Essex · London and the South East
Chimney survey in Lower Green, Essex
Chimney surveys across Lower Green, backed by more than 20 years’ experience. You get a clear report with photographs.
- Worn or missing pointing
- Staining on walls around the chimney
- Cracked or missing flaunching
What we’re asked to look at in Lower Green
The flaunching on top of a stack holds the pots in place and sheds water. Cracked flaunching lets water in, and each winter makes it worse. In time, the pots can become loose.
Common reasons to book include:
- Unused flues sealed without airflow
- Pots or cowls that look unsafe
- Spalled or crumbling bricks
- Eroded joints in the brickwork
Around Lower Green, as everywhere, small roof faults are simplest to sort before they let water in.
What to check before booking
- Their insurance cover
- Whether the inside of the roof is included
- Whether you get a written report with photos
- If they fly a drone, whether they hold a CAA Flyer ID and Operator ID
How a chimney survey works in Lower Green
On terraced and semi-detached houses, a chimney stack is frequently shared with next door. We check whatever is safely visible and what the owner gives us access to. If a defect appears to be on the neighbour’s side, we note it and you can then discuss it with them. You get a written report with photos and our recommendations. We survey flaunching, chimney pots and cowls and chimney breasts, and common reasons people get in touch are damaged chimney pots and cowls and spalled or crumbling bricks.
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. On exposed older roofs, chimneys and lead flashings are often the first to give way.
After the visit, you get a written report with photos, emailed to you. It explains the condition of the chimney stack, the defects we found and what we recommend.
- Place
- Lower Green (CB11)
- Region
- Essex
- Price
- From £150 inc. VAT
- Reports
- Emailed report with photos and recommendations
- Appointments
- Weekdays and weekends
- Insured
- PI and public liability insurance
- Call
- 07833 053749
- Page updated
- 27 October 2026
Tips that help
Nothing here needs a ladder. Our suggestions:
- Use the report as a baseline for future checks
- Ask for ventilated caps on redundant stacks
- Check with the council before altering a stack in a conservation area or on a listed building
- Remove aerials or dishes from the stack if they’re no longer needed
You get the report by email and can pass it to whoever does the work. Each defect is described in plain words and shown in a photo, so it’s easy to follow.
Get small mortar repairs done while they’re small. It’s far simpler than rebuilding a stack later.
Nearby places to Lower Green
What else we do in Lower Green
What happens if roof problems are left?
A small amount of repointing or new flaunching is normally a modest job. Leave it, and frost can work the stack loose and the job gets bigger. Where a roof is exposed, as many are in small places like Lower Green, driving rain gets into any weakness, and older walls, once damp, take a long time to dry.
Prices start from £150, including VAT. What you pay depends on how big and how high the roof is, how it can safely be seen and which survey you book.
What you get with us
- Drone and thermal imaging surveys available
- PI and public liability insurance
- Weekday and weekend surveys
- 20+ years’ experience
Read what a roof survey costs or what we found on two real jobs.
What we look for on each type of roof
Rendered stacks
What’s behind the render can’t be seen without removing some, so the report says what can and can’t be judged.
Chimney breasts and the loft
If a chimney breast has been removed below, we note what we can see of the support above. A structural engineer should confirm whether it’s adequate.
Questions from Lower Green
Do you carry out roof surveys in Lower Green?
We do. Every survey there gets the same written report with photographs.
Is my home in Lower Green listed or in a conservation area?
Historic England’s list shows listed buildings, and the local council can tell you about conservation areas. 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.
How much is a survey?
Our price is from £150, including VAT. What you pay for your roof depends on its size, height, access and the package.
How long is the visit?
It usually takes about 1–2 hours for most houses, though large, tall or awkward roofs take more time. We will confirm the timing when you book.
Will you check the loft?
If there is a loft and safe access to it, yes. From inside, the underside of the roof frequently shows damp, staining or daylight that can’t be seen from outside.
Do I have to be there for the survey?
If the survey includes the loft or the inside of the building, someone needs to let us in. Access is agreed with you when you book.
Should I worry about a leaning stack?
Do not ignore it. Stacks can lean when mortar on one side breaks down. The survey records what we can see, and a structural engineer can assess whether it needs work.
Chimney surveys in Lower Green: local notes
Before planning roof work on an older home, find out whether it’s listed or in a conservation area. Listed building consent covers changes to a listed building’s special interest, and an Article 4 direction can bring extra controls in a conservation area. Clay tiles and timber weatherboarding mark out many of the older buildings in Essex, while many towns grew with post-war and newer estates. Whichever you have, the details that tend to fail before the covering itself get the closest look.
The streets around a church such as Church of St John the Evangelist are frequently among the oldest in a place, and if yours is one of the older homes nearby, its roof may have old fixings, lead flashings and chimneys that need a closer look.
Lower Green is in Essex. We cover Lower Green and the rest of Essex, as part of our work across London and South East England. Lower Green is one of the places in Essex where we work for chimney surveys. For surveys nearby, see our Chelmsford page.
All of CB11 is within our area for chimney surveys. That includes homes and businesses on Park Lane and Waterwick Hill. Neighbouring places we cover for chimney surveys include Anstey (2 miles south-west), Brent Pelham (2 miles south), Daw's End (2 miles south-west), Great Hormead (4 miles south-west) and Furneux Pelham (4 miles south). Further out, we also cover Harlow (15 miles south), Saffron Walden (7 miles east), Great Dunmow (14 miles south-east), Stansted Mountfitchet (8 miles south-east), Newhall (15 miles south) and Elsenham (8 miles south-east).
Near you in Lower Green
Other landmarks nearby include The Warren (1 mile west).
What this survey cannot tell you
No survey can tell you everything, and it’s better to know them up front. Bear these in mind:
- The inside of the flue, which needs a sweep or flue specialist
- Structural calculations for a leaning stack
- Whether a gas appliance or its flue is safe
Not sure which survey suits your roof? You can phone 07833 053749 or use the contact form and we will tell you before booking. The full list of what we check.
What we check
- Chimney breasts
- Flaunching
- Chimney pots and cowls
- Shared and party-wall stacks
- Brick chimney stacks
- Lead flashings
What we do, step by step
We do not take risks to get a closer look. We inspect whatever is safely visible, and if part of the roof cannot be seen, the report says so. Most visits take between one and two hours at a house, as part of a look at the roof around the stack. For a village or hamlet like Lower Green, the journey is planned ahead of time: tell us about narrow lanes, gates, long drives and where we can park. On the day, we inspect what can be seen safely, inside and out.
- You let us know how many stacks there are and any damp or problems you’ve noticed.
- Each chimney is viewed from wherever it can be seen safely.
- We check and photograph the pots, cowls, flaunching, pointing and flashings.
- Inside, we look for damp on chimney breasts and in the loft where there’s safe access.
- We send a written report with photos, the defects found and what we recommend.
Getting ready for the survey
- Have keys ready for side gates, garages or roof access doors
- Leave a clear route to the loft
- Let us know about parking near the property
Getting a price
To arrange a survey, call 07833 053749 or use the contact form with the address and what you’d like to know about the roof. We will confirm the price before booking.