Buckinghamshire · London and the South East
Chimney survey in Butler's Cross, Buckinghamshire
Find out what’s going on with the chimney stack before you decide what to do next. Chimney surveys in Butler's Cross, with photos and a clear written report.
- Worn or missing pointing
- Pots or cowls that look unsafe
- A chimney out of line
Practical tips
A few practical points come up again and again on our surveys. They’re worth knowing whatever the roof:
- Use the report as a baseline for future checks
- Book a sweep for flues that are in use
- Don’t use a ladder to reach the stack yourself
- Glance at the stacks from the street now and then
Once we have been, the findings are written up with photos. It covers the pots, flaunching, pointing, brickwork and flashings, and any damp we found inside. Basic reports arrive within 48 hours, Standard reports in 24 to 48 hours and Premium reports the same day.
Look at your chimneys from ground level now and then, especially after strong winds. With binoculars, you can often see cracked flaunching or lifted lead.
Chimney surveys for homes and businesses in Butler's Cross
Damp on a chimney breast can have several causes. It might come in at the top, through worn pointing or porous bricks, or where the flashings meet the roof. Condensation inside an unventilated stack is another common cause. Our survey checks each of these and records the likely cause. You then know where to start. We’re frequently asked to look into signs that a stack is leaning and frost-damaged brickwork on the stack, across shared and party-wall stacks, chimney pots and cowls and chimney breasts.
In a small place like Butler's Cross, many roofs stand in the open, so ridges, chimney stacks, flashings and gutters work hard. Damp in old walls is slow to dry, so a small leak can do a lot of harm. A roof report shows what needs attention first. Lead flashings and old chimney stacks are frequently where weather gets in first.
Every survey ends with a written report, with photos, sent by email. It sets out the condition of the chimney stack, any defects and our written recommendations.
- Where
- Butler's Cross (HP17)
- Wider area
- Buckinghamshire
- Cost
- From £150 inc. VAT
- Report
- Emailed report with photos and recommendations
- When we survey
- Weekdays, Saturdays and Sundays
- Insurance
- Professional indemnity and public liability
- Telephone
- 07833 053749
- Page updated
- 27 October 2026
Towns and villages near Butler's Cross
More services for Butler's Cross
Questions from Butler's Cross
Can a landlord with a rental near Little Kimble station book a roof survey?
Of course. Let us know whether a tenant or an agent will let us in, and the report can go straight to you or your agent.
Is my home in Butler's Cross 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’s worth checking before planning any.
What happens after the survey?
The report comes by email, and what you do next is up to you: raise it with a seller, send it to an insurer, brief a roofer or share it with a managing agent.
What does a chimney survey cover?
The survey covers the pots and cowls, the flaunching, the pointing, the bricks and the flashings. We also check chimney breasts and the stack in the loft space where we can reach. Everything is written up with photographs.
Can you inspect my roof with a drone?
Where it’s applicable and safe, yes. We fly a sub-250g drone and we’re a CAA-registered drone operator (Flyer ID and Operator ID). Drone inspection is part of the Drone Roof Survey and the Premium Survey, where applicable.
Will you walk on the roof?
Only where it’s safe to do so. We check everything that can safely be seen: from ground level, from windows, from inside the loft space, from the roof where it is safe and by drone where applicable. The report says if anything couldn’t be seen.
What should I do with a chimney I don’t use?
There’s no single answer. The survey shows its condition and how it’s been capped. If you are thinking of removing it, check with the council first in a conservation area or on a listed building.
Leave it or get it looked at?
If you’re buying, find out about the stacks before you exchange. Once you’ve exchanged, the work is down to you. Our report gives you facts to raise with the seller or agent. Older cottages and farmhouses around Butler's Cross can have roof timbers that have been there a very long time, and water through a failed covering can rot timber if it’s left.
One thing that affects the price is the package: from £150 for Basic, £250 for Standard and £400 for Premium, inc. VAT. Size, height and access can affect the price too.
Why book us in Butler's Cross
- Two decades and more of roof surveys
- 5,000+ surveys completed
- Covered by professional indemnity and public liability insurance
- Visits on any day of the week
Take a look at how roof surveys are priced and what we found on two real jobs.
