Isle of Wight · London and the South East
Chimney survey in Cowes, Isle of Wight
A careful look at the chimney stack at your property in Cowes, and put it all in a report with photos.
- A chimney out of line
- Frost-damaged brickwork on the stack
- Flaunching that has broken away
What happens on the day
Where it’s relevant and can be reached safely, the roof space is checked as well as the outside. Inside, we look for staining, damp, gaps and signs of movement. The whole visit normally takes roughly 1–2 hours at a typical home, and about three to four hours for a commercial roof. A visit in Cowes runs most smoothly with the loft hatch clear, side gates open and a parking spot in mind. Someone needs to let us in, so let us know who that will be.
- First you let us know about the chimneys, any damp on the chimney breasts and any worries.
- Each chimney is viewed from wherever it can be seen safely.
- The pots, cowls, flaunching, pointing, brickwork and flashings are checked and photographed.
- We check the chimney breasts and the stack in the roof space where we can reach them.
- We send a written report with photos, the defects found and what we recommend.
Before we arrive
- If it is not your property yet, arrange access through the agent
- Make a note of anything you’d like us to look at
- Leave side gates unlocked
Getting a price
If you are buying, it’s useful to book soon after your offer is accepted, so you have the findings in time to act on them before you exchange. Otherwise, simply phone 07833 053749 or email us whenever suits you.
Related advice
Chimney survey in Cowes
A chimney survey is about the outside of the stack and the roof around it. It is not a flue inspection, a sweep or a gas safety check. For the flue itself, you will need a sweep or, for gas appliances, a Gas Safe registered engineer. We’ll tell you if we see anything that suggests they should take a look. If you’re worried about loose, cracked or missing pots and worn or missing pointing, we can find out what’s behind it.
In a town like Cowes, older houses with slate or clay tile roofs normally sit alongside later estates with concrete tiles. Chimneys on older houses may be redundant, capped or leaning, and their lead flashings still need to be sound. Later houses have their own typical faults, from loose ridge tiles to blocked gutters.
The report works through the roof section by section, from the main slopes down to the gutters and outlets. You’ll see the good as well as the bad.
- Where
- Cowes (PO31)
- Wider area
- Isle of Wight
- Price
- From £150 inc. VAT
- Reports
- A written report with photos, by email
- Appointments
- Weekdays and weekends
- Insurance
- Professional indemnity and public liability
- Call
- 07833 053749
- Updated
- 27 October 2026
What this survey cannot tell you
We only report everything that’s safely in view on the day, so some things are outside what a survey can do:
- Gas safety checks, which need a Gas Safe registered engineer
- Hidden sides of a shared stack
- Structural calculations for a leaning stack
If in doubt, phone 07833 053749 or use the contact form and we’ll point you to the right survey. What our survey covers.
What we check
- Lead flashings
- Chimney breasts
- Chimney pots and cowls
- Shared and party-wall stacks
- Brick chimney stacks
- Flaunching
Cowes questions
Is Cowes in the area you cover?
Yes, Cowes is one of the places we work. The survey and report are the same in Cowes as anywhere else, and visits run on weekdays and weekends.
How do I find out if my home in Cowes is listed?
The council and Historic England’s list are the places to check. It’s worth checking before planning roof work, as both can affect what’s allowed.
What happens next?
We email you the written report with photographs and recommendations. It’s yours to share with a seller, insurer, roofer or managing agent, whichever applies.
How long have you been surveying roofs?
Over 5,000 surveys so far, over more than 20 years.
Do you inspect shared chimneys?
Yes. Shared stacks are common on terraced and semi-detached houses. We record the stack as far as we can see it and flag anything on the neighbour’s side.
What do you check on a chimney?
We check the pots, cowls, flaunching, pointing, brickwork and flashings. Inside, we look for damp on chimney breasts and in the loft where there’s safe access. You get a written report with photos.
Do you survey roofs on blocks of flats?
Yes, once access has been agreed. The roof of a block or converted house is often shared, so whoever owns or manages the building needs to agree access. We inspect only the parts we are allowed to reach.
