Medway · London and the South East
Chimney survey in Lower Upnor, Medway
Find out the condition of the chimney stack at your property in Lower Upnor from an independent roof surveyor. We visit on weekdays and at weekends.
- Eroded joints in the brickwork
- A stack that appears to lean
- Flaunching that has broken away
Chimney survey in Lower Upnor
Chimney stacks take more weather than almost any other part of a house. Over the years, the flaunching cracks, the pointing wears and flashings lift. Water then gets into the stack and can show as damp on a chimney breast or a stain in the loft. A survey finds these problems and records them with photographs. If you’ve noticed pots or cowls that look unsafe and disused chimneys trapping moisture, a survey will tell you what’s going on, on brick chimney stacks, shared and party-wall stacks and lead flashings alike.
Village roofs often face open fields and take the full force of wind and rain, which is hard on ridges, chimneys, flashings and gutters. Older walls take a long time to dry once water gets in. A written report sets out what to deal with and in what order. Lead flashings and old chimney stacks are often where weather gets in first.
The written findings come by email, ready to forward to whoever needs them. Basic reports come within 48 hours, Standard within 24–48 hours and Premium on the day.
- Location
- Lower Upnor (ME2)
- Wider area
- Medway
- Price
- From £150 inc. VAT
- Reports
- A written report with photos, by email
- When we survey
- Monday to Sunday, daytime
- Cover
- PI and public liability insurance
- Phone
- 07833 053749
- Last updated
- 27 October 2026
Useful tips for Lower Upnor property owners
From years of surveys, a few habits stand out:
- Note any damp on chimney breasts and when it appears
- Have the flue swept and checked if you use the fire
- Check fixings on the stack are secure
- Ask about consent before removing a chimney on an older property
Questions about the findings are always welcome. Standard Surveys come with a follow-up consultation, and Premium Surveys with an in-person one.
Have aerial and dish brackets on the stack checked and taken off if they’re no longer needed. Removing unused fixings takes strain off the brickwork.
How the survey changes by roof type
Brick stacks
Frost can damage bricks that have soaked up water, making the faces flake away. Any spalling is noted with photos.
Rendered stacks
We can’t see the bricks behind render without it being opened up, so the report explains what we could and couldn’t assess.
What happens on the day
Photos are taken throughout the visit, so the report shows exactly what we saw. We take close-ups from wherever is safe. A typical visit takes roughly 1–2 hours at a typical home, and longer for a large or complex roof. Somewhere like Lower Upnor needs a little journey planning: let us know about narrow lanes, gates, long drives and where we can park. The roof is looked at from the ground, from windows, from the loft where there is safe access and from the roof where it’s safe.
- You tell us whether any stacks are shared, unused or leaning.
- We check the roof around each stack, including the flashings.
- We check the flaunching and pots on every stack.
- We note the brickwork, pointing and any sign of leaning.
- The report explains the condition and which work is most urgent.
Preparing for the visit
- If the roof is shared, arrange access with whoever manages the building
- Leave side gates unlocked
- Leave a clear route to the loft
How to book
Once you know what you need, phone 07833 053749 or use the contact form. We will suggest a package, agree the price and find a date.
Related advice
What we cannot see
It is useful to know what a survey will not do before you book:
- What’s inside the brickwork or behind render, without opening up
- Checks on boilers, fires or their flues
- Whether the flue is safe to use
If in doubt, call 07833 053749 or email us and we will recommend the right survey. What our survey covers.
What this survey covers
- Shared and party-wall stacks
- Chimney breasts
- Lead flashings
- Brick chimney stacks
- Chimney pots and cowls
- Flaunching
Do you need a chimney survey in Lower Upnor?
Some owners book because a chimney breast has been removed below and they want to know about the stack above. We record what we can see in the loft and outside, and the report recommends a structural engineer if support is a concern.
We are frequently asked to look at:
- Worn or missing pointing
- Bricks with flaking faces
- Staining on walls around the chimney
- Redundant stacks capped without ventilation
Shop and office owners around Pentagon Shopping Centre may find that knowing the roof’s condition lets you budget for work rather than pay for emergencies.
Before booking anyone
- What insurance they carry
- Is there a chance to talk the report through?
