Essex · London and the South East
Wickford Chimney Survey
Get a clear view of the chimney stack at a property in Wickford from an independent roof surveyor. We visit on weekdays and at weekends.
- Mortar washing out of the joints
- A chimney out of line
- Lifted or split lead flashings
About our chimney survey in Wickford
On terraced and semi-detached houses, a chimney stack is often shared with next door. We inspect the parts we can see safely and the parts the owner gives us access to. Where a problem seems to involve a neighbour’s side, the report records it, so you can talk to them. Everything is written up with photos and our recommendations. Common reasons to book are damp on a chimney breast inside and lifted or split lead flashings, across shared and party-wall stacks, chimney breasts and brick chimney stacks.
In a town like Wickford, older houses with slate or clay tile roofs typically sit alongside later estates with concrete tiles. Chimneys on older houses may be redundant, capped or leaning, and their lead flashings still need to be sound. Newer homes have fewer chimneys but their own weak points at ridges, verges and gutters.
The report works through the roof section by section, from the main slopes down to the gutters and outlets. You will see the good as well as the bad.
- Where
- Wickford (SS12, SS11, CM11)
- Wider area
- Essex
- Prices
- From £150 inc. VAT
- Your report
- Written, with photos, emailed to you
- Survey days
- Weekdays and weekends
- Cover
- Professional indemnity and public liability
- Phone
- 07833 053749
- Updated
- 27 October 2026
Practical tips
Getting the most from a chimney survey starts before we arrive and carries on afterwards. Some tips:
- 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
- Have brackets on the chimney checked
- Keep track of stains on chimney breasts
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.
Get small mortar repairs done while they’re small. Small repairs now can save bigger work later.
Wickford questions
Is my home in Wickford listed or in a conservation area?
Historic England’s list shows listed buildings, and the local council can tell you about conservation areas. Listed building consent is needed for changes that affect a listed building’s special interest, and conservation areas can limit changes of roofing material.
Is Wickford in the area you cover?
Yes, Wickford is one of the places we work. Every survey there gets the same written report with photos.
Do you climb onto every roof?
Only when it is safe. Some roofs are too steep or fragile to walk on safely. We use safe viewpoints, the roof space and a drone where it applies.
Do you inspect the flue?
No. It is not a flue, sweep or gas safety inspection. We check the stack, pots, flaunching, pointing and flashings, and damp inside and flag anything that suggests the flue needs a look.
How can you see the top of the stack?
We use safe viewpoints rather than climbing onto the stack. A drone inspection is part of the Premium Survey where applicable. The report is clear about anything that couldn’t be seen.
Which parts of the chimney do you look at?
The whole stack, as far as it can be seen safely: from the pots and flaunching down to the flashings. Leaning, unused stacks and damp on chimney breasts are recorded too.
My chimney looks like it is leaning. What should I do?
A leaning stack should be looked at. Our survey notes how it looks and the condition of the bricks and joints, and recommend a structural engineer where it may be a structural concern.
Prices for chimney surveys in Wickford
The price reflects the time and kit the roof needs. The main factors are:
- The shape of the roof and its details
- The type of building, from a house to a block or an office
- How many separate roofs there are, like extensions, dormers and garages
- Whether you choose the Basic, Standard or Premium Survey
For a price for your roof in Wickford, phone 07833 053749 or drop us an email with the address and a few details. We’ll confirm the figure before booking.
What to tell us when you get in touch
Some details help us suggest the right survey and price. When you get in touch, it helps to mention:
- Anything about access we should know
- What’s prompted the survey
- Where water is showing inside, if it is
- Pictures of the roof from a safe spot, if you have them
To book a survey, phone 07833 053749 or use the contact form with the address and what you’d like to know about the roof. We’ll confirm the price before you book.
Wickford homes and their roofs
Before planning roof work on an older home, find out whether it’s listed or in a conservation area. Listed building consent covers changes to a listed building’s special interest, and an Article 4 direction can bring extra controls in a conservation area. Clay tiles and timber weatherboarding mark out many of the older buildings in Essex, and a good many post-war and modern estates besides. Whatever the covering, it’s often the fixings, flashings, valleys and gutters that give out first.
