Hampshire · London and the South East
Bishop's Sutton Chimney Survey
A survey of chimney stacks, pots, flashings and flaunching around Bishop's Sutton, with a written report you can act on. Book a weekday or weekend visit.
- Cracked or missing flaunching
- A stack that appears to lean
- Flashings pulling away from the stack
Your questions about chimney surveys in Bishop's Sutton
How do I find out if my home in Bishop's Sutton is listed?
Your council is the best source, with Historic England’s list for listed buildings. Both listing and conservation areas can limit changes of roofing material, and councils can also use Article 4 directions.
Do you cover Bishop's Sutton?
We do. The survey and report are the same in Bishop's Sutton as anywhere else, and visits run on weekdays and weekends.
Is it the same as a RICS Level 2 or Level 3 survey?
No. We look at the roof, not the whole building, and it isn’t a RICS Level 2 or Level 3 survey. Many buyers have both.
Does someone need to be in?
Not always. If we only need the outside, we can agree that ahead of time, but the loft and any rooms with damp need someone to let us in.
Are you structural engineers?
No. Visible signs such as deflection or sagging are recorded, but we do not provide calculations or an engineer’s opinion. The report will say if you need an engineer.
How experienced are you?
We’ve been surveying roofs for over 20 years and have completed over 5,000 surveys across London and South East England.
Do you carry professional indemnity insurance?
We’re covered by professional indemnity and public liability insurance.
How a chimney survey works in Bishop's Sutton
A chimney survey is about the outside of the stack and the roof around it. It isn’t a flue inspection, a sweep or a gas safety check. 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 will say so. If you’re worried about gaps in the mortar around the pots and loose, cracked or missing pots, a survey will tell you what’s going on, whatever the roof.
In a village or hamlet like Bishop's Sutton, older cottages and farmhouses often sit alongside barns, outbuildings and a few newer houses. Older roofs may be clay tile, slate, stone or thatch, frequently with chimneys that have stood a long time. We report on whatever is safely visible, and thatch is a specialist material. Chimneys and lead flashings on old roofs often need the most attention.
You receive the findings by email, easy to pass on to a roofer, an agent or an insurer. Turnaround is within 48 hours for Basic, 24–48 hours for Standard and same day for Premium.
- Where
- Bishop's Sutton (SO24)
- Region
- Hampshire
- Cost
- From £150 inc. VAT
- Reports
- Written, with photos, emailed to you
- Survey days
- Weekdays and weekends
- Cover
- Professional indemnity and public liability
- Call
- 07833 053749
- Updated
- 27 October 2026
What we are asked to look at in Bishop's Sutton
A stack takes the weather from every direction. Frost works into cracks in the flaunching and pointing, and rain soaks into worn brickwork. Most people book after spotting damp or a loose pot, or before buying.
A survey makes sense if you’ve noticed:
- Cracked or missing flaunching
- Loose, cracked or missing pots
- Damp on a chimney breast inside
- Bricks with flaking faces
Take a building like Perins School: its roofs, gutters and any chimneys need the same checks as a house’s, just on a bigger scale.
Before booking anyone
- How soon the report will arrive
- Their insurance cover
- Whether any drone flown is registered with the CAA
- What happens after the report arrives
Practical tips
A survey works best with a little help from you, before and after. Tips:
- Ask for ventilated caps on redundant stacks
- Use a Gas Safe registered engineer for gas appliances
- Check your stacks from the ground after strong winds
- Remove aerials or dishes from the stack if they’re no longer needed
Once we’ve been, the findings are written up with photos. It covers the pots, flaunching, pointing, brickwork and flashings, and any damp we found inside. Turnaround is within 48 hours for Basic, 24 to 48 hours for Standard and the same day for Premium.
Look at your chimneys from ground level now and then, especially after strong winds. With binoculars, you can often see cracked flaunching or lifted lead.
What you can safely check yourself
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.
During heavy rain, look at the gutters from ground level or a window. Water spilling over the edge can be a sign of a blockage or a gutter that has dropped.
