Essex · London and the South East
Chimney survey in Pig Street, Essex
A careful look at the chimney stack at your property in Pig Street, with photographs and a written report.
- Spalled or crumbling bricks
- Gaps where the stack meets the roof
- Flaunching that has broken away
Chimney survey in Pig Street
Each stack is looked at from the safest viewpoints available: the ground, nearby windows and higher points, and the roof space where it is safe. A drone inspection is part of our Premium Survey where it applies. If we can’t see part of the stack, the report makes that clear. Every defect we find is photographed and described in plain words. Typical surveys look at cracked or missing flaunching and damp on a chimney breast inside, on chimney breasts, flaunching and chimney pots and cowls.
Somewhere as small as Pig Street, homes are often older cottages and farmhouses, with outbuildings and some newer houses. Roofs there can be clay tile, slate, stone or thatch, and chimney stacks are frequently old. We report on what can be seen safely, and thatch is a specialist material. On older roofs, it is normally the chimneys and lead flashings that need work first.
Every survey ends with a written report, with photographs, emailed to you. It explains the condition of the chimney stack, the defects we found and what we recommend.
- Where
- Pig Street (CO16)
- Wider area
- Essex
- Cost
- From £150 inc. VAT
- Your report
- Emailed report with photos and recommendations
- Survey days
- Weekdays and weekends
- Insurance
- PI and public liability insurance
- Phone
- 07833 053749
- Page updated
- 27 October 2026
How the survey changes by roof type
Flaunching
Sitting at the very top, flaunching is fully exposed. The survey checks for cracking and gaps around each pot.
Rendered stacks
Cracked render can let water in and trap it behind. Cracks are photographed and noted.
Prices for chimney surveys in Pig Street
When we price a survey, we consider:
- House, block, shop or office
- The use of thermal imaging or a drone
- How tall the building is and how easy the roof is to see
- Features like valleys, chimneys, dormers and parapets
Prices start from £150, including VAT. Packages run from Basic at £150 through Standard at £250 to Premium at £400, with VAT included.
Helping us price your survey
These details help when you get in touch:
- Where the property is, with the postcode
- How the loft is reached, if there is one
- When you need the report by
- Where water is showing inside, if it is
To book a survey, phone 07833 053749 or email us with the address and what you’d like to know about the roof. You’ll know the price before anything is booked.
Nearby places to Pig Street
Other services in Pig Street
Roofs, chimneys and gutters in Pig Street
The coast is about 3 miles or less from Pig Street, and places near the sea get more salt in the air and more wind than 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. In Essex, older buildings are often clay-tiled, many with weatherboarding, alongside a good many post-war and newer estates. Whichever you have, the details that tend to fail before the covering itself get the closest look.
Thorpe Hall, about 0.8 miles north-east, is one of the historic houses in the wider area around Pig Street. If you own one of the older houses, the roof may have been repaired many times, and the survey records how each part is holding up. If your house is among the older ones in the streets near Parish Church of St Michael, the nails, lead and mortar on the roof may be wearing out even where the slates or tiles look fine.
Pig Street is about 3 miles north of Clacton-on-Sea, in Essex. Surveys in Pig Street work the same way as everywhere we cover: a close look at whatever is safely visible, photographs and a clear written report. Our area takes in places right across Essex, from the larger towns to small villages. For surveys nearby, see our Chelmsford page.
Every address in CO16 is within our area for chimney surveys, from the main roads to the quietest streets. Other places close to Pig Street include Little Clacton (1 mile south-west), Thorpe-le-Soken (1 mile north-east), Thorpe Cross (1 mile north-east), Thorpe Green (1 mile north) and Far Thorpe Green (2 miles north-west). Further out, we also cover Colchester (11 miles west), Clacton-on-Sea (3 miles south), Harwich (8 miles north-east), Camulodunum (12 miles west), Greenstead (10 miles west) and Wivenhoe (8 miles west).
Near you in Pig Street
There is a railway station in Pig Street itself: Thorpe-Le-Soken station. Open spaces near Pig Street include Weeleyhall Wood.
FAQs for Pig Street
How do I find out if my home in Pig Street is listed?
The council and Historic England’s list are the places to check. It’s worth checking before planning roof work, as both can affect what’s allowed.
Is Pig Street within the area you cover?
Yes, Pig Street is on our map. Villages and rural addresses get the same survey as a town house.
Is it a problem to have an unused chimney?
An unused stack still needs to stay weathertight and ventilated. Capping without airflow can lead to damp. We check how it’s capped and its condition, so you can plan what to do with it.
Do you use drones?
Where it’s applicable and safe, yes. We’re a CAA-registered drone operator (Flyer ID and Operator ID), flying a sub-250g drone. It is included in the Drone Roof Survey and, where it applies, the Premium Survey.
Does someone need to be in?
That depends on the survey. Inside the building and in the loft, we need someone to let us in.
Will you go up on the roof?
Only when it is safe. Safe viewpoints, the loft space and a drone where it applies cover most of what’s needed.
Is this a RICS survey?
No. Our survey is a roof survey, not a RICS Level 2 or Level 3 survey of the whole building. It focuses on the roof and can sit alongside a RICS survey.
How the survey works
You don’t need to do much on the day. Show us any stains, drips or problem areas you know about, and we’ll take it from there. A typical survey takes roughly 1–2 hours at a typical home, or half a day or so for a commercial building. Around Pig Street, older homes can have small or awkward roof spaces, so it helps to know whether there’s a loft hatch and how easy it is to reach. Only areas that can be reached safely are inspected.
- First you let us know about the chimneys, any damp on the chimney breasts and any worries.
- Each chimney is viewed from wherever it can safely be seen.
- We check and photograph the pots, cowls, flaunching, pointing and flashings.
- Where there’s safe access, we check the stack in the loft and the chimney breasts for damp.
- You get a photo-illustrated written report and our recommendations.
Before the survey
- Jot down any questions you want answered
- Keep pets in another room
- Let us know where we can park nearby
Getting a price
Our phone lines are open seven days a week. For a price or to book, ring 07833 053749 or drop us an email.
Read more
What this survey cannot tell you
It’s a careful look at the chimney stack, not the whole story. Its limits include:
- Whether a gas appliance or its flue is safe
- Conditions inside walls
- Hidden sides of a shared stack
If you’re not sure which survey you need, call 07833 053749 or drop us an email and we will give you a straight answer before you book. What a survey covers and does not.
Roof types and parts we check
- Shared and party-wall stacks
- Chimney pots and cowls
- Flaunching
- Chimney breasts
- Brick chimney stacks
- Lead flashings
What we’re asked to look at in Pig Street
Stacks that were used for open fires for many years can weaken from the inside. Flue gases and damp can break down the mortar, sometimes more on one side than the other, which can make a stack lean.
Things that frequently lead to a survey include:
- Disused chimneys trapping moisture
- Gaps where the stack meets the roof
- Damp on a chimney breast inside
- Gaps in the mortar around the pots
If you own a rental within reach of Thorpe-Le-Soken station, a roof report between tenancies helps plan work before a small defect becomes a tenant’s leak.
Questions to ask before you book
- What the survey will not cover
- What follow-up you get after the report
- Whether the loft is part of the inspection
- Whether any drone flown is registered with the CAA
DIY checks: what’s safe
A lot can be seen from ground level. With binoculars, look for slipped or missing slates and tiles, gaps along the ridge and leaning chimneys. Never climb onto the roof to look.
If you have a loft with safe access, take a look inside. Take a torch and only step on boards or joists, checking for stains, damp wood or chinks of daylight.