West Sussex · London and the South East
Chimney survey in Balls Cross, West Sussex
A survey of chimney stacks, pots, flashings and flaunching in Balls Cross, with drones and thermal imaging where they help. Call or email for a price.
- Staining on walls around the chimney
- Mortar washing out of the joints
- Loose, cracked or missing pots
Chimney survey in Balls Cross: what you get
A damp patch on a chimney breast doesn’t always come from the same place. Water may be getting in at the top through cracked flaunching or an uncapped pot, through the brickwork, or at the flashings. Condensation inside an unventilated stack is another common cause. We check each possibility and record what we find. You then know where to start. If you’re worried about gaps in the mortar around the pots and frost-damaged brickwork on the stack, a survey will tell you what’s going on.
Somewhere as small as Balls Cross, homes are frequently older cottages and farmhouses, with outbuildings and some newer houses. Older roofs may be clay tile, slate, stone or thatch, often with chimneys that have stood a long time. We report on what can safely be seen, and thatch is a specialist material. Chimneys and lead flashings on old roofs frequently need the most attention.
The report does not just list problems. For each finding, it explains what it is, why it matters and what we’d recommend, so you can decide what to do next.
- Where
- Balls Cross (GU28)
- Region
- West Sussex
- Prices
- From £150 inc. VAT
- Reports
- Written, with photos, emailed to you
- Survey days
- Weekdays, Saturdays and Sundays
- Insurance
- PI and public liability insurance
- Telephone
- 07833 053749
- Page updated
- 27 October 2026
Before and after the survey
From years of surveys, a few habits stand out as worth the effort:
- File photos of the stacks with your home records
- Check with the council before altering a stack in a conservation area or on a listed building
- Use a Gas Safe registered engineer for gas appliances
- Photograph damp patches with the date
With a shared stack, the report can help when talking to next door. The photos show the problem and which side it’s on, as far as we could see.
Have worn pointing and cracked flaunching dealt with early. Small repairs now can save bigger work later.
Why it’s worth a survey now in Balls Cross
For a buyer, the best time to learn about a chimney is before exchange. Once you’ve exchanged, the work is down to you. Our report gives you facts to raise with the seller or agent. In a place like Balls Cross, a barn or garage roof left to fail puts whatever is inside at risk. A quick look before winter can save a lot.
What a survey costs comes down to the roof itself: how big it is, how high it is, the number of separate roofs and how safely it can be seen. Prices start from £150, including VAT.
What you get with us
- Professional indemnity and public liability insurance
- Surveys seven days a week
- CAA-registered drone operator (Flyer ID and Operator ID)
- 5,000+ surveys completed
Take a look at what a roof survey costs or two real surveys.
What we do, step by step
There isn’t much for you to do on the day. Point out anything you’ve noticed, such as stains, drips or loose pieces, and we’ll get on with the inspection. A typical survey takes about 1–2 hours for most homes, a little longer where there are several stacks. Rural addresses near Balls Cross can be hard to find from a postcode alone, so a few directions, or a note of a nearby landmark, help us arrive on time. The visit itself is the same as anywhere else.
- First you let us know about the chimneys, any damp on the chimney breasts and any worries.
- Each chimney is viewed from wherever it can safely be seen.
- The pots, cowls, flaunching, pointing, brickwork and flashings are checked and photographed.
- Where there is safe access, we check the stack in the loft and the chimney breasts for damp.
- We send a written report with photos, the defects found and what we recommend.
How to prepare
- If it is not your property yet, arrange access through the agent
- Note where any stains or damp appear
- Let us know where we can park nearby
Getting a price
Buyers should book once an offer has been accepted, so there is time to use the report before exchange. Otherwise, simply ring 07833 053749 or email us whenever suits you.
Advice
What we can’t see
In fairness, there are limits to any roof survey:
- Conditions inside walls
- Gas safety checks, which need a Gas Safe registered engineer
- A structural engineer’s assessment
Not sure which survey suits your roof? You can call 07833 053749 or email us and we’ll tell you before you book. What a survey covers and doesn’t.
Roof types and parts we check
- Brick chimney stacks
- Chimney pots and cowls
- Flaunching
- Lead flashings
- Shared and party-wall stacks
- Chimney breasts
Nearby places to Balls Cross
Other services in Balls Cross
Balls Cross: your questions answered
Is Balls Cross in the area you cover?
Yes. We work right across London and the South East, and Balls Cross is part of that. Just ring 07833 053749 or drop us an email and let us know about the property, and we’ll talk through which survey suits.
Do you cover smaller places like Balls Cross?
Yes, Balls Cross is on our map. A small place gets exactly the same survey as a big one, with the route planned beforehand.
Do I have to be there for the survey?
If the survey includes the loft or the inside of the building, someone needs to let us in. Access is agreed with you when you book.
Is this a RICS survey?
No. Our survey is a roof survey, not a RICS Level 2 or Level 3 survey of the whole building. It focuses on the roof and can sit alongside a RICS survey.
What’s in the report?
You get our findings in writing, part by part, with photos, finishing with recommendations. The most urgent items are made clear.
What should I do with a chimney I don’t use?
It depends on its condition and your plans. 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.
Do you test for asbestos?
No. Asbestos surveys and sampling are not something we do. Where a material might contain it, such as old cement sheets on a building from before 2000, the report flags it.
Landlord and commercial surveys in Balls Cross
Managing agents and residents’ management companies use roof surveys to plan maintenance. Recommendations are set out by urgency where it matters, which helps when budgeting.
Letting agents often book on a landlord’s behalf, and the report can go to both. We agree a time with the tenant beforehand.
Local roofs in Balls Cross
Many older homes in Sussex have handmade clay tiles and tile-hung walls. A few old Sussex buildings still carry heavy Horsham stone slabs. Knowing the covering helps explain which parts of a roof are likely to need work first. About 2.9 miles south lies Petworth House, a reminder of how long the area around Balls Cross has been built on. Older homes in the wider area frequently have features worth a closer look, such as lead valleys, tall stacks and roofs that have been patched over the years, and a listed home or one in a conservation area may need consent for changes of material.
If you live in an older home near Holy Trinity Church, corroded nails, tired lead and weathered chimney pointing are the things to watch on older roofs.
Balls Cross is about 12 miles west of Horsham, in West Sussex. We cover Balls Cross and the rest of West Sussex. Balls Cross is one of the towns and villages in West Sussex we cover for chimney surveys. You can also see our page for Guildford.
Every address in GU28 is within our area for chimney surveys, from the main roads to the quietest streets. Neighbouring places we cover for chimney surveys include Kirdford (2 miles east), Mackerel's Common (2 miles north-east), Plaistow (3 miles north-east), Ifold (4 miles north-east) and Wisborough Green (4 miles east). Further out, we also cover Horsham (12 miles east), Chichester (15 miles south-west), Littlehampton (15 miles south), Rustington (15 miles south), Storrington (10 miles south-east) and Billingshurst (6 miles east).
Landmarks near Balls Cross
Well-known places in the area include Lodsworth Castle (4.7 miles south-west). Open spaces near Balls Cross include The Mens and Shillinglee Lake.
Different roofs, different checks
Chimney pots and cowls
Damaged pots are a safety concern as well as a leak risk. We record their condition with photographs.
Rendered stacks
Water can get in through cracks and then struggle to dry out. Cracks are photographed and noted.