East Sussex · London and the South East
Barcombe Mills Chimney Survey
Independent chimney surveys in Barcombe Mills. More than 5,000 surveys completed across London and South East England.
- Frost-damaged brickwork on the stack
- Cracked or missing flaunching
- Mortar washing out of the joints
How a chimney survey works in Barcombe Mills
On terraced and semi-detached houses, a chimney stack is often shared with next door. We inspect the parts we can see safely and the parts the owner gives us access to. Where a problem seems to involve a neighbour’s side, the report records it and you can then discuss it with them. You get a report with photos and what we recommend. We survey flaunching, lead flashings and shared and party-wall stacks, and people most frequently book us about bricks with flaking faces and redundant stacks capped without ventilation.
In a village or hamlet like Barcombe Mills, older cottages and farmhouses often sit alongside barns, outbuildings and a few newer houses. Older roofs may be clay tile, slate, stone or thatch, often with chimneys that have stood a long time. We report on everything that’s safely in view, and thatch is a specialist material. Chimneys and lead flashings on old roofs often need the most attention.
Report times depend on the survey you book: Basic within 48 hours, Standard in 24–48 hours and Premium the same day.
- Place
- Barcombe Mills (BN8)
- Region
- East Sussex
- Cost
- From £150 inc. VAT
- Reports
- Written, with photos, emailed to you
- When we survey
- Monday to Sunday, daytime
- Insured
- Professional indemnity and public liability
- Telephone
- 07833 053749
- Page updated
- 27 October 2026
Practical tips
A few practical points come up again and again on our surveys. They’re worth knowing whatever the roof:
- Ask about consent before removing a chimney on an older property
- Use the report as a baseline for future checks
- Have the flue swept and checked if you use the fire
- Glance at the stacks from the street now and then
You can send the report to roofers or builders for quotes. With the same list in front of each contractor, comparing quotes is simpler.
Look at your chimneys from ground level now and then, particularly after strong winds. Binoculars help you spot loose pots, missing mortar or lifted flashings.
Barcombe Mills questions
Will you come out to Barcombe Mills?
Yes, smaller places are covered as well as towns. We cover the whole of London and South East England. Let us know about access, parking and anything unusual about getting there when you book.
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. Just ring 07833 053749 or drop us an email and let us know about the building, including who will give access on the day.
Is it the same as a RICS Level 2 or Level 3 survey?
No. This is a survey of the roof only, so it is not a RICS Level 2 or Level 3 survey. It can sit alongside a RICS survey if you want both.
How long does the survey take?
Time on site depends on the roof, but most surveys take an hour or two on an ordinary house, and about three to four hours for a commercial roof. The written report follows by email.
How do you inspect a chimney without scaffolding?
Each stack is viewed from the safest viewpoints: the ground, nearby windows and higher points, and the loft space. Our Premium Survey includes a drone inspection where it applies. We note anything we couldn’t see.
Will you walk on the roof?
Only when it’s safe. 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 loft?
If the survey needs it and the roof space can be reached safely, yes. Please clear anything stored under the hatch, and if the loft can’t be reached safely, the report says so.
How the survey works
Where it’s relevant and can be reached safely, the loft space is checked as well as the outside. Inside, we look for staining, damp, gaps and signs of movement. All in, the survey typically takes roughly 1–2 hours for a house, and longer for a large or complex roof. Somewhere like Barcombe Mills needs a little journey planning: let us know about lanes, gates and parking. On the day, we inspect what can safely be seen, inside and out.
- We start by noting which stacks are in use, shared or causing concern.
- The flashings and the roof around each chimney are inspected.
- We look at the flaunching and pots on every stack.
- We note the brickwork, pointing and any sign of leaning.
- You receive a written report setting out what needs attention first.
How to prepare
- Mention any parking restrictions on your street
- Clear the way to the loft hatch
- Check we can get to the back of the property
Arrange a survey
For a price for chimney surveys in Barcombe Mills, ring 07833 053749 or drop us an email. The address, the type of property and what you’d like to know help us price the survey accurately.
