Essex · London and the South East
Braintree Gutter Survey
Find out the condition of the gutter at your property in Braintree. Visits run on weekdays and weekends, in the daytime.
- Overflowing valley or parapet gutters
- Downpipes that are split or coming away
- Blocked outlets and hoppers
The survey, step by step
On the day, we begin with a quick chat about the roof and anything that is worrying you. After that, we look at everything we can see safely. The survey usually takes about one to two hours at a house, depending on how many gutter runs and downpipes there are. Town-centre streets in Braintree can mean pay-and-display or permit parking, so a word about where to park saves time. We will want to see the loft, if there is one, and any ceiling or wall showing damp. Outside, we work round the building to find the safe viewpoints.
- You let us know where you’ve seen overflows, drips or damp.
- We walk round the building and check the gutters, downpipes and fascias from the ground.
- Valleys, parapets and box gutters are inspected where they can be seen safely.
- Where it is safe, we check the loft for signs of water.
- You receive a report with photos and recommendations.
Before the survey
- Buyers: confirm access with the estate agent or seller
- Gather any invoices or paperwork from past roof work
- Clear the way to the loft hatch
Arrange a survey
Our phone lines are open seven days a week, including Saturdays and Sundays. For a price or to book, call 07833 053749 or email us.
Related advice
Gutter survey in Braintree: what you get
This survey covers rainwater above ground: gutters, outlets, hoppers, downpipes and overflows. It is not a CCTV drain survey and we cannot see inside buried drains. If the problem looks like a blocked or broken drain below ground, we’ll say so in the report, so you can get the drains checked separately. Problems above ground, from split hoppers to leaking downpipes, are photographed and noted. If you are worried about rotten fascias or stained soffits and water backing up from a hidden gutter, a survey will tell you what’s going on, whatever the roof.
Braintree is big enough to have roofs from every era, from slate on older terraces to clay and concrete tiles on later houses and flat roofs on extensions and shops. Each fails in its own way: slipped slates, cracked tiles, worn ridges, loose flashings, tired chimney stacks or blocked gutters. The roof type shapes what gets checked.
We keep jargon out of it: where something needs attention, it says so plainly, along with how urgent it is.
- Where
- Braintree (CM7, CO9, CM77, CO6)
- Region
- Essex
- Cost
- From £150 inc. VAT
- Your report
- Written, with photos, emailed to you
- Appointments
- Monday to Sunday, daytime
- Insured
- PI and public liability insurance
- Phone
- 07833 053749
- Last updated
- 27 October 2026
Why it’s worth a survey now in Braintree
It is easy to put damp down to the wrong cause. If a leaking gutter or downpipe is the source, other work on the wall won’t stop it. Checking the gutters first helps you spend in the right place. For a shop, office or block in Braintree, a roof leak can mean closed rooms, damaged stock or unhappy residents. It’s easier to plan work than to react to it.
Gutter survey starts from £150, including VAT. Packages run from Basic at £150 through Standard at £250 to Premium at £400, including VAT.
Why us?
- Independent findings on the roof’s condition
- Drone and thermal imaging surveys available
- Clear package prices, inc. VAT
- Weekday and weekend surveys
Before and after the survey
You do not need to be a roofer to help. Here’s what helps most:
- Look for new stains on ceilings below valleys after rain
- Look for downpipes coming loose
- Watch the gutters during heavy rain
- Watch for green marks down the brickwork
After any work is done, watch the gutters in the next heavy rain. Rain should flow to the outlets and down the downpipes. If it does not, tell whoever did the work.
Get small faults like a dripping joint or loose downpipe sorted quickly. Left alone, they normally grow and spilled water harms brickwork and woodwork.
How we price gutter surveys
Prices vary from roof to roof, and it comes down to:
- Whether thermal imaging or a drone is needed
- The height of the building and how the roof can safely be seen
- Commercial roofs and larger buildings
- Chimneys, valleys, parapets and other details
A small, low roof with good viewpoints takes less time than a tall, complicated one, and the package matters as well. We will give you the figure before anything is booked.
What we need to know
A little information up front helps. Please include:
- Photos of the roof, taken safely from ground level or a window
- Any marks or damp showing indoors
- The reason for the survey, like buying, a leak or storm damage
- Anything about access we should know
Our price is from £150, including VAT. The exact figure depends on the roof and the package, and you can ring 07833 053749 or use the contact form to find out.
