Kent · London and the South East
Chimney survey in Shorne Ridgeway, Kent
A survey of chimney stacks, pots, flashings and flaunching for Shorne Ridgeway and the rest of Kent. Surveys run on any day of the week.
- Loose, cracked or missing pots
- Damp on a chimney breast inside
- A stack that appears to lean
About our chimney survey in Shorne Ridgeway
If you’re buying a home with chimneys, it is worth knowing their condition before you exchange. On older stacks, we often find cracked flaunching, loose flashings and worn pointing. You get photos and findings you can take back to the seller or agent. It works alongside a RICS home survey, not instead of one. Typical surveys look at eroded joints in the brickwork and flaunching that has broken away, on shared and party-wall stacks, brick chimney stacks and chimney breasts.
Somewhere as small as Shorne Ridgeway, homes are frequently older cottages and farmhouses, with outbuildings and some newer houses. Roofs there can be clay tile, slate, stone or thatch, and chimney stacks are frequently old. 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 is typically the chimneys and lead flashings that need work first.
We keep jargon out of it: if work is needed, the report says so clearly, along with how urgent it is.
- Location
- Shorne Ridgeway (DA12)
- Region
- Kent
- Price
- From £150 inc. VAT
- Reports
- Written, with photos, emailed to you
- When we survey
- Monday to Sunday, daytime
- Insurance
- Professional indemnity and public liability
- Telephone
- 07833 053749
- Updated
- 27 October 2026
Leave it or get it looked at?
A damp chimney breast seldom dries out until the cause is found. It can spoil decoration and plaster. Finding the cause means the right work can be planned. Around Shorne Ridgeway, older homes frequently have old roof timbers, where water from a failed roof can cause rot if it is left.
Our price is from £150, including VAT. Packages run from Basic at £150 through Standard at £250 to Premium at £400, with VAT included, and we can help you choose.
Why book with us
- Surveys seven days a week
- An independent view of the roof
- Professional indemnity and public liability insurance
- Prices that include VAT
Take a look at our cost guide or two real surveys.
Roof by roof
Chimney pots and cowls
Pots sit in the flaunching on top of the stack, and cowls or caps sit on the pots. We check that they look secure and undamaged.
Brick stacks
Frost can damage bricks that have soaked up water, making the faces flake away. We record any we can see.
What a survey costs
Our packages start from £150, including VAT. The price for your roof depends on:
- Height and safe access
- House, block, shop or office
- How many separate roofs there are, such as extensions, dormers and garages
- Roof area
The Premium Survey includes thermal imaging and drone inspection where applicable, which starts from £400, with VAT included. We can help you choose the package that fits what you want to find out.
Helping us price your survey
Getting the details right at the start saves time. Please include:
- The address and postcode of the property
- Dates you’re working to, such as exchange
- The style of property, from a terrace to a block
- What made you get in touch
Photos help, if you have them. Pictures from the ground or a window are fine; never climb up to get a better view. To get started, call 07833 053749 or email us.
What else we do in Shorne Ridgeway
FAQs for Shorne Ridgeway
Will you come out to Shorne Ridgeway?
We do. A small place gets exactly the same survey as a big one, with the route planned beforehand.
Is the coastal weather around Shorne Ridgeway hard on roofs?
Places near the sea get more wind and more salt in the air than inland, and both are hard on roofs. Salt corrodes metal fixings and flashings, and wind lifts loose slates, tiles and ridge pieces.
Do you inspect the flue?
No. We survey the stack and its weathering, not the flue. The flue should be checked by a sweep, or by a Gas Safe registered engineer for gas appliances.
Is it the same as a RICS Level 2 or Level 3 survey?
No. We look at the roof, not the whole building, so it’s not a RICS Level 2 or Level 3 survey. Many buyers have both.
Does someone need to be in?
Someone needs to let us in if we’re looking inside or in the loft. Access is agreed with you when booking.
Do you need to get into the loft?
If there is a loft and safe access to it, yes. The roof space can show things the outside cannot, like damp timbers, staining or daylight.
Will I get photos?
Yes, every report has them. Each finding is shown in a picture where possible, so you can see what we mean.
What you can safely check yourself
Your own check is a good start, but it isn’t a survey. You won’t see flashings, valleys or the backs of chimneys properly from the ground, and those are details a survey looks at closely.
Inside, the loft is a good place to look, with care. Take a torch and only step on boards or joists, checking for stains, damp wood or chinks of daylight.
What happens on the day
Before we start, tell us why you’ve booked: a purchase, a leak, a storm, new work or simply peace of mind. That way we can focus on what matters to you. The visit normally takes between one and two hours for most homes, a little longer where there are several stacks. Cottages and farmhouses around Shorne Ridgeway frequently 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 can’t see is noted.
- We start by noting which stacks are in use, shared or causing concern.
- The flashings and the roof around each chimney are inspected.
- We check 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.
Before the survey
- Keep pets out of the way during the survey
- Have keys ready for side gates, garages or roof access doors
- Let us know about any leaks, stains or damp patches you know of
Booking a survey
To book a survey, phone 07833 053749 or email us with the address and what you’d like to know about the roof. We’ll confirm the price before you book.
Advice
Surveys for landlords and agents in Shorne Ridgeway
Where a roof is shared: access has to be agreed with whoever owns or manages the building. Tell us about it when booking and we will plan the visit with that in mind.
Freeholders and residents’ companies use a roof report to plan and budget, with the most urgent items set out first.
Chimney surveys around Shorne Ridgeway
The coast is about 4 miles or less from Shorne Ridgeway, and places near the sea get more salt in the air and more wind than inland. Metal fixings and flashings corrode faster in salt air, while gales work at loose ridges, slates and tiles. Handmade clay tiles, including Kent peg tiles hung on pegs through two holes, are typical of older Kent buildings. Kent’s older buildings take in oast houses and timber-framed Wealden hall houses as well. Knowing the covering helps explain which parts of a roof are likely to need work first.
If you live near a park such as Shorne Woods Country Park, or anywhere with mature trees, autumn leaves can block gutters and valleys. With Cobham College about 1.9 miles south-west, the area around Shorne Ridgeway has a long history. If your house is among the older ones, the roof may have been repaired many times, and the survey records how each part is holding up. If your house is among the older ones in the streets near Church of St Peter and St Paul, its chimney, valleys and lead work are likely to be the parts that need attention first.
Shorne Ridgeway is about 3 miles south-east of Gravesend, in Kent. Shorne Ridgeway is one of many places we visit across Kent, for houses, flats and commercial buildings. Shorne Ridgeway is one of the towns and villages in Kent we cover for chimney surveys. There’s also a page for Maidstone.
Here we cover the DA12 postcode area for chimney surveys. Local streets include Racefield Close, The Ridgeway and Tanyard Hill, all of which we cover. We also cover the places around Shorne Ridgeway: Shorne (1 mile north), Upper Ifield (1 mile north-west), Higham (1 mile north-east), Gadshill (1 mile east) and Thong (1 mile west). We also work in nearby towns such as Maidstone (11 miles south-east), Sittingbourne (14 miles east), Dartford (9 miles west), Sevenoaks (14 miles south-west), Gravesend (3 miles north-west) and Northfleet (4 miles north-west).
What’s near Shorne Ridgeway
We work in homes and buildings around Strood Academy, Shorne Woods Country Park and The Rose and Crown pub, among other places. The closest station to Shorne Ridgeway is Higham station, about 2 miles north-east of the centre. Other landmarks nearby include French Hospital (3.4 miles south-east) and Rochester Castle (3.2 miles east). Green spaces nearby include Gad's Hill and Sawyers Lake.