Related advice
What a survey costs
Not every roof costs the same to survey, for these reasons:
- The size of the roof
- Basic, Standard or Premium
- Height and safe access
- If the survey needs thermal imaging or a drone
For a price for your roof in Barcombe Mills, phone 07833 053749 or drop us an email with the address and some details. We’ll confirm the figure before booking.
What we need to know
The more you tell us, the easier it is to price the survey. When you contact us, let us know:
- When you need the report by
- Whether there’s a loft hatch, a shared roof or tricky access
- Where water is showing inside, if it is
- The reason for the survey, such as buying, a leak or storm damage
Unsure which package suits your roof? It’s easiest to phone 07833 053749 or email us and describe the roof and why you want it surveyed. We will talk you through the options and what they cost.
What this survey can’t tell you
Some things can’t be seen without opening up the roof, so a survey has limits:
- Structural calculations for a leaning stack
- Whether the flue is safe to use
- Hidden damage within the stack
If you’re not sure which survey you need, call 07833 053749 or email us and we will give you a straight answer before booking. What a survey covers and doesn’t.
Roof types and parts we check
- Shared and party-wall stacks
- Brick chimney stacks
- Chimney breasts
- Chimney pots and cowls
- Lead flashings
- Flaunching
What you can safely check yourself
What you can’t do safely is get up close. Roofs are fragile and slippery, and a fall can be serious. That is where a survey comes in.
A DIY look is useful, but it isn’t a survey. You won’t see flashings, valleys or the backs of chimneys properly from the ground, and those are details a survey looks at closely.
Chimney surveys around Barcombe Mills
Older houses across Sussex often have handmade clay tiles, and many have tile-hanging on their upper walls. Some old buildings in Sussex have Horsham stone slab roofs, and oast houses and timber-framed Wealden hall houses are part of East Sussex’s older buildings. Each of these coverings has its own weak points, from fixings and valleys to flashings, chimneys and gutters. About 3 miles south-east lies Glyndebourne, a reminder of how long the area around Barcombe Mills has been built on. On older houses around here, roofs often carry the marks of earlier repairs, from replaced slates to new lead, and any change of roofing material on a listed home needs checking with the council first.
If you own a rental within reach of Cooksbridge station, the gap between tenancies is a good time to have the roof looked at. For an older house near a landmark like The Parish Church of St Mary, the nails, lead and mortar on the roof may be wearing out even where the slates or tiles look fine.
Barcombe Mills is about 3 miles north-east of Lewes, in East Sussex. In Barcombe Mills, as across East Sussex, every roof gets the same careful survey. Our area takes in places right across East Sussex. We also survey roofs in Brighton.
We survey roofs across the BN8 postcode area for chimney surveys. We also cover Barcombe (1 mile west), Barcombe Cross (1 mile north-west), Upper Wellingham (1 mile south), Mount Pleasant (1 mile north) and Norlington (2 miles south-east). Larger places within reach include Eastbourne (14 miles south-east), Seaford (10 miles south), Lewes (3 miles south-west), Hailsham (10 miles east), Crowborough (11 miles north-east) and Uckfield (5 miles north-east).
Local landmarks in Barcombe Mills
Locally, jobs take us to homes and businesses close to Anglers Rest pub and Ringmer Community College and Sixth Form. The closest station to Barcombe Mills is Cooksbridge station, roughly 2 miles south-west. Well-known places in the area include Lewes Castle (3.2 miles south) and Museum of Agricultural Bygones (2.9 miles south-east). For a walk, there’s Cliffe Hill and Malling Down.
Places near Barcombe Mills
Also in Barcombe Mills
Signs you need a chimney survey in Barcombe Mills
A stack takes the weather from every direction. Frost opens up cracks in the mortar, and rain gets into worn bricks and joints. People typically call us when they notice damp or a problem with the stack, or before a purchase.
Signs worth acting on include:
- Staining on walls around the chimney
- Flaunching that has broken away
- Disused chimneys trapping moisture
- Gaps where the stack meets the roof
Take a building like Barcombe Church of England Primary School: a written record of a large roof helps plan work for the holidays rather than in term time.
Before booking any roof surveyor
- How long the report takes to arrive
- Which parts of the roof they’ll actually see
- What the report includes, and whether it has photos
- What experience they bring