Essex · London and the South East
Chimney Survey in Wakes Colne
Find out what’s going on with the chimney stack before you spend money on it. We carry out chimney surveys in Wakes Colne.
- Damaged chimney pots and cowls
- Worn or missing pointing
- Gaps where the stack meets the roof
Useful tips for Wakes Colne property owners
A little preparation and a few simple habits help, both for the survey and for the roof itself. Our tips:
- Look at the chimneys with binoculars after a storm
- Don’t use a ladder to reach the stack yourself
- Remove aerials or dishes from the stack if they’re no longer needed
- Have the flue swept and checked if you use the fire
If the report recommends a structural engineer, a sweep or a Gas Safe registered engineer, it will say why. It gives them a clear starting point.
Check fixings on the stack are sound, and moved if they’re working it loose. Removing unused fixings takes strain off the brickwork.
About our chimney survey in Wakes Colne
Many homes have chimneys that are no longer used. A disused stack still needs looking after. If it has been capped without ventilation, damp can build up inside it. 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. We survey flaunching, shared and party-wall stacks and lead flashings, and people most frequently book us about frost-damaged brickwork on the stack and flaunching that has broken away.
Village roofs often face open fields and take the full force of wind and rain, 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.
We write the report in plain English, so you don’t need to be a roofer to follow it. Each point is backed by a photograph where possible, and recommendations are put with the most urgent first where relevant.
- Where
- Wakes Colne (CO6)
- Region
- Essex
- Price
- From £150 inc. VAT
- Report
- Written, with photos, emailed to you
- Survey days
- Weekdays and weekends
- Cover
- PI and public liability insurance
- Call
- 07833 053749
- Page updated
- 27 October 2026
Prices for chimney surveys in Wakes Colne
A few things affect what a survey costs:
- Roof area
- How tall the building is and how easy the roof is to see
- How complicated the roof is, with its valleys, chimneys and parapets
- Extensions, dormers and garages with roofs of their own
The Premium Survey includes thermal imaging and drone inspection where it applies, which starts from £400, inc. VAT. We will tell you which package suits the questions you have.
Helping us price your survey
If you can, have these to hand when you contact us:
- Anything about access we should know
- Your timetable, like an exchange date
- The type of building and roof, such as pitched or flat
- What’s prompted the survey
For a price for chimney surveys in Wakes Colne, phone 07833 053749 or drop us an email. A few details about the property and the roof help us give you an accurate price.
Why get it checked now?
A loose pot or brick can fall from height. A survey picks them out so they can be made safe by a suitable contractor. In a place like Wakes Colne, 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.
Larger roofs, taller buildings and commercial roofs take longer, so they’re priced to match. The price is confirmed before you book.
Why choose Independent Roof Survey in Wakes Colne
- More than 20 years surveying roofs
- Over 5,000 surveys carried out
- Drone and thermal imaging surveys available
- Surveys seven days a week
See how roof surveys are priced or what we found on two real jobs.
When to book a survey in Wakes Colne
Flaunching is the mortar bed that holds the pots and throws water off the top. Cracked flaunching lets water in, and each winter makes it worse. In time, the pots can become loose.
People normally book a survey after spotting one of these:
- Unused flues sealed without airflow
- Flaunching that has broken away
- Damaged chimney pots and cowls
- Signs that a stack is leaning
If you let a flat or house near Chappel & Wakes Colne station, a roof report helps you deal with small faults before they turn into a call from a tenant.
Before booking anyone
- How much experience they have with roofs like yours
- How long the report takes to arrive
- Will the report include photos?
- Whether the price includes VAT
What a chimney survey doesn’t cover
Without opening up the roof, some things stay hidden, so a survey has limits:
- Gas safety checks, which need a Gas Safe registered engineer
- Parts of the stack that can’t be seen safely or belong to a neighbour we cannot access
- Structural calculations for a leaning stack
Not sure which survey suits your roof? You can call 07833 053749 or drop us an email and we will tell you. The full list of what we check.
