Essex · London and the South East
Chimney survey in Shalford, Essex
Chimney surveys in Shalford, backed by more than 20 years’ experience. Every survey ends with a written report and photographs.
- Damp patches on chimney breasts
- A stack that appears to lean
- Pots or cowls that look unsafe
About our chimney survey in Shalford
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 complements a RICS home survey rather than replacing it. Typical surveys look at pots or cowls that look unsafe and signs that a stack is leaning, on flaunching, shared and party-wall stacks and brick chimney stacks.
In a small place like Shalford, many roofs stand in the open, so ridges, chimney stacks, flashings and gutters work hard. Damp in old walls is slow to dry, so a small leak can do a lot of harm. A written report sets out what to deal with and in what order. Lead flashings and old chimney stacks are often where weather gets in 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.
- Location
- Shalford (CM7)
- Wider area
- Essex
- Price
- From £150 inc. VAT
- Reports
- A written report with photos, by email
- Survey days
- Weekdays, Saturdays and Sundays
- Insurance
- PI and public liability insurance
- Phone
- 07833 053749
- Last updated
- 27 October 2026
What happens if roof problems are left?
If you are buying, find out about the stacks before you exchange. Once you’ve exchanged, the work is down to you. Our report gives you facts to raise with the seller or agent. In a small place like Shalford, homes can be exposed to wind and rain, which finds any gap, and damp in older walls is slow to dry out.
Every price we give includes VAT. Prices start from £150, including VAT. You’ll know the exact price before you book.
Why choose Independent Roof Survey in Shalford
- Drones and thermal imaging where applicable
- Over 5,000 surveys carried out
- Package prices that include VAT
- Surveys seven days a week
Read how roof surveys are priced or what we found on two real jobs.
Before and after the survey
These tips come from what we see on roofs every week, before and after a survey:
- Book a sweep for flues that are in use
- Leave close inspection to people with safe access
- Keep track of stains on chimney breasts
- Have brackets on the chimney checked
If the report recommends a structural engineer, a sweep or a Gas Safe registered engineer, it will say why. That helps you brief them.
Look at your chimneys from ground level now and then, particularly after strong winds. With binoculars, you can often see cracked flaunching or lifted lead.
Places near Shalford
What else we do in Shalford
FAQs for Shalford
Does a conservation area affect roof work in Shalford?
Start with Historic England’s list for listing and your council for conservation areas. Either can affect what roof work is allowed, so it’s worth checking before planning any.
Do you survey roofs for landlords with property near Braintree station?
Yes, that’s 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.
What does a chimney survey cover?
The survey covers the pots and cowls, the flaunching, the pointing, the bricks and the flashings. We also check chimney breasts and the stack in the roof space where we can reach. You get a written report with photos.
Do you cover Shalford for chimney surveys?
Yes, we do. We carry out chimney surveys in Shalford.
Do I need to be at home?
Not necessarily. An outside-only look can be arranged beforehand, but the loft and any rooms with damp need someone to let us in.
Do you inspect shared chimneys?
Yes. We check 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 and you can raise it with them.
Why is my chimney breast damp?
Damp on a chimney breast normally means water is getting into the stack, or moisture is trapped inside it. The survey looks at the stack, the flashings and the capping and records the likely cause.
Signs you need a chimney survey in Shalford
TV aerials, satellite dishes and their brackets are frequently 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.
Things that often lead to a survey include:
- Redundant stacks capped without ventilation
- A chimney out of line
- Cracked or missing flaunching
- Eroded joints in the brickwork
Anyone responsible for a site like Shalford Primary School will know that its roofs, gutters and any chimneys need the same checks as a house’s, just on a bigger scale.
Choosing a roof surveyor
- Their report turnaround times
- How long they’ve been surveying roofs
- Whether the loft space is looked at, where there is one
- Their insurance cover
Local roofs in Shalford
What can be done to an older roof may depend on listing or a conservation area. The council is the place to check, along with Historic England’s list, before anyone quotes for re-roofing. Older buildings in Essex often have clay tiles and weatherboarding, and plenty of post-war and modern estates besides. Whichever you have, the details that tend to fail before the covering itself get the closest look.
Take an older house close to Parish Church of St Andrew: old fixings, lead flashings and tall chimneys are typical of older roofs. Landlords with a home close to Braintree station may find that a roof report helps you deal with small faults before they turn into a call from a tenant.
Shalford is about 5 miles north-west of Braintree, in Essex. We cover Shalford and the rest of Essex. We cover towns and villages across Essex, from the larger towns to small villages. We also survey roofs in Chelmsford.
Every address in CM7 is covered for chimney surveys, from the main roads to the quietest streets. If you need a chimney survey at a property on The Street, Wethersfield Road and Braintree Road or a nearby road, we can help. If you are just outside Shalford, we cover Sand Hill (1 mile north), Church End (1 mile south), Beazley End (1 mile south-east), Almshouse Green (3 miles north-east) and Bocking Churchstreet (3 miles south-east). Further out, we also cover Chelmsford (14 miles south), Braintree (5 miles south-east), Witham (11 miles south-east), Saffron Walden (12 miles north-west), Halstead (6 miles east) and Great Dunmow (7 miles south-west).
Local landmarks in Shalford
Around Shalford, our work takes us to homes and buildings near The George Public House. For rail, the closest station is Braintree station, roughly 4.9 miles south-east of the centre. Well-known places in the area include Braintree Community Hospital (4.2 miles south).
What we can’t see
No survey can tell you everything, and we’d rather be clear about that before booking. Keep these in mind:
- Hidden damage within the stack
- Areas we can’t view from safe positions
- Whether a gas appliance or its flue is safe
If you are not sure which survey you need, call 07833 053749 or send us an email and we will give you a straight answer before booking. What our survey covers.
What this survey covers
- Chimney pots and cowls
- Lead flashings
- Brick chimney stacks
- Shared and party-wall stacks
- Flaunching
- Chimney breasts
Surveys for landlords and agents in Shalford
Any of our surveys can be booked by landlords, agents and building managers in Shalford. For a price for a let property or a block, phone 07833 053749 or drop us an email.
We survey roofs for letting agents and landlords as well as homeowners. The report gives you a dated record of the chimney stack, with photos, which helps you plan work between tenancies.
How it works
We do not take risks to get a closer look. We inspect everything that’s safely in view, and if part of the roof cannot be seen, the report says so. The survey normally takes roughly 1–2 hours at most homes, or half a day or so for a commercial building. Around Shalford, older homes can have small or awkward roof spaces, so tell us about the loft hatch and any ladder. Only areas that can be reached safely are inspected.
- You let us know 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.
- We send a written report with photos, the defects found and what we recommend.
Getting ready for the survey
- Keep pets in another room
- Tell us about parking before the day
- Dig out any old roof reports or invoices
Getting a price
When you’re ready to go ahead, phone 07833 053749 or email us. From there it is a case of choosing a package, agreeing the price and fixing a day, weekday or weekend.