West Sussex · London and the South East
Chimney survey in Ditchling, West Sussex
A survey of chimney stacks, pots, flashings and flaunching across Ditchling, using drones and thermal imaging where applicable. Call or email for a price.
- Bricks with flaking faces
- Cracked or missing flaunching
- Damp patches on chimney breasts
How a chimney survey works in Ditchling
Chimney stacks take more weather than almost any other part of a house. Over the years, the flaunching cracks, the pointing wears and flashings lift. That lets water into the brickwork, which can show up as damp on a chimney breast or in the roof space. A survey finds these problems and records them with photos. We are often asked to look into a chimney out of line and unused flues sealed without airflow, across shared and party-wall stacks, brick chimney stacks and chimney pots and cowls.
Older buildings in small places like Ditchling may be listed or in a conservation area. That can affect what materials can be used when work is done, so check with the council before planning anything. A roof report helps you plan work with that in mind. Older materials like clay tiles, slate and stone are often matched when work is done.
The report is written in plain words, so you do not need to be a roofer to follow it. Photos show what each point refers to, with the urgent items made clear.
- Place
- Ditchling (BN6)
- Wider area
- West Sussex
- Price
- From £150 inc. VAT
- Reports
- Emailed report with photos and recommendations
- Survey days
- Weekdays and weekends
- Cover
- PI and public liability insurance
- Telephone
- 07833 053749
- Updated
- 27 October 2026
What this survey can’t tell you
A survey is a careful look at the chimney stack, but it can’t do everything. The main limits are:
- Areas we cannot view from safe positions
- Whether a gas appliance or its flue is safe
- What’s inside the brickwork or behind render, without opening up
If in doubt, call 07833 053749 or drop us an email and we will suggest the right survey before you book. What a survey covers and doesn’t.
What we check
- Lead flashings
- Chimney pots and cowls
- Shared and party-wall stacks
- Chimney breasts
- Flaunching
- Brick chimney stacks
Why it’s worth a survey now in Ditchling
Most people never get a proper look at their chimney stacks. Defects tend to go unseen until there is a stain. Surveying the stack now can catch problems first. Older and listed buildings around Ditchling may need consent and matching materials for repairs, so leaving a defect until it’s urgent leaves less time to plan.
There are three survey packages: the Basic Survey from £150, the Standard Survey from £250 and the Premium Survey from £400, all with VAT included. What your roof costs depends on its size, access and what you want to find out.
Why us?
- Over 5,000 surveys carried out
- An independent look at the roof
- Thermal imaging and drone inspection where they help
- A written report with photographs
Read our cost guide and what we found on two real jobs.
Chimney surveys around Ditchling
Many older homes in Sussex have handmade clay tiles and tile-hung walls. A few old Sussex buildings still carry heavy Horsham stone slabs. On roofs like these, good slates or tiles can outlast the nails, battens, lead and mortar around them. England has around 10,000 conservation areas and about 500,000 listed buildings. Listed building consent is needed for changes that affect a listed building’s special interest, and conservation areas can limit changes of roofing material, so check with the council.
For site and facilities teams at buildings such as Ditchling (St Margaret's) Church of England Primary School, large buildings have long gutter runs and big roofs that need checking like any other. If you let a flat or house near Hassocks station, a dated record of the roof is useful when planning maintenance across a let.
Ditchling is about 3 miles south of Burgess Hill, in West Sussex. We carry out chimney surveys for homes and businesses in Ditchling and nearby. Our area takes in places right across West Sussex, large and small. Our Brighton page covers surveys nearby.
All of BN6 is covered for chimney surveys. If you need a chimney survey at a property on High Street, The Twitten and Charlton Gardens or a nearby road, we can help. If you are just outside Ditchling, we cover Keymer (1 mile west), Westmeston (1 mile south), Hassocks (1 mile west), Clayton (2 miles south-west) and Hurst Wickham (2 miles north-west). Within a short drive, we also cover Crawley (14 miles north), Horsham (13 miles north-west), Worthing (14 miles south-west), Haywards Heath (5 miles north), East Grinstead (15 miles north) and Shoreham-by-Sea (9 miles south-west).
