Kent · London and the South East
Chimney survey in Lydden, Kent
Chimney surveys in Lydden, backed by more than 20 years’ experience. You get a clear report with photos.
- Pots or cowls that look unsafe
- Cracked or missing flaunching
- A stack that appears to lean
Lydden questions
Do you cover smaller places like Lydden?
Yes. Lydden is within the area we cover, which takes in towns, villages and rural addresses. Our area covers London and South East England. Let us know about access, parking and anything unusual about getting there when you book.
How do I find out if my home in Lydden is listed?
Historic England’s list shows listed buildings, and the local council can tell you about conservation areas. Listed building consent is needed for changes that affect a listed building’s special interest, and conservation areas can limit changes of roofing material.
Is a leaning chimney dangerous?
Have it checked rather than leaving it. Leaning often comes from mortar breaking down unevenly. We record its condition with photographs, and a structural engineer can assess whether it needs work.
I live in a flat. Can you survey the roof?
Yes, as long as access is agreed. The roof of a block or converted house is often shared, so the building owner or managing agent needs to agree access. We can only inspect what we’re given access to.
Do you need to go on the roof to check the chimney?
We use safe viewpoints rather than climbing onto the stack. A drone inspection is part of the Premium Survey where it applies. Any area we couldn’t view is noted.
What do you check on a chimney?
Every part of the stack we can see from safe positions: pots, cowls, flaunching, pointing, bricks and flashings. We also note leaning, redundant stacks and damp inside.
What’s the best way to book?
Just phone 07833 053749 or drop us an email. We’ll ask a few questions, confirm the price and agree a date, weekday or weekend.
Chimney survey in Lydden: what you get
Our survey covers the structure of the stack and its weathering details. It isn’t a flue inspection, a sweep or a gas safety check. 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. If something we see points to the flue, we’ll say so. If you’ve noticed gaps where the stack meets the roof and frost-damaged brickwork on the stack, we can find out what’s behind it, on flaunching, lead flashings and shared and party-wall stacks alike.
In a village or hamlet like Lydden, older cottages and farmhouses frequently sit alongside barns, outbuildings and a few newer houses. Roofs there can be clay tile, slate, stone or thatch, and chimney stacks are often old. We report on whatever is safely visible, and thatch is a specialist material. Chimneys and lead flashings on old roofs often need the most attention.
The written findings come by email, ready to forward to whoever needs them. Turnaround is within 48 hours for Basic, 24–48 hours for Standard and same day for Premium.
- Place
- Lydden (CT15)
- Wider area
- Kent
- Price
- From £150 inc. VAT
- Reports
- Written, with photos, emailed to you
- Appointments
- Weekdays, Saturdays and Sundays
- Cover
- Professional indemnity and public liability
- Telephone
- 07833 053749
- Updated
- 27 October 2026
What we can’t see
It’s a careful look at the chimney stack, not the whole story. The main limits are:
- Parts of the stack that cannot be seen safely or belong to a neighbour we cannot access
- A structural engineer’s assessment
- Checks on boilers, fires or their flues
If in doubt, ring 07833 053749 or use the contact form and we’ll recommend the right survey before you book. What our survey covers.
What we look at
- Lead flashings
- Chimney pots and cowls
- Brick chimney stacks
- Shared and party-wall stacks
- Chimney breasts
- Flaunching
Why act early in Lydden
If you’re buying, find out about the stacks before you exchange. Once you’ve exchanged, the work is down to you. Our report gives you facts to raise with the seller or agent. Around Lydden, 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. You will know the figure before booking.
Why us?
- Plain-English reports with photos
- Visits on any day of the week
- A sub-250g drone, flown with a CAA Flyer ID and Operator ID
- Prices that include VAT
Read our cost guide or two real surveys.
DIY checks: what’s safe
After heavy rain, check ceilings and the tops of walls for new stains. Take a photo and write down when you saw it, as it helps a surveyor trace the cause.
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.
The survey, step by step
On the day, we start by asking what you’ve noticed and what you want to find out. We then inspect everything that can be seen safely. Most surveys take roughly 1–2 hours at most homes, though large, tall or awkward roofs take more time. Somewhere like Lydden needs a little journey planning: tell us about narrow lanes, gates, long drives and where we can park. On the day, we inspect whatever is safely visible, inside and out.
- We go through the chimneys, any damp and any work done on them.
- We check every stack from wherever it can be seen safely.
- Pots, cowls, flaunching, pointing and flashings are checked and photographed.
- Inside, the chimney breasts and the loft are checked for damp where there’s access.
- The report, with photographs and recommendations, is emailed to you.
How to prepare
- Leave a clear route to the loft
- Point out any leaks or damp patches
- If the roof is shared, arrange access with whoever manages the building
Getting a price
If you have photos of the roof, send them over. Take them safely from ground level or a window. To send them or to book, call 07833 053749 or drop us an email.
Related advice
Different roofs, different checks
Flaunching
The sloping mortar around the pots is called flaunching. Once it cracks, water can get straight into the brickwork.
Brick stacks
Many older stacks were built with lime mortar. Repairs should suit the original materials, which we mention where relevant.
Nearby places to Lydden
Other services in Lydden
Chimney surveys in Lydden: local notes
The coast is about 4 miles or less from Lydden, so there is 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, while driving rain finds any gap. There are about 500,000 buildings on England’s list of listed buildings, and around 10,000 conservation areas. If your 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, so the council is the place to ask.
Living close to Sladden Wood is pleasant, but mature trees mean leaves in gutters and valleys each autumn, and an overflowing gutter soon means a wet wall. For site and facilities teams at buildings like Lydden Primary School, its roofs, gutters and any chimneys need the same checks as a house’s, just on a bigger scale. If you own a rental within reach of Kearsney station, a dated record of the roof is useful when planning maintenance across a let.
Lydden is about 3 miles north-west of Dover, in Kent. Roofs in Lydden get the same thorough look as anywhere else in Kent. Lydden is one of the towns and villages in Kent where we work. There’s also a page for Canterbury.
We survey roofs across CT15 for chimney surveys. Whether your property is on St Marys Rise, Canterbury Road and The Close or anywhere close by, we can survey it. If you are just outside Lydden, we cover Coldred (1 mile north), Ewell Minnis (1 mile south-west), Temple Ewell (1 mile south-east), Halfway Street (1 mile north-west) and Wolverton (2 miles south). We also work in nearby towns such as Canterbury (11 miles north-west), Dover (3 miles south-east), Folkestone (6 miles south-west), Ramsgate (14 miles north-east), Deal (8 miles north-east) and Herne Bay (15 miles north).
Landmarks near Lydden
Locally, jobs take us to homes and businesses close to Sladden Wood and Hope Inn. The closest station to Lydden is Kearsney station, about 1.6 miles south-east of the centre. Nearby you’ll also find Dover Transport Museum (2.3 miles south-east) and Dover Castle (4.3 miles south-east). Not far away are Dover Western Heights.
For landlords and managing agents
If the property is let, the agent or a tenant can let us in, at a time agreed in advance. Surveys run on weekdays and at weekends, which can make access easier.
For a freeholder or residents’ company, a roof report is a sound basis for a maintenance plan.