Kent · London and the South East
Chimney Survey in Margate
A survey of chimney stacks, pots, flashings and flaunching in Margate, using drones and thermal imaging where it applies. Call or email for a price.
- Bricks with flaking faces
- Damp patches on chimney breasts
- Mortar washing out of the joints
Chimney survey in Margate
Damp on a chimney breast can have several causes. It might come in at the top, through worn pointing or porous bricks, or where the flashings meet the roof. 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. Typical surveys look at flaunching that has broken away and a stack that appears to lean, across flaunching, chimney pots and cowls and brick chimney stacks.
Semis and terraces in a town like Margate share roof details with the neighbours. A shared chimney stack or a gutter run across two houses means a defect may sit partly on someone else’s property. Shared parts are looked at as far as they can be seen safely from the property we’re surveying. It helps to mention any shared stacks or gutters as you book.
What you get is a clear record of the chimney stack on the day we saw it. That makes it useful now and a handy reference later.
- Place
- Margate (CT9, CT7, CT8, CT10)
- Region
- Kent
- Cost
- From £150 inc. VAT
- Reports
- Written, with photos, emailed to you
- Survey days
- Weekdays and weekends
- Insured
- PI and public liability insurance
- Phone
- 07833 053749
- Page updated
- 27 October 2026
Common questions in Margate
How do I find out if my home in Margate is listed?
For listing, use Historic England’s list; for conservation areas, ask the council. The answer matters most when a change of material is on the cards.
Do roofs near the sea, like those around Margate, take more of a battering?
Places near the sea get more wind and more salt in the air than inland, and both are hard on roofs. Salt corrodes metal fixings and flashings, and wind lifts loose slates, tiles and ridge pieces.
Do I need to be at home?
If the survey includes the loft or the inside of the building, someone needs to let us in. Access is agreed with you as you book.
Will you fly a drone over my roof?
Where it helps and the rules allow, yes. We hold a CAA Flyer ID and Operator ID and fly a drone under 250g, and every flight depends on the airspace and the weather.
What’s in the report?
It works through the roof part by part, in writing and with photos, and ends with what we recommend. Points are put with the most urgent first where relevant.
Should I worry about a leaning stack?
It’s worth having a leaning stack checked. We record the lean, the brickwork and the pointing, and if it may be a structural issue, we recommend a structural engineer.
Do you inspect shared chimneys?
Yes. Shared stacks are common on terraced and semi-detached houses. We record the stack as far as we can see it and flag anything on the neighbour’s side.
Why act early in Margate
A damp chimney breast seldom dries out until the cause is found. It can stain walls and damage plaster. Knowing whether it’s the flaunching, flashings, brickwork or ventilation means the right fix can be planned. On a house in a town like Margate, wet loft insulation stops working and can stay damp for a long time. That adds to the bill long before the leak is obvious.
The Premium Survey includes thermal imaging and drone inspection where it applies, from £400 including VAT. We can help you choose the package that fits what you want to find out.
Why book us in Margate
- Package prices that include VAT
- 20+ years’ experience
- Satisfaction rate of 98%
- Independent findings on the roof’s condition
See our cost guide or two real surveys.
Chimney surveys in Margate: local notes
Margate is within about 1 mile of the coast, and being near the sea means more wind and salt than a roof inland would face. Metal fixings and flashings corrode faster in salt air, while gales work at loose ridges, slates and tiles, while driving rain finds any gap. Handmade clay tiles, including Kent peg tiles hung on pegs through two holes, are typical of older Kent buildings. 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.
Quex Park, about 2.9 miles west, is one of the historic houses in the wider area around Margate. Older roofs nearby often mix original materials with later repairs, and the survey shows where each one is. If you look after a shop, office or commercial unit, for instance near Westwood Cross, a dated report on the roof is useful for planning and for any lease discussions. If you own a rental within reach of Margate station, a roof report helps you deal with small faults before they turn into a call from a tenant.
Margate is in Kent. Margate gets the same service as everywhere else we work: a careful look at everything that’s safely in view, photos and a clear written report. We cover towns and villages across Kent. For surveys nearby, see our Canterbury page.
