Stack condition
Drone chimney inspection — see the stack up close without scaffolding
Chimneys take the worst of Scottish weather and are the hardest part of a roof to see from the ground. We fly to stack height, photograph every face, pot and flashing detail, then send an annotated condition report with each defect circled and graded. Fixed £99 for residential properties, £149 for commercial.
Why homeowners choose Ayeinspect
CAA-registered pilots
Every flight is carried out by a qualified, registered drone operator.
Fully insured
Public liability cover in place for every survey we carry out.
Report within 48 hours
Your photographic report normally lands in your inbox the next working day.
One fixed price
£99 for homes, £149 for commercial. No call-out fees, no scaffolding, no surprise extras.
No ladders, no mess
Nothing touches your roof — the whole survey is flown from the ground.
Your report stays private
Photographs and findings are shared by private link, only with you.
What we check on the stack
- Chimney pots — cracks, missing pots and loose seating
- Haunching and flaunching condition
- Brickwork and stonework spalling
- Perished or missing pointing
- Lead flashing and soakers around the stack
- Cowls, caps and bird guards
- Leaning or bowing stacks
- Vegetation and moss growth
- Previous repairs and rendering failures
The inspection covers the external stack and its weatherproofing. Internal flue testing is a separate job for a registered sweep.
When to get a chimney inspected
After a storm
High winds move pots and loosen haunching long before anything falls.
Damp on a chimney breast
Failed pointing or flashing is the usual culprit, and it is visible from above.
Before buying a property
Stack repairs run into thousands — worth knowing before you commit.
Before reopening a fireplace
Check the external condition before spending on a liner and hearth.
Before solar or roof works
Contractors want the stack condition recorded before they start.
Every few years
Mortar and pointing degrade slowly; photos give you a dated baseline.
Chimney inspection questions
Can you inspect a chimney without scaffolding?
Yes. The drone flies at stack height and photographs every face of the chimney in close-up detail, so there is no scaffold, tower or roof access needed. That is what keeps the cost at a fixed £99.
What does a chimney inspection show?
You get dated photographs of every face of the stack with defects circled and graded — cracked or missing pots, failed haunching, spalled brickwork, perished pointing and lead flashing problems around the base.
Is this a chimney sweep or flue inspection?
No. This is an external structural condition inspection of the stack and its weatherproofing. We do not inspect or test the flue internally — for that you need a registered sweep or a CCTV flue survey.
Do I need one before selling or buying?
Chimney defects are a common negotiating point and are easy to miss from the ground. A photographic stack condition report either reassures a buyer or gives you the evidence to price a repair properly.
Can I use the report for an insurance claim?
Yes. If a storm has damaged the stack, every finding keeps its original dated photo, annotation and severity grade — the kind of evidence insurers ask for.