Oxfordshire · London and the South East
Chimney survey in Coscote, Oxfordshire
A survey of chimney stacks, pots, flashings and flaunching across Coscote, using drones and thermal imaging where applicable. Call or email for a price.
- Redundant stacks capped without ventilation
- Damp on a chimney breast inside
- A stack that appears to lean
How a chimney survey works in Coscote
A chimney survey looks at the stack and everything around it: pots, cowls, flaunching, pointing, bricks and the flashings at the roof line. Inside, we check chimney breasts and the stack in the loft where it is safe to reach. The findings come in a written report with photos and recommendations. It suits a single stack on a house as well as several on a larger building. We are often asked to look into staining on walls around the chimney and pots or cowls that look unsafe, across chimney pots and cowls, flaunching and chimney breasts.
Somewhere as small as Coscote, homes are often older cottages and farmhouses, with outbuildings and some newer houses. Roofs there can be clay tile, slate, stone or thatch, and chimney stacks are often old. Each needs checking in its own way, and thatch is a specialist material we report on as far as it can be seen. Chimneys and lead flashings on old roofs often need the most attention.
How fast the report arrives depends on the package: Basic within 48 hours, Standard in 24–48 hours and Premium the same day.
- Where
- Coscote (OX11)
- Region
- Oxfordshire
- Cost
- From £150 inc. VAT
- Report
- Written, with photos, emailed to you
- Appointments
- Monday to Sunday, daytime
- Insurance
- PI and public liability insurance
- Call
- 07833 053749
- Page updated
- 27 October 2026
Prices for chimney surveys in Coscote
Every roof is different, so prices are confirmed before you book. These are the things that affect it:
- Extra roofs, like extensions, dormers or garages
- How big the roof is
- The type of building, from a house to a block or an office
- The height of the building and how the roof can be seen safely
The cost of a survey depends on the roof: how big it is, how high it is, the number of separate roofs and how it can be reached and seen safely. Our price is from £150, including VAT.
What to let us know when you contact us
We will usually ask about:
- Any marks or damp showing indoors
- What’s prompted the survey
- What kind of property and roof it is
- Access details, like a loft hatch or a shared roof
We confirm the price for your survey before you book, so you know where you stand. Chimney survey starts from £150, including VAT. For a price for your roof, ring 07833 053749 or drop us an email.
What happens on the day
The visit has one job: to look at the chimney stack as closely as is safe and record what we find. Everything we note and photograph goes into the written report. It typically takes an hour or two on an ordinary house, and longer for a large or complex roof. In a hamlet or village like Coscote, a postcode doesn’t always lead to the right gate, so a few directions are welcome. After that, the survey runs as it would anywhere.
- 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.
- The report explains the condition and which work is most urgent.
Preparing for the visit
- If you are buying, check with the agent that we can get in
- Note where any stains or damp appear
- For a flat or shared roof, check access with whoever owns or manages the building
Arrange a survey
Our phone lines are open seven days a week, including Saturdays and Sundays. To book or ask a question, phone 07833 053749 or send us an email.
Related advice
Common roof problems in Coscote
Where a chimney meets the roof, lead flashings keep water out. They can lift in wind, crack with age or pull out of the mortar joints. When flashings fail, water often shows up in the loft or on the chimney breast. Lead flashings can also be stolen.
People usually book a survey when they’ve noticed one of these:
- A chimney out of line
- Flaunching that has broken away
- Redundant stacks capped without ventilation
- Lifted or split lead flashings
If you let a flat or house near Didcot Parkway station, a roof report between tenancies helps plan work before a small defect becomes a tenant’s leak.
Questions to ask before booking
- Their drone registration, if they fly one
- How they’ll see the roof: from the ground, the loft, the roof or by drone
- Their insurance cover
- Is VAT included in the price?
Checking the roof from ground level
Watch the gutters in a downpour, from a window or the ground. Overflowing water can be a sign of a blockage or a gutter that has dropped.
You can learn a lot from ground level. With binoculars, look for slipped or missing slates and tiles, gaps along the ridge and leaning chimneys. Please don’t climb up for a closer look.
