Essex · London and the South East
Chimney survey in Marden Ash, Essex
Chimney surveys across Marden Ash, with over 20 years’ experience behind it. Every survey ends with a written report and photos.
- Mortar washing out of the joints
- Gaps in the mortar around the pots
- Loose, cracked or missing pots
Rented homes, blocks and businesses
Where a roof is shared: we need access agreed with whoever owns or manages the building. Let us know about it when you book and we’ll plan the survey around it.
If you own several properties, surveys can be booked for more than one address. To discuss a number of properties, phone 07833 053749 or use the contact form.
Chimney survey in Marden Ash
A damp patch on a chimney breast does not always come from the same place. Water may be getting in at the top through cracked flaunching or an uncapped pot, through the brickwork, or at the flashings. Moisture trapped inside a stack with no ventilation can also cause damp. We check each possibility and record what we find. You then know where to start. We survey brick chimney stacks, chimney pots and cowls and shared and party-wall stacks, and the problems we are asked to look at most are eroded joints in the brickwork and unused flues sealed without airflow.
Village roofs frequently face open fields and take the full force of wind and rain, which is hard on ridges, chimneys, flashings and gutters. Damp in old walls is slow to dry, so a small leak can do a lot of harm. A roof report shows what needs attention first. On exposed older roofs, chimneys and lead flashings are frequently the first to give way.
Most points in the report come with a picture, because a photo of a cracked flashing says more than a paragraph. If something couldn’t be seen safely, the report is clear about it.
- Location
- Marden Ash (CM5)
- Wider area
- Essex
- Price
- From £150 inc. VAT
- Reports
- A written report with photos, by email
- When we survey
- Weekdays and weekends
- Insurance
- Professional indemnity and public liability
- Call
- 07833 053749
- Last updated
- 27 October 2026
Common questions in Marden Ash
Will you come out to Marden Ash?
Yes, we do. Our area covers London and South East England, from towns to the smallest villages. The journey is planned ahead, so it’s useful to know about access.
Do you cover Marden Ash?
Yes. We cover the whole of London and South East England, and Marden Ash is part of that. You can phone 07833 053749 or email us with the address and a few details, and we’ll talk through which survey suits.
I live in a flat. Can you survey the roof?
Yes, if whoever owns or manages the building agrees access. We check the parts we are given access to.
Is this a RICS survey?
No. We check the roof, not the whole building, so it is not a RICS Level 2 or Level 3 survey. It can sit alongside a RICS survey if you want both.
How fast do I get the report?
Basic reports arrive within 48 hours, Standard reports in 24–48 hours and Premium reports on the same day. Each one is emailed.
Can you survey in bad weather?
It depends on the weather and the survey. Strong wind or heavy rain can make access unsafe and ground a drone, so we’d move the date with you.
Do you survey on Saturdays and Sundays?
We carry out surveys on weekdays and at weekends. To arrange a date, call 07833 053749 or use the contact form.
How we price chimney surveys
When we price a survey, we consider:
- The height of the building and how the roof can be seen safely
- Commercial roofs and larger buildings
- How complicated the roof is, with its valleys, chimneys and parapets
- The package you choose: Basic, Standard or Premium
Prices start from £150, including VAT. What you pay depends on the size and height of the roof, how it can safely be seen and which survey you book.
What we need to know
Here’s what helps us most when you contact us:
- Access details, such as a loft hatch or a shared roof
- Where the property is, with the postcode
- What’s prompted the survey
- The kind of building and roof involved
Buyers should book once an offer has been accepted, so there is time to use the report before exchange. For any other survey, just call 07833 053749 or send us an email when you’re ready.
Tips from our surveys
From years of surveys, a few habits stand out:
- Leave close inspection to people with safe access
- Ask about consent before removing a chimney on an older property
- Use a Gas Safe registered engineer for gas appliances
- Make sure unused flues are capped with ventilation
If anything in the report is not clear, just ask us. The Standard Survey includes a follow-up consultation and the Premium Survey an in-person consultation.
