Kent · London and the South East
Chimney survey in Puddledock, Kent
A survey of chimney stacks, pots, flashings and flaunching in Puddledock, carried out by an experienced roof surveyor. Every survey comes with a written report and photos.
- Gaps where the stack meets the roof
- Flaunching that has broken away
- Signs that a stack is leaning
What this survey can’t tell you
No survey can tell you everything, and we’d rather be clear about that before booking. Bear these in mind:
- Whether a gas appliance or its flue is safe
- Whether a stack needs rebuilding on structural grounds
- Whether the flue is safe to use
If you’re not sure which survey you need, ring 07833 053749 or drop us an email and we’ll give you a straight answer before booking. What our survey covers.
Roof types and parts we check
- Chimney pots and cowls
- Flaunching
- Chimney breasts
- Brick chimney stacks
- Lead flashings
- Shared and party-wall stacks
About our chimney survey in Puddledock
If you’re buying a home with chimneys, it’s worth knowing their condition before you exchange. On older stacks, we often find cracked flaunching, loose flashings and worn pointing. You get photographs and findings you can take back to the seller or agent. It works alongside a RICS home survey, not instead of one. If you’re worried about damp on a chimney breast inside and eroded joints in the brickwork, we can find out what’s behind it, whatever the roof.
Village roofs often face open fields and take the full force of wind and rain, so ridges, chimney stacks, flashings and gutters work hard. Older walls take a long time to dry once water gets in. A roof report shows what needs attention first. On exposed older roofs, chimneys and lead flashings are often the first to give way.
How fast the report arrives depends on the package: Basic within 48 hours, Standard in 24–48 hours and Premium the same day.
- Location
- Puddledock (DA2, BR8)
- Wider area
- Kent
- Price
- From £150 inc. VAT
- Report
- A written report with photos, by email
- When we survey
- Monday to Sunday, daytime
- Insured
- PI and public liability insurance
- Telephone
- 07833 053749
- Updated
- 27 October 2026
FAQs for Puddledock
I let a flat near Swanley station. Can you check the roof?
Yes, that is a common request. Let us know whether a tenant or an agent will let us in, and the report can go straight to you or your agent.
How do I find out if my home in Puddledock is listed?
Start with Historic England’s list for listing and your council for conservation areas. Either can affect what roof work is allowed, so it is worth checking before planning any.
Will you check the loft?
Typically, if there’s one and it can be reached safely. From inside, the underside of the roof often shows damp, staining or daylight that cannot be seen from outside.
How much is a survey?
Prices start from £150, including VAT. Our three packages are Basic from £150, Standard from £250 and Premium from £400, with VAT included.
What causes damp on a chimney breast?
Damp on a chimney breast usually means water is getting into the stack, or moisture is trapped inside it. We check the stack, the flashings and how unused flues are capped and records the likely cause.
Is Puddledock in your area?
Yes. We survey roofs across London and South East England, Puddledock included.
Is this a RICS survey?
No. This is a survey of the roof only, and it isn’t a RICS Level 2 or Level 3 survey. Many buyers have both.
What we’re asked to look at in Puddledock
TV aerials, satellite dishes and their brackets are often fixed to chimneys. Their weight and the wind on them can loosen bricks and pointing. We check fixings on the stack as part of the survey.
Typical things we are asked to look at include:
- A chimney out of line
- Gaps where the stack meets the roof
- Redundant stacks capped without ventilation
- Bricks with flaking faces
For site and facilities teams at buildings such as Hextable Primary School, large buildings have long gutter runs and big roofs that need checking like any other.
Choosing a roof surveyor
- Whether you can ask questions once you have the report
- Whether you get a written report with photos
- What experience they bring
- Whether the inside of the roof is included
Puddledock homes and their roofs
Handmade clay tiles, including Kent peg tiles hung on pegs through two holes, are typical of older Kent buildings. You will 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. Hall Place and Gardens, about 2.2 miles north, is one of the historic houses in the wider area around Puddledock. If you own one of the older houses, expect a mix of original materials and later repairs on the roof, and any change of roofing material on a listed home needs checking with the council first.