The survey, step by step
Expect us to ask a few questions before we start, about the roof’s history, any leaks and past repairs. The inspection then takes about 1–2 hours for most homes, a little longer where there are several stacks. Older rural homes like those around Butler's Cross can have a main roof, lower lean-to roofs and outbuildings all joined together. Each part is looked at from wherever it can be seen safely.
- You let us know whether any stacks are shared, unused or leaning.
- The flashings and the roof around each chimney are inspected.
- We look at the flaunching and pots on every stack.
- Any lean, spalling or worn pointing is recorded.
- The report explains the condition and which work is most urgent.
Getting ready for the survey
- Tell us about parking before the day
- Have any paperwork from past roof work to hand
- Check pets are kept safely away
Booking a survey
You can call us seven days a week, including Saturdays and Sundays. To book or ask a question, phone 07833 053749 or send us an email.
Advice
Roofs, chimneys and gutters in Butler's Cross
What can be done to an older roof may depend on listing or a conservation area. The council is the place to check, along with Historic England’s list. Some villages in Buckinghamshire still have thatched roofs. In this part of the South East, older roofs are mostly slate or clay tile and many newer ones concrete tile. On roofs like these, good slates or tiles can outlast the nails, battens, lead and mortar around them.
For an older house near a landmark such as Church of St Peter and St Paul, corroded nails, tired lead and weathered chimney pointing are the things to watch on older roofs. Take a building like John Colet School: long gutter runs and wide roofs on a building that size are worth checking on a regular cycle. For landlords with property near Little Kimble station, a roof report helps you deal with small faults before they turn into a call from a tenant.
Butler's Cross is about 4 miles south of Aylesbury, in Buckinghamshire. Butler's Cross gets the same service as everywhere else we work: a careful look at everything that’s safely in view, photographs and a clear written report. Our area takes in places right across Buckinghamshire, from the larger towns to small villages. For surveys nearby, see our Oxford page.
Every address in HP17 is within our area for chimney surveys. That includes homes and businesses on Ellesborough Road, Chalkshire Road and Wendover Road and the roads around them. We also cover the places around Butler's Cross: Chalkshire (1 mile north), Ellesborough (1 mile west), Coombe (1 mile south), Terrick (1 mile north) and Nash Lee (1 mile north). Larger places within reach include Aylesbury (4 miles north), High Wycombe (9 miles south), Chesham (8 miles south-east), Marlow (13 miles south), Amersham (9 miles south-east) and Beaconsfield (12 miles south-east).
Around Butler's Cross
Around Butler's Cross, our work takes us to homes and buildings near The Russell Arms and the streets around them. For rail, the closest station is Little Kimble station, roughly 1.2 miles west. Well-known places in the area include Stoke Mandeville Hospital (3.1 miles north) and Little Kimble Motte (1 mile south-west). Open spaces near Butler's Cross include Coombe Hill and Brush Hill Local Nature Reserve.
Honest limits
Some things can’t be seen without opening up the roof, and that sets some limits:
- A structural engineer’s assessment
- Whether a gas appliance or its flue is safe
- Hidden damage within the stack
Not sure which survey suits your roof? You can call 07833 053749 or drop us an email and we’ll tell you before you book. What a survey covers and doesn’t.
Roof types and parts we check
- Shared and party-wall stacks
- Flaunching
- Chimney breasts
- Chimney pots and cowls
- Brick chimney stacks
- Lead flashings
What you can safely check yourself
Your own check is a good start, but it is not a survey. You will not see flashings, valleys or the backs of chimneys properly from ground level.
You can learn a lot from ground level. Binoculars help you spot slipped slates or tiles, gaps along the ridge and a leaning stack. Never climb onto the roof to look.
Prices for chimney surveys in Butler's Cross
A few things affect what a survey costs:
- If the survey needs thermal imaging or a drone
- Roof area
- The number of roofs, including extensions and garages
- Features like valleys, chimneys, dormers and parapets
A small, low roof with good viewpoints takes less time than a tall, complicated one, and the package you pick makes a difference too. The price is always agreed first.
Booking your survey
When you call or email, these details help:
- Your postcode, so we can check access and travel
- What made you get in touch
- Any marks or damp showing indoors
- Dates you’re working to, like exchange
A quick phone call is typically the easiest start: phone 07833 053749 or drop us an email, and we’ll ask about the building and what you need. The price is agreed before a date is set.