Kent · London and the South East
Chimney Survey in Upper Ifield
A survey of chimney stacks, pots, flashings and flaunching in Upper Ifield, carried out by an experienced roof surveyor. You get a clear written report with photographs.
- Signs that a stack is leaning
- Damaged chimney pots and cowls
- Damp patches on chimney breasts
Chimney surveys for homes and businesses in Upper Ifield
Each stack is looked at from the safest viewpoints available: from ground level, from windows and vantage points, and from the loft where there’s access. A drone inspection is part of our Premium Survey where it applies. If we can’t see part of the stack, the report makes that clear. Each defect is recorded with a photo and a plain description. If you’re worried about pots or cowls that look unsafe and gaps where the stack meets the roof, we can find out what’s behind it.
Village roofs often face open fields and take the full force of wind and rain, 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. On exposed older roofs, chimneys and lead flashings are frequently the first to give way.
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 applicable, structural analysis and an in-person consultation.
- Where
- Upper Ifield (DA12)
- Region
- Kent
- Cost
- From £150 inc. VAT
- Report
- A written report with photos, by email
- Survey days
- Weekdays, Saturdays and Sundays
- Cover
- Professional indemnity and public liability
- Telephone
- 07833 053749
- Page updated
- 27 October 2026
How we price chimney surveys
A few things affect what a survey costs:
- Roof area
- Whether it’s a home or a commercial building
- Whether you choose the Basic, Standard or Premium Survey
- The use of thermal imaging or a drone
The cost of a survey depends on the roof: its size, its height, how many sections it has and how safely it can be seen. Prices start from £150, including VAT.
Booking your survey
A little information up front helps. It’s useful to include:
- The type of building and roof, such as pitched or flat
- Where any leaks, stains or damp patches show inside
- Anything about access we should know
- The reason for the survey, such as buying, a leak or storm damage
Most bookings start with a short call: ring 07833 053749 or use the contact form and we will ask a few questions about the roof. You’ll have a price before anything is arranged.
Local roofs in Upper Ifield
Upper Ifield is within about 3 miles of the coast, 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. 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. The county’s older buildings also include oast houses and timber-framed Wealden hall houses. Each of these coverings has its own weak points, from fixings and valleys to flashings, chimneys and gutters.
If you look after a building such as Shorne Church of England Primary School, its roofs, gutters and any chimneys need the same checks as a house’s, just on a bigger scale. If you own one of the older houses in the streets near Church of St Peter and St Paul, the nails, lead and mortar on the roof may be wearing out even where the slates or tiles look fine.
Upper Ifield is about 2 miles south-east of Gravesend, in Kent. We survey roofs in Upper Ifield and the rest of Kent. We cover towns and villages across Kent, large and small. Maidstone is in our area too.
We cover every part of DA12 for chimney surveys. Other places close to Upper Ifield include Shorne (1 mile east), Shorne Ridgeway (1 mile south-east), Thong (1 mile west), Chalk (1 mile north) and Higham (2 miles east). Further out, we also cover Maidstone (11 miles south-east), Sittingbourne (14 miles east), Dartford (9 miles west), Sevenoaks (14 miles south-west), Northfleet (3 miles north-west) and Swanley (11 miles west).
Landmarks near Upper Ifield
We work in homes and buildings around The Rose and Crown pub, Thamesview School and Shorne Woods Country Park and the streets around them. The nearest railway station is Higham station, about 2.2 miles north-east of the centre. Other landmarks nearby include Gravesham Community Hospital (3.1 miles north-west) and Gravesham Museum (3 miles north-west). Green spaces nearby include Sawyers Lake and Rede Common.
What we can’t see
It’s a careful look at the chimney stack, not the whole story. The main limits are:
- Gas safety checks, which need a Gas Safe registered engineer
- Structural calculations for a leaning stack
- Hidden damage within the stack
If in doubt, call 07833 053749 or drop us an email and we’ll recommend the right survey before booking. The full list of what we check.
Roofs we survey in Upper Ifield
- Lead flashings
- Brick chimney stacks
- Chimney breasts
- Flaunching
- Shared and party-wall stacks
- Chimney pots and cowls
Common questions in Upper Ifield
Do roofs near the sea, like those around Upper Ifield, take more of a battering?
Near the coast, roofs face more wind and more salt than further inland. Salt corrodes metal fixings and flashings, and wind lifts loose slates, tiles and ridge pieces.
Will you come out to Upper Ifield?
Yes, smaller places are covered as well as towns. We survey roofs across London and South East England. Just mention lanes, gates or anything else about the route when booking.
Does this replace a RICS home survey?
No. Our survey looks at the roof, not the whole building. For the rest of the building, a RICS home survey is a separate job.
Do I need to be at home?
If the survey includes the loft or the inside of the building, someone needs to let us in. We’ll talk about access as you book.
Will I get photos?
Yes. We photograph the roof as we go, and the report uses them to show each finding alongside our recommendations.
What will the report tell me?
It sets out what we found, why it matters and what we recommend, with photos throughout. It also says if any part of the roof couldn’t be seen safely, so you know exactly what was covered.
Will you fly a drone over my roof?
Yes, where it’s applicable. Our sub-250g drone is flown by a CAA-registered operator with a Flyer ID and Operator ID, and the airspace and weather are checked before every flight.
What we are asked to look at in Upper Ifield
Years of fires can affect the mortar inside a stack. Mortar can deteriorate unevenly from flue gases and moisture, which is one reason stacks start to lean.
Signs worth acting on include:
- Frost-damaged brickwork on the stack
- Unused flues sealed without airflow
- Damp on a chimney breast inside
- Gaps where the stack meets the roof
Trees in and around Shorne Woods Country Park shed leaves that can end up in nearby gutters, and an overflowing gutter soon means a wet wall.
Questions to ask before booking
- Whether the loft space is looked at, where there is one
- Which parts of the roof they’ll actually see
- Is VAT included in the price?
- Their track record with similar roofs
How the survey works
We don’t take risks to get a closer look. We inspect what can safely be seen, and anything we can’t see is noted in the report. The survey typically takes an hour or two at most homes, though large, tall or awkward roofs take more time. Somewhere like Upper Ifield needs a little journey planning: let us know about narrow lanes, gates, long drives and where we can park. On the day, we inspect what can safely be seen, inside and out.
- We go through the chimneys, any damp and any work done on them.
- Each stack is inspected from safe positions outside.
- Pots, cowls, flaunching, pointing and flashings are checked and photographed.
- Inside, the chimney breasts and the loft are checked for damp where there is access.
- The report, with photographs and recommendations, is emailed to you.
How to prepare
- Have any questions written down, so nothing gets missed
- If it is not your property yet, arrange access through the agent
- Leave side gates unlocked
Getting a price
Our price is from £150, including VAT. What you pay depends on the roof’s size, access and the package, so phone 07833 053749 or drop us an email with the details.
Related advice
More services for Upper Ifield
Roof by roof
Flaunching
We often find flaunching that has cracked or broken away. Caught early, it is often a small job.
Chimney breasts and the loft
Stains on timbers or brickwork around the stack can point to a leak. What we find is photographed and described.
DIY checks: what’s safe
Fresh stains on ceilings or walls after rain are worth noting. Take a photo and write down when you saw it, as it helps a surveyor trace the cause.
Watch the gutters in a downpour, from a window or the ground. Overflowing water can be a sign of a blockage or a gutter that has dropped.