Check redundant flues are capped with ventilation. Ventilation helps keep the stack dry.
Nearby places to Marden Ash
Other services in Marden Ash
What happens on the day
Safety comes first on every visit. Everything that can be seen safely is inspected, and anything we can’t see is noted in the report. Most visits take about 1–2 hours at a house, as part of a look at the roof around the stack. In a small place like Marden Ash, access is typically the main thing to plan. Mention any outbuildings, barns or garages you want included, and anything about the roof you already know. Weekday and weekend visits are available.
- We go through the chimneys, any damp and any work done on them.
- We look at every stack from wherever it can safely be seen.
- 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
- If the roof is shared, arrange access with whoever manages the building
- Show us where any leaks or stains appear
- Have keys ready for side gates, garages or roof access doors
Getting a price
Not sure which survey you need? The easiest way is to ring 07833 053749 or send us an email and describe the roof and what’s worrying you. We will talk you through the options and what they cost.
Advice
Chimney surveys around Marden Ash
Weatherboarded walls and clay tile roofs are typical of older Essex buildings, alongside plenty of post-war and newer estates. Each of these coverings has its own weak points, from fixings and valleys to flashings, chimneys and gutters. Historic houses like Hill Hall, about 4.2 miles west, show how far back building in the area around Marden Ash goes. On older houses around here, roofs frequently carry the marks of earlier repairs, from replaced slates to new lead, and any change of roofing material on a listed home needs checking with the council first.
Take an older house close to St James: the nails, lead and mortar on the roof may be wearing out even where the slates or tiles look fine. If you look after a building such as Chipping Ongar Primary School, a written record of a large roof helps plan work for the holidays rather than in term time.
Marden Ash is about 6 miles north-west of Brentwood, in Essex. Marden Ash gets the same service as everywhere else we work: a careful inspection, photographs and a written report. Marden Ash is one of the towns and villages in Essex where we work for chimney surveys. Chelmsford is in our area too.
All of CM5 is within our area for chimney surveys, from the main roads to the quietest streets. We offer chimney surveys to properties on Rodney Road, Fairfield Road and Brentwood Road. Being close to the A128, Marden Ash is easy for us to reach for chimney surveys. We also cover the places around Marden Ash: Stanford Rivers (1 mile south-west), Little End (1 mile south-west), Hare Street (2 miles south-west), Clatterford End (2 miles west) and Paslow Wood Common (2 miles east). We also work in nearby towns such as Chelmsford (11 miles east), Basildon (13 miles south-east), Harlow (7 miles north-west), Brentwood (6 miles south-east), Billericay (9 miles south-east) and Loughton (8 miles south-west).
Near you in Marden Ash
Locally, jobs take us to homes and businesses close to The Ongar Academy and Two Brewers Public House. Well-known places in the area include Willingale Doe (4.8 miles north-east) and St. Margaret's Hospital (5.2 miles west). Open spaces near Marden Ash include Gernon Bushes.
What happens if roof problems are left?
Damp in a chimney breast usually gets worse while the cause is left. It can stain walls and damage plaster. Knowing whether it is the flaunching, flashings, brickwork or ventilation means the right fix can be planned. Outbuildings and barns around Marden Ash are easy to forget, but a failed roof there can spoil what’s stored inside. It is worth including them in a survey before a winter does the damage.
A Basic Survey starts from £150, including VAT. The Standard Survey starts from £250 and the Premium Survey from £400, both inc. VAT. We confirm the price for your survey before booking.
What you get with us
- Drone flown under a CAA Flyer ID and Operator ID
- A written report with photos
- 5,000+ roofs surveyed
- An independent look at the roof
Read our cost guide or our case studies.
What we look for on each type of roof
Chimney pots and cowls
Pots sit in the flaunching on top of the stack, and cowls or caps sit on the pots. We check that they look secure and undamaged.
Lead flashings
Flashings can lift in wind or pull out of their mortar joints. Any loose or split flashings are recorded.