Surrey · London and the South East
Chimney survey in Coldharbour, Surrey
Chimney surveys around Coldharbour, with a written report you can act on. Weekday and weekend visits available.
- Flashings pulling away from the stack
- Damaged chimney pots and cowls
- Worn or missing pointing
Chimney surveys for homes and businesses in Coldharbour
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 frost-damaged brickwork on the stack and gaps in the mortar around the pots, a survey will tell you what’s going on, whatever the roof.
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 written report sets out what to deal with and in what order. On exposed older roofs, chimneys and lead flashings are often the first to give way.
Every survey ends with a written report, with photographs, sent by email. It explains the condition of the chimney stack, the defects we found and what we recommend.
- Where
- Coldharbour (RH5)
- Wider area
- Surrey
- Price
- From £150 inc. VAT
- Reports
- Emailed report with photos and recommendations
- Survey days
- Weekdays and weekends
- Insured
- Professional indemnity and public liability
- Phone
- 07833 053749
- Updated
- 27 October 2026
When you need someone else
Before you book, it is worth knowing what a survey will not do:
- A structural engineer’s assessment
- What’s inside the brickwork or behind render, without opening up
- Parts of the stack that cannot be seen safely or belong to a neighbour we cannot access
Not sure which survey suits your roof? You can ring 07833 053749 or use the contact form and we will tell you. What our survey covers.
What this survey covers
- Shared and party-wall stacks
- Chimney breasts
- Flaunching
- Brick chimney stacks
- Lead flashings
- Chimney pots and cowls
Common roof problems in Coldharbour
Stacks that were used for open fires for many years can weaken from the inside. Flue gases and damp can break down the mortar, sometimes more on one side than the other, which can make a stack lean.
Signs worth acting on include:
- Unused flues sealed without airflow
- Frost-damaged brickwork on the stack
- Flaunching that has broken away
- Signs that a stack is leaning
If you live near a park such as Wotton and Abinger Commons, or anywhere with mature trees, autumn leaves can block gutters and valleys, and an overflowing gutter soon means a wet wall.
Before booking anyone
- Which viewpoints they use to see the roof
- How long they’ve been surveying roofs
- If they fly a drone, whether they hold a CAA Flyer ID and Operator ID
- What exactly goes into their report
Also near Coldharbour
What else we do in Coldharbour
Questions from Coldharbour
Is my home in Coldharbour listed or in a conservation area?
Your council is the best source, with Historic England’s list for listed buildings. A change of roofing material may need consent in either case.
Will you come out to Coldharbour?
Yes, smaller places are covered as well as towns. Our area covers London and the South East. Let us know about access, parking and anything unusual about getting there when booking.
What does a chimney survey cover?
The whole stack, as far as it can be seen safely: pots, cowls, flaunching, pointing, bricks and flashings. We also note leaning, redundant stacks and damp inside.
How long will you be at the property?
It usually takes between one and two hours at most homes, and longer for a large or complex roof. You’ll then get the report by email.
How many surveys have you done?
We have been surveying roofs for over 20 years and have carried out more than 5,000 surveys across London and South East England.
What happens after the survey?
The report arrives by email. The Standard Survey includes a follow-up consultation, and the Premium Survey an in-person consultation.
What should I do with a chimney I don’t use?
A redundant chimney needs looking after like any other. If it is capped without ventilation, damp can build up inside. Our survey records its condition and how it’s capped, so you can plan what to do with it.
How it works
We’ll ask a few questions first, such as when any problem began and what work has been done before. The inspection then takes between one and two hours at a house, as part of a look at the roof around the stack. Somewhere like Coldharbour needs a little journey planning: tell us about narrow lanes, gates, long drives and where we can park. The roof is looked at from ground level, from windows, from the loft where there’s safe access and from the roof where it is safe.
- First we talk through the stacks, their history and any problems.
- Each stack is inspected from safe positions outside.
- 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.
Before we arrive
- Mention any parking restrictions on your street
- Jot down any questions you want answered
- Buyers: confirm access with the estate agent or seller
Booking a survey
You can call us seven days a week. To book or ask a question, call 07833 053749 or use the contact form.
Advice
What we look for on each type of roof
Rendered stacks
A rendered stack can mask problems in the bricks below. The survey checks for cracking, bulging and staining in the render.
Brick stacks
Frost can damage bricks that have soaked up water, making the faces flake away. Any spalling is noted with photos.
Prices for chimney surveys in Coldharbour
Prices always include VAT. What changes the price is:
- The use of thermal imaging or a drone
- Commercial roofs and larger buildings
- Extra roofs, like extensions, dormers or garages
- The roof’s overall size
Prices start from £150, inc. VAT, for a Basic Survey. The Standard Survey starts from £250 and the Premium Survey from £400, both with VAT included. You will know the exact price before booking.
What to tell us when you contact us
What helps most when you contact us:
- Any deadline, like an exchange date
- What made you get in touch
- Pictures of the roof from a safe spot, if you have them
- Any stains, drips or damp patches you’ve seen indoors
To arrange a survey, call 07833 053749 or email us with the address and what you’d like to know about the roof. You will know the price before anything is booked.
Leave it or get it looked at?
If you are 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. Matching old materials, such as handmade tiles or stone slates, can take time to source. That is one more reason to find defects before they become urgent.
To find out what your survey will cost, phone 07833 053749 or send us an email and let us know about the roof. We’ll confirm the figure before booking.
Why book us in Coldharbour
- Professional indemnity and public liability insurance
- An independent view of the roof
- Thermal imaging and drones used where they help
- 20+ years’ experience
Read what a roof survey costs or our case studies.
What a chimney survey looks like in Coldharbour
Listing and conservation areas can both shape what roof work is allowed on an older home. The council is the place to check, along with Historic England’s list. In Surrey, older roofs are frequently handmade clay tile, with tile-hanging on many upper walls. Some old buildings in Surrey and Sussex have Horsham stone slab roofs. Each of these coverings has its own weak points, from fixings and valleys to flashings, chimneys and gutters.
Landlords with a home close to Holmwood station may find that knowing the condition of the roof, chimneys and gutters helps you plan work rather than react to complaints. For an older house near a landmark like Christ Church, the nails, lead and mortar on the roof may be wearing out even where the slates or tiles look fine.
Coldharbour is about 4 miles south of Dorking, in Surrey. Roofs in Coldharbour get the same thorough look as anywhere else in Surrey. Coldharbour is one of the places in Surrey where we work for chimney surveys. For surveys nearby, see our Crawley page.
All of RH5 is covered for chimney surveys. We also cover the places around Coldharbour: Abinger Bottom (2 miles north-west), South Holmwood (2 miles north-east), Holmwood Corner (2 miles east), Friday Street (2 miles north-west) and Beare Green (2 miles east). We also work in nearby towns such as Guildford (10 miles north-west), Woking (13 miles north-west), Epsom (11 miles north), Horley (8 miles east), Redhill (9 miles north-east) and Ewell (13 miles north).
Around Coldharbour
Around Coldharbour, our work takes us to homes and buildings near Wotton and Abinger Commons and Plough Inn. Coldharbour’s nearest station is Holmwood station, about 1.6 miles east of the centre. A little further out are Mesolithic Museum (2.6 miles north-west) and Abinger Castle (2.6 miles north-west). Green spaces nearby include Vann Lake and Leith Hill.