West Sussex · London and the South East
Chimney Survey in Chidham
Chimney surveys across Chidham, backed by more than 20 years’ experience. Every survey ends with a written report and photos.
- Damp on a chimney breast inside
- A stack that appears to lean
- Damaged chimney pots and cowls
What happens on the day
Where it’s relevant and can be reached safely, the roof space is checked as well as the outside. In the loft, the signs we look for are staining, damp, daylight and sagging. The whole visit usually takes an hour or two for most homes, a little longer where there are several stacks. In a small place like Chidham, access is usually the main thing to plan. Let us know about outbuildings, past repairs and any leaks you’ve noticed. Visits can be on weekdays, Saturdays or Sundays.
- We start by noting which stacks are in use, shared or causing concern.
- The flashings and the roof around each chimney are inspected.
- We check 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.
Before the survey
- Clear the way to the loft hatch
- Jot down any questions you want answered
- Keep pets inside or away from the areas we are looking at
How to book
Getting a price is simple: just phone 07833 053749 or send us an email and give us some details about the property and we’ll explain which survey suits. We confirm the price before anything is booked.
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About our chimney survey in Chidham
For buyers, a chimney survey before exchange can flag work you may want to raise. Cracked flaunching, failed flashings and worn pointing are common findings on older stacks. Our report gives you specific points to raise with the seller or agent. It complements a RICS home survey rather than replacing it. We survey brick chimney stacks, shared and party-wall stacks and chimney pots and cowls, and people most often book us about flashings pulling away from the stack and spalled or crumbling bricks.
Village roofs often face open fields and take the full force of wind and rain, 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. On exposed older roofs, chimneys and lead flashings are often the first to give way.
Findings are set out part by part, from the main slopes down to the gutters and outlets. You will see the good as well as the bad.
- Place
- Chidham (PO18)
- Wider area
- West Sussex
- Cost
- From £150 inc. VAT
- Reports
- A written report with photos, by email
- Appointments
- Monday to Sunday, daytime
- Cover
- PI and public liability insurance
- Phone
- 07833 053749
- Updated
- 27 October 2026
What happens if roof problems are left?
If you’re thinking of removing or reducing a stack, it’s useful to know its condition first. In a conservation area or on a listed building, changes may need permission from the council and the council can advise. Older cottages and farmhouses around Chidham 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.
Thermal imaging and drone inspection (where applicable) come with the Premium Survey, which starts from £400, including VAT. We’ll tell you which package suits the questions you have.
What you get with us
- Independent findings on the roof’s condition
- We hold a CAA Flyer ID and Operator ID
- Photos and a written report every time
- 20+ years’ experience
Read our cost guide and two real surveys.
Useful tips for Chidham property owners
These tips come from what we see on roofs every week, before and after a survey:
- Use a Gas Safe registered engineer for gas appliances
- Keep the report to compare against at the next survey
- Make sure unused flues are capped with ventilation
- Ask about consent before removing a chimney on an older property
After the visit, we write up the report with photos 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.
Unused stacks should be capped in a way that still lets air through. Ventilation helps keep the stack dry.
Honest limits
It is a careful look at the chimney stack, not the whole story. The main limits are:
- Areas we cannot view from safe positions
- Gas safety checks, which need a Gas Safe registered engineer
- Hidden damage within the stack
If in doubt, phone 07833 053749 or send us an email and we will suggest the right survey before you book. What a survey covers and doesn’t.
What this survey covers
- Lead flashings
- Flaunching
- Brick chimney stacks
- Shared and party-wall stacks
- Chimney breasts
- Chimney pots and cowls
Chimney surveys around Chidham
The coast is about 2 miles or less from Chidham, where sea air brings more salt and stronger wind than inland. Near the sea, metal fixings wear faster and loose pieces on a roof are more likely to lift, while driving rain finds any gap. In Sussex, older roofs are often handmade clay tile, frequently with tile-hanging on the walls below. A few old Sussex buildings still carry heavy Horsham stone slabs. Whatever the covering, it is frequently the fixings, flashings, valleys and gutters that give out first.
Take an older house close to The Parish Church of St Mary: old fixings, lead flashings and tall chimneys are typical of older roofs. For site and facilities teams at buildings such as Chidham Parochial Primary School, long gutter runs and wide roofs on a building that size are worth checking on a regular cycle.
Chidham is about 4 miles west of Chichester, in West Sussex. Roofs in Chidham get the same thorough look as anywhere else in West Sussex. Our West Sussex coverage includes Chidham and the places around it. There’s also a page for Portsmouth.
Postcode districts we cover here for chimney surveys: PO18. Streets in the area include Chidham Lane, Harbour Way and Cot Lane, all of which we cover. Close by, we survey roofs in Nutbourne (1 mile north-west), Bosham (1 mile east), Broadbridge (1 mile east), Hambrook (1 mile north) and Bosham Hoe (2 miles south-east). Larger places within reach include Bognor Regis (9 miles east), Chichester (4 miles east), Selsey (8 miles south-east), Littlehampton (15 miles east), Emsworth (3 miles north-west) and Portfield (5 miles east).
Landmarks near Chidham
Around Chidham, our work takes us to homes and buildings near Bourne Community College, among other places. The closest station to Chidham is Nutbourne station, roughly 1 mile north-west of the centre. Other landmarks nearby include Warblington Castle (4.1 miles west) and St Richard's Hospital (4.6 miles east). The countryside around Chidham includes Nutborne Marshes and Stoke Down.
Common roof problems in Chidham
Years of fires can affect the mortar inside a stack. Mortar can deteriorate unevenly from flue gases and moisture, which is one reason stacks start to lean.
Problems we come across often include:
- Redundant stacks capped without ventilation
- Pots or cowls that look unsafe
- Mortar washing out of the joints
- A stack that appears to lean
Warblington Castle, about 4.1 miles west, is one of the historic houses in the wider area around Chidham. On a period home nearby, the survey separates sound original work from tired later repairs.
Before booking any roof surveyor
- Do they have a CAA Flyer ID and Operator ID for drone work?
- Their track record with similar roofs
- What the report includes, and whether it has photos
- How they plan to inspect the roof safely
Nearby places to Chidham
What else we do in Chidham
Chidham: your questions answered
Is Chidham within the area you cover?
Yes, Chidham is on our map. Villages and rural addresses get the same survey as a town house, with the route planned beforehand.
Is the coastal weather around Chidham hard on roofs?
Places near the sea get more wind and more salt in the air than inland, and both are hard on roofs. Salt is hard on nails, clips and metal flashings, while strong wind lifts anything already loose.
When does the report arrive?
Basic reports arrive within 48 hours, Standard reports in 24–48 hours and Premium reports on the same day. Each one is emailed, ready to forward.
Do you need to get into the loft?
Typically, if there is one and it can be reached safely. The loft space can show things the outside cannot, such as damp timbers, staining or daylight.
Does this replace a RICS home survey?
No. Our survey looks at the roof, not the whole building. For the rest of the building, a RICS home survey is a separate job.
Do you carry professional indemnity insurance?
We are covered by professional indemnity and public liability insurance, for every survey we carry out.
What does a chimney survey cover?
Every part of the stack we can see from safe positions: pots, cowls, flaunching, pointing, bricks and flashings. We also note leaning, redundant stacks and damp inside.
Checking the roof from ground level
Inside, the loft is a good place to look, with care. Take a torch and only step on boards or joists, checking for stains, damp wood or chinks of daylight.
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. Don’t go up yourself.