Essex · London and the South East
Shellow Bowells Chimney Survey
Chimney surveys across Shellow Bowells, with over 20 years’ experience behind it. You get a clear report with photos.
- Staining on walls around the chimney
- Lifted or split lead flashings
- Damaged chimney pots and cowls
Chimney survey in Shellow Bowells: what you get
For buyers, a chimney survey before exchange can flag work you may want to raise. On older stacks, we often find cracked flaunching, loose flashings and worn pointing. Our report gives you specific points to raise with the seller or agent. It works alongside a RICS home survey, not instead of one. If you’ve noticed a chimney out of line and unused flues sealed without airflow, a survey will tell you what’s going on, whatever the roof.
Somewhere as small as Shellow Bowells, homes are often older cottages and farmhouses, with outbuildings and some newer houses. Older roofs may be clay tile, slate, stone or thatch, often with chimneys that have stood a long time. Each needs checking in its own way, and thatch is a specialist material we report on as far as it can be seen. On older roofs, it’s normally the chimneys and lead flashings that need work first.
The report does not just list problems. It explains what we found, why it matters and what we recommend.
- Place
- Shellow Bowells (CM5)
- Region
- Essex
- Cost
- From £150 inc. VAT
- Reports
- Emailed report with photos and recommendations
- Survey days
- Monday to Sunday, daytime
- Cover
- PI and public liability insurance
- Call
- 07833 053749
- Page updated
- 27 October 2026
DIY checks: what’s safe
If you have a loft with safe access, take a look inside. Take a torch and only step on boards or joists, and look for staining, damp timber or daylight coming through.
Watch the gutters in a downpour, from a window or the ground. Water spilling over the edge can point to a blockage or a sagging run.
Before and after the survey
Small things make a difference, both for the survey and for the roof itself. Some pointers:
- Remove aerials or dishes from the stack if they’re no longer needed
- Look at the chimneys with binoculars after a storm
- Photograph damp patches with the date
- Leave close inspection to people with safe access
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 the ground now and then, especially after strong winds. Binoculars help you spot loose pots, missing mortar or lifted flashings.
Common questions in Shellow Bowells
Does a conservation area affect roof work in Shellow Bowells?
Check Historic England’s online list first, then ask the council about conservation areas and any Article 4 direction. The answer matters most when a change of material is on the cards.
Do you carry out roof surveys in Shellow Bowells?
Yes, Shellow Bowells is one of the places we work. Every survey there gets the same written report with photographs, and visits run on weekdays and weekends.
What causes damp on a chimney breast?
Damp on a chimney breast typically 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.
Are you insured?
We are covered by professional indemnity and public liability insurance, for every survey we carry out.
Will you check the loft?
Where it is relevant to the survey and there’s safe access, yes. A clear path to the hatch helps.
Do you survey roofs on blocks of flats?
Yes. A shared roof needs access agreed first, with whoever owns or manages the building. Let us know about it when booking and we’ll plan the survey around it.
How experienced are you?
We have more than 20 years’ experience and have completed over 5,000 surveys across London and South East England.
Also near Shellow Bowells
More services for Shellow Bowells
What we look for on each type of roof
Flaunching
We frequently find flaunching that has cracked or broken away. It’s normally a modest repair when it’s caught early.
Lead flashings
Some older stacks have mortar fillets instead of lead. They crack with age, and we check them too.
Rented homes, blocks and businesses
If the property is let, the agent or a tenant can let us in, at a time agreed in advance. Surveys run on weekdays and at weekends, which helps when tenants work during the week.
Landlords, agents and building managers in Shellow Bowells and across Essex can book any of our surveys. To discuss a property or a block, call 07833 053749 or send us an email.
What affects the price in Shellow Bowells
Survey packages start from £150, with VAT included. The price for your roof depends on:
- How tall the building is and how easy the roof is to see
- The package you choose: Basic, Standard or Premium
- Chimneys, valleys, parapets and other details
- Extra roofs, like extensions, dormers or garages
One thing that affects the price is the package: Basic from £150, Standard from £250 or Premium from £400, all including VAT. Size, height and access can affect the price too.
Getting in touch
To price your survey accurately, we’ll ask about:
- What kind of property and roof it is
- Your timetable, such as an exchange date
- Pictures from the garden or a window, if you have them
- What’s prompted the survey
To arrange a survey, ring 07833 053749 or email us and tell us the address and what’s prompted the survey. You will know the price before anything is booked.
The survey, step by step
Expect us to ask a few questions before we start, like when any problem began and what work has been done before. The inspection then takes roughly 1–2 hours for most homes, a little longer where there are several stacks. For a village or hamlet like Shellow Bowells, the journey is planned in advance: let us know about narrow lanes, gates, long drives and where we can park. The roof is looked at from ground level, from windows, from the loft where there is safe access and from the roof where it’s safe.
- We start by noting which stacks are in use, shared or causing concern.
- We check the roof around each stack, including the flashings.
- The top of each stack is checked for cracked flaunching and loose pots.
- Any lean, spalling or worn pointing is recorded.
- You receive a written report setting out what needs attention first.
Getting ready for the survey
- Have any questions written down, so nothing gets missed
- Let us know about parking before the day
- Have any paperwork from past roof work to hand
Booking a survey
Once you know what you need, phone 07833 053749 or send us an email. From there it is a case of choosing a package, agreeing the price and fixing a day.
Advice
Shellow Bowells homes and their roofs
In Essex, older buildings are frequently clay-tiled, many with weatherboarding, 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. An older home may be listed, or stand in a conservation area. Historic England’s list shows listed buildings, and the council can say whether a street is in a conservation area. In either case, a change of roofing material may need consent.
In and around Shellow Bowells, as anywhere, a roof is easiest to deal with when its problems are found early. The streets around a church like Church of St Peter and St Paul are frequently among the oldest in a place, and if yours is one of the older homes nearby, its chimney, valleys and lead work are likely to be the parts that need attention first.
Shellow Bowells is about 7 miles west of Chelmsford, in Essex. From houses to flats and shops in Shellow Bowells, the roof can be surveyed. Our area takes in places right across Essex, from the larger towns to small villages. For surveys nearby, see our Chelmsford page.
All of CM5 is covered for chimney surveys. Neighbouring places we cover for chimney surveys include Willingale (1 mile west), Berners Roding (1 mile west), Radley Green (2 miles south), Chalk End (2 miles north-east) and Roxwell (2 miles east). Within a short drive, we also cover Chelmsford (7 miles east), Basildon (13 miles south-east), Braintree (14 miles north-east), Harlow (9 miles west), Brentwood (8 miles south) and Maldon (15 miles east).
Around Shellow Bowells
A little further out are Willingale Doe (0.7 miles west) and Chelmsford and Essex Hospital (5.7 miles east).