West Sussex · London and the South East
Atherington Chimney Survey
Need a chimney survey in Atherington? We can help, with a written report you can act on. Book a weekday or weekend visit.
- Frost-damaged brickwork on the stack
- Worn or missing pointing
- Gaps where the stack meets the roof
Chimney surveys for homes and businesses in Atherington
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. Condensation inside an unventilated stack is another common cause. Our survey checks each of these and records the likely cause. That points the work in the right direction. Typical surveys look at unused flues sealed without airflow and loose, cracked or missing pots, on lead flashings, brick chimney stacks and shared and party-wall stacks.
In a small place like Atherington, 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 frequently where weather gets in first.
We write the report in plain English, so you don’t need to be a roofer to follow it. Photos show what each point refers to.
- Location
- Atherington (BN17)
- Wider area
- West Sussex
- Prices
- From £150 inc. VAT
- Report
- Emailed report with photos and recommendations
- When we survey
- Weekdays and weekends
- Insurance
- Professional indemnity and public liability
- Telephone
- 07833 053749
- Last updated
- 27 October 2026
Atherington homes and their roofs
The coast is about 1 mile or less from Atherington, 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 frequently have handmade clay tiles, and many have tile-hanging on their upper walls. Some old buildings in Sussex have Horsham stone slab roofs. Knowing the covering helps explain which parts of a roof are likely to need work first.
If you look after a building such as St Mary's CofE Primary School, long gutter runs and wide roofs on a building that size are worth checking on a regular cycle. If you live in an older home near Bailiffscourt Chapel, corroded nails, tired lead and weathered chimney pointing are the things to watch on older roofs.
Atherington is about 2 miles west of Littlehampton, in West Sussex. We cover Atherington and the rest of West Sussex. Across West Sussex, we cover Atherington and the places around it. Brighton is in our area too.
Here we cover the BN17 postcode area for chimney surveys. If you are just outside Atherington, we cover Climping (1 mile north), Horsemere Green (1 mile north-west), Ford (2 miles north), Wick (2 miles north-east) and Littlehampton (2 miles east). We also work in nearby towns such as Worthing (8 miles east), Bognor Regis (5 miles west), Chichester (9 miles west), Selsey (10 miles south-west), Shoreham-by-Sea (14 miles east) and Lancing (11 miles east).
Local landmarks in Atherington
Locally, jobs take us to homes and businesses close to The Littlehampton Academy and The Black Horse Public House and the streets around them. The closest station to Atherington is Littlehampton station, roughly 1.5 miles east. A little further out are Lyminster Siege Castle (3.8 miles north-east) and Rustington Museum (3.3 miles east). For a walk, there’s WWT Arundel.
What happens on the day
Every visit follows the same pattern: we hear what you’ve seen, inspect the roof from each safe vantage point, photograph what we find and make notes for the report. It normally takes an hour or two at a house, as part of a look at the roof around the stack. In a small place like Atherington, access is typically the main thing to plan. Let us know about outbuildings, past repairs and any leaks you’ve noticed. Weekday and weekend visits are available.
- We go through the chimneys, any damp and any work done on them.
- We look at every stack from wherever it can be seen safely.
- We photograph and record the pots, flaunching, pointing and flashings.
- Inside, the chimney breasts and the loft are checked for damp where there is access.
- The report, with photographs and recommendations, is emailed to you.
How to prepare
- Have keys ready for side gates, garages or roof access doors
- For flats, check roof access has been agreed
- Make sure the loft hatch can be reached
How to book
Every survey is priced before it is booked, so you know the cost up front. Chimney survey starts from £150, including VAT. To book, phone 07833 053749 or email us.
Advice
What happens if roof problems are left?
If you are buying, find out about the stacks before you exchange. After that, any work is yours to arrange and pay for. A report gives you something specific to put to the seller. Older cottages and farmhouses around Atherington can have roof timbers that have been there a very long time, where water from a failed roof can cause rot if it’s left.