Places near Coscote
Also in Coscote
What happens if roof problems are left?
A small amount of repointing or new flaunching is normally a modest job. Leave it, and frost can work the stack loose, and the work grows. Where a roof is exposed, as many are in small places like Coscote, driving rain gets into any weakness, and damp in older walls is slow to dry out.
One thing that affects the price is the package: from £150 for Basic, £250 for Standard and £400 for Premium, with VAT included. The roof’s size, height and access matter as well.
Why choose Independent Roof Survey in Coscote
- We hold a CAA Flyer ID and Operator ID
- Prices that include VAT
- Drone and thermal imaging surveys available
- Covered by professional indemnity and public liability insurance
See our cost guide and our case studies.
Tips that help
These tips come from what we see on roofs every week, before and after a survey:
- Look at the chimneys with binoculars after a storm
- Remove aerials or dishes from the stack if they’re no longer needed
- Find out whether changes to a stack need permission
- Check that disused chimneys can still breathe
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. Turnaround is within 48 hours for Basic, 24 to 48 hours for Standard and the same day for Premium.
Watch for damp or staining on chimney breasts. Early signs are easier to trace.
Chimney surveys in Coscote: local notes
Historic houses like Brightwell Manor, about 4.1 miles east, show how far back building in the area around Coscote goes. Older homes in the wider area often have features worth a closer look, such as lead valleys, tall stacks and roofs that have been patched over the years, and the council can say whether a home is in a conservation area. Cotswold stone slates are found on older buildings in west Oxfordshire, and thatch survives in some of the county’s villages. 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.
For site and facilities teams at buildings like Hagbourne Church of England Primary School, its roofs, gutters and any chimneys need the same checks as a house’s, just on a bigger scale. If yours is one of the older homes in the streets near Church of St Andrew, corroded nails, tired lead and weathered chimney pointing are the things to watch on older roofs.
Coscote is about 1 mile south of Didcot, in Oxfordshire. Whether the building in Coscote is a house, a flat or a commercial unit, we can survey the roof on a weekday or at the weekend. Our area takes in places right across Oxfordshire. We also survey roofs in Oxford.
Chimney surveys in OX11 work the same way as everywhere else we cover. Neighbouring places we cover for chimney surveys include West Hagbourne (1 mile south-west), East Hagbourne (1 mile east), Upton (1 mile south), Harwell (2 miles west) and Blewbury (2 miles south-east). Within a short drive, we also cover Oxford (11 miles north), Abingdon-on-Thames (6 miles north), Wantage (7 miles west), Grove (7 miles west), Faringdon (15 miles west) and Benson (7 miles east).
Around Coscote
We work in homes and buildings around UTC Oxfordshire, Fleur De Lys Public House and St Birinus School and the streets around them. The closest station to Coscote is Didcot Parkway station, roughly 1.5 miles north. Other landmarks nearby include Brightwell Castle (4.1 miles east) and Atlas Computer Laboratory (2.8 miles south-west). For a walk, there’s Mowbray Fields and Churn Hill.
Questions from Coscote
Does a conservation area affect roof work in Coscote?
We cannot confirm that for you, but Historic England’s list and your council can. A change of roofing material may need consent in either case.
Do you survey roofs for landlords with property near Didcot Parkway station?
Yes, rented property is part of what we cover. You can phone 07833 053749 or use the contact form with the address and a few details.
How long will you be at the property?
That depends on the size and shape of the roof, but most surveys take about 1–2 hours at a house, as part of a look at the roof around the stack. The written report follows by email.
Will you check the chimney is safe to use with a fire?
No. We survey the stack and its weathering, not the flue. For the flue, you’ll need a sweep or, for gas, a Gas Safe registered engineer.
Is Coscote in your area?
Yes, we do. We carry out chimney surveys in Coscote, and the service is the same as everywhere else we work.
Are you insured?
We hold professional indemnity and public liability insurance.
Does someone need to be in?
Not necessarily. If we only need the outside, we can agree that ahead of time, but the loft and any rooms with damp need someone to let us in.