East Sussex · London and the South East
Chimney Survey in Butcher's Cross
Chimney surveys in Butcher's Cross from an independent, experienced roof surveyor. More than 20 years and over 5,000 surveys.
- Flaunching that has broken away
- Flashings pulling away from the stack
- Redundant stacks capped without ventilation
Common questions in Butcher's Cross
Do you survey roofs for landlords with property near Crowborough station?
Yes, that’s a common request. We just need to know who will give access, and the report can go straight to you or your agent.
Does a conservation area affect roof work in Butcher's Cross?
We cannot 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.
How much is a survey?
Our price is from £150, including VAT. The final figure depends on the roof and the package you choose, confirmed before anything is booked.
Can you inspect my roof with a drone?
Yes, where it’s applicable. Whether we can fly on the day depends on the weather and the airspace rules, and we check for restrictions near airports before flying. We hold a CAA Flyer ID and Operator ID.
Are you structural engineers?
No. We are roof surveyors, not structural engineers, and it does not include calculations. We will recommend an engineer if we see signs that call for one.
Does the weather affect the survey?
A survey can usually go ahead in light rain. Strong wind or a downpour can stop drone flights and make roof access unsafe, so if conditions aren’t right we will arrange another day with you.
How long will you be at the property?
Most surveys take between one and two hours at a house, as part of a look at the roof around the stack. We’ll confirm the timing as you book.
Chimney surveys for homes and businesses in Butcher's Cross
If you’re buying a home with chimneys, it is worth knowing their condition before you exchange. On older stacks, we frequently 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 lead flashings, chimney breasts and flaunching, and the problems we are asked to look at most are mortar washing out of the joints and bricks with flaking faces.
In a small place like Butcher's Cross, many roofs stand in the open, which is hard on ridges, chimneys, flashings and gutters. Damp in old walls is slow to dry, so a small leak can do a lot of harm. A written report sets out what to deal with and in what order. Lead flashings and old chimney stacks are often where weather gets in first.
You receive the findings by email, ready to forward to whoever needs them. Basic reports come within 48 hours, Standard within 24–48 hours and Premium on the day.
- Where
- Butcher's Cross (TN20)
- Wider area
- East Sussex
- Cost
- From £150 inc. VAT
- Report
- Emailed report with photos and recommendations
- Survey days
- Weekdays, Saturdays and Sundays
- Insurance
- Professional indemnity and public liability
- Phone
- 07833 053749
- Last updated
- 27 October 2026
Do you need a chimney survey in Butcher's Cross?
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.
Signs worth acting on include:
- Flashings pulling away from the stack
- Bricks with flaking faces
- Loose, cracked or missing pots
- Worn or missing pointing
If you let a flat or house near Crowborough station, a roof report between tenancies helps plan work before a small defect becomes a tenant’s leak.
Questions to ask before booking
- How they’ll see the roof: from ground level, the loft, the roof or by drone
- Whether any drone flown is registered with the CAA
- What insurance they carry
- What exactly goes into their report
Surveys for landlords and agents in Butcher's Cross
Managing agents and residents’ management companies use roof surveys to plan maintenance. Recommendations are set out in order of urgency where relevant.
Businesses and commercial landlords can book us too, from shops and offices to industrial units. Bigger roofs take more time, and they’re priced for the size.
How we price chimney surveys
Several things affect the price of a survey:
- How tall the building is and how easy the roof is to see
- How big the roof is
- Whether thermal imaging or a drone is needed
- Basic, Standard or Premium
Our price is from £150, including VAT. What you pay depends on how big and how high the roof is, how it can safely be seen and which survey you book.
Getting in touch
You don’t need to know any roofing terms. Just tell us:
- Pictures of the roof from a safe spot, if you have them
- Dates you are working to, like exchange
- Where water is showing inside, if it is
- Why you want a survey: buying, a leak, a storm or new work
We survey roofs on weekdays, Saturdays and Sundays. To find a date that works for you, ring 07833 053749 or email us.