If you let a flat or house near Wickford station, a dated record of the roof is useful when planning maintenance across a let. The streets around a church such as St Andrew are frequently among the oldest in a place, and if your house is among the older ones nearby, its roof may have old fixings, lead flashings and chimneys that need a closer look.
Wickford is about 4 miles north-east of Basildon, in Essex. We cover Wickford and the rest of Essex, as part of our work across London and South East England. Our area takes in places right across Essex, from the larger towns to small villages. We also survey roofs in Chelmsford.
We work across SS12, SS11 and CM11 for chimney surveys and the streets around it. We offer chimney surveys to properties on High Street, Market Road and Upper Market Road and the roads around them. Wickford sits on or near the A129 and A132, so getting to you is simple. We also cover the places around Wickford: Shotgate (1 mile east), Runwell (1 mile north), Battlesbridge (2 miles north-east), Rawreth (2 miles east) and Brock Hill (2 miles north). We also work in nearby towns such as Chelmsford (9 miles north), Basildon (4 miles south-west), Brentwood (10 miles west), Maldon (11 miles north-east), Canvey Island (6 miles south-east) and Billericay (5 miles west).
Local landmarks in Wickford
In Wickford, that means homes and buildings near Beauchamps High School and the streets around them. The nearest railway station is Wickford station, roughly 0.7 miles north-west. Well-known places in the area include Rayleigh Castle (3.6 miles east) and Battlesbridge Motorcycle Museum (2.2 miles north-east). The countryside around Wickford includes Shotgate Thickets.
Places near Wickford
Other services in Wickford
How it works
Time on site depends on the size and shape of the roof, but as a rough guide the survey takes roughly 1–2 hours at most homes, and more on a big or complicated roof. If you have questions on the day, just ask. Semi-detached and terraced homes in a town like Wickford frequently share a roof line with the neighbours, so shared parts are looked at as far as they can be seen from your property. It is useful to know about previous repairs, leaks or recent work, so time on site goes where it is needed.
- First we talk through the stacks, their history and any problems.
- We look at every stack from wherever it can be seen safely.
- Pots, cowls, flaunching, pointing and flashings are checked and photographed.
- We look for damp on chimney breasts and in the roof space.
- You get a written report with photos and recommendations by email.
Before we arrive
- Agree roof access with the managing agent if it is shared
- Leave a clear route to the loft
- Let us know where we can park nearby
How to book
Our phone lines are open seven days a week, including Saturdays and Sundays. For a price or to book, phone 07833 053749 or email us.
Advice
Do you need a chimney survey in Wickford?
Flashings seal the gap where a stack passes through the roof. With age they can lift, split or come away from the joints. Failed flashings are one of the most common causes of damp around chimneys. Lead flashings can also be stolen.
Look out for signs like these:
- Flashings pulling away from the stack
- Bricks with flaking faces
- Staining on walls around the chimney
- Redundant stacks capped without ventilation
If you run a business near Eastgate Shopping Centre, a dated report on the roof is useful for planning and for any lease discussions.
Questions to ask before you book
- What happens after the report arrives
- Their report turnaround times
- What the report includes, and whether it has photos
- How long they’ve been surveying roofs
When you need someone else
In fairness, a roof survey has limits:
- Parts of the stack that cannot be seen safely or belong to a neighbour we can’t access
- Whether a stack needs rebuilding on structural grounds
- Gas safety checks, which need a Gas Safe registered engineer
Not sure which survey suits your roof? You can ring 07833 053749 or send us an email and we’ll tell you. What our survey covers.
What we check
- Chimney pots and cowls
- Brick chimney stacks
- Lead flashings
- Chimney breasts
- Flaunching
- Shared and party-wall stacks
Leave it or get it looked at?
Damp in a chimney breast typically gets worse while the cause is left. It can spoil decoration and plaster. Knowing whether it’s the flaunching, flashings, brickwork or ventilation means the right fix can be planned. Around Wickford, water from a roof defect often goes unseen for a while, soaking loft insulation, wall tops and timbers. By the time a stain appears on a ceiling, there’s more to put right.
Simple, low roofs take less time to survey than tall or complicated ones, and the package you pick makes a difference too. The price is always agreed first.
Why us?
- 98% customer satisfaction
- Two decades and more of roof surveys
- An independent look at the roof
- CAA-registered drone operator (Flyer ID and Operator ID)
Read what a roof survey costs and two real surveys.