West Sussex · London and the South East
Birdham Chimney Survey
Need a chimney survey in Birdham? We can help, with findings in writing and pictures to back them up. Weekday and weekend visits available.
- Eroded joints in the brickwork
- Gaps in the mortar around the pots
- Lifted or split lead flashings
Local roofs in Birdham
The coast is about 2 miles or less from Birdham, and places near the sea get more salt in the air and more wind than inland. Metal fixings and flashings corrode faster in salt air, while gales work at loose ridges, slates and tiles, while driving rain finds any gap. There are about 500,000 buildings on England’s list of listed buildings, and around 10,000 conservation areas. If your home is listed, changes that affect its special interest need listed building consent, and in a conservation area re-roofing in different materials may need permission, so check with the council.
If you look after a building such as Birdham CE Primary School, its roofs, gutters and any chimneys need the same checks as a house’s, just on a bigger scale. Landlords with a home close to Fishbourne station may find that a roof report between tenancies helps plan work before a small defect becomes a tenant’s leak. The streets around a church such as St James' Church are often among the oldest in a place, and if your house is among the older ones nearby, its roof may have old fixings, lead flashings and chimneys that need a closer look.
Birdham is about 4 miles south-west of Chichester, in West Sussex. We survey roofs in Birdham across London and South East England. We cover towns and villages across West Sussex, large and small. There’s also a page for Portsmouth.
We survey roofs across PO20 for chimney surveys. If you need a chimney survey at a property on Old Common Close, Main Road and Walwyn Close or a nearby road, we can help. We also cover the places around Birdham: Somerley (1 mile south-west), Almodington (1 mile south), Shipton Green (1 mile west), Highleigh (2 miles south-east) and Earnley (2 miles south). Within a short drive, we also cover Bognor Regis (6 miles east), Chichester (4 miles north-east), Selsey (5 miles south-east), Littlehampton (13 miles east), Emsworth (6 miles north-west) and Rustington (14 miles east).
Near you in Birdham
We work in homes and buildings around The Birdham Public House. The closest station to Birdham is Fishbourne station, about 3.3 miles north. Nearby you’ll also find Chichester Castle (4.1 miles north-east) and St Richard's Hospital (4.4 miles north-east). The countryside around Birdham includes Pilsey Island.
How a chimney survey works in Birdham
A chimney survey is about the outside of the stack and the roof around it. It is not a flue inspection, a chimney sweep or a gas safety inspection. If you use a fire or a gas appliance, the flue should be checked by a sweep or a Gas Safe registered engineer as appropriate. If something we see points to the flue, we’ll say so. If you’ve noticed mortar washing out of the joints and damaged chimney pots and cowls, we can find out what’s behind it, whatever the roof.
In a small place like Birdham, 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. On exposed older roofs, chimneys and lead flashings are often the first to give way.
How fast the report arrives depends on the package: the Basic Survey within 48 hours, the Standard Survey in 24 to 48 hours and the Premium Survey on the same day.
- Location
- Birdham (PO20)
- Region
- West Sussex
- Prices
- From £150 inc. VAT
- Report
- Emailed report with photos and recommendations
- When we survey
- Weekdays, Saturdays and Sundays
- Cover
- PI and public liability insurance
- Telephone
- 07833 053749
- Page updated
- 27 October 2026
What we cannot see
It’s a careful look at the chimney stack, not the whole story. Its limits include:
- What’s inside the brickwork or behind render, without opening up
- Areas we cannot view from safe positions
- 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. The full list of what we check.
Roofs we survey in Birdham
- Chimney breasts
- Chimney pots and cowls
- Lead flashings
- Shared and party-wall stacks
- Brick chimney stacks
- Flaunching
How the survey works
Safety comes first on every visit. Everything that can safely be seen is inspected, and anything we can’t see is noted in the report. Most visits take about one to two hours for most homes, a little longer where there are several stacks. For a village or hamlet like Birdham, the journey is planned ahead of time: tell us about narrow lanes, gates, long drives and where we can park. The roof is looked at from the ground, from windows, from the loft where there’s safe access and from the roof where it’s safe.