What a chimney survey looks like in Butcher's Cross
Many older homes in Sussex have handmade clay tiles and tile-hung walls. Horsham stone slab roofs survive on some old Sussex buildings, alongside oast houses and timber-framed Wealden hall houses. On roofs like these, good slates or tiles can outlast the nails, battens, lead and mortar around them. There are about 500,000 buildings on England’s list of listed buildings, and around 10,000 conservation areas. Listed building consent is needed for changes that affect a listed building’s special interest, and conservation areas can limit changes of roofing material, so check with the council.
The streets around a church like Church of the Good Shepherd are often among the oldest in a place, and if your home is one of the older ones nearby, old fixings, lead flashings and tall chimneys are typical of older roofs. If you look after a building such as Skippers Hill Manor School, long gutter runs and wide roofs on a building that size are worth checking on a regular cycle.
Butcher's Cross is about 4 miles south-east of Crowborough, in East Sussex. Whether the building in Butcher's Cross is a house, a flat or a commercial unit, we can survey the roof. We cover towns and villages across East Sussex, from the larger towns to small villages. Our Crawley page covers surveys nearby.
We work across TN20 for chimney surveys. Nearby, we also carry out chimney surveys in Skippers Hill (1 mile south-west), Five Ashes (1 mile south), Woolbridge (1 mile north-east), Wellbrook (1 mile east) and Mayfield (2 miles north-east). Within a short drive, we also cover Bexhill-on-Sea (15 miles south-east), Lewes (13 miles south-west), Hailsham (10 miles south), Crowborough (4 miles north-west), Uckfield (6 miles south-west) and Polegate (13 miles south).
Around Butcher's Cross
Locally, jobs take us to homes and businesses close to Five Ashes CofE Primary School and The Five Ashes Inn, among other places. The nearest railway station is Crowborough station, roughly 3 miles north-west. A little further out are Tickerage Castle (4.1 miles south-west) and Crowborough War Memorial Hospital (4.1 miles north-west). For a walk, there’s Selwyns Wood.
What a chimney survey doesn’t cover
It is useful to know what a survey will not do before you book:
- Whether a stack needs rebuilding on structural grounds
- Checks on boilers, fires or their flues
- The inside of the flue, which needs a sweep or flue specialist
If you’re not sure which survey you need, ring 07833 053749 or email us and we will give you a straight answer before booking. What our survey covers.
Roofs we survey in Butcher's Cross
- Chimney breasts
- Chimney pots and cowls
- Lead flashings
- Brick chimney stacks
- Flaunching
- Shared and party-wall stacks
Should I look at the roof myself first?
Look up at the roof after a storm, from the ground: broken slates or tiles in the garden, gaps along the ridge or loose lead are signs to note. Leave anything above ground level to a survey.
Your own check is a good start, but it isn’t a survey. You won’t see flashings, valleys or the backs of chimneys properly from ground level.
Nearby places to Butcher's Cross
Also in Butcher's Cross
What happens on the day
The aim of the visit is simple: to see as much of the chimney stack as can be seen safely and record it clearly. Everything we note and photograph goes into the written report. It usually takes an hour or two for a house, and more on a big or complicated roof. Somewhere as small as Butcher's Cross, access is often the only tricky part. Mention any outbuildings, barns or garages you want included, and anything about the roof you already know. Visits can be on weekdays, Saturdays or Sundays.
- We go through the chimneys, any damp and any work done on them.
- We check every stack from wherever it can be seen safely.
- Pots, cowls, flaunching, pointing and flashings are checked and photographed.
- Inside, the chimney breasts and the loft are checked for damp where there’s access.
- You get a written report with photos and recommendations by email.
Getting ready for the survey
- Tell us about parking before the day
- Clear the way to the loft hatch
- Gather any invoices or paperwork from past roof work
How to book
Every survey is priced before it is booked, so you know where you stand. Chimney survey starts from £150, including VAT. To book, call 07833 053749 or drop us an email.