Hampshire · London and the South East
Charter Alley Chimney Survey
We take a careful look at the chimney stack at your property in Charter Alley, with photos and a written report.
- Spalled or crumbling bricks
- Gaps where the stack meets the roof
- Loose, cracked or missing pots
Your questions about chimney surveys in Charter Alley
I let a flat near Bramley (Hants) station. Can you check the roof?
Yes, landlords and agents book with us as well as owners. Just call 07833 053749 or drop us an email and tell us about the building.
Do you cover smaller places like Charter Alley?
Yes, we do. Our area covers London and the South East, from towns to the smallest villages. Longer journeys are simply planned beforehand.
What should I do with a chimney I don’t use?
It depends on its condition and your plans. We record how the stack is doing and whether it is capped with ventilation. In a conservation area or on a listed building, changes may need consent.
How do you inspect a chimney without scaffolding?
We inspect from wherever is safe: the ground, nearby windows and higher points, and the loft space. A drone inspection is included in our Premium Survey where applicable. If part of a stack cannot be seen, the report says so.
Can you find out why my chimney breast is damp?
Normally it is water getting in from outside, or condensation in a sealed stack. The survey looks at the stack, the flashings and the capping, and record what we find.
Will you walk on the roof?
Not unless it is safe. Safe viewpoints, the loft space and a drone where applicable cover most of what’s needed, and anything out of sight is recorded in the report.
Does the report include photos?
Yes, plenty. Each finding is shown in a picture where possible.
Chimney survey in Charter Alley: what you get
If you are buying a home with chimneys, it’s worth knowing their condition before you exchange. Cracked flaunching, failed flashings and worn pointing are common findings on older stacks. You get photos and findings you can take back to the seller or agent. It complements a RICS home survey rather than replacing it. We survey brick chimney stacks, lead flashings and chimney breasts, and common reasons people get in touch are a stack that appears to lean and spalled or crumbling bricks.
Some older homes in villages like Charter Alley are listed or in a conservation area. That can affect what materials can be used when work is done, so check with the council before planning anything. A roof report helps you plan work with that in mind. Older materials like clay tiles, slate and stone are often matched when work is done.
The report is yours to share with whoever needs it: a seller or estate agent, an insurer, a roofer, a builder or a managing agent.
- Where
- Charter Alley (RG26)
- Wider area
- Hampshire
- Cost
- From £150 inc. VAT
- Reports
- A written report with photos, by email
- Appointments
- Weekdays and weekends
- Insured
- Professional indemnity and public liability
- Call
- 07833 053749
- Page updated
- 27 October 2026
Chimney surveys around Charter Alley
With The Vyne about 2.6 miles east, Charter Alley sits in an area with a long building history. Older homes in the wider area often have features worth a closer look, like lead valleys, tall stacks and roofs that have been patched over the years, and a listed home or one in a conservation area may need consent for changes of material. A number of Hampshire villages keep thatched roofs on their older buildings. Slate and clay tile are the usual coverings on older South East houses, with concrete tiles on many later estates. Whichever you have, the details that tend to fail before the covering itself get the closest look.
Take an older house close to Christ Church: the nails, lead and mortar on the roof may be wearing out even where the slates or tiles look fine. Anyone responsible for a site like The Priory Primary School will know that large buildings have long gutter runs and big roofs that need checking like any other.
Charter Alley is about 3 miles south of Tadley, in Hampshire. Charter Alley is part of the area we cover as part of our work across London and the South East. Across Hampshire, we cover Charter Alley and the places around it. Our Reading page covers surveys nearby.
We survey roofs across the RG26 postcode area for chimney surveys and the streets around it. Whether your property is on Old Chapel Lane, Sand Martin Close and White Hart Lane or anywhere close by, we can help. We also cover Ramsdell (1 mile west), West Heath (1 mile north-west), Pamber End (1 mile north-east), Monk Sherborne (1 mile south-east) and Salters Heath (1 mile east). Within a short drive, we also cover Basingstoke (4 miles south-east), Fleet (14 miles east), Alton (14 miles south-east), Yateley (14 miles east), Tadley (3 miles north) and Hook (8 miles east).
