East Sussex · London and the South East
Chimney survey in Barcombe, East Sussex
Know where you stand with the chimney stack before you decide what to do next. We carry out chimney surveys in Barcombe, with photos and a clear written report.
- Lifted or split lead flashings
- Redundant stacks capped without ventilation
- Bricks with flaking faces
FAQs for Barcombe
Is my home in Barcombe listed or in a conservation area?
You can check whether a building is listed on Historic England’s list, and your council can tell you if it’s in a conservation area. Listed building consent is needed for changes that affect a listed building’s special interest, and conservation areas can limit changes of roofing material.
Can a landlord with a rental near Cooksbridge station book a roof survey?
Yes, landlords and letting agents book with us as well as owners. You can ring 07833 053749 or email us with the address and some details, including who will give access on the day.
Do you inspect shared chimneys?
Yes. Many houses share stacks with a neighbour. We survey what we can see safely, and note anything that seems to involve next door.
Are you insured?
Our cover is professional indemnity plus public liability, and details are available on request.
How do I book a survey in Barcombe?
To book, call 07833 053749 or use the contact form with the address, the type of property and what’s prompted the survey. We’ll confirm the price and agree a day with you.
Should a redundant chimney be removed?
An unused stack still needs to stay weathertight and ventilated. If it’s capped without ventilation, damp can build up inside. We check how it is capped and its condition, so you can decide with a builder what to do.
Will you go up 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.
Chimney surveys for homes and businesses in Barcombe
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. If you’ve noticed damaged chimney pots and cowls and worn or missing pointing, a survey will tell you what’s going on, whatever the roof.
In a small place like Barcombe, 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 written report sets out what to deal with and in what order. On exposed older roofs, chimneys and lead flashings are frequently the first to give way.
You receive the findings by email, ready to forward to whoever needs them. Basic reports come within 48 hours, Standard within 24–48 hours and Premium on the day.
- Location
- Barcombe (BN8)
- Region
- East Sussex
- Price
- From £150 inc. VAT
- Report
- Emailed report with photos and recommendations
- When we survey
- Weekdays, Saturdays and Sundays
- Insurance
- Professional indemnity and public liability
- Call
- 07833 053749
- Updated
- 27 October 2026
What you can safely check yourself
Fresh stains on ceilings or walls after rain are worth noting. Photograph them and note the date.
A lot can be seen from ground level. With binoculars, look for slipped or missing slates and tiles, gaps along the ridge and leaning chimneys. Never climb onto the roof to look.
What we’re asked to look at in Barcombe
Some owners book because a chimney breast has been removed below and they want to know about the stack above. We note what’s visible in the loft space and outside, and recommend a structural engineer where support is in question.
Typical things we’re asked to look at include:
- Cracked or missing flaunching
- Spalled or crumbling bricks
- Damp patches on chimney breasts
- A stack that appears to lean
The streets around a church such as The Parish Church of St Mary are often among the oldest in a place, and if your house is among the older ones nearby, corroded nails, tired lead and weathered chimney pointing are the things to watch on older roofs.
Choosing a roof surveyor
- What insurance they carry
- Whether the roof space is looked at, where there is one
- Their drone registration, if they fly one
- Their report turnaround times
How the survey changes by roof type
Chimney breasts and the loft
Where a breast has been taken out, we check what supports the stack. A structural engineer should confirm whether it’s adequate.
Flaunching
The sloping mortar around the pots is called flaunching. Cracks in it let water into the stack.
Also near Barcombe
Also in Barcombe
What happens if roof problems are left?
Chimneys are easy to forget because you rarely see the top of them. Defects tend to go unseen until there’s a stain. A survey gives you a clear picture before that happens. Matching old materials, such as handmade tiles or stone slates, can take time to source. That is one more reason to find defects before they become urgent.
There are three survey packages: Basic from £150, Standard from £250 and Premium from £400, with VAT included. The price for your roof depends on its size, access and what you need to know.
Why book with us
- More than 20 years surveying roofs
- Insured for professional indemnity and public liability
- Weekday and weekend surveys
- More than 5,000 surveys completed
Read what a roof survey costs or what we found on two real jobs.
How it works
Time on site depends on the size and shape of the roof; as a rough guide, the survey takes about one to two hours at a house, as part of a look at the roof around the stack. If you have questions on the day, just ask. In a hamlet or village like Barcombe, a postcode doesn’t always lead to the right gate, so a few directions, or a note of a nearby landmark, help us arrive on time. After that, the survey runs as it would anywhere.
- First we talk through the stacks, their history and any problems.
- We look at every stack from wherever it can safely be seen.
- Pots, cowls, flaunching, pointing and flashings are checked and photographed.
- Inside, the chimney breasts and the loft are checked for damp where there is access.
- The report, with photos and recommendations, is emailed to you.
How to prepare
- Check the loft hatch can be reached
- Jot down any questions you want answered
- Leave side gates unlocked
Book a survey
Chimney survey starts from £150, including VAT. What you pay depends on the roof’s size, access and the package, and you can ring 07833 053749 or drop us an email to find out.
Read more
Rented homes, blocks and businesses
Letting agents can arrange access with tenants. Surveys run on weekdays, Saturdays and Sundays, which can make access easier.
Freeholders and residents’ companies use a roof report to plan and budget, putting the urgent items at the top.
Local roofs in Barcombe
Handmade clay tiles and tile-hung upper walls are typical of older Sussex houses. Horsham stone slab roofs survive on some old Sussex buildings, alongside oast houses and timber-framed Wealden hall houses. On roofs like these, good slates or tiles can outlast the nails, battens, lead and mortar around them. Historic houses like Glyndebourne, about 3.2 miles south-east, show how far back building in the area around Barcombe goes. Period homes nearby can have lead valleys, tall chimneys and a patchwork of past repairs, and a listed home or one in a conservation area may need consent for changes of material.
If you look after a building like Barcombe Church of England Primary School, long gutter runs and wide roofs on a building that size are worth checking on a regular cycle. If you let a flat or house near Cooksbridge station, knowing the condition of the roof, chimneys and gutters helps you plan work rather than react to complaints.
Barcombe is about 3 miles north of Lewes, in East Sussex. We survey roofs in Barcombe and the rest of East Sussex. Barcombe is one of the places in East Sussex we cover. We also survey roofs in Brighton.
Every address in BN8 is covered for chimney surveys. Neighbouring places we cover for chimney surveys include Barcombe Mills (1 mile east), Barcombe Cross (1 mile north), Upper Wellingham (1 mile south-east), Mount Pleasant (1 mile north) and Cooksbridge (1 mile south-west). Further out, we also cover Eastbourne (15 miles south-east), Seaford (10 miles south), Lewes (3 miles south), Hailsham (11 miles east), Crowborough (11 miles north-east) and Uckfield (5 miles north-east).
Near you in Barcombe
We work in homes and buildings around Anglers Rest pub and Ringmer Community College and Sixth Form. Barcombe’s nearest station is Cooksbridge station, about 1.5 miles south-west of the centre. Nearby you’ll also find Lewes Victoria Hospital (3 miles south) and Lewes Castle (3 miles south). For a walk, there is Offham Hill and Malling Down.