Essex · London and the South East
Chimney survey in Patching, Essex
A survey of chimney stacks, pots, flashings and flaunching around Patching, with findings in writing and pictures to back them up. Weekday and weekend visits available.
- Flashings pulling away from the stack
- Cracked or missing flaunching
- Loose, cracked or missing pots
How a chimney survey works in Patching
If you’re buying a home with chimneys, it is worth knowing their condition before you exchange. Cracked flaunching, failed flashings and worn pointing are common findings on older stacks. Our report gives you specific points to raise with the seller or agent. It complements a RICS home survey rather than replacing it. We’re often asked to look into damaged chimney pots and cowls and unused flues sealed without airflow, across brick chimney stacks, chimney pots and cowls and lead flashings.
Around Patching, gardens, hedges and nearby trees can mean leaves and moss end up on roofs and in gutters. Blocked gutters overflow and soak the walls below, and moss holds water against tiles. It’s the kind of slow problem a roof report picks up early. Moss on the roof and weeds in the gutter are both easy to spot from ground level.
If any part of the chimney stack couldn’t be seen safely, we say so in the report. That way, it is clear what was covered and what wasn’t, and what we’d suggest next.
- Location
- Patching (CM1)
- Wider area
- Essex
- Prices
- From £150 inc. VAT
- Reports
- Emailed report with photos and recommendations
- Appointments
- Weekdays, Saturdays and Sundays
- Cover
- PI and public liability insurance
- Phone
- 07833 053749
- Page updated
- 27 October 2026
Can I check my roof myself?
Inside, the loft is a good place to look, with care. Use a torch and stay on the joists or boards, checking for stains, damp wood or chinks of daylight.
What you cannot do safely is get up close. Slates, tiles, flat roofs and rooflights can give way, and a fall can be serious. That part is for a survey.
Leave it or get it looked at?
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. Homes in smaller places like Patching can face more weather, so a loose ridge or verge soon lets rain in. Wind gets under it and lifts more, and water follows.
Bigger, taller and commercial roofs take more time to survey, so the price reflects that. The price is confirmed before you book.
What you get with us
- More than 20 years surveying roofs
- Package prices that include VAT
- Thermal imaging and drones used where they help
- 5,000+ surveys completed
What happens on the day
After the inspection, everything we found is written up as a written report with photos. As for time on site, it usually takes about one to two hours at a house, as part of a look at the roof around the stack. A visit to a smaller place like Patching is no different on the day: outside, inside and from any safe vantage point, in that order. Point out any stains, cracks or loose pieces you’ve spotted.
- You tell us whether any stacks are shared, unused or leaning.
- The flashings and the roof around each chimney are inspected.
- We look at the flaunching and pots on every stack.
- Any lean, spalling or worn pointing is recorded.
- The report explains the condition and which work is most urgent.
How to prepare
- Find any records of previous roof work
- Show us where any leaks or stains appear
- Make sure pets are kept safely away
Getting a price
To book a survey, call 07833 053749 or use the contact form and let us know the address and what’s prompted the survey. You’ll know the price before anything is booked.
Advice
What a chimney survey looks like in Patching
About 3 miles south-west lies Hylands, a reminder of how long the area around Patching has been built on. Older homes in the wider area frequently have features worth a closer look, such as lead valleys, tall stacks and roofs that have been patched over the years. In Essex, older buildings are often clay-tiled, many with weatherboarding, alongside a good many post-war and newer estates. Each of these coverings has its own weak points, from fixings and valleys to flashings, chimneys and gutters.
If you let a flat or house near Chelmsford station, a dated record of the roof is useful when planning maintenance across a let. For site and facilities teams at buildings such as St John Payne Catholic School, its roofs, gutters and any chimneys need the same checks as a house’s, just on a bigger scale.
Patching is about 1 mile north-west of Chelmsford, in Essex. Wherever you are in Patching, we can carry out chimney surveys at your property. Patching is one of the towns and villages in Essex where we work.
