older roofs in the wider area can hide decades of patch repairs, so the detail matters, and a listed home or one in a conservation area may need consent for changes of material. Older buildings in Essex frequently have clay tiles and weatherboarding, with post-war and more recent estates making up much of the newer housing. Whatever the covering, it is often the fixings, flashings, valleys and gutters that give out first.
Take an older house close to St. John's Church: corroded nails, tired lead and weathered chimney pointing are the things to watch on older roofs. Living close to Roding Valley recreation ground is pleasant, but mature trees mean leaves in gutters and valleys each autumn, so outlets and downpipes are worth watching.
Loughton is about 9 miles south of Harlow, in Essex. Surveys in Loughton work the same way as everywhere we cover: a close look at what can safely be seen, photographs and a clear written report. Loughton is one of the towns and villages in Essex we cover. London is in our area too.
We work across the IG10 and IG9 postcode area for chimney surveys and the streets around it. You will find streets such as The Square, Station Road and Old Station Road, and we cover them all. Being close to the A121 and A1168, Loughton is simple for us to get to for chimney surveys. Nearby, we also carry out chimney surveys in Debden (1 mile east), Debden Green (1 mile north-east), High Beech (2 miles north-west), Buckhurst Hill (2 miles south-west) and Waltham Forest (2 miles south-west). Larger places within reach include Harlow (9 miles north), Brentwood (10 miles east), Billericay (15 miles east), Waltham Abbey (4 miles north-west), Epping (4 miles north-east) and Harold Wood (8 miles south-east).
Near you in Loughton
Around Loughton, our work takes us to homes and buildings near Epping Forest College, Roding Valley High School and Roding Valley recreation ground, among other places. You will also find The Last Post pub (0.5 miles west) and St Edmund of Canterbury Church (under half a mile west). Loughton’s nearest station is Chingford station, roughly 2.7 miles south-west. Other landmarks nearby include The Epping Forest Museum (2.3 miles south-west) and Claybury Hospital (3.1 miles south). Not far away are Home Mead and Highams Park Lake.
Why act early in Loughton
Cracked flaunching and worn pointing are frequently modest repairs when they’re caught early. Left for a few winters, frost and water can loosen pots and bricks and the job gets bigger. Blocked gutters and downpipes on homes in Loughton overflow onto walls. A slipped tile or worn flashing does the same higher up. Neither gets better on its own.
Every price we give includes VAT. Our price is from £150, including VAT. We confirm the price for the job before booking.
Why book us in Loughton
- Photographs and a written report every time
- 98% customer satisfaction
- Surveys seven days a week
- Covered by professional indemnity and public liability insurance
See how roof surveys are priced or what we found on two real jobs.
Questions from Loughton
Do you cover Loughton?
Yes, Loughton is within the area we cover. We work right across London and South East England. Just call 07833 053749 or email us and let us know about the property.
Do you survey roofs for landlords with property near Chingford station?
Yes, landlords and agents are among the people we work for. Just call 07833 053749 or use the contact form with the details.
How quickly is the report sent?
Basic reports arrive within 48 hours, Standard reports in 24–48 hours and Premium reports on the same day. All of them come by email.
Will you fly a drone over my roof?
Where it helps and it’s safe, yes. Whether we can fly on the day depends on the weather and the airspace rules, and we check for restrictions near airports before flying. We are a CAA-registered drone operator.
Will you check the chimney is safe to use with a fire?
No. It is not a flue, sweep or gas safety inspection. We look at the stack, pots, flaunching, pointing and flashings, and damp inside and flag anything that suggests the flue needs a look.
Do you climb onto every roof?
Only where it is safe to do so. We look at everything that can safely be seen: from the ground, from windows, from inside the roof space, from the roof where it is safe and by drone where applicable. The report says if anything couldn’t be seen.
What’s the best way to book?
Just phone 07833 053749 or email us with the address. After a few questions, we confirm the price and fix a day, weekday or weekend.
Places near Loughton
More services for Loughton
The survey, step by step
The visit usually starts outside and finishes in the loft: outside views come first, then the roof space if there is safe access. In total, it takes an hour or two for most homes, a little longer where there are several stacks. Semi-detached and terraced homes in a town like Loughton often share a roof line with the neighbours, so shared parts are looked at as far as they can be seen from your property. It’s useful to know about previous repairs, leaks or recent work, so time on site goes where it’s needed.
- You let us know how many stacks there are and any damp or problems you’ve noticed.
- The stacks are looked at from the ground, from windows and from other safe vantage points.
- The pots, cowls, flaunching, pointing, brickwork and flashings are checked and photographed.
- We check the chimney breasts and the stack in the roof space where we can reach them.
- The findings are written up with photos and recommendations and emailed to you.
Preparing for the visit
- Leave a clear route to the loft
- Jot down any questions you want answered
- Show us where any leaks or stains appear
Booking a survey
You can call us seven days a week, including Saturdays and Sundays. To book or ask a question, phone 07833 053749 or send us an email.
Related advice
What we’re asked to look at in Loughton
Aerials and dishes are often fixed to stacks. The extra load in wind can work bricks and joints loose. We check fixings on the stack as part of the survey.
A survey makes sense if you’ve noticed:
- A chimney out of line
- Damp patches on chimney breasts
- Unused flues sealed without airflow
- Worn or missing pointing
If you let a flat or house near Chingford station, the gap between tenancies is a good time to have the roof looked at.
Choosing a roof surveyor
- How long they’ve been surveying roofs
- How they’ll see the roof: from ground level, the loft, the roof or by drone
- What the report includes, and whether it has photos
- Their report turnaround times