Medway · London and the South East
Chimney survey in Wainscott, Medway
Not sure what state the chimney stack is in? We carry out chimney surveys in Wainscott and across Medway, with plain-English findings.
- Cracked or missing flaunching
- Spalled or crumbling bricks
- Flashings pulling away from the stack
How a chimney survey works in Wainscott
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. If you use a fire or a gas appliance, the flue should be checked by a sweep or a Gas Safe registered engineer as appropriate. If something we see points to the flue, we will say so. If you are worried about staining on walls around the chimney and gaps in the mortar around the pots, a survey will tell you what’s going on, on chimney pots and cowls, chimney breasts and brick chimney stacks alike.
Houses in smaller places like Wainscott can face open ground, where wind and driving rain hit the roof harder. That weather tells first on ridges, verges, chimneys and flashings. Checking those edges shows whether anything has begun to work loose. Once one ridge tile or slate moves, wind gets under the next one too.
Every survey ends with a written report, with photographs, emailed to you. It sets out the condition of the chimney stack, any defects and our written recommendations.
- Location
- Wainscott (ME2, ME3)
- Region
- Medway
- Prices
- From £150 inc. VAT
- Report
- Emailed report with photos and recommendations
- When we survey
- Weekdays, Saturdays and Sundays
- Insurance
- Professional indemnity and public liability
- Telephone
- 07833 053749
- Page updated
- 27 October 2026
Your questions about chimney surveys in Wainscott
Is my home in Wainscott listed or in a conservation area?
You can check whether a building is listed on Historic England’s list, and your council can tell you if it’s in a conservation area. Listed building consent is needed for changes that affect a listed building’s special interest, and conservation areas can limit changes of roofing material.
Will you come out to Wainscott?
Yes, we do. We work right across London and the South East, from towns to the smallest villages. Longer journeys are simply planned in advance.
Should I worry about a leaning stack?
Have it checked rather than leaving it. Leaning frequently comes from mortar breaking down unevenly. We record its condition with photographs, and a structural engineer can assess whether it needs work.
Do you look in the loft space?
If there’s a loft and safe access to it, yes. The loft space can show things the outside can’t, like damp timbers, staining or daylight.
Is this a RICS 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.
Does the weather affect the survey?
It can, depending on the survey. Drone flights need calm, dry weather, and thermal imaging works best with a dry roof, little wind and a sunny day beforehand. We will rearrange with you if the weather isn’t right.
How many surveys have you done?
We’ve been surveying roofs for over 20 years and have carried out more than 5,000 surveys.
The survey, step by step
Expect us to ask a few questions before we start, about the roof’s history, any leaks and past repairs. Then the inspection itself takes an hour or two at a typical home, or half a day or so for a commercial building. In a smaller place like Wainscott, as anywhere, the forecast plays a part: the parts that need calm, dry weather are planned around it.
- First we talk through the stacks, their history and any problems.
- 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’s access.
- You get a written report with photos and recommendations by email.
How to prepare
- Leave a clear route to the loft
- If you’re buying, check with the agent that we can get in
- Leave side gates unlocked
Arrange a survey
You can call us seven days a week, including Saturdays and Sundays. For a price or to book, phone 07833 053749 or send us an email.
Related advice
Practical tips
You don’t need to be a roofer to help. What helps most:
- Keep the report to compare against at the next survey
- Check unused flues are capped with ventilation
- Ask about consent before removing a chimney on an older property
- Check your stacks from the ground after strong winds
If anything in the report is not clear, just ask us. Standard Surveys come with a follow-up consultation, and Premium Surveys with an in-person one.
Have worn pointing and cracked flaunching dealt with early. It is far simpler than rebuilding a stack later.
What happens if roof problems are left?
Most people never get a proper look at their chimney stacks. Problems often go unnoticed until damp appears inside. Surveying the stack now can catch problems first. Tradespeople may need to travel further to a smaller place like Wainscott, so it is useful to plan roof work rather than call someone out in a hurry. Knowing early gives you time to get the right people in.
Bigger, taller and commercial roofs take more time to survey, so the price reflects that. The price is confirmed before you book.
Why book us in Wainscott
- Drone and thermal imaging surveys available
- Plain-English reports with photos
- More than 20 years surveying roofs
- Weekday and weekend surveys
Take a look at our cost guide or our case studies.
Wainscott homes and their roofs
Wainscott is within about 2 miles of the coast, so there is more wind and more salt in the air than further inland. Near the sea, metal fixings wear faster and loose pieces on a roof are more likely to lift. 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. 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.
Living close to Broomhill Park is pleasant, but mature trees mean leaves in gutters and valleys each autumn, so outlets and downpipes are worth watching. The streets around a church such as St Philip & St James are often among the oldest in a place, and if your home is one of the older ones nearby, its roof may have old fixings, lead flashings and chimneys that need a closer look.
Wainscott is about 2 miles north of Rochester, in Medway. Houses, flats, blocks and commercial buildings in Wainscott can all book chimney surveys, with a written report and photographs every time. Wainscott is one of the towns and villages in Medway where we work for chimney surveys. Maidstone is in our area too.
All of ME2 and ME3 is within our area for chimney surveys. If you need a chimney survey at a property on Hoo Road, Holly Road and Leigh Road or a nearby road, we can help. We also cover Upper Upnor (1 mile south-east), Lower Upnor (1 mile east), Chattenden (1 mile north-east), Cooling Street (2 miles north) and Hoo St Werburgh (2 miles north-east). Further out, we also cover Gillingham (4 miles south-east), Chatham (4 miles south), Rainham (5 miles south-east), Luton (3 miles south), Park Wood (6 miles south-east) and Lordswood (5 miles south).
Local landmarks in Wainscott
Typical jobs here are in homes near Temple School, Broomhill Park and The Hundred of Hoo Academy. Also close by are Royal Oak pub (0.6 miles south-west) and Former Ordnance Store At Chatham Gun Wharf (1.8 miles south). The nearest railway station is Strood station, roughly 1.1 miles south-west. Nearby you’ll also find Upnor Castle (0.7 miles south-east) and Huguenot Museum (1.6 miles south). For a walk, there is Rede Common and Gad's Hill.
Different roofs, different checks
Lead flashings
Over time, lead can lift or come away from the brickwork. We photograph any we find that look loose or damaged.
Flaunching
Flaunching is the mortar on top of a stack that holds the pots and sheds water. Once it cracks, water can get straight into the brickwork.
Places near Wainscott
What else we do in Wainscott
Common roof problems in Wainscott
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.
Look out for signs like these:
- Signs that a stack is leaning
- Redundant stacks capped without ventilation
- Pots or cowls that look unsafe
- Damp on a chimney breast inside
Restoration House, about 1.7 miles south, is one of the historic houses in the wider area around Wainscott. Older homes in the area may have roofs that need matching materials when work is done.
What to check before booking
- Will the report include photos?
- Which viewpoints they use to see the roof
- Whether any drone flown is registered with the CAA
- Is VAT included in the price?
DIY checks: what’s safe
If you have a loft with safe access, take a look inside. Take a torch and only step on boards or joists, checking for stains, damp wood or chinks of daylight.
Look up at the roof after a storm, from ground level: pieces of tile or slate on the ground, a gap in the ridge or a lifted flashing are all worth noting. Leave anything above ground level to a survey.