Different roofs, different checks
Cast iron gutters
A cracked cast iron downpipe can leak down the wall unseen, so we look closely at the walls around them.
Plastic (uPVC) gutters
Plastic rainwater systems are common on homes of many ages. Their joints can leak as the seals wear and brackets may drop under the weight of debris.
Common questions in Braintree
Do you survey roofs for landlords with property near Braintree station?
Yes, landlords and agents are among the people we work for. You can ring 07833 053749 or use the contact form with the address and what you need, and we will talk through which survey suits.
Is Braintree in the area you cover?
Yes, Braintree is one of the places we work. Every survey there gets the same written report with photos, and visits run on weekdays and weekends.
Do you check valley and parapet gutters?
Yes. Hidden gutters are a common cause of leaks inside so we pay close attention to them. Parts of them may not be visible, and the report says so.
Can you give me structural calculations?
No. We’re experienced roof surveyors, and visible signs such as sagging are noted, but we do not provide calculations or an engineer’s opinion. If one is needed, the report says so.
Will you check if gutters are causing damp inside?
Overflowing gutters frequently lead to damp walls, and the survey looks for that. If the cause looks like something else, the report says so as far as we can tell from what’s visible.
Is there a good time of year to book a gutter survey?
Any time of year works. Before the wetter months gives you time to plan any work, and a wet spell can show where gutters overflow.
Will the survey check for asbestos?
No. We do not test for asbestos. Where gutters, downpipes or soffits could be asbestos cement, we flag them so a specialist asbestos surveyor can check before any work.
Common roof problems in Braintree
Valley, parapet and box gutters are often lined with lead or a sheet material. Splits and blocked outlets in these gutters can send water straight into the building as there is nowhere harmless for it to go. Lead linings can also be stolen.
Signs worth acting on include:
- Dripping or leaking gutter joints
- Blocked outlets and hoppers
- Gutters full of debris and silt
- Fascia boards damaged by overflowing water
For an older house near a landmark such as Congregational Church, corroded nails, tired lead and weathered chimney pointing are the things to watch on older roofs.
Before you book anyone
- Will they check the loft as well as the outside?
- Do they have a CAA Flyer ID and Operator ID for drone work?
- What insurance they carry
- How soon the report will arrive
Nearby places to Braintree
Also in Braintree
What a gutter survey looks like in Braintree
In Essex, older buildings are often clay-tiled, many with weatherboarding, with post-war and more recent estates making up much of the newer housing. Whichever you have, the details that tend to fail before the covering itself get the closest look. What can be done to an older roof may depend on listing or a conservation area. Your council and Historic England’s list will tell you where you stand, ideally before any re-roofing is planned.
If you look after a building such as Great Bradfords Infant and Nursery School, large buildings have long gutter runs and big roofs that need checking like any other. If you own a rental within reach of Braintree station, a roof report helps you deal with small faults before they turn into a call from a tenant.
Braintree is about 39 miles north-east of London, in Essex. Braintree is part of the area we cover as part of our work across London and South East England. Across Essex, we cover Braintree and the places around it. For surveys nearby, see our Chelmsford page.
Postcode districts we cover here for gutter surveys: CM7, CO9, CM77 and CO6. We offer gutter surveys to properties on Market Street, Little Square and Great Square and the roads around them. Being close to the A12 and A120, Braintree is easy for us to reach for gutter surveys. If you’re just outside Braintree, we cover Bocking (1 mile west), Long Green (2 miles south-east), Great Notley (2 miles south-west), Black Notley (2 miles south) and Row Green (2 miles south-west). Within a short drive, we also cover Colchester (14 miles east), Chelmsford (11 miles south), Maldon (12 miles south-east), Witham (6 miles south-east), Camulodunum (13 miles east) and Halstead (5 miles north-east). As one of the bigger places in Essex, Braintree has every kind of building, from houses and flats to offices.
What’s near Braintree
In Braintree, that means homes and buildings near Edith Borthwick School, Bocking Blackwater and Angel Inn. The nearest railway station is Braintree station, about 0.5 miles south-west of the centre. Other landmarks nearby include Tudor House Museum (Braintree) (less than half a mile north-west) and St Michael's Hospital (0.9 miles west). Not far away are Belcher's and Broadfield Woods.