Medway · London and the South East
Chimney Survey in Lower Bush
Independent chimney surveys in Lower Bush. We’ve completed more than 5,000 surveys across London and South East England.
- Lifted or split lead flashings
- Loose, cracked or missing pots
- Worn or missing pointing
What this survey can’t tell you
A survey is a close look at the chimney stack, but it can’t do everything. The main limits are:
- Hidden damage within the stack
- Parts of the stack that cannot be seen safely or belong to a neighbour we can’t access
- Gas safety checks, which need a Gas Safe registered engineer
Not sure which survey suits your roof? You can phone 07833 053749 or use the contact form and we will tell you. The full list of what we check.
What we look at
- Brick chimney stacks
- Flaunching
- Shared and party-wall stacks
- Chimney breasts
- Lead flashings
- Chimney pots and cowls
About our chimney survey in Lower Bush
For buyers, a chimney survey before exchange can flag work you may want to raise. On older stacks, we often find cracked flaunching, loose flashings and worn pointing. You get photographs and findings you can take back to the seller or agent. It complements a RICS home survey rather than replacing it. If you’re worried about gaps where the stack meets the roof and eroded joints in the brickwork, we can find out what’s behind it.
Somewhere as small as Lower Bush, homes are often older cottages and farmhouses, with outbuildings and some newer houses. Older roofs may be clay tile, slate, stone or thatch, often with chimneys that have stood a long time. Each needs checking in its own way, and thatch is a specialist material we report on as far as it can be seen. On older roofs, it’s normally the chimneys and lead flashings that need work first.
We write the report in plain English, so you do not need to be a roofer to follow it. Photographs show what each point refers to.
- Where
- Lower Bush (ME2)
- Wider area
- Medway
- Cost
- From £150 inc. VAT
- Reports
- Emailed report with photos and recommendations
- Appointments
- Weekdays, Saturdays and Sundays
- Insured
- Professional indemnity and public liability
- Call
- 07833 053749
- Page updated
- 27 October 2026
Places near Lower Bush
More services for Lower Bush
Your questions about chimney surveys in Lower Bush
How do I find out if my home in Lower Bush is listed?
You can check whether a building is listed on Historic England’s list, and your council can tell you if it’s in a conservation area. If a home is listed, changes that affect its special interest need listed building consent, and in a conservation area re-roofing in different materials may need permission.
Do you survey roofs for landlords with property near Cuxton station?
Yes, landlords and letting agents book with us as well as owners. You can call 07833 053749 or drop us an email with the address and some details, including who will give access on the day.
Is Lower Bush in your area?
Yes. We cover Lower Bush and the rest of Medway. To book, ring 07833 053749 or email us.
How do you inspect a chimney without scaffolding?
We inspect from wherever is safe: from the ground, windows and vantage points, and from the loft where there’s access. A drone inspection is included in our Premium Survey where it applies. We note anything we couldn’t see.
How many surveys have you done?
We have completed more than 5,000 surveys, over more than 20 years, with 98% customer satisfaction.
Do you survey roofs on blocks of flats?
Yes. A shared roof needs access agreed first, with the building owner or managing agent. Let us know about it when you book and we’ll plan the survey around it.
What will the report tell me?
It sets out what we found, why it matters and what we recommend, with photographs throughout. Anything we couldn’t see safely is noted too, so you know exactly what was covered.
For landlords and managing agents
We also survey roofs for businesses and commercial landlords. Larger roofs take longer, so they’re priced to suit.
Letting agents can arrange access with tenants, at a time agreed in advance. Surveys run seven days a week, which helps when tenants work during the week.
Before and after the survey
A little preparation and a few simple habits help. Some pointers:
- Don’t use a ladder to reach the stack yourself
- Find out whether changes to a stack need permission
- Have brackets on the chimney checked
- Have the flue swept and checked if you use the fire
Many people use the report to get quotes for the work. Because everyone is pricing the same findings, the quotes are easier to compare.
