Essex · London and the South East
Chimney survey in Shelley, Essex
A careful look at the chimney stack at your property in Shelley, with photographs and a written report.
- Flashings pulling away from the stack
- Frost-damaged brickwork on the stack
- Cracked or missing flaunching
Chimney surveys for homes and businesses in Shelley
A chimney survey is about the outside of the stack and the roof around it. It is not a flue inspection, a chimney sweep or a gas safety inspection. If you use a fire or a gas appliance, the flue should be checked by a sweep or a Gas Safe registered engineer as appropriate. If something we see points to the flue, we will say so. If you’ve noticed redundant stacks capped without ventilation and damp on a chimney breast inside, we can find out what’s behind it, whatever the roof.
Some older homes in villages like Shelley are listed or in a conservation area. That can affect what materials can be used when work is done, so check with the council before planning anything. Knowing the roof’s condition helps you plan ahead with that in mind. Older materials such as clay tiles, slate and stone are often matched when work is done.
The report is yours to share with whoever needs it: a seller or estate agent, an insurer, a roofer, a builder or a managing agent, whichever applies.
- Where
- Shelley (CM5)
- Region
- Essex
- Prices
- From £150 inc. VAT
- Report
- A written report with photos, by email
- Appointments
- Monday to Sunday, daytime
- Insurance
- PI and public liability insurance
- Telephone
- 07833 053749
- Updated
- 27 October 2026
What affects the price in Shelley
A few things affect what a survey costs:
- How big the roof is
- House, block, shop or office
- Height and safe access
- The package you choose: Basic, Standard or Premium
The cost of a survey depends on the roof: how big it is, how high it is, the number of separate roofs and how safely it can be seen. Chimney survey starts from £150, including VAT.
What to let us know when you get in touch
A little information up front helps. It’s useful to include:
- How the loft is reached, if there is one
- Your timetable, such as an exchange date
- Where any leaks, stains or damp patches show inside
- The address and postcode of the property
To get a price for chimney surveys in Shelley, call 07833 053749 or use the contact form. The address, the type of property and what you need to know help us price the survey accurately.
Useful tips for Shelley property owners
These tips come from what we see on roofs every week:
- Keep the report to compare against at the next survey
- Use a Gas Safe registered engineer for gas appliances
- Note any damp on chimney breasts and when it appears
- Never climb onto the roof to look at a chimney
Many people use the report to get quotes for the work. With the same list in front of each contractor, comparing quotes is simpler.
Check your stacks from the street or garden after a storm. With binoculars, you can frequently see cracked flaunching or lifted lead.
What else we do in Shelley
FAQs for Shelley
Is Shelley in the area you cover?
Yes, Shelley is one of the places we work. The survey and report are the same in Shelley as anywhere else.
Is my home in Shelley listed or in a conservation area?
Check Historic England’s online list first, then ask the council about conservation areas and any Article 4 direction. It matters most if you’re planning to re-roof in a different material.
Do you need to get into the loft?
If it’s needed and safe to reach, yes. Inside, we look for damp, staining, gaps and sagging, as far as the space allows.
Can you give me structural calculations?
No. Our survey isn’t a structural engineer’s report, and it doesn’t include calculations. If we see signs that need an engineer’s opinion, we’ll recommend one.
How many surveys have you done?
We have more than 20 years’ experience and have completed over 5,000 surveys.
Do you carry professional indemnity insurance?
We hold professional indemnity and public liability insurance, for every survey we carry out.
Do you survey on Saturdays and Sundays?
We survey on any day from Monday to Sunday, during the day, which suits people who work during the week. Let us know your preferred days when you book.
The survey, step by step
Where it’s relevant and can be reached safely, the roof space is checked as well as the outside. Inside, we look for staining, damp, gaps and signs of movement, as far as the space allows. All in, the survey normally takes about 1–2 hours on an ordinary house, while a commercial roof takes nearer three to four hours. Rural addresses near Shelley can be hard to find from a postcode alone, so a few directions are welcome. The visit itself is the same as anywhere else.
- We start by noting which stacks are in use, shared or causing concern.
- 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.
- You receive a written report setting out what needs attention first.
How to prepare
- Agree roof access with the managing agent if it’s shared
- Check the loft hatch can be reached
- Tell us about any leaks, stains or damp patches you know of
How to book
Most bookings start with a short call: phone 07833 053749 or use the contact form and we will ask a few questions about the roof. The price is agreed before a date is set.
Related advice
Different roofs, different checks
Rendered stacks
We cannot see the bricks behind render without it being opened up, so the report says what can and can’t be judged.
Lead flashings
Where the chimney meets the roof slopes, lead flashings keep water out. The survey looks at whether the lead is tight, sound and well fixed.
Shelley homes and their roofs
About 4.8 miles south-west lies Hill Hall, a reminder of how long the area around Shelley has been built on. On older houses around here, roofs frequently carry the marks of earlier repairs, from replaced slates to new lead, and a listed home or one in a conservation area may need consent for changes of material. Weatherboarded walls and clay tile roofs are typical of older Essex buildings, with post-war and more recent estates making up much of the newer housing. Knowing the covering helps explain which parts of a roof are likely to need work first.
For an older house near a landmark such as Church of St Peter, corroded nails, tired lead and weathered chimney pointing are the things to watch on older roofs.
Shelley is about 7 miles south-east of Harlow, in Essex. If you are in Shelley, booking works exactly as it does anywhere else: get in touch, agree the price and pick a day. We cover towns and villages across Essex, large and small. For surveys nearby, see our Chelmsford page.
We cover every part of CM5 for chimney surveys and the streets around it. If you need a chimney survey at a property on St Peter's Avenue, Bewlay Close and Queensway or a nearby road, we can help. Nearby, we also carry out chimney surveys in Chipping Ongar (1 mile south), Greensted (1 mile south-west), High Ongar (1 mile south-east), Bobbingworth (1 mile north-west) and Greensted Green (2 miles west). Further out, we also cover Chelmsford (11 miles east), Basildon (14 miles south-east), Harlow (7 miles north-west), Brentwood (7 miles south-east), Billericay (10 miles south-east) and Loughton (9 miles south-west).
Landmarks near Shelley
In Shelley, that means homes and buildings near The Ongar Academy and The Cock Tavern, among other places. A little further out are Willingale Doe (4 miles north-east) and St. Margaret's Hospital (5.1 miles west). Open spaces near Shelley include Gernon Bushes.
Why get it checked now?
If you are thinking of removing or reducing a stack, it is useful to know its condition first. In a conservation area or on a listed building, changes may need permission from the council and the council can advise. For older village homes like those around Shelley, the right replacement materials are not always easy to find quickly. That’s one more reason to find defects before they become urgent.
Chimney survey starts from £150, including VAT. Packages run from Basic at £150 through Standard at £250 to Premium at £400, inc. VAT.
Why book with us
- Plain-English reports with photos
- PI and public liability insurance
- 5,000+ surveys completed
- Clear package prices, including VAT
Common roof problems in Shelley
Where a chimney meets the roof, lead flashings keep water out. They can lift in wind, crack with age or pull out of the mortar joints. Failed flashings are one of the most common causes of damp around chimneys. Lead flashings can also be stolen.
People typically book a survey when they’ve noticed something like this:
- Cracked or missing flaunching
- Loose, cracked or missing pots
- Redundant stacks capped without ventilation
- Eroded joints in the brickwork
Take a building like Ongar Primary School: a written record of a large roof helps plan work for the holidays rather than in term time.
Choosing a roof surveyor
- Is VAT included in the price?
- Are they insured for the work?
- Which parts of the roof they’ll actually see
- What exactly goes into their report