- How they plan to inspect the roof safely
- What exactly goes into their report
Also near Lower Upnor
What else we do in Lower Upnor
Questions from Lower Upnor
Does a conservation area affect roof work in Lower Upnor?
Your council is the best source, with Historic England’s list for listed buildings. A change of roofing material may need consent in either case, and councils can also use Article 4 directions.
Is Lower Upnor within the area you cover?
Yes, Lower Upnor is covered. We survey roofs across London and the South East, and smaller places are part of that. Longer journeys are simply planned beforehand.
Is it a structural engineer’s report?
No. We are roof surveyors, not structural engineers, and it doesn’t include calculations. If we see signs that need an engineer’s opinion, we will recommend one.
Why is my chimney breast damp?
It can come from several places: cracked flaunching, worn pointing, failed flashings, uncapped pots, or damp trapped in an unventilated stack. Our survey checks each of these and records the likely cause.
How long have you been surveying roofs?
We have more than 20 years’ experience and have carried out more than 5,000 surveys across London and South East England.
Can you tell me if my roof has asbestos?
No. Asbestos surveys and testing aren’t part of what we do. We flag materials that could contain asbestos, such as cement sheets or soffits on pre-2000 buildings and suggest a specialist asbestos surveyor checks them before any work.
Will you check the loft?
Where it is relevant to the survey and there is safe access, yes. Please clear anything stored under the hatch, and if the loft cannot be reached safely, the report says so.
What happens if roof problems are left?
Loose pots and bricks on a stack are a safety concern. A survey picks them out so they can be made safe by a roofer. Where a roof is exposed, as many are in small places like Lower Upnor, driving rain gets into any weakness, and older walls, once damp, take a long time to dry.
Prices start from £150, including VAT. Packages run from Basic at £150 through Standard at £250 to Premium at £400, including VAT.
What you get with us
- Drone flown under a CAA Flyer ID and Operator ID
- An independent view of the roof
- Packages from £150, including VAT
- 5,000+ surveys completed
See our cost guide and two real surveys.
Chimney surveys in Lower Upnor: local notes
The coast is about 2 miles or less from Lower Upnor, so there’s more wind and more salt in the air than further inland. Metal fixings and flashings corrode faster in salt air, while gales work at loose ridges, slates and tiles. Across Kent, older roofs are often handmade clay or peg tiles, and tile-hanging on upper walls is a familiar sight. You’ll also find oast houses and timber-framed Wealden hall houses among the county’s older buildings. Knowing the covering helps explain which parts of a roof are likely to need work first.
Living close to Lower Lines Park is pleasant, but mature trees mean leaves in gutters and valleys each autumn, and an overflowing gutter soon means a wet wall. Restoration House lies about 2 miles south-west, so building around Lower Upnor goes back a long way. Older roofs nearby often mix original materials with later repairs, and the survey shows where each one is.
Lower Upnor is about 2 miles north-east of Rochester, in Medway. We cover Lower Upnor and the rest of Medway, as part of our work across London and South East England. Lower Upnor is one of the places in Medway we cover. Maidstone is in our area too.
Every address in ME2 is covered for chimney surveys. We cover properties on Galleon Way, Cutter Close and Schooner Walk and the roads around them. If you are just outside Lower Upnor, we cover Upper Upnor (1 mile south-west), Chattenden (1 mile north), Wainscott (1 mile west), Hoo St Werburgh (2 miles north-east) and Cooling Street (2 miles north). We also work in nearby towns such as Gillingham (3 miles south-east), Chatham (4 miles south), Rainham (5 miles south-east), Strood (3 miles south-west), Luton (3 miles south) and Park Wood (5 miles south-east).
Near you in Lower Upnor
Typical jobs here are in homes near Former Ordnance Store At Chatham Gun Wharf, The Hundred of Hoo Academy and Waterfront University Technical College, among other places. Also close by are Lower Lines Park (1.3 miles south-east) and The Ship pub (under half a mile east). The nearest railway station is Strood station, about 1.6 miles south-west. Other landmarks nearby include Upnor Castle (within half a mile south) and Pentagon Shopping Centre (1.9 miles south). For a walk, there’s Rede Common and Gad's Hill.