All of CT9, CT7, CT8 and CT10 is within our area for chimney surveys, from the main roads to the quietest streets. You’ll find streets like Yoakley Square, Church Road and High Street, all of which we cover. With the A28 and A254 close by, Margate is simple for us to get to. We also cover the places around Margate: Westwood (1 mile south), Westbrook (1 mile west), Garlinge (1 mile west), Flete (1 mile south-west) and Haine (2 miles south). Within a short drive, we also cover Canterbury (15 miles south-west), Ramsgate (3 miles south), Whitstable (15 miles west), Deal (11 miles south), Herne Bay (11 miles west) and Walmer (12 miles south). As one of the bigger places in Kent, Margate has homes, rented property and businesses of every kind.
Landmarks near Margate
Around Margate, our work takes us to homes and buildings near Hartsdown Academy and Secret Spices pub, among other places. Margate’s nearest station is Margate station, roughly 0.6 miles north-west. Nearby you’ll also find Westwood Cross (1.6 miles south) and Queen Elizabeth the Queen Mother Hospital (less than half a mile south-east). The countryside around Margate includes Sandwich and Pegwell Bay.
Landlords, agents and block managers in Margate
With a portfolio of properties, you can book surveys for several addresses. To arrange surveys for several addresses, ring 07833 053749 or email us.
Buyers’ agents can book surveys on behalf of their clients. Reports are emailed, so they’re easy to pass on.
Useful tips for Margate property owners
From years of surveys, a few habits stand out:
- Check unused flues are capped with ventilation
- Note any damp on chimney breasts and when it appears
- File photos of the stacks with your home records
- Check with the council before altering a stack in a conservation area or on a listed building
You get the report by email and can pass it to whoever does the work. We use plain English and a photo for each defect so anyone reading it can see what we saw.
Make sure fixings on the stack are sound, and moved if they’re working it loose. Removing unused fixings takes strain off the brickwork.
What we can’t see
We only report everything that’s safely in view on the day, so some things are outside what a survey can do:
- Hidden sides of a shared stack
- The inside of the flue, which needs a sweep or flue specialist
- Whether a stack needs rebuilding on structural grounds
Not sure which survey suits your roof? You can ring 07833 053749 or send us an email and we’ll tell you before booking. What a survey covers and doesn’t.
What we look at
- Flaunching
- Chimney breasts
- Chimney pots and cowls
- Lead flashings
- Shared and party-wall stacks
- Brick chimney stacks
What affects the cost of chimney surveys
Not every roof costs the same to survey, and it comes down to:
- The height of the building and how the roof can safely be seen
- Features like valleys, chimneys, dormers and parapets
- House, block, shop or office
- Whether you choose the Basic, Standard or Premium Survey
To find out what your survey will cost, call 07833 053749 or email us and let us know about the roof. We’ll confirm the figure before booking.
Getting in touch
If you can, have these to hand when you contact us:
- Any stains, drips or damp patches you’ve seen indoors
- When you need the report by
- How the loft is reached, if there is one
- Your postcode, so we can check access and travel
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, phone 07833 053749 or drop us an email.
How the survey works
Time on site depends on the size and shape of the roof, but as a rough guide the survey takes about one to two hours for a house, or half a day or so for a commercial building. You are welcome to ask questions while we are there. Semi-detached and terraced homes in a town like Margate often share a roof line with the neighbours, so shared parts are looked at as far as they can be seen from your property. Tell us about any known leaks, past repairs or building work when you book.
- We start with the details: how many stacks, whether any are shared and any signs of damp.
- The stacks are looked at from ground level, from windows and from other safe vantage points.
- We check and photograph the pots, cowls, flaunching, pointing and flashings.
- Where there is safe access, we look at the stack in the loft and the chimney breasts for damp.
- You get a photo-illustrated written report and our recommendations.
Before we arrive
- Check pets are kept safely away
- Check we can get to the back of the property
- Buyers: confirm access with the estate agent or seller
Arrange a survey
Every survey is priced before it’s booked, so you know where you stand. Our price is from £150, including VAT. To book, call 07833 053749 or email us.