West Berkshire · London and the South East
Chimney Survey in Aldermaston Wharf
A careful look at the chimney stack at your property in Aldermaston Wharf, and put it all in a written report with photos.
- Cracked or missing flaunching
- Spalled or crumbling bricks
- Damp on a chimney breast inside
Chimney survey in Aldermaston Wharf
Damp on a chimney breast can have several causes. It might come in at the top, through worn pointing or porous bricks, or where the flashings meet the roof. Moisture trapped inside a stack with no ventilation can also cause damp. We check each possibility and record what we find. That points the work in the right direction. We survey flaunching, brick chimney stacks and chimney breasts, and common reasons people get in touch are damaged chimney pots and cowls and cracked or missing flaunching.
In a small place like Aldermaston Wharf, many roofs stand in the open, which is hard on ridges, chimneys, flashings and gutters. Older walls take a long time to dry once water gets in. A written report sets out what to deal with and in what order. Lead flashings and old chimney stacks are often where weather gets in first.
Pictures do a lot of the work in our reports, because a photo of a cracked flashing says more than a paragraph. Anything out of sight on the day is listed as such.
- Location
- Aldermaston Wharf (RG7)
- Wider area
- West Berkshire
- Cost
- From £150 inc. VAT
- Report
- Written, with photos, emailed to you
- Survey days
- Monday to Sunday, daytime
- Insured
- PI and public liability insurance
- Phone
- 07833 053749
- Page updated
- 27 October 2026
Landlord and commercial surveys in Aldermaston Wharf
Landlords and agents in Aldermaston Wharf book surveys as well as homeowners. A written report with photographs gives you a clear record of the chimney stack.
Shared roofs need a little more planning: we need access agreed with the freeholder or managing agent. Tell us about it when you book and we’ll plan the survey around it.
Why it is worth a survey now in Aldermaston Wharf
Before deciding what to do with a redundant stack, a survey shows how it is doing. Changes to stacks in conservation areas or on listed buildings may need consent and the council can advise. Around Aldermaston Wharf, older homes often have old roof timbers, and water through a failed covering can rot timber if it’s left.
Chimney survey starts from £150, including VAT. Packages run from Basic at £150 through Standard at £250 to Premium at £400, including VAT.
Why book with us
- Drone and thermal imaging surveys available
- Plain-English reports with photos
- More than 20 years surveying roofs
- Independent findings on the roof’s condition
Read how roof surveys are priced and our case studies.
How the survey works
We work from the outside in: outside views come first, then the roof space if there is safe access. In total, it takes between one and two hours for a house, and more on a big or complicated roof. Older rural homes like those around Aldermaston Wharf can have a main roof, lower lean-to roofs and outbuildings all joined together. Each part is looked at from wherever it can safely be seen.
- You let us know whether any stacks are shared, unused or leaning.
- The flashings and the roof around each chimney are inspected.
- We check the flaunching and pots on every stack.
- Any lean, spalling or worn pointing is recorded.
- The report explains the condition and which work is most urgent.
Preparing for the visit
- Make sure we can get to the back of the property
- Gather any invoices or paperwork from past roof work
- Mention any parking restrictions on your street
Booking a survey
Once you know what you need, call 07833 053749 or drop us an email. From there it is a case of choosing a package, agreeing the price and fixing a day, weekday or weekend.
Related advice
Towns and villages near Aldermaston Wharf
What else we do in Aldermaston Wharf
How the survey changes by roof type
Chimney breasts and the loft
Stains on timbers or brickwork around the stack can point to a leak. What we find is photographed and described.
Brick stacks
Most chimney stacks are built of brick, with mortar joints that wear over time. The survey looks for crumbling bricks and worn or missing mortar.
Do you need a chimney survey in Aldermaston Wharf?
Stacks that were used for open fires for many years can weaken from the inside. Mortar can deteriorate unevenly from flue gases and moisture, which is one reason stacks start to lean.
People normally book a survey after spotting one of these:
- Signs that a stack is leaning
- Spalled or crumbling bricks
- Redundant stacks capped without ventilation
- Flaunching that has broken away
Trees in and around Padworth Common Local Nature Reserve shed leaves that can end up in nearby gutters, so outlets and downpipes are worth watching.
Before booking anyone
- Whether the price includes VAT
- What they will not be able to tell you
- What insurance they carry
- What exactly goes into their report
Aldermaston Wharf: your questions answered
Will you come out to Aldermaston Wharf?
We do. A small place gets exactly the same survey as a big one, with the route planned beforehand.
I let a flat near Aldermaston station. Can you check the roof?
Of course. Let us know whether a tenant or an agent will let us in, and we can send the report to you or your agent.
Can you survey a chimney stack we share with next door?
Yes. Shared stacks are common on terraced and semi-detached houses. We survey what we can see safely, and note anything that seems to involve next door.
Will you fly a drone over my roof?
Where it helps and it’s safe, yes. Flights depend on the weather on the day and airspace rules, and we check for restrictions near airports before flying. We are a CAA-registered drone operator.
How long will you be at the property?
Most surveys take between one and two hours for most houses, though large, tall or awkward roofs take more time. The report follows by email.
Is this a RICS survey?
No. Our survey looks at the roof, not the whole building. If you need a full building survey, you will need a RICS survey as well.
Do I have to be there for the survey?
That depends on the survey. Inside the building and in the loft, we need someone to let us in.
What a chimney survey looks like in Aldermaston Wharf
Listing and conservation areas can both shape what roof work is allowed on an older home. The council is the place to check, along with Historic England’s list, ideally before any re-roofing is planned. Older houses in the South East often have slate or clay tile roofs, while many later estates have concrete tiles, and flat-roofed additions turn up almost everywhere. On roofs like these, good slates or tiles can outlast the nails, battens, lead and mortar around them.
Landlords with a home close to Aldermaston station may find that a dated record of the roof is useful when planning maintenance across a let. If you live in an older home near Church of St John the Baptist, its chimney, valleys and lead work are likely to be the parts that need attention first.
Aldermaston Wharf is about 3 miles north of Tadley, in West Berkshire. Wherever you are in Aldermaston Wharf, we can come and survey your property. Aldermaston Wharf is one of the towns and villages in West Berkshire where we work. Reading is in our area too.
Every address in RG7 is covered for chimney surveys. You will find streets like Wharfside, Basingstoke Road and Watson Close. Neighbouring places we cover for chimney surveys include Lower Padworth (1 mile north-east), Beenham (1 mile north-west), Beenham Stocks (1 mile north), Upper Woolhampton (2 miles west) and Southend (2 miles north). Further out, we also cover Newbury (8 miles west), Thatcham (5 miles west), Burghfield Common (3 miles east), Speenhamland (8 miles west), Spencers Wood (7 miles east) and Calcot (5 miles north-east).
Near you in Aldermaston Wharf
Locally, jobs take us to homes and businesses close to The Butt Inn and Padworth Common Local Nature Reserve. Aldermaston Wharf has its own railway station: Aldermaston station. A little further out are Thames Valley Police Museum (2.8 miles north-east). Not far away are Hosehill Lake and Moor Copse Nature Reserve.
Tips that help
These tips come from what we see on roofs every week, before and after a survey:
- Note any damp on chimney breasts and when it appears
- Ask for ventilated caps on redundant stacks
- Ask about consent before removing a chimney on an older property
- Leave close inspection to people with safe access
With a shared stack, the report can help when talking to next door. The photos show the problem and which side it is on from the viewpoints we used.
Check your stacks from the street or garden after a storm. With binoculars, you can often see cracked flaunching or lifted lead.