Oxfordshire · London and the South East
Dry Sandford Chimney Survey
We take a careful look at the chimney stack at your property in Dry Sandford, and put it all in a written report with photos.
- Damp on a chimney breast inside
- Bricks with flaking faces
- A chimney out of line
What a chimney survey looks like in Dry Sandford
West Oxfordshire’s older buildings often carry Cotswold stone slates, and a few villages in the county keep their thatch. Older houses in the South East frequently have slate or clay tile roofs, while many later estates have concrete tiles. Whichever you have, the details that tend to fail before the covering itself get the closest look. About 1.7 miles north-west lies Appleton Manor, a reminder of how long the area around Dry Sandford 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, and a listed home or one in a conservation area may need consent for changes of material.
Take a building like Dry Sandford Primary School: large buildings have long gutter runs and big roofs that need checking like any other. Landlords with a home close to Radley station may find that a roof report between tenancies helps plan work before a small defect becomes a tenant’s leak.
Dry Sandford is about 2 miles north-west of Abingdon-on-Thames, in Oxfordshire. We cover Dry Sandford and the rest of Oxfordshire, as part of our work across London and South East England. Across Oxfordshire, we cover Dry Sandford and the places around it.
All of OX13 is within our area for chimney surveys. Neighbouring places we cover for chimney surveys include Cothill (1 mile south-west), Shippon (2 miles south-east), Frilford Heath (2 miles south-west), Tubney (2 miles south-west) and Marcham (2 miles south). Larger places within reach include Oxford (5 miles north-east), Didcot (7 miles south-east), Witney (9 miles north-west), Carterton (12 miles west), Thame (15 miles east) and Wantage (9 miles south-west).
Around Dry Sandford
Locally, jobs take us to homes and businesses close to Merry Miller pub and Larkmead School, among other places. For rail, the closest station is Radley station, about 3.8 miles east. Well-known places in the area include FitzHarris Castle (2.5 miles south-east) and Abingdon Community Hospital (2.3 miles south-east). The countryside around Dry Sandford includes Parsonage Moor and Cumnor Hill.
Chimney survey in Dry Sandford: what you get
A damp patch on a chimney breast doesn’t always come from the same place. 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. Our survey checks each of these and records the likely cause. That points the work in the right direction. Typical surveys look at gaps in the mortar around the pots and damp patches on chimney breasts, on chimney breasts, brick chimney stacks and lead flashings.
Older buildings in small places like Dry Sandford may be listed or in a conservation area. If yours is, re-roofing in different materials may need consent, so the council is the place to check. A roof report helps you plan work with that in mind. Older materials such as clay tiles, slate and stone are often matched when work is done.
The report is written in plain words, so you don’t need to be a roofer to follow it. Photos show what each point refers to.
- Place
- Dry Sandford (OX13)
- Region
- Oxfordshire
- Cost
- From £150 inc. VAT
- Your report
- Written, with photos, emailed to you
- When we survey
- Monday to Sunday, daytime
- Insured
- PI and public liability insurance
- Telephone
- 07833 053749
- Updated
- 27 October 2026
What affects the cost of chimney surveys
The price reflects the time and kit the roof needs. That comes down to:
- If the survey needs thermal imaging or a drone
- Features like valleys, chimneys, dormers and parapets
- The number of roofs, including extensions and garages
- Height and safe access
Our price is from £150, including VAT. Basic starts from £150, Standard from £250 and Premium from £400, VAT included, and we can help you choose.
What we need to know
A little information up front helps. Please include:
- Whether there is a loft hatch, a shared roof or tricky access
- Pictures from the garden or a window, if you have them
- What kind of property and roof it is
- Your postcode, so we can check access and travel
Most bookings start with a short call: ring 07833 053749 or send us an email, and we will ask about the building and what you need. You will have a price before anything is arranged.
Why act early in Dry Sandford
Most people never get a careful look at their chimney stacks. Defects tend to go unseen until there’s a stain. A survey gives you a clear picture before that happens. In a place like Dry Sandford, a barn or garage roof left to fail puts whatever is inside at risk. It is worth including them in a survey before a winter does the damage.
