Hampshire · London and the South East
Chimney survey in Bishop's Waltham, Hampshire
Find out what’s going on with the chimney stack before you decide what to do next. We carry out chimney surveys in Bishop's Waltham.
- Loose, cracked or missing pots
- Unused flues sealed without airflow
- Damp on a chimney breast inside
How a chimney survey works in Bishop's Waltham
If you are buying a home with chimneys, it’s worth knowing their condition before you exchange. On older stacks, we often find cracked flaunching, loose flashings and worn pointing. You get photos and findings you can take back to the seller or agent. It works alongside a RICS home survey, not instead of one. We survey chimney breasts, flaunching and lead flashings, and the problems we are asked to look at most are eroded joints in the brickwork and damp on a chimney breast inside.
Around Bishop's Waltham, older cottages sit alongside bungalows and newer houses. Older roofs can have slate, clay tiles or other traditional coverings, while many later ones have concrete tiles. On older homes, chimney stacks, valleys and gutters are typically where the work is, and the fixings under the coverings matter too. Nails and battens under older coverings frequently give out before the slates or tiles themselves.
After the visit, you get a written report with photographs, emailed to you. It sets out the condition of the chimney stack, any defects and our written recommendations.
- Location
- Bishop's Waltham (SO32)
- Wider area
- Hampshire
- Prices
- From £150 inc. VAT
- Report
- Written, with photos, emailed to you
- Survey days
- Weekdays and weekends
- Insurance
- PI and public liability insurance
- Call
- 07833 053749
- Page updated
- 27 October 2026
Should I look at the roof myself first?
Fresh stains on ceilings or walls after rain are worth noting. Take a photo and write down when you saw it.
During heavy rain, look at the gutters from the ground or a window. Water spilling over the edge can point to a blockage or a sagging run.
How the survey changes by roof type
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. We record any cracking and where it is.
When to book a survey in Bishop's Waltham
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.
Most people get in touch after spotting something like this:
- Unused flues sealed without airflow
- Cracked or missing flaunching
- A chimney out of line
- Staining on walls around the chimney
The streets around a church like Church of St Peter are often among the oldest in a place, and if your house is among the older ones nearby, old fixings, lead flashings and tall chimneys are typical of older roofs.
Choosing a roof surveyor
- If they fly a drone, whether they hold a CAA Flyer ID and Operator ID
- What the report includes, and whether it has photos
- Which parts of the roof they’ll actually see
- How soon the report will arrive
Places near Bishop's Waltham
Also in Bishop's Waltham
Bishop's Waltham: your questions answered
Does a conservation area affect roof work in Bishop's Waltham?
We can’t confirm that for you, but Historic England’s list and your council can. Both listing and conservation areas can limit changes of roofing material, and councils can also use Article 4 directions.
Can a landlord with a rental near Botley station book a roof survey?
Yes, that’s a common request. Let us know whether a tenant or an agent will let us in, and the report can go straight to you or your agent.
Does the weather affect the survey?
Some surveys depend on the weather more than others. Drones can’t fly safely in strong wind or a downpour, and thermal imaging works best after a sunny day, with a dry roof and little wind. We will rearrange with you if the weather is not right.
What do I do with the report?
The report arrives by email, with photos and clear recommendations. With Standard there’s a follow-up consultation; with Premium, an in-person consultation.
Do you cover Bishop's Waltham for chimney surveys?
Yes. We survey roofs in Bishop's Waltham and the rest of Hampshire. To book, phone 07833 053749 or use the contact form.
Why is my chimney breast damp?
Usually it is water getting in from outside, or condensation in a sealed stack. The survey looks at the stack, the flashings and the capping and records the likely cause.
Are you structural engineers?
No. Visible signs such as deflection or sagging are recorded, but calculations and an engineer’s opinion are outside what we do. The report will say if you need an engineer.
