Buckinghamshire · London and the South East
Chimney survey in Ballinger Common, Buckinghamshire
Chimney surveys around Ballinger Common, with a written report you can act on. Weekday and weekend visits available.
- A stack that appears to lean
- Bricks with flaking faces
- Eroded joints in the brickwork
How a chimney survey works in Ballinger Common
If you’re buying a home with chimneys, it’s worth knowing their condition before you exchange. On older stacks, we frequently find cracked flaunching, loose flashings and worn pointing. Our report gives you specific points to raise with the seller or agent. It complements a RICS home survey rather than replacing it. If you’ve noticed worn or missing pointing and gaps where the stack meets the roof, a survey will tell you what’s going on, whatever the roof.
In a small place like Ballinger Common, many roofs stand in the open, so ridges, chimney stacks, flashings and gutters work hard. Damp in old walls is slow to dry, so a small leak can do a lot of harm. A roof report shows what needs attention first. Lead flashings and old chimney stacks are often where weather gets in first.
The report is yours to share with whoever needs it: a seller or estate agent, an insurer, a roofer, a builder or a managing agent, whichever applies.
- Place
- Ballinger Common (HP16)
- Region
- Buckinghamshire
- Cost
- From £150 inc. VAT
- Report
- Emailed report with photos and recommendations
- Appointments
- Weekdays, Saturdays and Sundays
- Insurance
- Professional indemnity and public liability
- Phone
- 07833 053749
- Page updated
- 27 October 2026
Surveys for landlords and agents in Ballinger Common
Any of our surveys can be booked by landlords, agents and building managers in Ballinger Common. For a price for a let property or a block, ring 07833 053749 or use the contact form.
Letting agents can arrange access with tenants, at a time agreed beforehand. We survey on any day of the week, which helps when tenants work during the week.
How the survey changes by roof type
Chimney breasts and the loft
Where a breast has been taken out, we look at what supports the stack. A structural engineer should confirm whether it’s adequate.
Chimney pots and cowls
A loose or cracked pot can fall from height. We record their condition with photos.
Tips from our surveys
Here are a few things we’d tell any owner, before and after a survey:
- Never climb onto the roof to look at a chimney
- Check fixings on the stack are secure
- Note any damp on chimney breasts and when it appears
- Check that disused chimneys can still breathe
If the report recommends a structural engineer, a sweep or a Gas Safe registered engineer, it will say why. It gives them a clear starting point.
Make sure fixings on the stack are sound and taken off if they’re no longer needed. Less load on the stack means less strain in wind.
FAQs for Ballinger Common
Do you cover smaller places like Ballinger Common?
We do. A small place gets exactly the same survey as a big one.
Is my home in Ballinger Common listed or in a conservation area?
We cannot confirm that for you, but Historic England’s list and your council can. A change of roofing material may need consent in either case, and councils can also use Article 4 directions.
Can you tell me if my roof has asbestos?
No. Asbestos surveys and testing aren’t part of what we do. We flag materials that could contain asbestos, like cement sheets or soffits on pre-2000 buildings and suggest a specialist asbestos surveyor checks them before any work.
Are you insured?
Every survey is covered by professional indemnity and public liability insurance.
My chimney looks like it’s leaning. What should I do?
A leaning stack should be looked at. Our survey notes how it looks and the condition of the bricks and joints, and if it may be a structural issue, we recommend a structural engineer.
Will you walk on the roof?
Not always. Some roofs are too steep or fragile to walk on safely. Safe viewpoints, the loft and a drone where it applies let us see the rest, and the report records anything we couldn’t see.
Will you check the chimney is safe to use with a fire?
No. A flue inspection, sweep or gas safety check is a separate job. We check the stack, pots, flaunching, pointing and flashings, and damp inside and flag anything that suggests the flue needs a look.
Do you need a chimney survey in Ballinger Common?
