Bracknell Forest · London and the South East
Chimney Survey in Bullbrook
Get a clear view of the chimney stack at a property in Bullbrook. Visits run on weekdays and weekends, in the daytime.
- Bricks with flaking faces
- A chimney out of line
- Flashings pulling away from the stack
Chimney survey in Bullbrook: what you get
For buyers, a chimney survey before exchange can flag work you may want to raise. 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, brick chimney stacks and lead flashings, and the problems we are asked to look at most are disused chimneys trapping moisture and a chimney out of line.
Around Bullbrook, 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. Chimneys, valleys and gutters on older homes often need the most attention, and the fixings under the coverings matter too. Nails and battens under older coverings frequently give out before the slates or tiles themselves.
The written findings come by email, ready to forward to whoever needs them. Turnaround is within 48 hours for Basic, 24–48 hours for Standard and same day for Premium.
- Place
- Bullbrook (RG12, RG42, SL5)
- Wider area
- Bracknell Forest
- Cost
- From £150 inc. VAT
- Report
- A written report with photos, by email
- Survey days
- Weekdays and weekends
- Insured
- Professional indemnity and public liability
- Call
- 07833 053749
- Page updated
- 27 October 2026
Tips from our surveys
You don’t need to be a roofer to help. What helps most:
- Look at the chimneys with binoculars after a storm
- Check that disused chimneys can still breathe
- Keep the report to compare against at the next survey
- Ask about consent before removing a chimney on an older property
After the visit, we write up the report with photographs of each stack. 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.
Get small mortar repairs done while they’re small. Small repairs now can save bigger work later.
Bullbrook: your questions answered
Is my home in Bullbrook listed or in a conservation area?
You can check whether a building is listed on Historic England’s list, and your council can tell you if it is in a conservation area. Listed building consent is needed for changes that affect a listed building’s special interest, and conservation areas can limit changes of roofing material.
Are flat-roofed garages and porches in Bullbrook worth including?
Often, yes, so mention it when booking. Many homes in new towns like Bracknell have flat-roofed garages and porches, and felt roofs frequently last around 15–20 years.
Are you insured?
Our cover is professional indemnity plus public liability.
Is it a problem to have an unused chimney?
It depends on its condition and your plans. We record how the stack is doing and whether it’s capped with ventilation. If you are thinking of removing it, check with the council first in a conservation area or on a listed building.
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 record what we find.
Does this replace a RICS home survey?
No. We look at the roof, not the whole building, so it’s not a RICS Level 2 or Level 3 survey. Many buyers have both.
Do you need to go on the roof to check the chimney?
Each stack is viewed from the safest viewpoints: from ground level, windows and vantage points, and from the loft where there’s access. Our Premium Survey includes a drone inspection where applicable. If part of a stack cannot be seen, the report says so.
What we are asked to look at in Bullbrook
A stack takes the weather from every direction. Frost opens up cracks in the mortar, and rain gets into worn bricks and joints. Most people book after spotting damp or a loose pot, or before buying.
We are often asked to look at:
- Spalled or crumbling bricks
- Unused flues sealed without airflow
- Staining on walls around the chimney
- Gaps in the mortar around the pots
The streets around a church such as St Paul 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
- How soon the report will arrive
- What’s outside the scope of the survey
- Their track record with similar roofs
- Which parts of the roof they’ll actually see
Can I check my roof myself?
You can learn a lot from ground level. With binoculars, look for slipped or missing slates and tiles, gaps along the ridge and leaning chimneys. Never climb onto the roof to look.
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.
Local roofs in Bullbrook
Bullbrook is part of Bracknell, one of the post-war new towns. Homes from the post-war decades are common in the new towns, many with low-pitched roofs in concrete tiles and flat-roofed garages or porches. On homes of that age, felt underlay, flat roofs, gutters and fixings may all be due attention. Across the South East, older homes tend to have slate or clay tiles, and many later ones concrete tiles, with flat-roofed extensions, dormers and garages common everywhere. On roofs like these, good slates or tiles can outlast the nails, battens, lead and mortar around them.
Landlords with a home close to Martins Heron station may find that a roof report helps you deal with small faults before they turn into a call from a tenant. Anyone responsible for a site like Holly Spring Junior School will know that long gutter runs and wide roofs on a building that size are worth checking on a regular cycle.
Bullbrook is about 1 mile east of Bracknell, in Bracknell Forest. Bullbrook is part of the area we cover and the surrounding area as part of our work across London and the South East. Our area takes in places right across Bracknell Forest, large and small. Reading is in our area too.
Chimney surveys in RG12, RG42 and SL5 work the same way as everywhere else we cover. Streets in the area include Bay Road, London Road and Eastern Road, all of which we cover. We also cover Jennett's Park (1 mile south), Martins Heron (1 mile south-east), Wick Hill (1 mile north-west), Warfield Park (1 mile north-east) and Whitegrove (1 mile north). Within a short drive, we also cover Sandhurst (5 miles south-west), Binfield (3 miles west), College Town (6 miles south), Little Sandhurst (6 miles south-west), Owlsmoor (5 miles south-west) and Home Farm (3 miles south-west).
Local landmarks in Bullbrook
Around Bullbrook, our work takes us to homes and buildings near The Brakenhale School, Garth Hill College and Old Manor House Hotel, among other places. Bullbrook’s nearest station is Martins Heron station, roughly 0.6 miles south. Nearby you’ll also find Heatherwood Hospital (1.9 miles east) and The Lexicon (0.9 miles west). The countryside around Bullbrook includes Heath Lake and Wildmoor Heath.
What this survey cannot tell you
Some things cannot be seen without opening up the roof, so a survey has limits:
- What’s inside the brickwork or behind render, without opening up
- The inside of the flue, which needs a sweep or flue specialist
- Whether a stack needs rebuilding on structural grounds
If in doubt, call 07833 053749 or drop us an email and we’ll suggest the right survey. What our survey covers.
Roofs we survey in Bullbrook
- Flaunching
- Brick chimney stacks
- Shared and party-wall stacks
- Chimney pots and cowls
- Chimney breasts
- Lead flashings
The survey, step by step
On the day, we start by asking what you’ve noticed and what you’d like to know. We then inspect everything that can safely be seen, using the ground, windows, the loft and a drone where it applies. Most surveys take an hour or two at a house, as part of a look at the roof around the stack. A visit to Bullbrook is planned like any other: the time, the access and where to park are agreed beforehand. Weekday and weekend visits are both possible. Let us know about any garages, outbuildings or extensions you want included.
- You tell us how many stacks there are and any damp or problems you’ve noticed.
- 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’s 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
- Buyers: confirm access with the estate agent or seller
- Agree roof access with the managing agent if it is shared
Arrange a survey
You can call us seven days a week. For a price or to book, ring 07833 053749 or use the contact form.
Read more
What we look for on each type of roof
Lead flashings
Mortar fillets are sometimes used where lead would typically be. They tend to crack, so we check them closely.
Brick stacks
Brick stacks rely on sound pointing to keep water out. The survey looks for crumbling bricks and worn or missing mortar.