Local landmarks in Charter Alley
Charter Alley’s nearest station is Bramley (Hants) station, about 3.8 miles east of the centre. Well-known places in the area include Park Prewett Hospital (2.7 miles south-east) and Calleva Museum (3.4 miles north-east). Not far away are Daneshill Park Woods.
Also near Charter Alley
Also in Charter Alley
What happens on the day
Safety comes first on every visit. We inspect everything that’s safely in view, and anything we cannot see is noted in the report. Most visits take about 1–2 hours at most homes; commercial roofs usually need 3–4 hours. In a hamlet or village like Charter Alley, a postcode does not always lead to the right gate, so a few directions, or a note of a nearby landmark, help us arrive on time. After that, the survey runs as it would anywhere.
- First we talk through the stacks, their history and any problems.
- Each stack is inspected from safe positions outside.
- 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.
Getting ready for the survey
- Make a note of anything you’d like us to look at
- Check the loft hatch can be reached
- Point out any leaks or damp patches
How to book
A quick phone call is usually the easiest start: call 07833 053749 or email us and we’ll ask a few questions about the roof. You will have a price before anything is arranged.
Read more
What we are asked to look at in Charter Alley
Flashings seal the gap where a stack passes through the roof. With age they can lift, split or come away from the joints. Failed flashings are one of the most common causes of damp around chimneys. Lead is also a target for theft.
These are some of the problems a survey can pick up:
- Gaps where the stack meets the roof
- Flaunching that has broken away
- Damp on a chimney breast inside
- Pots or cowls that look unsafe
For landlords with property near Bramley (Hants) station, a roof report helps you deal with small faults before they turn into a call from a tenant.
Before booking anyone
- What insurance they carry
- Do they have a CAA Flyer ID and Operator ID for drone work?
- Whether the roof space is looked at, where there is one
- What the report includes, and whether it has photos
When you need someone else
Some things can’t be seen without opening up the roof, and that sets some limits:
- Checks on boilers, fires or their flues
- Flue inspections or sweeping
- Parts of the stack that can’t be seen safely or belong to a neighbour we can’t access
If in doubt, call 07833 053749 or email us and we will point you to the right survey before you book. What a survey covers and doesn’t.
What this survey covers
- Lead flashings
- Chimney breasts
- Shared and party-wall stacks
- Chimney pots and cowls
- Flaunching
- Brick chimney stacks
What happens if roof problems are left?
For a buyer, the best time to learn about a chimney is before exchange. Once you’ve exchanged, the work is down to you. Our report gives you facts to raise with the seller or agent. Outbuildings and barns around Charter Alley are easy to forget, but a failed roof there can spoil what’s stored inside. It is worth including them in a survey before a winter does the damage.
A small, low roof with good viewpoints takes less time than a tall, complicated one, and the package you pick makes a difference too. We will give you the figure before anything is booked.
Why book us in Charter Alley
- Drone flown under a CAA Flyer ID and Operator ID
- Visits on any day of the week
- A written report with photographs
- Drones and thermal imaging where it applies
Read our cost guide and our case studies.
Roof by roof
Flaunching
Flaunching takes the worst of the weather. The survey checks for cracking and gaps around each pot.
Brick stacks
Most chimney stacks are built of brick, with mortar joints that wear over time. The survey looks for crumbling bricks and worn or missing mortar.
How we price chimney surveys
Not every roof costs the same to survey, and it comes down to:
- The size of the roof
- The use of thermal imaging or a drone
- The height of the building and how the roof can be seen safely
- The shape of the roof and its details
Prices quoted always include VAT, and the written report is part of the package. Our price is from £150, including VAT. Where your roof sits in the range depends on its size, height and access.
Getting in touch
Before you get in touch, it helps to have:
- The type of building and roof, like pitched or flat
- Whether there is a loft hatch, a shared roof or tricky access
- Any marks or damp showing indoors
- The address and postcode of the property
To book a survey, ring 07833 053749 or send us an email and tell us the address and what’s prompted the survey. We will confirm the price before booking.