Oxfordshire · London and the South East
Chimney Survey in Berrick Salome
Get a clear view of the chimney stack at a property in Berrick Salome. We visit on weekdays and at weekends.
- Eroded joints in the brickwork
- Frost-damaged brickwork on the stack
- A chimney out of line
How a chimney survey works in Berrick Salome
Redundant chimneys are common, especially where fires have been replaced by central heating. Even when it isn’t used, a stack has to stay weathertight. If it has been capped without ventilation, damp can build up inside it. Our survey looks at how each unused stack has been capped and checks the breasts for damp. The report sets out what we found and what we recommend. If you are worried about damaged chimney pots and cowls and unused flues sealed without airflow, we can find out what’s behind it, on flaunching, chimney breasts and shared and party-wall stacks alike.
Somewhere as small as Berrick Salome, homes are often 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. Each needs checking in its own way, and thatch is a specialist material we report on as far as it can be seen. Chimneys and lead flashings on old roofs frequently need the most attention.
We keep jargon out of it: if work is needed, the report says so clearly.
- Where
- Berrick Salome (OX10)
- Wider area
- Oxfordshire
- Prices
- From £150 inc. VAT
- Your report
- A written report with photos, by email
- Appointments
- Monday to Sunday, daytime
- Insured
- Professional indemnity and public liability
- Phone
- 07833 053749
- Updated
- 27 October 2026
Your questions about chimney surveys in Berrick Salome
Is Berrick Salome in the area you cover?
Yes, Berrick Salome is one of the places we work. The survey and report are the same in Berrick Salome as anywhere else, and visits run on weekdays and weekends.
Will you come out to Berrick Salome?
We do. Villages and rural addresses get the same survey as a town house, with the route planned beforehand.
Should I worry about a leaning stack?
A leaning stack should be looked at. Our survey notes how it looks and the condition of the bricks and joints, and recommend a structural engineer where it may be a structural concern.
Will you fly a drone over my roof?
Where it helps and the rules allow, yes. We hold a CAA Flyer ID and Operator ID and fly a drone under 250g, and every flight depends on the airspace and the weather.
How experienced are you?
We’ve been surveying roofs for over 20 years and have completed over 5,000 surveys.
How much does a chimney survey cost in Berrick Salome?
Chimney survey starts from £150, including VAT. We confirm the price for the job before booking, based on the roof’s size, access and package. For a price, ring 07833 053749 or drop us an email.
Do you inspect shared chimneys?
Yes. Shared stacks are common on terraced and semi-detached houses. We record the stack as far as we can see it and flag anything on the neighbour’s side.
Nearby places to Berrick Salome
More services for Berrick Salome
Do you need a chimney survey in Berrick Salome?
Stacks that were used for open fires for many years can weaken from the inside. Flue gases and damp can break down the mortar, sometimes more on one side than the other, which can make a stack lean.
A survey makes sense if you’ve noticed:
- Spalled or crumbling bricks
- Damaged chimney pots and cowls
- A chimney out of line
- Damp on a chimney breast inside
If you own one of the older houses in the streets near Church of St Helen, its chimney, valleys and lead work are likely to be the parts that need attention first.
Before you book any roof surveyor
- What follow-up you get after the report
- Do they have a CAA Flyer ID and Operator ID for drone work?
- Are they insured for the work?
- Whether VAT is in the quoted price
Local roofs in Berrick Salome
Brightwell Manor, about 3.5 miles south-west, is one of the historic houses in the wider area around Berrick Salome. Older roofs in the wider area can hide decades of patch repairs, so the detail matters, and a listed home or one in a conservation area may need consent for changes of material. Older buildings in west Oxfordshire often have Cotswold stone slate roofs, and some Oxfordshire villages still have thatch. In this part of the South East, older roofs are mostly slate or clay tile and many newer ones concrete tile. Whichever you have, the details that tend to fail before the covering itself get the closest look.
Berrick Salome is about 7 miles east of Didcot, in Oxfordshire. We carry out chimney surveys in Berrick Salome for houses, flats, blocks and commercial buildings. Across Oxfordshire, we cover Berrick Salome and the places around it. There’s also a page for Oxford.
Chimney surveys in OX10 are booked the same way as anywhere else. If you are just outside Berrick Salome, we cover Great Holcombe (1 mile north-west), Warborough (1 mile west), Newington (2 miles north), Benson (2 miles south) and Shillingford (2 miles south-west). Within a short drive, we also cover Oxford (9 miles north-west), Didcot (7 miles west), Abingdon-on-Thames (8 miles west), Thame (9 miles north-east), Wantage (14 miles west) and Henley-on-Thames (12 miles south-east).
Landmarks near Berrick Salome
In Berrick Salome, that means homes and buildings near The Chequers pub, among other places. Other landmarks nearby include Wallingford Castle (3 miles south) and Aston Martin Heritage Trust Museum (1.7 miles north-west). For a walk, there is Ewelme Watercress Beds and Wittenham Clumps.
What affects the cost of chimney surveys
We confirm the price for your roof before booking. This is what makes a difference:
- Which survey package you book
- The type of building, from a house to a block or an office
- Whether thermal imaging or a drone is needed
- How complicated the roof is, with its valleys, chimneys and parapets
Larger roofs, taller buildings and commercial roofs take longer, so they’re priced to match. You’ll know the figure before booking.
Getting in touch
A little information up front helps. Please include:
- Where the property is, with the postcode
- Dates you are working to, such as exchange
- The style of property, from a terrace to a block
- Any stains, drips or damp patches you’ve seen indoors
We confirm the price for your survey before booking, so you know the cost up front. Prices start from £150, including VAT. To book, call 07833 053749 or send us an email.
DIY checks: what’s safe
You can learn a lot from the ground. With binoculars, look for slipped or missing slates and tiles, gaps along the ridge and leaning chimneys. Please do not climb up for a closer look.
After heavy rain, check ceilings and the tops of walls for new stains. Take a photo and write down when you saw it, which helps when we check the roof.
What we look for on each type of roof
Chimney pots and cowls
Damaged pots are a safety concern as well as a leak risk. We photograph each pot and note any damage.
Rendered stacks
Water can get in through cracks and then struggle to dry out. Cracks are photographed and noted.
What we do, step by step
Once we have finished looking, we write up our findings in a report with photographs. On timing, it typically takes an hour or two on an ordinary house, and about three to four hours for a commercial roof. For a village or hamlet like Berrick Salome, the journey is planned in advance: let us know about lanes, gates and parking. The roof is looked at from the ground, from windows, from the loft where there’s safe access and from the roof where it is safe.
- We start with the details: how many stacks, whether any are shared and any signs of damp.
- We inspect each stack from safe viewpoints outside.
- We check and photograph the pots, cowls, flaunching, pointing and flashings.
- Where there’s safe access, we look at 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.
Before the survey
- Keep pets out of the way during the survey
- Leave a clear route to the loft
- Have any questions written down, so nothing gets missed
Book a survey
If you have photos of the roof, send them over. Pictures from the ground or a window are fine; never climb up to get a better view. To get started, ring 07833 053749 or email us.
Advice
Practical tips
A survey works best with a little help from you, before and after. Some tips:
- Use the report as a baseline for future checks
- Ask for ventilated caps on redundant stacks
- Use a Gas Safe registered engineer for gas appliances
- Have brackets on the chimney checked
With a shared stack, the report can help when talking to next door. It shows what we found and where from the viewpoints we used.
Get small mortar repairs done while they’re small. It’s far simpler than rebuilding a stack later.