Kent · London and the South East
Chimney Survey in Paddock Wood
A survey of chimney stacks, pots, flashings and flaunching around Paddock Wood, with a written report you can act on. Weekday and weekend visits available.
- Redundant stacks capped without ventilation
- Gaps in the mortar around the pots
- Flashings pulling away from the stack
About our chimney survey in Paddock Wood
We inspect chimneys from wherever they can be seen safely: from the ground, from windows and vantage points, and from the loft where there’s access. A drone inspection is part of our Premium Survey where applicable. If we can’t see part of the stack, the report makes that clear. Each defect is recorded with a photo and a plain description. Typical surveys look at bricks with flaking faces and cracked or missing flaunching, across flaunching, brick chimney stacks and shared and party-wall stacks.
Trees around homes in smaller places like Paddock Wood drop leaves, twigs and moss onto roofs and into gutters. Blocked gutters overflow and soak the walls below, and moss holds water against tiles. A report spots that kind of slow problem before it becomes damp inside. Plants growing from a gutter or moss on the tiles are signs worth noting from the ground.
Most points in the report come with a picture, so you can see each defect rather than just read about it. Anything out of sight on the day is listed as such.
- Place
- Paddock Wood (TN12)
- Wider area
- Kent
- Price
- From £150 inc. VAT
- Your report
- Written, with photos, emailed to you
- When we survey
- Weekdays, Saturdays and Sundays
- Cover
- PI and public liability insurance
- Phone
- 07833 053749
- Page updated
- 27 October 2026
The survey, step by step
Where it’s relevant and can be reached safely, the loft space is checked as well as the outside. In the loft, the signs we look for are staining, damp, daylight and sagging, as far as the space allows. The whole visit usually takes roughly 1–2 hours for most homes, a little longer where there are several stacks. Some parts of a survey depend on the weather, so a visit to Paddock Wood is booked with the forecast in mind: the parts that need calm, dry weather are planned around it.
- You tell us whether any stacks are shared, unused or leaning.
- We check the roof around each stack, including the flashings.
- We look at the flaunching and pots on every stack.
- Any lean, spalling or worn pointing is recorded.
- You receive a written report setting out what needs attention first.
Before we arrive
- Leave side gates unlocked
- Show us where any leaks or stains appear
- Agree roof access with the managing agent if it is shared
Booking a survey
Buyers should book once an offer has been accepted, so you have the findings in time to act on them before you exchange. Otherwise, simply call 07833 053749 or send us an email whenever suits you.
Advice
What this survey can’t tell you
Our findings are based on what we can see safely on the day, so there are some things a survey can’t cover:
- Flue inspections or sweeping
- A structural engineer’s assessment
- Whether a gas appliance or its flue is safe
If you are not sure which survey you need, call 07833 053749 or email us and we will give you a straight answer before you book. What a survey covers and does not.
What we look at
- Lead flashings
- Flaunching
- Chimney pots and cowls
- Shared and party-wall stacks
- Chimney breasts
- Brick chimney stacks
What we look for on each type of roof
Chimney pots and cowls
On redundant flues, we check how the pots are capped. Poor capping can lead to damp inside the stack.
Lead flashings
Some older stacks have mortar fillets instead of lead. They crack with age, and we check them too.
Rented homes, blocks and businesses
Shared roofs need a little more planning: access has to be agreed with whoever owns or manages the building. Tell us about it as you book and we will plan the survey around it.
Letting agents and landlords in Paddock Wood book surveys as well as homeowners. The report gives you a dated record of the chimney stack, with photos.
Checking the roof from ground level
The one thing to avoid is getting up close. Roofs are fragile and slippery, and falls from height are serious. That part is for a survey, using safe viewpoints and a drone where it applies.
After strong wind, take a look from the pavement or garden: pieces of tile or slate on the ground, a gap in the ridge or a lifted flashing are all worth noting. Leave anything above ground level to a survey.
Roofs, chimneys and gutters in Paddock Wood
England has around 10,000 conservation areas and about 500,000 listed buildings. 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. Many older homes in Kent have handmade clay tiles, including Kent peg tiles held by pegs through two holes, and tile-hanging on their upper walls. Oast houses and timber-framed Wealden hall houses are part of the county’s older buildings too. On roofs like these, good slates or tiles can outlast the nails, battens, lead and mortar around them.
If you look after a building like Paddock Wood Primary School, long gutter runs and wide roofs on a building that size are worth checking on a regular cycle. Homes near green spaces such as Foal Hurst Wood can get more leaves in their gutters in autumn, and an overflowing gutter soon means a wet wall.
Paddock Wood is about 5 miles east of Tonbridge, in Kent. We carry out chimney surveys in Paddock Wood for houses, flats, blocks and commercial buildings, with a written report and photographs every time. Paddock Wood is one of the places in Kent where we work. Our Maidstone page covers surveys nearby.
We work across the TN12 postcode area for chimney surveys. Whether your property is on Church Road, Station Road and Forest Road or anywhere close by, we can help. Paddock Wood sits on or near the B2017 and B2160, so getting to you is simple. If you are just outside Paddock Wood, we cover Whetsted (1 mile north-west), Colt's Hill (1 mile west), Five Oak Green (2 miles west), Matfield (2 miles south-west) and Brenchley (2 miles south). We also work in nearby towns such as Maidstone (9 miles north-east), Sevenoaks (11 miles north-west), Royal Tunbridge Wells (6 miles south-west), Tonbridge (5 miles west), Kings Hill (7 miles north) and Foley Park (10 miles north-east).
Landmarks near Paddock Wood
Typical jobs here are in homes near Mascalls School, Foal Hurst Wood and John Brunt V.C. Pub and the streets around them. Paddock Wood has its own railway station: Paddock Wood station. Nearby you will also find Tunbridge Wells Hospital (4 miles south-west) and The Hop Farm Museum (1.4 miles north). Not far away are Tudeley Woods RSPB reserve.
Paddock Wood: your questions answered
Is Paddock Wood within the area you cover?
Yes, Paddock Wood is covered. Our area covers London and the South East, from towns to the smallest villages. Longer journeys are simply planned ahead of time.
How do I find out if my home in Paddock Wood 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.
My chimney looks like it is leaning. What should I do?
Have it checked rather than leaving 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.
Will you photograph what you find?
Yes. The report includes photos of what we found, so you can see exactly what each finding refers to.
Do I need to be at home?
That depends on the survey. For inside areas and the roof space, someone has to give us access; we’ll agree the details as you book.
What do you check on a chimney?
We check the pots, cowls, flaunching, pointing, brickwork and flashings. Inside, we look for damp on chimney breasts and in the loft where there’s safe access. Everything is written up with photographs.
Do you inspect shared chimneys?
Yes. We look at the parts we can see safely and the parts you can give us access to. If a defect seems to be on your neighbour’s side, the report records it, so you can discuss it with them.
When to book a survey in Paddock Wood
A stack takes the weather from every direction. Frost works into cracks in the flaunching and pointing, and rain soaks into worn brickwork. Most people book after spotting damp or a loose pot, or before buying.
Most people get in touch when they’ve noticed one of these:
- Staining on walls around the chimney
- A chimney out of line
- Unused flues sealed without airflow
- Flaunching that has broken away
Take an older house close to St Andrew's Church: the nails, lead and mortar on the roof may be wearing out even where the slates or tiles look fine.
Before booking anyone
- What they won’t be able to tell you
- Whether you get a written report with photos
- Are they insured for the work?
- What follow-up you get after the report