A small, low roof with good viewpoints takes less time than a tall, complicated one, and the package you pick makes a difference too. We will give you the figure before anything is booked.
Why book with us
- A sub-250g drone, flown with a CAA Flyer ID and Operator ID
- Every finding written up with photos
- Thermal imaging and drones used where they help
- Weekday and weekend surveys
See our cost guide or two real surveys.
How we price chimney surveys
Prices vary from roof to roof, for these reasons:
- The use of thermal imaging or a drone
- Extra roofs, like extensions, dormers or garages
- Commercial roofs and larger buildings
- Whether you choose the Basic, Standard or Premium Survey
Price depends partly on the package: Basic from £150, Standard from £250 or Premium from £400, all including VAT. The roof’s size, height and access matter as well.
What we need to know
A few details help us recommend the right survey and price. When you get in touch, it is useful to mention:
- The property’s address and postcode
- Where any leaks, stains or damp patches show inside
- Why you want a survey: buying, a leak, a storm or new work
- Any deadline, such as an exchange date
If you have photos of the roof, send them over. Take them safely from ground level or a window; never climb up to get a better view. To get started, call 07833 053749 or use the contact form.
DIY checks: what’s safe
A lot can be seen from the ground. Binoculars help you spot slipped slates or tiles, gaps along the ridge and a leaning stack. Please do not climb up for a closer look.
Watch the gutters in a downpour, from a window or the ground. Overflowing water can point to a blockage or a sagging run.
Common roof problems in Atherington
The flaunching on top of a stack holds the pots in place and sheds water. Cracked flaunching lets water in, and each winter makes it worse. Loose pots can follow.
Things that often lead to a survey include:
- Pots or cowls that look unsafe
- Bricks with flaking faces
- Staining on walls around the chimney
- Flaunching that has broken away
For landlords with property near Littlehampton station, a roof report helps you deal with small faults before they turn into a call from a tenant.
Before booking any roof surveyor
- Whether the loft space is looked at, where there is one
- Their insurance cover
- Their drone registration, if they fly one
- What follow-up you get after the report
Common questions in Atherington
Is Atherington within the area you cover?
Yes, Atherington is covered. We survey roofs across London and South East England, and smaller places are part of that. The journey is planned ahead, so it helps to know about access.
Do roofs near the sea, like those around Atherington, take more of a battering?
Places near the sea get more wind and more salt in the air than inland, and both are hard on roofs. Salt is hard on nails, clips and metal flashings, while strong wind lifts anything already loose.
Is this a RICS survey?
No. It’s a specialist roof survey, not a RICS Level 2 or Level 3 building survey. It focuses on the roof and can sit alongside a RICS survey.
How do you inspect a chimney without scaffolding?
Each stack is viewed from the safest viewpoints: from ground level, windows and vantage points, and from the loft where there’s access. A drone inspection is included in our Premium Survey where applicable. If part of a stack cannot be seen, the report says so.
What happens after the survey?
The report arrives by email. With Standard there is a follow-up consultation; with Premium, an in-person consultation, so you can talk the findings through.
What insurance do you have?
Our cover is professional indemnity plus public liability, and we can provide details if a managing agent needs them.
Do you look in the loft space?
If the survey needs it and the roof space can be reached safely, yes. A clear path to the hatch helps, and if the loft can’t be reached safely, the report says so.
Places near Atherington
What else we do in Atherington
When you need someone else
Some things can’t be seen without opening up the roof, so a survey has limits:
- Structural calculations for a leaning stack
- Gas safety checks, which need a Gas Safe registered engineer
- Parts of the stack that cannot be seen safely or belong to a neighbour we can’t access
If you’re not sure which survey you need, call 07833 053749 or drop us an email and we’ll give you a straight answer before booking. What a survey covers and does not.
What we look at
- Flaunching
- Brick chimney stacks
- Lead flashings
- Chimney pots and cowls
- Shared and party-wall stacks
- Chimney breasts