Isle of Wight · London and the South East
Brading Chimney Survey
Find out what’s going on with the chimney stack before you decide what to do next. Chimney surveys in Brading, with photographs and a clear written report.
- Unused flues sealed without airflow
- Pots or cowls that look unsafe
- Frost-damaged brickwork on the stack
Should I look at the roof myself first?
What you cannot do safely is get up close. Roofs are fragile and slippery, and a fall can be serious. That part is for a survey.
If you have a loft with safe access, take a look inside. Take a torch and only step on boards or joists, and look for staining, damp timber or daylight coming through.
Chimney surveys for homes and businesses in Brading
A chimney survey looks at the stack and everything around it: the pots and cowls, the flaunching on top, the pointing, the brickwork and the flashings where it meets the roof. We also look for damp on chimney breasts and in the loft where there’s safe access. The findings come in a written report with photos and recommendations. It suits a single stack on a house as well as several on a larger building. If you’ve noticed staining on walls around the chimney and loose, cracked or missing pots, we can find out what’s behind it, whatever the roof.
Village roofs often face open fields and take the full force of wind and rain, which is hard on ridges, chimneys, flashings and gutters. Older walls take a long time to dry once water gets in. A roof report shows what needs attention first. Lead flashings and old chimney stacks are frequently where weather gets in first.
Pictures do a lot of the work in our reports, so you can see each defect rather than just read about it. If something couldn’t be seen safely, the report is clear about it.
- Location
- Brading (PO36)
- Wider area
- Isle of Wight
- Prices
- From £150 inc. VAT
- Reports
- A written report with photos, by email
- When we survey
- Monday to Sunday, daytime
- Insured
- PI and public liability insurance
- Call
- 07833 053749
- Updated
- 27 October 2026
How the survey changes by roof type
Flaunching
Flaunching is the mortar on top of a stack that holds the pots and sheds water. Once it cracks, water can get straight into the brickwork.
Rendered stacks
Cracked render can let water in and trap it behind. Cracks are photographed and noted.
The survey, step by step
The aim of the visit is simple: to see as much of the chimney stack as can safely be seen and record it clearly. Everything we note and photograph goes into the written report. The visit normally takes between one and two hours at a house, as part of a look at the roof around the stack. Older rural homes like those around Brading can have a main roof, lower lean-to roofs and outbuildings all joined together. We work round each section in turn, from the safest viewpoints.
- First we talk through the stacks, their history and any problems.
- We look at every stack from wherever it can safely be seen.
- We photograph and record the pots, flaunching, pointing and flashings.
- We look for damp on chimney breasts and in the loft space.
- The report, with photos and recommendations, is emailed to you.
How to prepare
- Dig out any old roof reports or invoices
- If you are buying, check with the agent that we can get in
- For flats, make sure roof access has been agreed
Booking a survey
Most bookings start with a short call: call 07833 053749 or drop us an email and we’ll ask a few questions about the roof. You will have a price before anything is arranged.
Advice
When to book a survey in Brading
Stacks that were used for open fires for many years can weaken from the inside. Mortar can deteriorate unevenly from flue gases and moisture, which is one reason stacks start to lean.
It is worth booking a survey if you’ve seen:
- Unused flues sealed without airflow
- Spalled or crumbling bricks
- Eroded joints in the brickwork
- Staining on walls around the chimney
If you let a flat or house near Brading station, knowing the condition of the roof, chimneys and gutters helps you plan work rather than react to complaints.
Before booking any roof surveyor
- Which parts of the roof they’ll actually see
- What they won’t be able to tell you
- How soon the report will arrive
- Whether you get a written report with photos
What this survey can’t tell you
Some things cannot be seen without opening up the roof, and that sets some limits:
- What’s inside the brickwork or behind render, without opening up
- A structural engineer’s assessment
- Flue inspections or sweeping
If you’re not sure which survey you need, call 07833 053749 or send us an email and we will give you a straight answer before booking. What our survey covers.
What we check
- Flaunching
- Chimney breasts
- Lead flashings
- Chimney pots and cowls
- Brick chimney stacks
- Shared and party-wall stacks
Why get it checked now?
Before deciding what to do with a redundant stack, a survey shows how it is doing. In a conservation area or on a listed building, changes may need permission from the council and the council can advise. Older and listed buildings around Brading may need consent and matching materials for repairs, 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 safely it can be seen. Chimney survey starts from £150, including VAT.
Why book with us
- Clear package prices, including VAT
- Drones and thermal imaging where it applies
- We hold a CAA Flyer ID and Operator ID
- An independent look at the roof
See what a roof survey costs and two real surveys.
What a chimney survey looks like in Brading
Brading is within about 2 miles of the coast, and places near the sea get more salt in the air and more wind than inland. Salt is hard on nails, clips and metal flashings, and strong wind lifts anything already loose on a roof. With Morton Manor about 0.4 miles south, Brading sits in an area with a long building history. If yours is one of the older homes, expect a mix of original materials and later repairs on the roof, and any change of roofing material on a listed home needs checking with the council first.
The streets around a church such as St. Mary's Church are often 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. Take a building like Brading Church of England Controlled Primary School: its roofs, gutters and any chimneys need the same checks as a house’s, just on a bigger scale.
Brading is about 3 miles south of Ryde, in the Isle of Wight. We carry out chimney surveys for homeowners, landlords and businesses in Brading and the surrounding area. Our area takes in places right across the Isle of Wight, from the larger towns to small villages. You can also see our page for Portsmouth.
Every address in PO36 is covered for chimney surveys. Whether your property is on Station Road, High Street and Wrax Road or anywhere close by, we can survey it. Being close to the A3055, Brading is easy for us to reach for chimney surveys. We also cover the places around Brading: Yarbridge (1 mile south), Morton (1 mile south-west), Adgestone (1 mile south-west), Yaverland (1 mile south) and Gaskins (1 mile north-east). We also work in nearby towns such as Newport (7 miles west), Ryde (3 miles north), Cowes (9 miles north-west), Shanklin (4 miles south-west), Ventnor (6 miles south-west) and East Cowes (8 miles north-west). For harder-to-reach addresses, the survey takes a little more planning, so let us know when you get in touch.
Near you in Brading
In Brading, that means homes and buildings near The Bugle Inn and Sandown Bay Academy. Brading has its own railway station: Brading station. Other landmarks nearby include Sandown Castle (1.5 miles south) and Brading Waxworks (less than half a mile north). Open spaces near Brading include Brading Marshes RSPB reserve and Brading Down.
What else we do in Brading
FAQs for Brading
Is Brading within the area you cover?
Yes. Brading is within the area we cover, which takes in towns, villages and rural addresses. We cover the whole of London and South East England. Let us know about access, parking and anything unusual about getting there when booking.
Is my home in Brading listed or in a conservation area?
Check Historic England’s online list first, then ask the council about conservation areas and any Article 4 direction. The answer matters most when a change of material is on the cards.
How experienced are you?
Over 20 years and more than 5,000 surveys, across London and South East England.
How soon will I get the report?
That depends on the survey you book: the Basic Survey report arrives within 48 hours, the Standard Survey in 24 to 48 hours and the Premium Survey the same day. The report is emailed to you.
What’s in the survey report?
It sets out what we found, why it matters and what we recommend, with photographs throughout. It also says if any part of the roof couldn’t be seen safely, so you know exactly what was covered.
What does a chimney survey cover?
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’s safe access. You get a written report with photos.
Will I get photos?
Yes. Photos are taken throughout the survey, and they go into the written report alongside our recommendations.