Roof types and parts we check
- Brick chimney stacks
- Shared and party-wall stacks
- Chimney breasts
- Flaunching
- Chimney pots and cowls
- Lead flashings
Also near Wakes Colne
More services for Wakes Colne
What we do, step by step
Every roof is different, but as a rough guide the survey takes about one to two hours at a house, as part of a look at the roof around the stack. If you have questions on the day, just ask. For a village or hamlet like Wakes Colne, the journey is planned in advance: let us know about narrow lanes, gates, long drives and where we can park. The roof is looked at from the ground, from windows, from the loft where there is safe access and from the roof where it’s safe.
- 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.
- We photograph and record the pots, flaunching, pointing and flashings.
- We look for damp on chimney breasts and in the loft space.
- You get a written report with photos and recommendations by email.
Preparing for the visit
- If it isn’t your property yet, arrange access through the agent
- Have any questions written down, so nothing gets missed
- Show us where any leaks or stains appear
Booking a survey
Booking is simple: just call 07833 053749 or send us an email and give us a few details about the property and we’ll suggest the right survey. The price is agreed up front.
Advice
FAQs for Wakes Colne
Can a landlord with a rental near Chappel & Wakes Colne station book a roof survey?
Yes, landlords and letting agents book with us as well as owners. You can ring 07833 053749 or drop us an email with the address and a few details.
Do you cover smaller places like Wakes Colne?
Yes, we do. Our area covers London and South East England, and smaller places are part of that. Longer journeys are simply planned in advance.
Can you tell me if my roof has asbestos?
No. We can flag materials that might contain asbestos, but only a specialist asbestos surveyor can confirm it. It may be present in buildings built or refurbished before 2000.
Will you check the loft?
If there is a loft and safe access to it, yes. The roof space can show things the outside cannot, such as damp timbers, staining or daylight.
How long have you been surveying roofs?
We’ve completed more than 5,000 surveys, over more than 20 years, with 98% customer satisfaction.
Will you photograph what you find?
Yes. Photographs are taken throughout the survey, and they go into the written report alongside our recommendations.
What if it rains on the day?
Light rain is normally fine; heavy rain and wind are different. In high wind or heavy rain, a drone cannot fly and access may not be safe, and we’d agree another day.
Local roofs in Wakes Colne
Older buildings may be listed or sit in a conservation area. To find out, check Historic England’s list and ask the council about conservation areas. Re-roofing in different materials may need permission there. In Essex, older buildings are often clay-tiled, many with weatherboarding, alongside a good many post-war and newer estates. Each of these coverings has its own weak points, from fixings and valleys to flashings, chimneys and gutters.
Take an older house close to Church of St Barnabas: old fixings, lead flashings and tall chimneys are typical of older roofs. If you look after a building such as Chappel Church of England Controlled Primary School, long gutter runs and wide roofs on a building that size are worth checking on a regular cycle.
Wakes Colne is about 5 miles east of Halstead, in Essex. We provide chimney surveys for homes and businesses in Wakes Colne. Wakes Colne is one of the towns and villages in Essex where we work. Our Chelmsford page covers surveys nearby.
Chimney surveys in CO6 work the same way as everywhere else we cover. That includes homes and businesses on Station Road, The Street and Colchester Road and the roads around them. You’ll find Wakes Colne on the A1124, which makes it simple to reach. Close by, we survey roofs in Chappel (1 mile south), Rose Green (1 mile south-east), Swan Street (1 mile south), White Colne (1 mile west) and Great Tey (2 miles south). Within a short drive, we also cover Colchester (7 miles east), Braintree (9 miles west), Maldon (14 miles south), Witham (10 miles south-west), Camulodunum (6 miles south-east) and Halstead (5 miles west).
Around Wakes Colne
In Wakes Colne, that means homes and buildings near Colne Valley and The Swan pub, among other places. Wakes Colne has its own railway station: Chappel & Wakes Colne station. Other landmarks nearby include Mount Bures (2.5 miles north) and Halstead Hospital (5.2 miles west). The countryside around Wakes Colne includes Sergeants Orchard.