Postcode districts we cover here for chimney surveys: CM1. You will find streets such as First Avenue, Sixth Avenue and Fifth Avenue. Being close to the A1016, Patching is easy for us to reach. We also cover Chelmsford (1 mile south-east), Broomfield (2 miles north), Moulsham (2 miles south), Chignall St James (2 miles west) and Writtle (2 miles south-west). Further out, we also cover Basildon (12 miles south), Braintree (10 miles north-east), Harlow (15 miles west), Brentwood (11 miles south-west), Maldon (9 miles east) and Billericay (9 miles south).
What’s near Patching
Around Patching, our work takes us to homes and buildings near The Red Beret pub, Chelmer Valley Riverside and St Pius X Catholic Primary School and the streets around them. The closest station to Patching is Chelmsford station, roughly 1 mile south of the centre. Well-known places in the area include Bond Street Chelmsford (1.2 miles south) and Priory Hospital (1 mile south-east). Green spaces nearby include Newland Grove.
For landlords and managing agents
An agent can book and manage the survey for a landlord, and the report can go to both. We agree a time with the tenant beforehand.
With a portfolio of properties, surveys can be booked for more than one address. To arrange surveys for several addresses, call 07833 053749 or use the contact form.
Patching questions
How do I find out if my home in Patching is listed?
Your council is the best source, with Historic England’s list for listed buildings. Both listing and conservation areas can limit changes of roofing material.
I let a flat near Chelmsford station. Can you check the roof?
Of course. Let us know whether a tenant or an agent will let us in, and the report can go straight to you or your agent.
I live in a flat. Can you survey the roof?
Yes. A shared roof needs access agreed first. Mention it when you contact us and we will plan the survey around it.
What if it rains on the day?
A survey can usually go ahead in light rain. High wind or heavy rain can stop drone flights and make roof access unsafe, so if conditions aren’t right we will arrange another day with you.
Do you use drones?
Where it helps and the rules allow, yes. Our sub-250g drone is flown by a CAA-registered operator with a Flyer ID and Operator ID, and the airspace and weather are checked before every flight.
What do I do with the report?
You’ll get the report by email. The Standard Survey includes a follow-up consultation, and the Premium Survey an in-person consultation.
Is it a structural engineer’s report?
No. Our survey is not a structural engineer’s report. If we see signs that need an engineer’s opinion, we will recommend one.
Also near Patching
More services for Patching
What affects the price in Patching
Several things affect the price of a survey:
- Extra roofs, like extensions, dormers or garages
- How complicated the roof is, with its valleys, chimneys and parapets
- How tall the building is and how easy the roof is to see
- If the survey needs thermal imaging or a drone
Price depends partly on the package: Basic from £150, Standard from £250 or Premium from £400, all including VAT. The roof’s size, height and access matter as well.
Getting in touch
Some details help us point you to the right survey and price. When you contact us, let us know:
- When you need the report by
- Photos of the roof, taken safely from ground level or a window
- Where any leaks, stains or damp patches show inside
- Whether there is a loft hatch, a shared roof or tricky access
Our phone lines are open seven days a week, including Saturdays and Sundays. For a price or to book, ring 07833 053749 or send us an email.
When to book a survey in Patching
Aerials and dishes are often fixed to stacks. The extra load in wind can work bricks and joints loose. Any fixings on the stack are checked and recorded.
Signs worth acting on include:
- Flashings pulling away from the stack
- Gaps in the mortar around the pots
- Loose, cracked or missing pots
- Eroded joints in the brickwork
Shop and office owners around Bond Street Chelmsford may find that a roof report helps plan work around trading rather than after a leak.
Before you book any roof surveyor
- What experience they bring
- Which limits apply to the survey
- What insurance they carry
- If they fly a drone, whether they hold a CAA Flyer ID and Operator ID