- You tell us whether any stacks are shared, unused or leaning.
- We check the roof around each stack, including the flashings.
- The top of each stack is checked for cracked flaunching and loose pots.
- Any lean, spalling or worn pointing is recorded.
- The report explains the condition and which work is most urgent.
Preparing for the visit
- Keep pets in another room
- Have keys ready for side gates, garages or roof access doors
- If the roof is shared, arrange access with whoever manages the building
Book a survey
To arrange a survey, call 07833 053749 or use the contact form and tell us the address and what’s prompted the survey. You will know the price before anything is booked.
Related advice
Rented homes, blocks and businesses
Landlords, agents and building managers in Birdham and across West Sussex can book any of our surveys. To discuss a property or a block, ring 07833 053749 or send us an email.
Buyers’ agents can book surveys on behalf of their clients. Reports are emailed, so they’re easy to pass on.
Should I look at the roof myself first?
Inside, the loft is a good place to look, with care. Use a torch and stay on the joists or boards, and look for staining, damp timber or daylight coming through.
Look up at the roof after a storm, from the ground: broken slates or tiles in the garden, gaps along the ridge or loose lead are signs to note. Leave anything above ground level to a survey.
Places near Birdham
Also in Birdham
Birdham questions
Do roofs near the sea, like those around Birdham, take more of a battering?
Frequently, yes. Within about 2 miles of the sea, as Birdham is, metal fixings wear faster and gales find any loose ridge or slate.
Is my home in Birdham listed or in a conservation area?
Start with Historic England’s list for listing and your council for conservation areas. It’s worth checking before planning roof work, as both can affect what’s allowed.
My chimney looks like it’s leaning. What should I do?
It’s worth having a leaning stack checked. We record the lean, the brickwork and the pointing, and if it may be a structural issue, we recommend a structural engineer.
How soon will I get the report?
The Premium Survey report comes the same day, the Standard within 24–48 hours and the Basic within 48 hours. Each one is emailed.
Will you check the chimney is safe to use with a fire?
No. It is not a flue, sweep or gas safety inspection. We check the structure and weathering of the stack and any damp and flag anything that suggests the flue needs a look.
Will you fly a drone over my roof?
Where it helps and the rules allow, yes. Our sub-250g drone is flown by a CAA-registered operator with a Flyer ID and Operator ID, and the airspace and weather are checked before every flight.
How much is a survey?
Our price is from £150, including VAT. What you pay for your roof depends on its size, height, access and the package, confirmed before anything is booked.
Useful tips for Birdham property owners
Here are a few things we’d tell any owner, before and after a survey:
- Find out whether changes to a stack need permission
- Check that disused chimneys can still breathe
- Check your stacks from the ground after strong winds
- Use the report as a baseline for future checks
After the visit, we write up the report with photos of each stack. It explains the condition of each part of the stack and any damp inside. Turnaround is within 48 hours for Basic, 24 to 48 hours for Standard and the same day for Premium.
Have aerial and dish brackets on the stack checked and taken off if they’re no longer needed. Removing unused fixings takes strain off the brickwork.
What a survey costs
Prices always include VAT. What changes the price is:
- Roof area
- Commercial roofs and larger buildings
- The shape of the roof and its details
- Extensions, dormers and garages with roofs of their own
Chimney survey starts from £150, including VAT. What you pay depends on the size and height of the roof, how it can be seen safely and which survey you book.
What we need to know
You don’t need to know any roofing terms. It is enough to tell us:
- Where water is showing inside, if it is
- Pictures from the garden or a window, if you have them
- The reason for the survey, such as buying, a leak or storm damage
- Access details, like a loft hatch or a shared roof
Most bookings start with a short call: phone 07833 053749 or drop us an email. The price is agreed before a date is set.