Kent · London and the South East
Chimney survey in Shoreham, Kent
Find out the condition of the chimney stack at your property in Shoreham. We visit on weekdays and at weekends.
- Lifted or split lead flashings
- A chimney out of line
- Damaged chimney pots and cowls
How a chimney survey works in Shoreham
A leaning chimney stack is worth having looked at. Stacks can lean when mortar on one side breaks down, often after years of flue gases and damp. We record the lean and the condition of the brickwork and pointing. If the stack looks like a structural issue, the report recommends a structural engineer. Common reasons to book are pots or cowls that look unsafe and damp on a chimney breast inside, on chimney pots and cowls, shared and party-wall stacks and chimney breasts.
In a small place like Shoreham, many roofs stand in the open, which is hard on ridges, chimneys, flashings and gutters. 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: Basic within 48 hours, Standard in 24–48 hours and Premium the same day.
- Where
- Shoreham (TN14)
- Region
- Kent
- Price
- From £150 inc. VAT
- Report
- Written, with photos, emailed to you
- When we survey
- Weekdays, Saturdays and Sundays
- Insured
- PI and public liability insurance
- Call
- 07833 053749
- Page updated
- 27 October 2026
What you can safely check yourself
What you cannot do safely is get up close. Slates, tiles, flat roofs and rooflights can give way, and falls from height are serious. That part is for a survey.
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.
Nearby places to Shoreham
More services for Shoreham
What happens on the day
Every roof is different, but as a rough guide the survey takes between one and two hours at most homes, and about three to four hours for a commercial roof. You’re welcome to ask questions while we’re there. Somewhere like Shoreham needs a little journey planning: tell us about narrow lanes, gates, long drives and where we can park. On the day, we inspect everything that’s safely in view, inside and out.
- We go through the chimneys, any damp and any work done on them.
- Each stack is inspected from safe positions outside.
- We photograph and record the pots, flaunching, pointing and flashings.
- Inside, the chimney breasts and the loft are checked for damp where there’s access.
- You get a written report with photos and recommendations by email.
Before we arrive
- Keep pets in another room
- If you’re buying, let the agent know when we’re coming
- Tell us about any leaks, stains or damp patches you know of
Arrange a survey
A quick phone call is typically the easiest start: call 07833 053749 or email us, and we’ll ask about the building and what you need. You’ll have a price before anything is arranged.
Advice
Shoreham homes and their roofs
Across Kent, older roofs are frequently handmade clay or peg tiles, and tile-hanging on upper walls is a familiar sight. Oast houses and timber-framed Wealden hall houses are part of the county’s older buildings too. Each of these coverings has its own weak points, from fixings and valleys to flashings, chimneys and gutters. With Lullingstone Castle about 1.8 miles north-east, Shoreham sits in an area with a long building history. 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.
Living close to Raspberry Hall Park is pleasant, but mature trees mean leaves in gutters and valleys each autumn, so outlets and downpipes are worth watching. The streets around a church such as 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, old fixings, lead flashings and tall chimneys are typical of older roofs.
Shoreham is about 4 miles north of Sevenoaks, in Kent. Surveys in Shoreham work the same way as everywhere we cover: a close look at whatever is safely visible, photographs and a clear written report. Shoreham is one of the towns and villages in Kent we cover. Our London page covers surveys nearby.
Every address in TN14 is covered for chimney surveys. Whether your property is on High Street, Boakes Meadow and Church Street or a nearby road, we can survey it. Nearby, we also carry out chimney surveys in Badgers Mount (1 mile west), Sepham Heath (1 mile south-west), Twitton (1 mile south), Otford (2 miles south) and Lullingstone (2 miles north). We also work in nearby towns such as Dartford (8 miles north), Sevenoaks (4 miles south), Royal Tunbridge Wells (14 miles south), Gravesend (11 miles north-east), Tonbridge (10 miles south-east) and Northfleet (10 miles north-east).
What’s near Shoreham
Typical jobs here are in homes near Raspberry Hall Park and The Old George Inn. There is a railway station in Shoreham itself: Shoreham (Kent) station. Well-known places in the area include Sevenoaks Hospital (3.2 miles south) and Otford Heritage Centre (1.9 miles south). Green spaces nearby include Dryhill Nature Reserve.
Questions from Shoreham
Does a conservation area affect roof work in Shoreham?
The council and Historic England’s list are the places to check. It is worth checking before planning roof work, as both can affect what’s allowed.
Do you cover smaller places like Shoreham?
We do. A small place gets exactly the same survey as a big one.
Does the weather affect the survey?
Some surveys depend on the weather more than others. Drone flights need calm, dry weather, and thermal imaging works best with a dry roof, little wind and a sunny day beforehand. If the conditions aren’t right, we will talk to you about another date.
Can you give me structural calculations?
No. Our survey is not a structural engineer’s report. We’ll recommend an engineer if we see signs that call for one.
Which parts of the chimney do you look at?
We check the pots, cowls, flaunching, pointing, brickwork and flashings. Inside, we look for damp on chimney breasts and in the loft where there is safe access. Everything is written up with photos.
Do you need to get into the loft?
Where it’s relevant to the survey and there’s safe access, yes. A clear path to the hatch helps, and if the loft can’t be reached safely, the report says so.
Does the report include photos?
Yes. The report includes photographs of what we found, so you can see exactly what each finding refers to.
How we price chimney surveys
All our prices include VAT. The things that change the price are:
- How big the roof is
- Building height and the viewpoints available
- The number of roofs, including extensions and garages
- If the survey needs thermal imaging or a drone
Our price is from £150, including VAT. What you pay depends on how big and how high the roof is, how it can be seen safely and which survey you book.
What to let us know when you get in touch
You do not need to know any roofing terms. It is enough to tell us:
- Whether there’s a loft hatch, a shared roof or tricky access
- The kind of building and roof involved
- When you need the report by
- Where the property is, with the postcode
Once you know what you need, call 07833 053749 or email us. From there it is a case of choosing a package, agreeing the price and fixing a day.
Tips that help
Over many surveys, some simple habits stand out:
- Use the report as a baseline for future checks
- Remove aerials or dishes from the stack if they’re no longer needed
- Ask for ventilated caps on redundant stacks
- Leave close inspection to people with safe access
You get the report by email and can pass it to whoever does the work. Each defect is described in plain words and shown in a photo, so it’s easy to follow.
Check your stacks from the street or garden after a storm. Binoculars help you spot loose pots, missing mortar or lifted flashings.
When to book a survey in Shoreham
Removing a chimney breast inside can leave questions about how the stack is supported. We record what we can see in the loft and outside, and recommend a structural engineer where support is in question.
We are often asked to look at:
- Gaps where the stack meets the roof
- Pots or cowls that look unsafe
- Flaunching that has broken away
- Redundant stacks capped without ventilation
If you own a rental within reach of Shoreham (Kent) station, a dated record of the roof is useful when planning maintenance across a let.
Before booking anyone
- Which limits apply to the survey
- Which viewpoints they use to see the roof
- Whether VAT is added on top
- Whether the inside of the roof is included
Roof by roof
Flaunching
We frequently find flaunching that has cracked or broken away. It’s typically a modest repair when it’s caught early.
Chimney pots and cowls
A loose or cracked pot can fall from height. We photograph each pot and note any damage.