East Sussex · London and the South East
Chimney survey in Alciston, East Sussex
Chimney surveys across Alciston, with over 20 years’ experience behind it. You get a clear report with photographs.
- Bricks with flaking faces
- Flashings pulling away from the stack
- Eroded joints in the brickwork
Chimney surveys in Alciston: local notes
The coast is about 5 miles or less from Alciston, where sea air brings more salt and stronger wind than inland. Metal fixings and flashings corrode faster in salt air, while gales work at loose ridges, slates and tiles, and driving rain gets into whatever gap is left. Older houses across Sussex often have handmade clay tiles, and many have tile-hanging on their upper walls. A few old Sussex buildings still carry heavy Horsham stone slabs, and the county’s older buildings include oast houses and Wealden hall houses. Whatever the covering, it’s often the fixings, flashings, valleys and gutters that give out first.
If your home is one of the older ones in the streets near The Parish Church, old fixings, lead flashings and tall chimneys are typical of older roofs. With Charleston Farmhouse about 1.3 miles north-west, the area around Alciston has a long history. Older homes in the area may have roofs that need matching materials when work is done.
Alciston is about 4 miles north of Seaford, in East Sussex. Houses, flats, blocks and commercial buildings in Alciston can all book chimney surveys. Our East Sussex coverage includes Alciston. You can also see our page for Brighton.
All of BN26 is covered for chimney surveys. If you are just outside Alciston, we cover Selmeston (1 mile north), Berwick (1 mile north-east), Winton (1 mile south-east), Alfriston (2 miles south-east) and Milton Street (2 miles south-east). Further out, we also cover Eastbourne (7 miles south-east), Bexhill-on-Sea (14 miles east), Seaford (4 miles south), Lewes (7 miles north-west), Hailsham (6 miles north-east) and Crowborough (15 miles north).
What’s near Alciston
Typical jobs here are in homes near Rose Cottage Inn. For rail, the closest station is Berwick (Sussex) station, roughly 1.3 miles north-east. Other landmarks nearby include Arlington Castle (1.7 miles south-east) and Chailey Heritage Marine Hospital (4.6 miles south-west). Green spaces nearby include Firle Beacon.
Chimney surveys for homes and businesses in Alciston
If a chimney looks out of line, it’s worth getting it checked. A stack may lean because the mortar on one side has weakened, which can happen over many years of use. We record the lean and the condition of the brickwork and pointing. Where it may be a structural concern, we will recommend a structural engineer. If you’ve noticed a chimney out of line and loose, cracked or missing pots, we can find out what’s behind it, on lead flashings, flaunching and chimney breasts alike.
Older buildings in small places like Alciston may be 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 often expected.
Report times depend on the survey you book: the Basic Survey within 48 hours, the Standard Survey in 24 to 48 hours and the Premium Survey on the same day.
- Place
- Alciston (BN26)
- Wider area
- East Sussex
- Cost
- From £150 inc. VAT
- Reports
- Written, with photos, emailed to you
- Appointments
- Weekdays and weekends
- Insurance
- Professional indemnity and public liability
- Call
- 07833 053749
- Last updated
- 27 October 2026
Landlords, agents and block managers in Alciston
Surveys can also be booked by buyers’ agents acting for a client. The report is emailed, so it can go straight to your client.
Any of our surveys can be booked by landlords, agents and building managers in Alciston. For a price for a let property or a block, call 07833 053749 or send us an email.
Common questions in Alciston
How do I find out if my home in Alciston is listed?
Start with Historic England’s list for listing and your council for conservation areas. Either can affect what roof work is allowed, so it is worth checking before planning any.
I let a flat near Berwick (Sussex) station. Can you check the roof?
Yes, rented property is part of what we cover. Just call 07833 053749 or drop us an email and tell us about the building.
Do you work in Alciston?
Yes, we do. Alciston is part of the area we cover.
Can you survey at the weekend?
We survey seven days a week: Monday to Friday, Saturdays and Sundays. Let us know which days suit you when you book.
Is it a problem to have an unused chimney?
There is no single answer. We record how the stack is doing and whether it is capped with ventilation. In a conservation area or on a listed building, changes may need consent.
Is it a structural engineer’s report?
No. We’re roof surveyors, not structural engineers. We will recommend an engineer if we see signs that call for one.
Do you climb onto every roof?
Only if it’s safe. We inspect what can be seen safely: from ground level, from windows and vantage points, from the roof space, from the roof itself where safe and by drone where applicable. The report says if anything couldn’t be seen.
What a survey costs
When we price a survey, we consider:
- Height and safe access
- Which survey package you book
- The shape of the roof and its details
- The size of the roof
We offer three survey packages: Basic from £150, Standard from £250 and Premium from £400, all including VAT. What your roof costs depends on its size, access and what you want to find out.
Booking your survey
You do not need to know any roofing terms. Just tell us:
- Where water is showing inside, if it is
- The property’s address and postcode
- Dates you are working to, such as exchange
- What made you get in touch
Unsure which package suits your roof? It is easiest to ring 07833 053749 or drop us an email and describe the roof and why you want it surveyed. We will explain the options and the price.
Leave it or get it looked at?
If you are thinking of removing or reducing a stack, it is useful to know its condition first. In a conservation area or on a listed building, changes may need permission from the council, so check with them first. Around Alciston, older homes frequently have old roof timbers, and water through a failed covering can rot timber if it is left.
Bigger, taller and commercial roofs take more time to survey, so they’re priced to match. The price is confirmed before booking.
What you get with us
- An independent look at the roof
- 20+ years’ experience
- Weekday and weekend surveys
- Drone and thermal imaging surveys available
What we do, step by step
There isn’t much for you to do on the day. Show us any stains, drips or problem areas you know about, and we’ll take it from there. The survey itself takes between one and two hours at a house, as part of a look at the roof around the stack. Older rural homes like those around Alciston can have a main roof, lower lean-to roofs and outbuildings all joined together. Each part is looked at from wherever it can be seen safely.
- First you let us know about the chimneys, any damp on the chimney breasts and any worries.
- The stacks are looked at from the ground, from windows and from other safe vantage points.
- We check and photograph the pots, cowls, flaunching, pointing and flashings.
- Where there’s safe access, we look at the stack in the loft and the chimney breasts for damp.
- You get a photo-illustrated written report and our recommendations.
Before the survey
- Have any questions written down, so nothing gets missed
- Dig out any old roof reports or invoices
- Tell us about any leaks, stains or damp patches you know of
How to book
To arrange a survey, ring 07833 053749 or drop us an email with the address and what you’d like to know about the roof. We’ll confirm the price before booking.
Read more
Different roofs, different checks
Chimney pots and cowls
Pots sit in the flaunching on top of the stack, and cowls or caps sit on the pots. The survey looks for cracked, loose or missing pots and cowls.
Brick stacks
Frost can damage bricks that have soaked up water, making the faces flake away. We record any we can see.
Signs you need a chimney survey in Alciston
Some owners book because a chimney breast has been removed below and they want to know about the stack above. We record what we can see in the loft and outside, and the report recommends a structural engineer if support is a concern.
People normally book a survey when they’ve noticed something like this:
- Frost-damaged brickwork on the stack
- Eroded joints in the brickwork
- Staining on walls around the chimney
- A chimney out of line
If you own a rental within reach of Berwick (Sussex) station, a roof report between tenancies helps plan work before a small defect becomes a tenant’s leak.
What to check before booking
- Their track record with similar roofs
- Is there a chance to talk the report through?
- What exactly goes into their report
- Whether they hold professional indemnity and public liability insurance