Before and after the survey
Some practical points come up on survey after survey. They apply to most roofs:
- Ask for ventilated caps on redundant stacks
- Keep track of stains on chimney breasts
- Never climb onto the roof to look at a chimney
- Use a Gas Safe registered engineer for gas appliances
You can send the report to roofers or builders for quotes. With the same list in front of each contractor, comparing quotes is simpler.
Have worn pointing and cracked flaunching dealt with early. It is far simpler than rebuilding a stack later.
Local roofs in Cowes
Cowes lies within about 2 miles of the sea, and places near the sea get more salt in the air and more wind than inland. Salt is hard on nails, clips and metal flashings, and strong wind lifts anything already loose on a roof, while driving rain finds any gap. About 1.7 miles east lies Osborne House, a reminder of how long the area around Cowes has been built on. 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.
Anyone responsible for a site like Cowes Primary School will know that a written record of a large roof helps plan work for the holidays rather than in term time.
Cowes is about 8 miles south-west of Gosport, in the Isle of Wight. We carry out chimney surveys in Cowes for houses, flats, blocks and commercial buildings, with a written report and photographs every time. Our area takes in places right across the Isle of Wight, large and small. We also survey roofs in Portsmouth.
All of PO31 is covered for chimney surveys. We offer chimney surveys to properties on Church Road, Market Hill and High Street and the roads around them. With the A3020 and B3320 close by, Cowes is simple for us to get to. We also cover the places around Cowes: Gurnard (1 mile west), Northwood (1 mile south), Rew Street (1 mile south-west), Noke Common (3 miles south) and Parkhurst (3 miles south). We also work in nearby towns like Newport (4 miles south), Ryde (7 miles east), Sandown (10 miles south-east), Shanklin (10 miles south-east), Ventnor (12 miles south) and Oakfield (7 miles east). Cowes is one of the larger places we cover in the Isle of Wight. Harder-to-reach addresses take a little more planning, so please mention your location when you ring 07833 053749 or drop us an email.
Near you in Cowes
Around Cowes, our work takes us to homes and buildings near The Painters Arms, Isle of Wight Studio School and Cowes Enterprise College and the streets around them. Nearby you will also find Isle of Wight Natural History Centre (0.5 miles south-west) and West Cowes Castle (0.7 miles north). Open spaces near Cowes include Briddlesford Nature Reserve and Mill Hill.
Places near Cowes
Other services in Cowes
Rented homes, blocks and businesses
A roof problem in a let property affects your tenants as well as the building. A survey shows what needs attention, so you can plan the work.
Freeholders and residents’ companies use a roof report to plan and budget, putting the urgent items at the top.
Signs you need a chimney survey in Cowes
A stack takes the weather from every direction. Frost opens up cracks in the mortar, and rain gets into worn bricks and joints. People normally call us when they notice damp or a problem with the stack, or before a purchase.
Typical things we are asked to look at include:
- Signs that a stack is leaning
- Spalled or crumbling bricks
- Redundant stacks capped without ventilation
- Gaps where the stack meets the roof
The streets around a church like St. Faith's Church are often among the oldest in a place, and if you own one of the older houses nearby, its roof may have old fixings, lead flashings and chimneys that need a closer look.
What to check before booking
- Which limits apply to the survey
- Which viewpoints they use to see the roof
- When you will get the report
- Whether the price includes VAT
Prices for chimney surveys in Cowes
Several things affect the price of a survey:
- House, block, shop or office
- Any need for thermal images or a drone flight
- Roof area
- Which survey package you book
Our price is from £150, including VAT. What you pay depends on the size and height of the roof, how it can be seen safely and which survey you book.
Booking your survey
Some details help us suggest the right survey and price. When you get in touch, it helps to mention:
- When you need the report by
- Anything about access we should know
- Pictures of the roof from a safe spot, if you have them
- The type of building and roof, such as pitched or flat
Surveys can be booked for weekdays, Saturdays or Sundays. To arrange a day that suits you, phone 07833 053749 or email us with the address and the days you’d prefer.