Flaunching is the mortar bed that holds the pots and throws water off the top. Cracked flaunching lets water in, and each winter makes it worse. Loose pots can follow.
It is worth booking a survey if you’ve seen:
- Loose, cracked or missing pots
- Disused chimneys trapping moisture
- Flaunching that has broken away
- Mortar washing out of the joints
If you let a flat or house near Great Missenden station, a roof report helps you deal with small faults before they turn into a call from a tenant.
Before you book any roof surveyor
- Whether the loft is part of the inspection
- How much experience they have with roofs like yours
- How long the report takes to arrive
- Are they insured for the work?
Local roofs in Ballinger Common
Some villages in Buckinghamshire still have thatched roofs. Older houses in the South East often have slate or clay tile roofs, while many later estates have concrete tiles. Whichever you have, the details that tend to fail before the covering itself get the closest look. About 2.6 miles north-east lies Cholesbury Manor House, a reminder of how long the area around Ballinger Common has been built on. If yours is one of the older homes, expect a mix of original materials and later repairs on the roof, and a listed home or one in a conservation area may need consent for changes of material.
If your house is among the older ones in the streets near St Mary's, its roof may have old fixings, lead flashings and chimneys that need a closer look. Anyone responsible for a site like Lee Common Church of England School will know that a written record of a large roof helps plan work for the holidays rather than in term time.
Ballinger Common is about 3 miles west of Chesham, in Buckinghamshire. We survey roofs in Ballinger Common as part of our work across London and South East England. We cover towns and villages across Buckinghamshire, large and small. There’s also a page for Milton Keynes.
We work across the HP16 postcode area for chimney surveys. Local streets include Chiltern Road, Village Road and Sly Corner, all of which we cover. We also cover the places around Ballinger Common: Lee Common (1 mile north-west), South Heath (1 mile south), Hyde End (1 mile south-east), Swan Bottom (1 mile north-west) and Chartridge (1 mile east). Further out, we also cover Aylesbury (9 miles north-west), High Wycombe (7 miles south-west), Chesham (3 miles east), Marlow (11 miles south), Amersham (5 miles south-east) and Beaconsfield (8 miles south).
Around Ballinger Common
Around Ballinger Common, our work takes us to homes and buildings near The Misbourne School and The Pheasant pub. Ballinger Common’s nearest station is Great Missenden station, roughly 1.7 miles south-west of the centre. Other landmarks nearby include Chiltern Hospital (2.2 miles south) and Roald Dahl Museum and Story Centre (1.7 miles south-west). Green spaces nearby include Sands Bank and Pavis Wood.
How the survey works
We work from the outside in: outside views come first, then the loft space if there is safe access. In total, it takes about one to two hours on an ordinary house, and more on a big or complicated roof. Cottages and farmhouses around Ballinger Common often have roofs at several levels, with lean-tos and outbuildings attached. Each part is looked at from wherever it can safely be seen, and anything we can’t see is noted.
- You let us know how many stacks there are and any damp or problems you’ve noticed.
- Each chimney is viewed from wherever it can safely be seen.
- We check and photograph the pots, cowls, flaunching, pointing and flashings.
- We check the chimney breasts and the stack in the roof space where we can reach them.
- We send a written report with photos, the defects found and what we recommend.
Before the survey
- Have any questions written down, so nothing gets missed
- Have keys ready for side gates, garages or roof access doors
- Gather any invoices or paperwork from past roof work
Getting a price
When you are ready to go ahead, ring 07833 053749 or drop us an email. From there it is a case of choosing a package, agreeing the price and fixing a day.
Advice
Nearby places to Ballinger Common
More services for Ballinger Common
Checking the roof from the ground
If you have a loft with safe access, take a look inside. Take a torch and only step on boards or joists, and look for staining, damp timber or daylight coming through.
During heavy rain, look at the gutters from ground level or a window. Water spilling over the edge can point to a blockage or a sagging run.