Essex · London and the South East
Chimney survey in Thorpe Green, Essex
We take a careful look at the chimney stack at your property in Thorpe Green, with photos and a written report.
- Eroded joints in the brickwork
- Staining on walls around the chimney
- Flashings pulling away from the stack
About our chimney survey in Thorpe Green
A chimney survey is about the outside of the stack and the roof around it. It isn’t a flue inspection, a sweep or a gas safety check. For the flue itself, you will need a sweep or, for gas appliances, a Gas Safe registered engineer. We’ll tell you if we see anything that suggests they should take a look. We survey flaunching, chimney pots and cowls and chimney breasts, and the problems we’re asked to look at most are worn or missing pointing and spalled or crumbling bricks.
Older buildings in small places like Thorpe Green may be listed or in a conservation area. If yours is, re-roofing in different materials may need consent, so the council is the place to check. A roof report helps you plan work with that in mind. Where a building is listed, matching the existing roof materials is often expected.
With the Standard Survey, you also get moisture detection, a structural check and a follow-up consultation. The Premium Survey goes further, with thermal imaging, drone inspection where it applies, structural analysis and an in-person consultation.
- Location
- Thorpe Green (CO16)
- Region
- Essex
- Price
- From £150 inc. VAT
- Report
- Emailed report with photos and recommendations
- Survey days
- Weekdays and weekends
- Insurance
- Professional indemnity and public liability
- Call
- 07833 053749
- Page updated
- 27 October 2026
Thorpe Green questions
Do you survey roofs for landlords with property near Thorpe-Le-Soken station?
Yes, letting agents and landlords book with us as well as owners. Just ring 07833 053749 or email us and tell us about the building, including who will give access on the day.
Does being near the coast affect roofs in Thorpe Green?
Near the coast, roofs face more wind and more salt than further inland. Salt is hard on nails, clips and metal flashings, while strong wind lifts anything already loose.
What does a roof survey cost?
Chimney survey starts from £150, including VAT. We confirm the price for the job before you book, and it depends on the roof’s size, access and the package you choose. For a price, call 07833 053749 or drop us an email.
Is a leaning chimney dangerous?
It is worth having a leaning stack checked. We record the lean, the brickwork and the pointing, and recommend a structural engineer where it may be a structural concern.
When does the report arrive?
That depends on the survey you book: the Basic Survey report arrives within 48 hours, the Standard Survey in 24 to 48 hours and the Premium Survey the same day. The report is emailed to you.
Why is my chimney breast damp?
Normally it’s water getting in from outside, or condensation in a sealed stack. We check the stack, the flashings and how unused flues are capped and records the likely cause.
Do you take photos of the roof?
Yes. Photos are part of every report.
What happens on the day
After the inspection, everything we found is written up as a report with photos, emailed to you. On timing, most surveys take about one to two hours for most homes, a little longer where there are several stacks. In a small place like Thorpe Green, access is normally the main thing to plan. Mention any outbuildings, barns or garages you want included, and anything about the roof you already know. Visits can be on weekdays, Saturdays or Sundays.
- We start with the details: how many stacks, whether any are shared and any signs of damp.
- We inspect each stack from safe viewpoints outside.
- Every part we can see is checked: pots, cowls, flaunching, pointing, bricks and flashings.
- Inside, we look for damp on chimney breasts and in the loft where there’s safe access.
- The findings are written up with photographs and recommendations and emailed to you.
Before we arrive
- Keep pets in another room
- Let us know about parking before the day
- Point out any leaks or damp patches
Booking a survey
To get a price for chimney surveys in Thorpe Green, ring 07833 053749 or drop us an email. A few details about the property and the roof help us price the survey accurately.
Read more
Should I look at the roof myself first?
During heavy rain, look at the gutters from ground level or a window. Overflowing water can be a sign of a blockage or a gutter that has dropped.
You can learn a lot from ground level. Binoculars help you spot slipped slates or tiles, gaps along the ridge and a leaning stack. Never climb onto the roof to look.