What’s near Ditchling
Locally, jobs take us to homes and businesses close to Downlands Community School and The Bull Hotel and the streets around them. The nearest railway station is Hassocks station, about 1.4 miles west of the centre. Well-known places in the area include Ditchling Museum of Art + Craft (less than half a mile west) and The Dene Hospital (3.8 miles north-west). Not far away are Ditchling Beacon and Bedelands Farm Nature Reserve.
Checking the roof from ground level
If you have a loft with safe access, take a look inside. Use a torch and stay on the joists or boards, checking for stains, damp wood or chinks of daylight.
A lot can be seen from ground level. With binoculars, look for slipped or missing slates and tiles, gaps along the ridge and leaning chimneys. Please do not climb up for a closer look.
Your questions about chimney surveys in Ditchling
Does a conservation area affect roof work in Ditchling?
We cannot confirm that for you, but Historic England’s list and your council can. Both listing and conservation areas can limit changes of roofing material, and councils can also use Article 4 directions.
Will you come out to Ditchling?
Yes, Ditchling is on our map. Villages and rural addresses get the same survey as a town house.
How much is a survey?
Chimney survey starts from £150, including VAT. Our three packages are Basic from £150, Standard from £250 and Premium from £400, with VAT included.
Should a redundant chimney be removed?
It depends on its condition and your plans. We record how the stack is doing and whether it’s capped with ventilation. In a conservation area or on a listed building, changes may need consent.
Will you fly a drone over my roof?
Yes, where it is applicable. Flights depend on the weather on the day and airspace rules, including flight restriction zones near airports. We’re a CAA-registered drone operator.
How fast do I get the report?
Basic reports arrive within 48 hours, Standard reports in 24–48 hours and Premium reports on the same day. All of them come by email, ready to forward.
What does the report include?
A written report with photos, explaining the condition of the chimney stack, any defects and our recommendations. Standard adds moisture detection and a structural check; Premium adds thermal imaging, drone inspection where applicable and structural analysis.
Towns and villages near Ditchling
Also in Ditchling
When to book a survey in Ditchling
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.
A survey makes sense if you’ve noticed:
- Damp patches on chimney breasts
- Signs that a stack is leaning
- Worn or missing pointing
- Damaged chimney pots and cowls
The streets around a church such as Ditchling Unitarian Chapel are often among the oldest in a place, and if yours is one of the older homes nearby, its roof may have old fixings, lead flashings and chimneys that need a closer look.
Questions to ask before you book
- Will they check the loft as well as the outside?
- Whether VAT is in the quoted price
- How much experience they have with roofs like yours
- What happens after the report arrives
What happens on the day
Safety comes first on every visit. We inspect whatever is safely visible, and if part of the roof can’t be seen, the report says so. Most visits take between one and two hours at a house, as part of a look at the roof around the stack. For a village or hamlet like Ditchling, the journey is planned ahead of time: tell us about narrow lanes, gates, long drives and where we can park. On the day, we inspect what can be seen safely, inside and out.
- We start with the details: how many stacks, whether any are shared and any signs of damp.
- Each chimney is viewed from wherever it can be seen safely.
- We check and photograph the pots, cowls, flaunching, pointing and flashings.
- Inside, we look for damp on chimney breasts and in the loft where there’s safe access.
- We send a written report with photos, the defects found and what we recommend.
Getting ready for the survey
- Have any questions written down, so nothing gets missed
- Note where any stains or damp appear
- Leave a clear route to the loft
Arrange a survey
A quick phone call is normally the easiest start: call 07833 053749 or use the contact form and we will ask a few questions about the roof. You’ll have a price before anything is arranged.
Related advice
How we price chimney surveys
All our prices include VAT. The things that change the price are:
- The size of the roof
- House, block, shop or office
- Basic, Standard or Premium
- How tall the building is and how easy the roof is to see
Price depends partly on the package: Basic from £150, Standard from £250 or Premium from £400, all with VAT included. The roof’s size, height and access matter as well.
Getting in touch
We will normally ask about:
- Your postcode, so we can check access and travel
- Whether there is a loft hatch, a shared roof or tricky access
- What kind of property and roof it is
- Dates you are working to, like exchange
To get a price for chimney surveys in Ditchling, phone 07833 053749 or drop us an email. The address, the type of property and what you need to know help us give you an accurate price.