Look at your chimneys from the ground now and then, particularly after strong winds. With binoculars, you can often see cracked flaunching or lifted lead.
How the survey changes by roof type
Rendered stacks
What’s behind the render can’t be seen without removing some, so the report explains what we could and couldn’t assess.
Lead flashings
Where the chimney meets the roof slopes, lead flashings keep water out. The survey looks at whether the lead is tight, sound and well fixed.
Common roof problems in Lower Bush
Many chimneys are no longer used. If a stack is capped or blocked without ventilation, moisture can build up inside. That can lead to damp patches on chimney breasts, even with the roof in good order.
We’re often asked to look at:
- A stack that appears to lean
- Spalled or crumbling bricks
- Gaps where the stack meets the roof
- Damp patches on chimney breasts
Homes near green spaces like Rede Common can get more leaves in their gutters in autumn.
Before booking any roof surveyor
- Whether any drone flown is registered with the CAA
- What insurance they carry
- When you’ll get the report
- Whether the loft space is looked at, where there is one
What we do, step by step
After the inspection, everything we found is written up in a report with photographs, emailed to you. As for time on site, it typically takes an hour or two at a house, as part of a look at the roof around the stack. For a village or hamlet like Lower Bush, the journey is planned ahead of time: tell us about narrow lanes, gates, long drives and where we can park. The roof is looked at from ground level, from windows, from the loft where there is safe access and from the roof where it is safe.
- We start by noting which stacks are in use, shared or causing concern.
- We check the roof around each stack, including the flashings.
- The top of each stack is checked for cracked flaunching and loose pots.
- Any lean, spalling or worn pointing is recorded.
- The report explains the condition and which work is most urgent.
Preparing for the visit
- Jot down any questions you want answered
- Keep pets inside or away from the areas we are looking at
- Tell us where we can park nearby
Arrange a survey
To book a survey, call 07833 053749 or email us with the address and what you’d like to know about the roof. You’ll know the price before anything is booked.
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Chimney surveys in Lower Bush: local notes
Handmade clay tiles, including Kent peg tiles hung on pegs through two holes, are typical of older Kent buildings. The county’s older buildings also include oast houses and timber-framed Wealden hall houses. Whichever you have, the details that tend to fail before the covering itself get the closest look. Starkey Castle, about 1.4 miles south-east, is one of the historic houses in the wider area around Lower Bush. On older houses around here, roofs often carry the marks of earlier repairs, from replaced slates to new lead, and the council can say whether a home is in a conservation area.
For site and facilities teams at buildings like Cuxton Community Infant School, a written record of a large roof helps plan work for the holidays rather than in term time. If you run a business near Pentagon Shopping Centre, a written record of the roof’s condition helps you plan maintenance rather than react to leaks.
Lower Bush is about 3 miles west of Rochester, in Medway. Whether the building in Lower Bush is a house, a flat or a commercial unit, we can survey the roof on a weekday or at the weekend. We cover towns and villages across Medway, large and small. There’s also a page for Maidstone.
Chimney surveys in ME2 work the same way as everywhere else we cover. Neighbouring places we cover for chimney surveys include Upper Bush (1 mile south-west), Cuxton (1 mile east), North Halling (1 mile south-east), Halling (2 miles south) and Cobham (2 miles north-west). Larger places within reach include Gillingham (6 miles east), Chatham (4 miles east), Rochester (3 miles east), Rainham (7 miles east), Luton (4 miles east) and Park Wood (7 miles east).
Near you in Lower Bush
Around Lower Bush, our work takes us to homes and buildings near Rede Common and Strood Academy, among other places. The nearest railway station is Cuxton station, about 1.1 miles east. Other landmarks nearby include Pentagon Shopping Centre (3.8 miles east) and Six Poor Travellers House (3 miles east). Not far away are Ranscombe Farm and Gad's Hill.