Practical tips
A survey works best with a little help from you, before and after. Tips:
- Check your stacks from ground level after strong winds
- Leave close inspection to people with safe access
- 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
With a shared stack, the report can help when talking to next door. It shows what we found and where from the viewpoints we used.
Have worn pointing and cracked flaunching dealt with early. It’s far simpler than rebuilding a stack later.
How we price chimney surveys
Survey packages start from £150, including VAT. The price for your roof depends on:
- Extensions, dormers and garages with roofs of their own
- Commercial roofs and larger buildings
- The size of the roof
- If the survey needs thermal imaging or a drone
Chimney survey starts from £150, including VAT. Basic starts from £150, Standard from £250 and Premium from £400, VAT included, and we can help you choose.
What to tell us when you contact us
What helps most when you contact us:
- Any marks or damp showing indoors
- Pictures from the garden or a window, if you have them
- Access details, like a loft hatch or a shared roof
- The kind of building and roof involved
Not sure which survey you need? It’s easiest to call 07833 053749 or email us and describe the roof and what’s worrying you. We will talk you through the options and what they cost.
Common roof problems in Thorpe Green
Lots of homes have redundant stacks. A stack sealed without ventilation can trap damp. Damp patches can appear on chimney breasts even when nothing is leaking.
A survey can pick up problems such as:
- A chimney out of line
- Flaunching that has broken away
- Worn or missing pointing
- Bricks with flaking faces
Landlords with a home close to Thorpe-Le-Soken station may find that a roof report between tenancies helps plan work before a small defect becomes a tenant’s leak.
Before you book any roof surveyor
- How soon the report will arrive
- Do they have a CAA Flyer ID and Operator ID for drone work?
- What’s outside the scope of the survey
- Whether they hold professional indemnity and public liability insurance
Towns and villages near Thorpe Green
What else we do in Thorpe Green
Chimney surveys in Thorpe Green: local notes
Thorpe Green lies within about 3 miles of the sea, so there is more wind and more salt in the air than further inland. Salt is hard on nails, clips and metal flashings, and strong wind lifts anything already loose on a roof. The wider area around Thorpe Green has a long history of building, with Thorpe Hall about 1 mile south-east. Older roofs in the wider area can hide decades of patch repairs, so the detail matters, and the council can say whether a home is in a conservation area.
Take an older house close to Parish Church of St Michael: old fixings, lead flashings and tall chimneys are typical of older roofs. Anyone responsible for a site like Rolph CofE Primary School will know that large buildings have long gutter runs and big roofs that need checking like any other.
Thorpe Green is about 4 miles north of Clacton-on-Sea, in Essex. Thorpe Green is part of the area we cover and the surrounding area as part of our work across London and the South East. Our Essex coverage includes Thorpe Green and the places around it. Chelmsford is in our area too.
We work across the CO16 postcode area for chimney surveys. Streets in the area include Paddock Drive, Colchester Road and Tendring Road, all of which we cover. We also cover Far Thorpe Green (1 mile west), Thorpe-le-Soken (1 mile south-east), Beaumont (1 mile north-east), Pig Street (1 mile south) and Oak Corner (2 miles north). Larger places within reach include Colchester (11 miles west), Clacton-on-Sea (4 miles south), Harwich (7 miles north-east), Camulodunum (12 miles west), Greenstead (9 miles west) and Wivenhoe (8 miles west).
Landmarks near Thorpe Green
Typical jobs here are in homes near The Rose and Crown pub and the streets around them. Thorpe Green’s nearest station is Thorpe-Le-Soken station, roughly 1.2 miles south. Not far away are Weeleyhall Wood.
Roof by roof
Brick stacks
Most chimney stacks are built of brick, with mortar joints that wear over time. We check the bricks for spalling and the joints for erosion.
Rendered stacks
Cracked render can let water in and trap it behind. Cracks are photographed and noted.