West Berkshire · London and the South East
Brightwalton Chimney Survey
A survey of chimney stacks, pots, flashings and flaunching across Brightwalton, with drones and thermal imaging where they help. Call or email for a price.
- Damp patches on chimney breasts
- Redundant stacks capped without ventilation
- Pots or cowls that look unsafe
Chimney survey in Brightwalton
A chimney stands up above the roof, exposed to wind, rain and frost on every side. In time, flaunching cracks, mortar washes out and flashings come loose. Water then gets into the stack and can show as damp on a chimney breast or a stain in the loft. We record what we find with photos and recommendations. Common reasons to book are spalled or crumbling bricks and unused flues sealed without airflow, across chimney breasts, lead flashings and brick chimney stacks.
Somewhere as small as Brightwalton, homes are often older cottages and farmhouses, with outbuildings and some newer houses. Older roofs may be clay tile, slate, stone or thatch, frequently with chimneys that have stood a long time. Each needs checking in its own way, and thatch is a specialist material we report on as far as it can be seen. On older roofs, it’s normally the chimneys and lead flashings that need work first.
Most points in the report come with a picture, because a photo of a cracked flashing says more than a paragraph. If something couldn’t be seen safely, the report is clear about it.
- Where
- Brightwalton (RG20)
- Wider area
- West Berkshire
- Price
- From £150 inc. VAT
- Report
- Emailed report with photos and recommendations
- Appointments
- Weekdays and weekends
- Insured
- PI and public liability insurance
- Call
- 07833 053749
- Last updated
- 27 October 2026
What affects the cost of chimney surveys
Our packages start from £150, inc. VAT. What you pay for your roof depends on:
- The type of building, from a house to a block or an office
- How complicated the roof is, with its valleys, chimneys and parapets
- The size of the roof
- The height of the building and how the roof can safely be seen
Bigger, taller and commercial roofs take more time to survey, so the price reflects that. The price is confirmed before booking.
Booking your survey
Here’s what helps us most when you get in touch:
- The property’s address and postcode
- Any stains, drips or damp patches you’ve seen indoors
- Your timetable, such as an exchange date
- Any photos you have, taken from ground level or a window
Our phone lines are open seven days a week, including Saturdays and Sundays. For a price or to book, call 07833 053749 or use the contact form.
How the survey works
We work from the outside in: outside views come first, then the roof space if there’s safe access. All told, expect roughly 1–2 hours for most homes, a little longer where there are several stacks. Around Brightwalton, older homes can have small or awkward roof spaces, so it is useful to know whether there is a loft hatch and how easy it is to reach. We only go where it’s safe.
- First you let us know about the chimneys, any damp on the chimney breasts and any worries.
- We inspect each stack from safe viewpoints outside.
- We check and photograph the pots, cowls, flaunching, pointing and flashings.
- Where there’s safe access, we check 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
- Leave a clear route to the loft
- Keep pets in another room
- Have any questions written down, so nothing gets missed
Book a survey
Once you know what you need, ring 07833 053749 or send us an email. We’ll suggest a package, agree the price and find a date.
Read more
Local roofs in Brightwalton
An older home may be listed, or stand in a conservation area. To find out, check Historic England’s list and ask the council about conservation areas. Re-roofing in different materials may need permission there. Across the South East, older homes tend to have slate or clay tiles, and many later ones concrete tiles, and flat-roofed additions turn up almost everywhere. Whichever you have, the details that tend to fail before the covering itself get the closest look.
If you look after a building such as Brightwalton C.E. Aided Primary School, a written record of a large roof helps plan work for the holidays rather than in term time.
Brightwalton is about 6 miles south of Wantage, in West Berkshire. Brightwalton is part of the area we cover and the surrounding area as part of our work across London and the South East. Across West Berkshire, we cover Brightwalton and the places around it. We also survey roofs in Reading.
Postcode districts we cover here for chimney surveys: RG20. Local streets include Dunmore Meadow and Saxons Acre. Other places close to Brightwalton include Brightwalton Green (1 mile south), Catmore (2 miles east), Farnborough (2 miles north), Stanmore (3 miles east) and West Ilsley (4 miles north-east). Further out, we also cover Newbury (8 miles south), Thatcham (9 miles south-east), Speenhamland (8 miles south), Hungerford (9 miles south-west), Calcot (15 miles east) and Lambourn (6 miles west).
When to book a survey in Brightwalton
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.
It’s worth booking a survey if you’ve seen:
- Flaunching that has broken away
- Worn or missing pointing
- Spalled or crumbling bricks
- Disused chimneys trapping moisture
For an older house near a landmark like Church of All Saints, corroded nails, tired lead and weathered chimney pointing are the things to watch on older roofs.
Before you book anyone
- Which limits apply to the survey
- What happens after the report arrives
- What the report includes, and whether it has photographs
- How long they’ve been surveying roofs
Also near Brightwalton
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What you can safely check yourself
What you can’t do safely is get up close. Slates, tiles, flat roofs and rooflights can give way, and a fall can be serious. That part is for a survey.
If you have a loft with safe access, take a look inside. Use a torch and stay on the joists or boards, checking for stains, damp wood or chinks of daylight.
Common questions in Brightwalton
Will you come out to Brightwalton?
Yes. Brightwalton is within the area we cover, which takes in towns, villages and rural addresses. We work right across London and South East England. Let us know about access, parking and anything unusual about getting there when booking.
Is Brightwalton in the area you cover?
Yes, Brightwalton is within the area we cover. We survey roofs across London and South East England. You can phone 07833 053749 or drop us an email with the address and some details.
How quickly is the report sent?
It depends on the package: 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 does the report include?
You get our findings in writing, part by part, with photos, and ends with what we recommend. Points are put in order of urgency where relevant.
Does the report include photographs?
Yes. Photographs are taken throughout the survey, and the report uses them to show each finding alongside our recommendations.
What causes damp on a chimney breast?
Damp on a chimney breast normally means water is getting into the stack, or moisture is trapped inside it. We check the stack, the flashings and how unused flues are capped and records the likely cause.
Do you use drones?
Yes, where it applies and safe. We fly a sub-250g drone and we’re a CAA-registered drone operator (Flyer ID and Operator ID). It’s included in the Drone Roof Survey and, where it applies, the Premium Survey.
Leave it or get it looked at?
A small amount of repointing or new flaunching is normally a modest job. Left for a few winters, frost and water can loosen pots and bricks and the job gets bigger. Older cottages and farmhouses around Brightwalton can have roof timbers that have been there a very long time, where water from a failed roof can cause rot if it is left.
Simple, low roofs take less time to survey than tall or complicated ones, and the package you pick makes a difference too. The price is always agreed first.
Why book us in Brightwalton
- More than 5,000 surveys completed
- Prices that include VAT
- Thermal imaging and drone inspection where they help
- CAA-registered drone operator (Flyer ID and Operator ID)
What a chimney survey does not cover
In fairness, there are limits to any roof survey:
- A structural engineer’s assessment
- Conditions inside walls
- Whether a gas appliance or its flue is safe
Not sure which survey suits your roof? You can phone 07833 053749 or use the contact form and we’ll tell you before you book. The full list of what we check.
What we check
- Flaunching
- Chimney breasts
- Shared and party-wall stacks
- Chimney pots and cowls
- Brick chimney stacks
- Lead flashings