Essex · London and the South East
Chimney Survey in Watch House Green
A survey of chimney stacks, pots, flashings and flaunching around Watch House Green, with a written report you can act on. Weekday and weekend visits available.
- Mortar washing out of the joints
- Pots or cowls that look unsafe
- Lifted or split lead flashings
How a chimney survey works in Watch House Green
Our chimney survey covers the stack and the details that keep water out around it: the pots and cowls, the flaunching on top, the pointing, the brickwork and the flashings where it meets the roof. Inside, we check chimney breasts and the stack in the loft where it’s safe to reach. The findings come in a written report with photos and recommendations. We survey single stacks on houses and groups of stacks on bigger buildings. If you’re worried about damp on a chimney breast inside and signs that a stack is leaning, we can find out what’s behind it, whatever the roof.
Some older homes in villages like Watch House Green are listed or in a conservation area. That can affect what materials can be used when work is done, so check with the council before planning anything. A roof report helps you plan work with that in mind. Where a building is listed, matching the existing roof materials is frequently expected.
We write the report in plain English, so it makes sense without any roofing background. Photographs show what each point refers to, and recommendations are put by urgency where it matters.
- Location
- Watch House Green (CM6)
- Region
- Essex
- Prices
- From £150 inc. VAT
- Report
- Emailed report with photos and recommendations
- When we survey
- Weekdays, Saturdays and Sundays
- Insurance
- PI and public liability insurance
- Phone
- 07833 053749
- Last updated
- 27 October 2026
Questions from Watch House Green
Will you come out to Watch House Green?
Yes, we do. Our area covers London and the South East, and smaller places are part of that. The journey is planned ahead, so it’s useful to know about access.
Can a landlord with a rental near Braintree station book a roof survey?
Of course. Let us know whether a tenant or an agent will let us in, and the report can go straight to you or your agent.
Which parts of the chimney do you look at?
The whole stack, as far as it can be seen safely: pots, cowls, flaunching, pointing, bricks and flashings. We also note leaning, redundant stacks and damp inside.
Is this a RICS survey?
No. We are experienced roof surveyors, and our survey covers the roof rather than the whole building. If you need a full building survey, you’ll need a RICS survey as well.
What insurance do you have?
Professional indemnity and public liability insurance cover our surveys. Ask if you need details for a managing agent or building owner.
Which days do you carry out surveys?
We survey seven days a week: weekdays, Saturdays and Sundays. Just tell us the days that suit you.
Should I worry about a leaning stack?
Do not ignore it. Stacks can lean when mortar on one side breaks down. We record its condition with photographs, and a structural engineer can assess whether it needs work.
Tips that help
Most of what helps is simple and safe from the ground. Our suggestions:
- Glance at the stacks from the street now and then
- Use a Gas Safe registered engineer for gas appliances
- Leave close inspection to people with safe access
- Check that disused chimneys can still breathe
After the visit, we write up the report with photographs of each stack. It explains the condition of each part of the stack and any damp inside. Turnaround is within 48 hours for Basic, 24 to 48 hours for Standard and the same day for Premium.
Have worn pointing and cracked flaunching dealt with early. It is far simpler than rebuilding a stack later.
Honest limits
Without opening up the roof, some things stay hidden, and that sets some limits:
- What’s inside the brickwork or behind render, without opening up
- Whether a stack needs rebuilding on structural grounds
- Parts of the stack that cannot be seen safely or belong to a neighbour we can’t access
If in doubt, phone 07833 053749 or drop us an email and we’ll recommend the right survey. What our survey covers.
Roofs we survey in Watch House Green
- Chimney breasts
- Lead flashings
- Shared and party-wall stacks
- Chimney pots and cowls
- Flaunching
- Brick chimney stacks
Nearby places to Watch House Green
Other services in Watch House Green
The survey, step by step
You do not need to do much on the day. Show us any stains, drips or problem areas you know about, and we will take it from there. The survey itself takes about one to two hours at a house, as part of a look at the roof around the stack. Older roofs in small places like Watch House Green can have low, tight loft spaces, so tell us about the loft hatch and any ladder. Only areas that can be reached safely are inspected.
