West Sussex · London and the South East
Chimney survey in Coates, West Sussex
A survey of chimney stacks, pots, flashings and flaunching in Coates. We have completed more than 5,000 surveys across London and the South East.
- A stack that appears to lean
- Bricks with flaking faces
- Loose, cracked or missing pots
Coates: your questions answered
Will you come out to Coates?
Yes, Coates is covered. We cover the whole of London and South East England, from towns to the smallest villages. Longer journeys are simply planned beforehand.
I let a flat near Pulborough station. Can you check the roof?
Yes. We survey roofs for landlords, letting agents and managing agents as well as owners. Just call 07833 053749 or drop us an email with the details.
Can you survey in bad weather?
Some surveys depend on the weather more than others. Drones cannot fly safely in strong wind or a downpour, and thermal imaging works best after a sunny day, with a dry roof and little wind. We will rearrange with you if the weather isn’t right.
Is it the same as a RICS Level 2 or Level 3 survey?
No. This is a survey of the roof only, and it is not a RICS Level 2 or Level 3 survey. It can sit alongside a RICS survey if you want both.
Will I get photos?
Yes, plenty. Pictures sit next to the findings they show, which makes the report easy to follow.
Can you survey a shared roof?
Yes. A shared roof needs access agreed first. Let us know about it when booking and we’ll plan the survey around it.
Do you survey on Saturdays and Sundays?
We survey on any day from Monday to Sunday, during the day, which suits people who work during the week. Let us know your preferred days as you book.
Chimney survey in Coates
Damp on a chimney breast can have several causes. Water may be getting in at the top through cracked flaunching or an uncapped pot, through the brickwork, or at the flashings. Moisture trapped inside a stack with no ventilation can also cause damp. We look at each possibility and record what we find. That points the work in the right direction. If you’ve noticed mortar washing out of the joints and lifted or split lead flashings, a survey will tell you what’s going on, on lead flashings, shared and party-wall stacks and flaunching alike.
In a small place like Coates, 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 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.
After the visit, you get a photo-illustrated written report, sent by email. It sets out the condition of the chimney stack, any defects and our written recommendations.
- Place
- Coates (RH20)
- Wider area
- West Sussex
- Cost
- From £150 inc. VAT
- Report
- Emailed report with photos and recommendations
- Appointments
- Monday to Sunday, daytime
- Cover
- Professional indemnity and public liability
- Telephone
- 07833 053749
- Page updated
- 27 October 2026
What this survey cannot tell you
Without opening up the roof, some things stay hidden, so a survey has limits:
- Whether a stack needs rebuilding on structural grounds
- Conditions inside walls
- Checks on boilers, fires or their flues
Not sure which survey suits your roof? You can phone 07833 053749 or send us an email and we will tell you before you book. What a survey covers and doesn’t.
What this survey covers
- Chimney breasts
- Shared and party-wall stacks
- Flaunching
- Brick chimney stacks
- Chimney pots and cowls
- Lead flashings
Roof by roof
Rendered stacks
Water can get in through cracks and then struggle to dry out. We record any cracking and where it is.
Chimney pots and cowls
On redundant flues, we look at how the pots are capped. Poor capping can lead to damp inside the stack.
Why act early in Coates
A small amount of repointing or new flaunching is normally a modest job. Left for a few winters, frost and water can loosen pots and bricks and the job gets bigger. In a place like Coates, a barn or garage roof left to fail puts whatever is inside at risk. A quick look before winter can save a lot.
To find out what your survey will cost, phone 07833 053749 or drop us an email with the address and a few details. We’ll confirm the figure before booking.
Why choose Independent Roof Survey in Coates
- Insured for professional indemnity and public liability
- Satisfaction rate of 98%
- Photos and a written report every time
- More than 20 years surveying roofs
Take a look at how roof surveys are priced or what we found on two real jobs.
Coates homes and their roofs
With Bignor Roman Villa about 2.1 miles south, Coates sits in an area with a long building history. On older houses around here, roofs often carry the marks of earlier repairs, from replaced slates to new lead, and the council can say whether a home is in a conservation area. 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 often the fixings, flashings, valleys and gutters that give out first.
The streets around a church such as Church of St Agatha 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. Take a building like Fittleworth CofE Village School: large buildings have long gutter runs and big roofs that need checking like any other. Landlords with a home close to Pulborough station may find that a roof report helps you deal with small faults before they turn into a call from a tenant.
Coates is about 10 miles north of Littlehampton, in West Sussex. In Coates, as across West Sussex, every roof gets the same careful survey. We cover towns and villages across West Sussex, from the larger towns to small villages. Our Crawley page covers surveys nearby.
Postcode districts we cover here for chimney surveys: RH20. Neighbouring places we cover for chimney surveys include Lower Horncroft (1 mile east), Fittleworth (1 mile north-east), Bedham (1 mile north-east), Watersfield (2 miles south-east) and Coldwaltham (2 miles south-east). Larger places within reach include Horsham (14 miles north-east), Worthing (12 miles south-east), Bognor Regis (12 miles south-west), Chichester (12 miles south-west), Littlehampton (10 miles south) and Lancing (14 miles south-east).
What’s near Coates
Locally, jobs take us to homes and businesses close to The Swan Hotel. For rail, the closest station is Pulborough station, about 2.7 miles east of the centre. Well-known places in the area include Coates Castle (0.5 miles south-west) and Coultershaw Heritage Site (2 miles north-west). Not far away are Bignor Hill and Amberley Wild Brooks.
Should I look at the roof myself first?
If you have a loft with safe access, take a look inside. Use a torch and stay on the joists or boards, and look for staining, damp timber or daylight coming through.
What you can’t do safely is get up close. Roofs are fragile and slippery, and a fall can be serious. That’s where a survey comes in, using safe viewpoints and a drone where it applies.
What else we do in Coates
How we price chimney surveys
A few things affect what a survey costs:
- Which survey package you book
- How complicated the roof is, with its valleys, chimneys and parapets
- Any need for thermal images or a drone flight
- Extensions, dormers and garages with roofs of their own
Prices start from £150, including VAT, for a Basic Survey. The Standard Survey starts from £250 and the Premium Survey from £400, both including VAT. You will know the exact price before booking.
Helping us price your survey
The more you tell us, the easier it is to price the survey. When you contact us, it’s useful to mention:
- What’s prompted the survey
- Where any leaks, stains or damp patches show inside
- The property’s address and postcode
- Your timetable, like an exchange date
Most bookings start with a short call: call 07833 053749 or use the contact form. You’ll have a price before anything is arranged.
How it works
We’ll ask a few questions first, such as when any problem began and what work has been done before. Then the inspection itself takes about one to two hours at a house, as part of a look at the roof around the stack. For a village or hamlet like Coates, the journey is planned in advance: let us know about lanes, gates and parking. The roof is looked at from the ground, from windows, from the loft where there is safe access and from the roof where it’s safe.
- We start by noting which stacks are in use, shared or causing concern.
- The flashings and the roof around each chimney are inspected.
- The top of each stack is checked for cracked flaunching and loose pots.
- We note the brickwork, pointing and any sign of leaning.
- You receive a written report setting out what needs attention first.
How to prepare
- Keep pets inside or away from the areas we’re looking at
- For a flat or shared roof, check access with whoever owns or manages the building
- Move anything stored under the loft hatch
Booking a survey
Once you know what you need, call 07833 053749 or email us. From there it is a case of choosing a package, agreeing the price and fixing a day.