If you live near a park such as Dartford Heath, or anywhere with mature trees, autumn leaves can block gutters and valleys, and blocked gutters overflow and soak walls. For landlords with property near Swanley station, a dated record of the roof is useful when planning maintenance across a let.
Puddledock is about 1 mile north of Swanley, in Kent. Anywhere in Puddledock, we can carry out chimney surveys at your property, on a weekday, Saturday or Sunday. Our Kent coverage includes Puddledock and the places around it. Our London page covers surveys nearby.
Postcode districts we cover here for chimney surveys: DA2 and BR8. We also cover the places around Puddledock: Hextable (1 mile south-east), Stonehill Green (1 mile south-west), Joyden's Wood (1 mile north), Wilmington (1 mile north-east) and Swanley Village (1 mile south-east). Within a short drive, we also cover Dartford (3 miles north-east), Sevenoaks (9 miles south), Gravesend (9 miles east), Northfleet (7 miles east), Kings Hill (14 miles south-east) and Swanscombe (5 miles north-east).
Landmarks near Puddledock
We work in homes and buildings around Dartford Heath, The Ship pub and Hextable School and the streets around them. For rail, the closest station is Swanley station, roughly 1.8 miles south of the centre. A little further out are West Hill Hospital (2.5 miles north-east) and Eynsford Castle (3.6 miles south-east). For a walk, there is Wansunt Pit and Summer Hill.
How we price chimney surveys
Prices always include VAT. What changes the price is:
- Extensions, dormers and garages with roofs of their own
- The roof’s overall size
- Which survey package you book
- Whether thermal imaging or a drone is needed
Our price is from £150, including VAT. Packages run from Basic at £150 through Standard at £250 to Premium at £400, with VAT included, and we will tell you which fits.
Booking your survey
When you call or email, these details help:
- When you need the report by
- Access details, like a loft hatch or a shared roof
- Where the property is, with the postcode
- The style of property, from a terrace to a block
Not sure which survey you need? The easiest way is to call 07833 053749 or send us an email and describe the roof and what’s worrying you. We’ll explain the options and the price.
Why it is worth a survey now in Puddledock
If a stack seems to lean, do not leave it. We record its condition and recommend a structural engineer where needed, so you can decide what to do next. Outbuildings and barns around Puddledock 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.
Every price we give includes VAT. Our price is from £150, including VAT. We confirm the exact price before booking.
What you get with us
- Every finding written up with photos
- Weekday and weekend surveys
- An independent view of the roof
- 98% of customers satisfied
Read how roof surveys are priced or what we found on two real jobs.
Nearby places to Puddledock
Other services in Puddledock
How the survey changes by roof type
Chimney breasts and the loft
Stains on timbers or brickwork around the stack can point to a leak. What we find is photographed and described.
Brick stacks
Many older stacks were built with lime mortar. We note where repairs should match the original mortar.
What happens on the day
We photograph the roof as we go, so you can see in the report what we found and where. Close-ups come from the safest viewpoint available. Most surveys take between one and two hours at most homes, while a commercial roof takes nearer three to four hours. Somewhere like Puddledock needs a little journey planning: let us know about lanes, gates and parking. The roof is looked at from ground level, from windows, from the loft where there’s safe access and from the roof where it is safe.
- You tell us how many stacks there are and any damp or problems you’ve noticed.
- The stacks are looked at from the ground, from windows and from other safe vantage points.
- The pots, cowls, flaunching, pointing, brickwork and flashings are checked and photographed.
- Inside, we look for damp on chimney breasts and in the loft where there’s safe access.
- The findings are written up with photographs and recommendations and emailed to you.
Before we arrive
- Check pets are kept safely away
- Show us where any leaks or stains appear
- Leave a clear route to the loft
Booking a survey
You can call us seven days a week. For a price or to book, call 07833 053749 or email us.