What a chimney survey doesn’t cover
A survey is a careful look at the chimney stack, but it can’t do everything. The main limits are:
- Hidden damage within the stack
- Hidden sides of a shared stack
- Checks on boilers, fires or their flues
If in doubt, ring 07833 053749 or send us an email and we’ll recommend the right survey before you book. What our survey covers.
What this survey covers
- Chimney breasts
- Chimney pots and cowls
- Shared and party-wall stacks
- Brick chimney stacks
- Flaunching
- Lead flashings
How the survey works
We photograph the roof as we go, so you can see in the report what we found and where. We take close-ups from wherever is safe, including by drone where it is applicable and the weather allows. A typical visit takes about one to two hours at a house, as part of a look at the roof around the stack. For a village or hamlet like Bishop's Sutton, the journey is planned beforehand: tell us about narrow lanes, gates, long drives and where we can park. On the day, we inspect everything that’s safely in view, inside and out.
- We start with the details: how many stacks, whether any are shared and any signs of damp.
- The stacks are looked at from the ground, from windows and from other safe vantage points.
- The pots, cowls, flaunching, pointing, brickwork and flashings are checked and photographed.
- Where there is 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.
Preparing for the visit
- Jot down any questions you want answered
- Make sure the loft hatch can be reached
- For flats, check roof access has been agreed
Arrange a survey
Booking is simple: just phone 07833 053749 or send us an email and give us some details about the property and we’ll explain which survey suits. We confirm the price before anything is booked.
Read more
Roofs, chimneys and gutters in Bishop's Sutton
A number of Hampshire villages keep thatched roofs on their older buildings. In this part of the South East, older roofs are mostly slate or clay tile and many newer ones concrete tile. Each of these coverings has its own weak points, from fixings and valleys to flashings, chimneys and gutters. Historic houses such as Hinton Ampner House, about 2.9 miles south, show how far back building in the area around Bishop's Sutton goes. On older houses around here, roofs frequently carry the marks of earlier repairs, from replaced slates to new lead.
The streets around a church like Church of St Nicholas are often among the oldest in a place, and if your home is one of the older ones nearby, the nails, lead and mortar on the roof may be wearing out even where the slates or tiles look fine.
Bishop's Sutton is about 8 miles south-west of Alton, in Hampshire. Bishop's Sutton gets the same service as everywhere else we work: a close look at what can be seen safely, photos and a clear written report. Our area takes in places right across Hampshire. You can also see our page for Southampton.
Every address in SO24 is covered for chimney surveys, from the main roads to the quietest streets. We offer chimney surveys to properties on North Street, Home Close and Water Lane. Other places close to Bishop's Sutton include Gundleton (1 mile north-east), New Alresford (2 miles west), Bramdean (2 miles south), Hinton Ampner (3 miles south) and Cheriton (3 miles south-west). Further out, we also cover Basingstoke (13 miles north), Winchester (8 miles west), Eastleigh (12 miles south-west), Horndean (13 miles south-east), Chandler's Ford (13 miles south-west) and Alton (8 miles north-east).
Local landmarks in Bishop's Sutton
Around Bishop's Sutton, our work takes us to homes and buildings near Ship Inn and the streets around them. Well-known places in the area include Barton Castle (3.8 miles north). Not far away are Shutts Copse and Red Hill.
Why get it checked now?
Most people never get a careful look at their chimney stacks. Defects tend to go unseen until there’s a stain. Surveying the stack now can catch problems first. For an older or listed building in a place like Bishop's Sutton, repairs may need matching materials and consent, so a defect found early gives time to plan the work properly.
What a survey costs comes down to the roof itself: its size, its height, how many sections it has and how it can be reached and seen safely. Chimney survey starts from £150, including VAT.
Why book us in Bishop's Sutton
- Professional indemnity and public liability insurance
- An independent look at the roof
- Thermal imaging and drones used where they help
- 5,000+ roofs surveyed
Read how roof surveys are priced and what we found on two real jobs.