Kent · London and the South East
Chimney Survey in Radfall
We take a careful look at the chimney stack at your property in Radfall, with photographs and a written report.
- Frost-damaged brickwork on the stack
- Mortar washing out of the joints
- Signs that a stack is leaning
Chimney survey in Radfall
For buyers, a chimney survey before exchange can flag work you may want to raise. Cracked flaunching, failed flashings and worn pointing are common findings on older stacks. You get photos and findings you can take back to the seller or agent. It complements a RICS home survey rather than replacing it. If you are worried about damp on a chimney breast inside and a stack that appears to lean, we can find out what’s behind it.
In a village or hamlet like Radfall, older cottages and farmhouses frequently sit alongside barns, outbuildings and a few 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’s typically the chimneys and lead flashings that need work first.
How fast the report arrives depends on the package: the Basic Survey within 48 hours, the Standard Survey in 24 to 48 hours and the Premium Survey on the same day.
- Place
- Radfall (CT5)
- Wider area
- Kent
- Cost
- From £150 inc. VAT
- Reports
- Written, with photos, emailed to you
- When we survey
- Weekdays and weekends
- Insurance
- Professional indemnity and public liability
- Telephone
- 07833 053749
- Page updated
- 27 October 2026
Checking the roof from ground level
The one thing to avoid is getting up close. Slates, tiles, flat roofs and rooflights can give way. That’s where a survey comes in.
After heavy rain, check ceilings and the tops of walls for new stains. Photograph them and note the date.
Tips from our surveys
From years of surveys, a few habits stand out:
- Use a Gas Safe registered engineer for gas appliances
- Use the report as a baseline for future checks
- Keep track of stains on chimney breasts
- Check your stacks from ground level after strong winds
Where another specialist is needed, such as a structural engineer or sweep, we explain why. That helps you brief them.
Keep an eye on chimney breasts for new damp patches. The sooner damp is spotted, the easier the cause is to find.
What a chimney survey looks like in Radfall
The coast is about 2 miles or less from Radfall, and being near the sea means more wind and salt than a roof inland would face. Salt corrodes metal fixings and flashings, and wind lifts loose slates, tiles and ridge pieces, and driving rain gets into whatever gap is left. Older houses across Kent frequently have handmade clay or peg tiles, and many have tile-hung walls. Kent’s older buildings take in oast houses and timber-framed Wealden hall houses as well. Whichever you have, the details that tend to fail before the covering itself get the closest look.
If you look after a building like The Whitstable School, a written record of a large roof helps plan work for the holidays rather than in term time.
Radfall is about 2 miles south-east of Whitstable, in Kent. Radfall is one of many places we visit across Kent. Across Kent, we cover Radfall.
Here we cover the CT5 postcode area for chimney surveys. Whether your property is on Radfall Road, Broomfield Gate and Dukeswood or a nearby road, we can survey it. Close by, we survey roofs in Chestfield (1 mile north), West End (1 mile north-east), Swalecliffe (2 miles north), Whitstable (2 miles north-west) and Tankerton (2 miles north-west). We also work in nearby towns such as Canterbury (4 miles south), Margate (14 miles east), Sittingbourne (14 miles west), Ramsgate (15 miles east), Faversham (8 miles west) and Herne Bay (4 miles north-east).
Around Radfall
The closest station to Radfall is Chestfield & Swalecliffe station, roughly 1.5 miles north. Well-known places in the area include Tankerton Castle (2.3 miles north-west) and Sidney Cooper Museum (4 miles south). Green spaces nearby include West Blean and Thornden Woods.
How the survey works
After the inspection, everything we found is written up as a report with photographs, emailed to you. On timing, most surveys take between one and two hours at a house, as part of a look at the roof around the stack. Cottages and farmhouses around Radfall often have roofs at several levels, with lean-tos and outbuildings attached. Each part is looked at from wherever it can safely be seen, and anything we cannot see is noted.
- 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.
- 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 is safe access.
- The findings are written up with photographs and recommendations and emailed to you.
How to prepare
- Move anything stored under the loft hatch
- Note where any stains or damp appear
- Let us know about parking near the property
Book a survey
A quick phone call is normally the easiest start: phone 07833 053749 or email us, and we will ask about the building and what you need. The price is agreed before a date is set.
Read more
What we’re asked to look at in Radfall
Where a chimney meets the roof, lead flashings keep water out. With age they can lift, split or come away from the joints. When flashings fail, water often shows up in the loft or on the chimney breast. Lead is also a target for theft.
We are often asked to look at:
- Bricks with flaking faces
- Gaps where the stack meets the roof
- Damp on a chimney breast inside
- Disused chimneys trapping moisture
If you let a flat or house near Chestfield & Swalecliffe station, a dated record of the roof is useful when planning maintenance across a let.
Choosing a roof surveyor
- How much experience they have with roofs like yours
- What happens after the report arrives
- Is VAT included in the price?
- Whether any drone flown is registered with the CAA
Nearby places to Radfall
More services for Radfall
Radfall questions
Can a landlord with a rental near Chestfield & Swalecliffe station book a roof survey?
Yes, landlords and letting agents book with us as well as owners. You can call 07833 053749 or send us an email with the address and a few details.
Do you cover smaller places like Radfall?
We do. A small place gets exactly the same survey as a big one.
Should I worry about a leaning stack?
It is worth having a leaning stack checked. We record the lean, the brickwork and the pointing, and recommend a structural engineer where it may be a structural concern.
Can you survey a shared roof?
Yes, as long as access is agreed. Roofs over flats are frequently shared, so whoever owns or manages the building needs to agree access. We inspect only the parts we’re allowed to reach.
Does the weather affect the survey?
Light rain doesn’t normally stop a survey. Strong wind or heavy rain can stop drone flights and make roof access unsafe, so we will agree a new date if the weather isn’t suitable.
Is it a problem to have an unused chimney?
There is no single answer. We record how the stack is doing and whether it is capped with ventilation. In a conservation area or on a listed building, changes may need consent.
Is a chimney survey the same as a flue inspection?
No. It isn’t a flue, sweep or gas safety inspection. We check the stack, pots, flaunching, pointing and flashings, and damp inside, and we’ll say if anything suggests the flue needs checking.
What we look for on each type of roof
Brick stacks
Most chimney stacks are built of brick, with mortar joints that wear over time. We check the bricks for spalling and the joints for erosion.
Rendered stacks
What’s behind the render can’t be seen without removing some, so the report says what can and cannot be judged.
Why act early in Radfall
For a buyer, the best time to learn about a chimney is before exchange. After that, any work is yours to arrange and pay for. A report gives you something specific to put to the seller. In a small place like Radfall, homes can be exposed to wind and rain, which finds any gap, and older walls, once damp, take a long time to dry.
Every price we give includes VAT, and the written report is part of the package. Chimney survey starts from £150, including VAT. Size, height and access decide where your roof falls.
What you get with us
- CAA-registered drone operator (Flyer ID and Operator ID)
- 5,000+ roofs surveyed
- Package prices that include VAT
- Plain-English reports with photos