Oxfordshire · London and the South East
Chimney survey in Bow, Oxfordshire
A survey of chimney stacks, pots, flashings and flaunching around Bow, with findings in writing and pictures to back them up. Weekday and weekend visits available.
- A chimney out of line
- Damp on a chimney breast inside
- Gaps where the stack meets the roof
How a chimney survey works in Bow
A chimney survey looks at the stack and everything around it: pots, cowls, flaunching, pointing, bricks and the flashings at the roof line. Inside, we check chimney breasts and the stack in the loft where it is safe to reach. You get a written report with photos and our recommendations. It suits a single stack on a house as well as several on a larger building. If you’re worried about unused flues sealed without airflow and worn or missing pointing, a survey will tell you what’s going on.
In a village or hamlet like Bow, 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 whatever is safely visible, and thatch is a specialist material. On older roofs, it is typically the chimneys and lead flashings that need work first.
What you get is a clear record of the chimney stack on the day we saw it. It’s useful right away, and a good reference for later, for instance when you want to check whether anything has changed.
- Place
- Bow (SN7)
- Wider area
- Oxfordshire
- Prices
- From £150 inc. VAT
- Report
- Emailed report with photos and recommendations
- Survey days
- Weekdays and weekends
- Cover
- PI and public liability insurance
- Call
- 07833 053749
- Updated
- 27 October 2026
How it works
Photos are taken throughout the visit, so the report shows exactly what we saw. Close-ups come from the safest viewpoint available, including by drone where it’s applicable and the weather allows. Most surveys take roughly 1–2 hours at a house, as part of a look at the roof around the stack. Rural addresses near Bow can be hard to find from a postcode alone, so a few directions are welcome. The visit itself is the same as anywhere else.
- 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.
- Every part we can see is checked: pots, cowls, flaunching, pointing, bricks and flashings.
- We check the chimney breasts and the stack in the roof space where we can reach them.
- The findings are written up with photographs and recommendations and emailed to you.
How to prepare
- Note where any stains or damp appear
- For a flat or shared roof, check access with the building owner or managing agent
- Tell us about parking before the day
Book a survey
Surveys can be booked for weekdays, Saturdays or Sundays. To find a date that works for you, ring 07833 053749 or email us with the address and the days you’d prefer.
Advice
Your questions about chimney surveys in Bow
Is my home in Bow listed or in a conservation area?
Start with Historic England’s list for listing and your council for conservation areas. Either can affect what roof work is allowed, so it is worth checking before planning any.
Do you carry out roof surveys in Bow?
Yes. Our area covers London and the South East, and Bow is part of that. You can ring 07833 053749 or send us an email with the address and a few details, and we will talk through which survey suits.
Do you survey roofs on blocks of flats?
Yes, once whoever controls the roof agrees access. On a shared roof we can only inspect the parts we’re allowed to reach, and the report makes that clear.
How much does a chimney survey cost in Bow?
Our price is from £150, including VAT. Our three packages are Basic from £150, Standard from £250 and Premium from £400, including VAT.
How long have you been surveying roofs?
We’ve been surveying roofs for over 20 years and have completed over 5,000 surveys.
What do you check on a chimney?
The survey covers the pots and cowls, the flaunching, the pointing, the bricks and the flashings. Inside, we look for damp on chimney breasts and in the loft where there is safe access. Everything is written up with photos.
Can you tell me if my roof has asbestos?
No. We don’t sample or test for asbestos. The report may flag materials that could contain asbestos on buildings built or refurbished before 2000.
What affects the cost of chimney surveys
We confirm the exact price before booking. These are the things that affect it:
- Building height and the viewpoints available
- The use of thermal imaging or a drone
- Whether it is a home or a commercial building
- How many separate roofs there are, like extensions, dormers and garages
The Premium Survey includes thermal imaging and drone inspection where applicable, which starts from £400, with VAT included. We can help you choose the package that fits what you want to find out.
Getting in touch
To price your survey accurately, we’ll ask about:
- Any marks or damp showing indoors
- Where the property is, with the postcode
- What made you get in touch
- How the loft is reached, if there is one
Prices start from £150, including VAT. The exact figure depends on the roof and the package, so call 07833 053749 or email us with the details.
What a chimney survey looks like in Bow
With Longworth House about 4.3 miles north-east, Bow sits in an area with a long building history. 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. Older buildings in west Oxfordshire often have Cotswold stone slate roofs, and some Oxfordshire villages still have thatch. Across the South East, older homes tend to have slate or clay tiles, and many later ones concrete tiles. On roofs like these, good slates or tiles can outlast the nails, battens, lead and mortar around them.
Anyone responsible for a site like Stanford in the Vale Church of England Primary School will know that large buildings have long gutter runs and big roofs that need checking like any other.
Bow is about 4 miles east of Faringdon, in Oxfordshire. Wherever you are in Bow, we can carry out chimney surveys at your property. Our area takes in places right across Oxfordshire, large and small. There’s also a page for Oxford.
All of SN7 is covered for chimney surveys, from the main roads to the quietest streets. Local streets include Chapel Road, High Street and Sheards Lane. Neighbouring places we cover for chimney surveys include Stanford in the Vale (1 mile west), Hatford (1 mile north-west), Shellingford (2 miles west), Baulking (2 miles south-west) and Buckland (3 miles north). We also work in nearby towns like Oxford (14 miles north-east), Didcot (11 miles east), Abingdon-on-Thames (10 miles east), Witney (10 miles north), Carterton (10 miles north-west) and Wantage (5 miles south-east).
Around Bow
Typical jobs here are in homes near Former Red Lion Public House and Holy Trinity Church. Other landmarks nearby include Faringdon Museum (3.8 miles west) and Faringdon Castle (3.4 miles north-west).
Nearby places to Bow
Also in Bow
Useful tips for Bow property owners
Some practical points come up on survey after survey. They apply to most roofs:
- Use a Gas Safe registered engineer for gas appliances
- Look at the chimneys with binoculars after a storm
- Have brackets on the chimney checked
- Photograph damp patches with the date
You can send the report to roofers or builders for quotes. With the same list in front of each contractor, comparing quotes is simpler.
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.
Signs you need a chimney survey in Bow
Chimney stacks stand above the roof, exposed to wind, rain and frost on every side. 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.
Things that often lead to a survey include:
- A chimney out of line
- Gaps where the stack meets the roof
- Unused flues sealed without airflow
- Worn or missing pointing
The streets around a church such as Church of St Denys are frequently among the oldest in a place, and if yours is one of the older homes nearby, the nails, lead and mortar on the roof may be wearing out even where the slates or tiles look fine.
What to check before booking
- What experience they bring
- What insurance they carry
- What happens after the report arrives
- What they won’t be able to tell you
Why it’s worth a survey now in Bow
For a buyer, the best time to learn about a chimney is before exchange. After that, any work is yours to arrange and pay for. A report gives you something specific to put to the seller. In a small place like Bow, homes can be exposed to wind and rain, which finds any gap, and damp in older walls is slow to dry out.
All our prices include VAT. Prices start from £150, including VAT. You’ll know the price for the job before booking.
Why choose Independent Roof Survey in Bow
- Photographs and a written report every time
- 5,000+ roofs surveyed
- An independent look at the roof
- Customer satisfaction of 98%
Read how roof surveys are priced and what we found on two real jobs.
For landlords and managing agents
If the property is let, the agent or a tenant can let us in. We survey on any day of the week, which helps when tenants work during the week.
We survey roofs for landlords and letting agents as well as householders. The report gives you a dated record of the chimney stack, with photos, which helps you plan work between tenancies.