- 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.
- We check and photograph the pots, cowls, flaunching, pointing and flashings.
- Where there is safe access, we look at the stack in the loft and the chimney breasts for damp.
- The findings are written up with photos and recommendations and emailed to you.
Getting ready for the survey
- Leave side gates unlocked
- For a flat or shared roof, check access with the building owner or managing agent
- Check the loft hatch can be reached
Getting a price
Photos help, if you have them. Take them safely from the ground or a window, and please do not climb up for a closer look. To send them or to book, phone 07833 053749 or send us an email.
Advice
What affects the cost of chimney surveys
What a survey costs depends on the time and equipment it needs. That comes down to:
- How many separate roofs there are, like extensions, dormers and garages
- Whether it’s a home or a commercial building
- Any need for thermal images or a drone flight
- How big the roof is
There are three survey packages: the Basic Survey from £150, the Standard Survey from £250 and the Premium Survey from £400, all inc. VAT. What your roof costs depends on its size, access and what you want to find out.
Booking your survey
Before you get in touch, it’s useful to have:
- Photos of the roof, taken safely from the ground or a window
- Access details, such as a loft hatch or a shared roof
- Where any leaks, stains or damp patches show inside
- Your timetable, such as an exchange date
To book a survey, phone 07833 053749 or send us an email and let us know the address and what’s prompted the survey. You’ll know the price before anything is booked.
Why get it checked now?
Most people never get a close look at their chimney stacks. Defects tend to go unseen until there’s a stain. A survey gives you a clear picture before that happens. In a small place like Watch House Green, homes can be exposed to wind and rain, which finds any gap, and damp in older walls is slow to dry out.
Bigger, taller and commercial roofs take more time to survey, so the price reflects that. You will know the figure before booking.
Why book us in Watch House Green
- Satisfaction rate of 98%
- 5,000+ surveys completed
- Two decades and more of roof surveys
- Packages from £150, inc. VAT
See our cost guide and two real surveys.
For landlords and managing agents
Buyers’ agents can book surveys on behalf of their clients. The report is emailed, so it can go straight to your client, photos included.
If the property is let, the agent or a tenant can let us in. We survey on any day of the week, which helps when tenants work during the week.
Watch House Green homes and their roofs
Older buildings in Essex frequently have clay tiles and weatherboarding, alongside plenty of post-war and newer estates. On roofs like these, good slates or tiles can outlast the nails, battens, lead and mortar around them. An older home may be listed, or stand in a conservation area. Historic England’s list shows listed buildings, and the council can say whether a street is in a conservation area. In either case, a change of roofing material may need consent.
Take a building like Felsted Primary School: long gutter runs and wide roofs on a building that size are worth checking on a regular cycle. If you let a flat or house near Braintree station, a roof report helps you deal with small faults before they turn into a call from a tenant. Take an older house close to Church of the Holy Cross: its roof may have old fixings, lead flashings and chimneys that need a closer look.
Watch House Green is about 5 miles west of Braintree, in Essex. Bookings from Watch House Green are handled just like any other: get in touch, agree the price and pick a day. We cover towns and villages across Essex, large and small. Chelmsford is in our area too.
Surveys in CM6 work the same way as everywhere else we cover. Whether your property is on Watch House Green, Ravens Crescent and Oxney Villas or a nearby road, we can help. If you are just outside Watch House Green, we cover Bannister Green (1 mile south-east), Felsted (1 mile south-west), Causeway End (1 mile south-west), Blake End (1 mile north-east) and Little Dunmow (2 miles west). We also work in nearby towns like Chelmsford (9 miles south), Braintree (5 miles east), Maldon (13 miles south-east), Witham (9 miles south-east), Saffron Walden (14 miles north-west) and Halstead (10 miles north-east).
What’s near Watch House Green
Typical jobs here are in homes near The Three Horseshoes pub, among other places. The closest station to Watch House Green is Braintree station, about 4.5 miles east. Well-known places in the area include Braintree Community Hospital (3.8 miles east). For a walk, there’s Phyllis Currie Nature Reserve.