Medway · London and the South East
St Mary Hoo Chimney Survey
Chimney surveys in St Mary Hoo from an independent, experienced roof surveyor. Over 5,000 surveys and 20+ years behind us.
- Pots or cowls that look unsafe
- A stack that appears to lean
- Unused flues sealed without airflow
Should I look at the roof myself first?
Your own check is a good start, but it is not a survey. You will not see flashings, valleys or the backs of chimneys properly from the ground, and those are details a survey looks at closely.
You can learn a lot from the ground. Binoculars help you spot slipped slates or tiles, gaps along the ridge and a leaning stack. Never climb onto the roof to look.
Chimney survey in St Mary Hoo: what you get
A chimney survey looks at the stack and everything around it: pots, cowls, flaunching, pointing, bricks and the flashings at the roof line. We also look for damp on chimney breasts and in the loft where there is safe access. You get a photo-illustrated written report and our recommendations. We survey single stacks on houses and groups of stacks on bigger buildings. We survey chimney breasts, flaunching and lead flashings, and the problems we are asked to look at most are lifted or split lead flashings and cracked or missing flaunching.
In a small place like St Mary Hoo, many roofs stand in the open, so ridges, chimney stacks, flashings and gutters work hard. 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.
You can share the report with anyone who needs it: a seller or estate agent, an insurer, a roofer, a builder or a managing agent, whichever applies.
- Where
- St Mary Hoo (ME3)
- Wider area
- Medway
- Price
- From £150 inc. VAT
- Reports
- Emailed report with photos and recommendations
- When we survey
- Monday to Sunday, daytime
- Insured
- Professional indemnity and public liability
- Phone
- 07833 053749
- Updated
- 27 October 2026
When to book a survey in St Mary Hoo
Lots of homes have redundant stacks. A stack sealed without ventilation can trap damp. That can lead to damp patches on chimney breasts, even with the roof in good order.
Here are some of the things we see often:
- Pots or cowls that look unsafe
- Disused chimneys trapping moisture
- Cracked or missing flaunching
- Lifted or split lead flashings
Whatever the street in St Mary Hoo, a roof costs least to look after when faults are caught early.
Before you book anyone
- How they plan to inspect the roof safely
- What exactly goes into their report
- How soon the report will arrive
- What follow-up you get after the report
When you need someone else
A survey is a careful look at the chimney stack, but it can’t do everything. Its limits include:
- What’s inside the brickwork or behind render, without opening up
- Checks on boilers, fires or their flues
- Parts of the stack that cannot be seen safely or belong to a neighbour we cannot access
If you are not sure which survey you need, phone 07833 053749 or drop us an email and we will give you a straight answer. What a survey covers and does not.
What we check
- Chimney breasts
- Shared and party-wall stacks
- Brick chimney stacks
- Chimney pots and cowls
- Lead flashings
- Flaunching
What affects the cost of chimney surveys
Survey packages start from £150, including VAT. What you pay for your roof depends on:
- The size of the roof
- Basic, Standard or Premium
- The type of building, from a house to a block or an office
- Features like valleys, chimneys, dormers and parapets
Prices start from £150, including VAT, for a Basic Survey. The Standard Survey starts from £250 and the Premium Survey from £400. You’ll know the price for your survey before booking.
Booking your survey
Before you get in touch, it is useful to have:
- Where water is showing inside, if it is
- Photos of the roof, taken safely from ground level or a window
- Dates you are working to, such as exchange
- The kind of building and roof involved
Buyers should book once an offer has been accepted, so there is time to use the report before exchange. For any other survey, just phone 07833 053749 or send us an email when you’re ready.
How it works
Before we start, let us know why you’ve booked: buying, a leak, storm damage, new work or just wanting to know where things stand. It helps us focus on what matters most to you. Most visits take about 1–2 hours for most homes, a little longer where there are several stacks. In a small place like St Mary Hoo, access is normally the main thing to plan. Let us know about outbuildings, past repairs and any leaks you’ve noticed. Weekday and weekend visits are available.
- We go through the chimneys, any damp and any work done on them.
- We look at every stack from wherever it can be seen safely.
- Pots, cowls, flaunching, pointing and flashings are checked and photographed.
- We look for damp on chimney breasts and in the roof space.
- The report, with photographs and recommendations, is emailed to you.
How to prepare
- Have any questions written down, so nothing gets missed
- Gather any invoices or paperwork from past roof work
- Let us know where we can park nearby
Arrange a survey
A quick phone call is usually the easiest start: ring 07833 053749 or drop us an email, and we will ask about the building and what you need. The price is agreed before a date is set.
Advice
Questions from St Mary Hoo
Do you cover smaller places like St Mary Hoo?
Yes, smaller places are covered as well as towns. Our area covers London and the South East. Let us know about access, parking and anything unusual about getting there as you book.
Is my home in St Mary Hoo listed or in a conservation area?
Historic England’s list shows listed buildings, and the local council can tell you about conservation areas. Listed building consent is needed for changes that affect a listed building’s special interest, and conservation areas can limit changes of roofing material.
Does someone need to be in?
That depends on the survey. Inside the building and in the loft, we need someone to let us in, while outside access can be discussed when you book.
Will you check the loft?
Usually, if there’s one and it can be reached safely. From inside, the underside of the roof often shows damp, staining or daylight that cannot be seen from outside.
Will I get photos?
Yes. Photos are part of every report, so you can see exactly what each finding refers to.
Can you survey a shared roof?
Yes. A shared roof needs access agreed first. Tell us about it when you book and we will explain what’s needed.
Should I worry about a leaning stack?
A leaning stack should be looked at. We record the lean, the brickwork and the pointing, and recommend a structural engineer where it may be a structural concern.
Surveys for landlords and agents in St Mary Hoo
Freeholders and residents’ companies use a roof report to plan and budget.
We also survey roofs for businesses and commercial landlords, including offices, shops and units. Bigger roofs take more time, and they’re priced for the size.
What a chimney survey looks like in St Mary Hoo
St Mary Hoo is within about 2 miles of the coast, and places near the sea get more salt in the air and more wind than inland. Salt corrodes metal fixings and flashings, and wind lifts loose slates, tiles and ridge pieces, while driving rain finds any gap. Listing and conservation areas can both shape what roof work is allowed on an older home. The council is the place to check, along with Historic England’s list.
For an older house near a landmark such as Church of St Mary, its chimney, valleys and lead work are likely to be the parts that need attention first.
St Mary Hoo is about 4 miles south of Canvey Island, in Medway. Roofs in St Mary Hoo get the same thorough look as anywhere else in Medway. Our area takes in places right across Medway, large and small. Our Maidstone page covers surveys nearby.
Postcode districts we cover here for chimney surveys: ME3. We also cover Fenn Street (1 mile south-west), High Halstow (1 mile south-west), Sharnal Street (2 miles south-west), Tunbridge Hill (2 miles south) and Kingsnorth (2 miles south). Within a short drive, we also cover Gillingham (6 miles south), Chatham (8 miles south), Rochester (6 miles south-west), Rainham (7 miles south), Strood (7 miles south-west) and Luton (7 miles south).
Near you in St Mary Hoo
A little further out are Bay Museum (3.6 miles north) and Medway Maritime Hospital (6 miles south-west). For a walk, there’s Bishop Saltings.