Kent · London and the South East
Chimney Survey in Smarden Bell
Know where you stand with the chimney stack before you decide what to do next. We carry out chimney surveys in Smarden Bell, with photos and a clear written report.
- Frost-damaged brickwork on the stack
- Gaps where the stack meets the roof
- Damaged chimney pots and cowls
How it works
Where it’s relevant and can be reached safely, the loft space is checked as well as the outside. Inside, we look for staining, damp, gaps and signs of movement. The whole visit usually takes between one and two hours at a typical home, and about three to four hours for a commercial roof. In a small place like Smarden Bell, access is typically the main thing to plan. Mention any outbuildings, barns or garages you want included, and anything about the roof you already know. Weekday and weekend visits are available.
- You let us know how many stacks there are and any damp or problems you’ve noticed.
- We inspect each stack from safe viewpoints outside.
- Every part we can see is checked: pots, cowls, flaunching, pointing, bricks and flashings.
- Where there is safe access, we check the stack in the loft and the chimney breasts for damp.
- The findings are written up with photos and recommendations and emailed to you.
Getting ready for the survey
- Tell us where we can park nearby
- Have any questions written down, so nothing gets missed
- If the roof is shared, arrange access with whoever manages the building
Booking a survey
Our price is from £150, including VAT. What you pay depends on the roof’s size, access and the package, and you can phone 07833 053749 or send us an email to find out.
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Chimney survey in Smarden Bell: what you get
Many homes have chimneys that are no longer used. A disused stack still needs looking after. Capping a stack without ventilation can trap moisture and lead to damp inside. We check how redundant stacks have been capped and look for damp in the chimney breasts. The report sets out what we found and what we recommend. If you’ve noticed gaps in the mortar around the pots and frost-damaged brickwork on the stack, a survey will tell you what’s going on, whatever the roof.
Older buildings in small places like Smarden Bell may be 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.
What you get is a clear record of the chimney stack on the day we saw it. It is useful straight away, and a good reference for later, for example when you want to check whether anything has changed.
- Place
- Smarden Bell (TN27)
- Region
- Kent
- Cost
- From £150 inc. VAT
- Your report
- A written report with photos, by email
- When we survey
- Weekdays and weekends
- Insurance
- Professional indemnity and public liability
- Telephone
- 07833 053749
- Last updated
- 27 October 2026
Useful tips for Smarden Bell property owners
Small things make a difference, both for the survey and for the roof itself. Our tips:
- Note any damp on chimney breasts and when it appears
- Keep the report to compare against at the next survey
- Check with the council before altering a stack in a conservation area or on a listed building
- Check fixings on the stack are secure
After the visit, we write up the report with photos of each stack. It covers the pots, flaunching, pointing, brickwork and flashings, and any damp we found inside. Turnaround is within 48 hours for Basic, 24 to 48 hours for Standard and the same day for Premium.
Have worn pointing and cracked flaunching dealt with early. It’s far simpler than rebuilding a stack later.
What happens if roof problems are left?
Damp in a chimney breast normally gets worse while the cause is left. It can stain walls and damage plaster. Knowing whether it’s the flaunching, flashings, brickwork or ventilation means the right fix can be planned. In a place like Smarden Bell, a barn or garage roof left to fail puts whatever is inside at risk. It is worth including them in a survey before a winter does the damage.
All our prices include VAT. Chimney survey starts from £150, including VAT. We confirm the price for your roof before booking.
Why book with us
- Thermal imaging and drone inspection where they help
- Weekday and weekend surveys
- Insured for professional indemnity and public liability
- Plain-English reports with photos
See how roof surveys are priced and what we found on two real jobs.
DIY checks: what’s safe
A DIY look is useful, but it is not a survey. From ground level, valleys, flashings and the backs of chimneys are often out of sight, and those are details a survey looks at closely.
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.
For landlords and managing agents
If you own several properties, surveys can be booked for more than one address. To arrange surveys for several addresses, phone 07833 053749 or use the contact form.
We also survey roofs for businesses and commercial landlords, from shops and offices to industrial units. Larger roofs take longer, and they’re priced for the size.
Nearby places to Smarden Bell
Other services in Smarden Bell
Do you need a chimney survey in Smarden Bell?
Flashings seal the gap where a stack passes through the roof. 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.
These are some of the problems a survey can pick up:
- Flaunching that has broken away
- Spalled or crumbling bricks
- Damp patches on chimney breasts
- A chimney out of line
Take a building like Smarden Primary School: a written record of a large roof helps plan work for the holidays rather than in term time.
What to check before booking
- Which viewpoints they use to see the roof
- How long the report takes to arrive
- Is VAT included in the price?
- Are they insured for the work?
Smarden Bell homes and their roofs
Before planning roof work on an older home, find out whether it’s listed or in a conservation area. Changes that affect a listed building’s special interest need listed building consent, and councils can also use Article 4 directions to control changes in conservation areas. Many older homes in Kent have handmade clay tiles, including Kent peg tiles held by pegs through two holes, and tile-hanging on their upper walls. Oast houses and timber-framed Wealden hall houses are part of the county’s older buildings too. On roofs like these, good slates or tiles can outlast the nails, battens, lead and mortar around them.
If you live in an older home near Church of St Michael, its chimney, valleys and lead work are likely to be the parts that need attention first. If you let a flat or house near Headcorn station, knowing the condition of the roof, chimneys and gutters helps you plan work rather than react to complaints.
Smarden Bell is about 9 miles west of Ashford, in Kent. We carry out chimney surveys for householders, landlords and businesses in Smarden Bell. We cover towns and villages across Kent, large and small. We also survey roofs in Maidstone.
Postcode districts we cover here for chimney surveys: TN27. If you need a chimney survey at a property on Bell Lane and Headcorn Road or a nearby road, we can help. If you’re just outside Smarden Bell, we cover Swift's Green (1 mile north), Smarden (1 mile south-east), Biddenden Green (1 mile east), Monk's Hill (1 mile south) and Lashenden (2 miles south-west). We also work in nearby towns such as Maidstone (10 miles north-west), Ashford (9 miles east), Sittingbourne (13 miles north), Faversham (14 miles north-east), Kings Hill (14 miles north-west) and Davington (14 miles north-east).
What’s near Smarden Bell
Locally, jobs take us to homes and businesses close to The Bell Inn. For rail, the closest station is Headcorn station, about 2 miles west of the centre. Nearby you will also find Romden Castle (1.8 miles south-east) and Kent Firefighting Museum (2.8 miles south-west).
FAQs for Smarden Bell
Do you survey roofs for landlords with property near Headcorn station?
Of course. Let us know whether a tenant or an agent will let us in, and we can send the report to you or your agent.
Does a conservation area affect roof work in Smarden Bell?
Your council is the best source, with Historic England’s list for listed buildings. A change of roofing material may need consent in either case.
Will you fly a drone over my roof?
Yes, where applicable and safe. We fly a sub-250g drone and we are a CAA-registered drone operator (Flyer ID and Operator ID). Drone inspection is part of the Drone Roof Survey and the Premium Survey, where applicable.
Do you look in the loft space?
Where it is relevant to the survey and there’s safe access, yes. Please clear anything stored under the hatch, and if the loft cannot be reached safely, the report says so.
Will you check the chimney is safe to use with a fire?
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.
What does a chimney survey cover?
We check the pots, cowls, flaunching, pointing, brickwork and flashings. Inside, we look for damp on chimney breasts and in the loft where there’s safe access. Everything is written up with photos.
What happens after the survey?
The report arrives by email. The Standard Survey includes a follow-up consultation, and the Premium Survey an in-person consultation, so you can talk the findings through.