Bishop's Waltham homes and their roofs
An older home may be listed, or stand in a conservation area. Historic England’s list shows listed buildings, and the council can say whether a street is in a conservation area. Re-roofing in different materials may need permission there. 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. Knowing the covering helps explain which parts of a roof are likely to need work first.
Anyone responsible for a site like Bishop's Waltham Junior School will know that large buildings have long gutter runs and big roofs that need checking like any other. If you let a flat or house near Botley station, knowing the condition of the roof, chimneys and gutters helps you plan work rather than react to complaints.
Bishop's Waltham is about 5 miles north-east of Hedge End, in Hampshire. We provide chimney surveys for homeowners, landlords and businesses in Bishop's Waltham and nearby. We cover towns and villages across Hampshire. For surveys nearby, see our Southampton page.
All of SO32 is covered for chimney surveys, from the main roads to the quietest streets. Whether your property is on High Street, St Georges's Square and Station Road or anywhere close by, we can survey it. Being close to the B2177 and B3035, Bishop's Waltham is simple for us to get to for chimney surveys. If you are just outside Bishop's Waltham, we cover Ashton (1 mile north), Waltham Chase (2 miles south), Durley Street (2 miles west), Wintershill (2 miles west) and Upham (2 miles north-west). Larger places within reach include Winchester (8 miles north-west), Gosport (11 miles south), Havant (12 miles south-east), Eastleigh (6 miles west), Fareham (7 miles south) and Horndean (9 miles east).
Around Bishop's Waltham
We work in homes and buildings around Swanmore College of Technology and The Crown Hotel, among other places. The nearest railway station is Botley station, roughly 3.3 miles south-west of the centre. A little further out are Bishop's Waltham Museum (less than half a mile south-west) and Moorgreen Hospital (5.1 miles west). The countryside around Bishop's Waltham includes Bishops Waltham Branch LNR and Beacon Hill.
Practical tips
These tips come from what we see on roofs every week, before and after a survey:
- Make sure unused flues are capped with ventilation
- Have brackets on the chimney checked
- Glance at the stacks from the street now and then
- Do not use a ladder to reach the stack yourself
If anything in the report isn’t clear, just ask us. The Standard Survey includes a follow-up consultation and the Premium Survey an in-person consultation.
Make sure fixings on the stack are sound, and moved if they’re working it loose. Removing unused fixings takes strain off the brickwork.
When you need someone else
Without opening up the roof, some things stay hidden, so a survey has limits:
- Hidden damage within the stack
- Gas safety checks, which need a Gas Safe registered engineer
- Hidden sides of a shared stack
Not sure which survey suits your roof? You can ring 07833 053749 or send us an email and we’ll tell you before booking. What our survey covers.
Roofs we survey in Bishop's Waltham
- Chimney breasts
- Brick chimney stacks
- Chimney pots and cowls
- Shared and party-wall stacks
- Lead flashings
- Flaunching
How it works
There isn’t much for you to do on the day. Show us any stains, drips or problem areas you know about, and we’ll get on with the inspection. The survey itself takes an hour or two for most homes, a little longer where there are several stacks. With a bit of garden around a house, as there often is around Bishop's Waltham, the roof can be viewed from several angles. Mention any side of the property we cannot get to. Inside, the loft is checked where it can be reached safely.
- We start with the details: how many stacks, whether any are shared and any signs of damp.
- Each chimney is viewed from wherever it can safely be seen.
- The pots, cowls, flaunching, pointing, brickwork and flashings are checked and photographed.
- We check the chimney breasts and the stack in the loft space where we can reach them.
- We send a written report with photos, the defects found and what we recommend.
Before we arrive
- If the roof is shared, arrange access with whoever manages the building
- Buyers: confirm access with the estate agent or seller
- Clear the way to the loft hatch
Getting a price
We survey roofs on weekdays, Saturdays and Sundays. To arrange a day that suits you, call 07833 053749 or email us.