Simple, low roofs take less time to survey than tall or complicated ones, and the package you pick makes a difference too. The price is always agreed first.
Why us?
- Packages from £150, with VAT included
- Weekday and weekend surveys
- Covered by professional indemnity and public liability insurance
- An independent look at the roof
See what a roof survey costs and our case studies.
How the survey works
We will ask a few questions first, about the roof’s history, any leaks and past repairs. Then the inspection itself takes about one to two hours for most homes, a little longer where there are several stacks. In a small place like Dry Sandford, access is normally the main thing to plan. Mention any outbuildings, barns or garages you want included, and anything about the roof you already know. Weekday and weekend visits are available.
- We start with the details: how many stacks, whether any are shared and any signs of damp.
- We inspect each stack from safe viewpoints outside.
- The pots, cowls, flaunching, pointing, brickwork and flashings are checked and photographed.
- 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.
Before the survey
- Leave side gates unlocked
- Keep pets inside or away from the areas we’re looking at
- If you’re buying, let the agent know when we’re coming
Book a survey
Chimney survey starts from £150, including VAT. The exact figure depends on the roof and the package, so call 07833 053749 or send us an email with the details.
Advice
Nearby places to Dry Sandford
More services for Dry Sandford
Common roof problems in Dry Sandford
Flaunching is the mortar bed that holds the pots and throws water off the top. Cracked flaunching lets water in, and each winter makes it worse. In time, the pots can become loose.
Problems we come across often include:
- Staining on walls around the chimney
- Gaps where the stack meets the roof
- Pots or cowls that look unsafe
- Gaps in the mortar around the pots
The streets around a church such as Church of St Helen are often among the oldest in a place, and if your home is one of the older ones nearby, its roof may have old fixings, lead flashings and chimneys that need a closer look.
What to check before booking
- Is there a chance to talk the report through?
- If they fly a drone, whether they hold a CAA Flyer ID and Operator ID
- How they’ll see the roof: from the ground, the loft, the roof or by drone
- Whether they hold professional indemnity and public liability insurance
Dry Sandford: your questions answered
Do you survey roofs for landlords with property near Radley station?
Yes, rented property is part of what we cover. Just call 07833 053749 or drop us an email and let us know about the building, including who will give access on the day.
How do I find out if my home in Dry Sandford is listed?
Start with Historic England’s list for listing and your council for conservation areas. Either can affect what roof work is allowed, so it is worth checking before planning any.
Is Dry Sandford in your area?
Yes. We cover Dry Sandford and the rest of Oxfordshire. To book, phone 07833 053749 or use the contact form.
Do I have to be there for the survey?
Someone needs to let us in if we’re looking inside or in the loft. Access is agreed with you when you book.
Does the weather affect the survey?
Some surveys depend on the weather more than others. Drones can’t fly safely in high wind or heavy rain, and thermal imaging works best with a dry roof, little wind and a sunny day beforehand. If the conditions are not right, we’ll talk to you about another date.
Is a leaning chimney dangerous?
Have it checked rather than leaving it. Leaning often comes from mortar breaking down unevenly. The survey records what we can see, and a structural engineer can assess whether it needs work.
Can you tell me if my roof has asbestos?
No. We do not carry out asbestos surveys or testing. If we see materials that could contain asbestos, such as cement roof sheets or soffits on buildings from before 2000, we flag them and suggest a specialist asbestos surveyor checks them before any work.
Surveys for landlords and agents in Dry Sandford
If you own several properties, you can book surveys for several addresses. To arrange surveys for several addresses, call 07833 053749 or send us an email.
Businesses and commercial landlords can book us too. Larger roofs take longer.
Before and after the survey
From years of surveys, a few habits stand out as worth the effort:
- Ask for ventilated caps on redundant stacks
- Never climb onto the roof to look at a chimney
- Photograph damp patches with the date
- Keep the report to compare against at the next survey
You get the report by email and can pass it to whoever does the work. Each defect is described in plain words and shown in a photo, so it’s easy to follow.
Check your stacks from the street or garden after a storm. With binoculars, you can often see cracked flaunching or lifted lead.