Wokingham · London and the South East
Earley Chimney Survey
A survey of chimney stacks, pots, flashings and flaunching in Earley, carried out by an experienced roof surveyor. Every survey comes with a written report and photos.
- Gaps in the mortar around the pots
- A chimney out of line
- Disused chimneys trapping moisture
Chimney surveys for homes and businesses in Earley
A chimney stands up above the roof, exposed to wind, rain and frost on every side. In time, flaunching cracks, mortar washes out and flashings come loose. Water then gets into the stack and can show as damp on a chimney breast or a stain in the loft. A survey finds these problems and records them with photographs. We survey brick chimney stacks, chimney breasts and lead flashings, and common reasons people get in touch are cracked or missing flaunching and flashings pulling away from the stack.
Earley mixes older houses, frequently slate or clay tiled, with newer estates, many of them with concrete tiles. Chimneys on older houses may be redundant, capped or leaning, and their lead flashings still need to be sound. Newer homes have fewer chimneys but their own weak points at ridges, verges and gutters.
The Standard Survey adds moisture detection, a structural check and a follow-up consultation. The Premium Survey adds thermal imaging, drone inspection where it applies, structural analysis and an in-person consultation.
- Location
- Earley (RG6, RG2, RG1)
- Wider area
- Wokingham
- Prices
- From £150 inc. VAT
- Reports
- A written report with photos, by email
- When we survey
- Weekdays and weekends
- Insurance
- Professional indemnity and public liability
- Telephone
- 07833 053749
- Last updated
- 27 October 2026
Roof by roof
Lead flashings
Mortar fillets are sometimes used where lead would usually be. They tend to crack, so we check them closely.
Rendered stacks
Cracked render can let water in and trap it behind. Cracks are photographed and noted.
For landlords and managing agents
For a freeholder or residents’ company, a roof report is a sound basis for a maintenance plan, putting the urgent items at the top.
Letting agents often book on a landlord’s behalf. We agree a time with the tenant beforehand.
FAQs for Earley
Do you cover Earley?
Yes. We survey roofs across London and South East England, and Earley is part of that. You can phone 07833 053749 or send us an email with the address and some details, and we’ll talk through which survey suits.
I let a flat near Earley station. Can you check the roof?
Yes, rented property is part of what we cover. You can ring 07833 053749 or send us an email with the address and some details.
Do you test for asbestos?
No. We do not sample or test for asbestos. The report may flag materials that could contain asbestos on buildings built or refurbished before 2000, with a recommendation to have a specialist asbestos surveyor check before it’s disturbed.
What causes damp on a chimney breast?
Normally it is water getting in from outside, or condensation in a sealed stack. The survey looks at the stack, the flashings and the capping and records the likely cause.
Is this a RICS survey?
No. Our survey is a roof survey, not a RICS Level 2 or Level 3 survey of the whole building. It focuses on the roof and can sit alongside a RICS survey.
Are you insured?
We’re covered by professional indemnity and public liability insurance.
Do you carry out surveys on Saturdays and Sundays?
We survey seven days a week: weekdays, Saturdays and Sundays. Just let us know the days that suit you.
What we’re asked to look at in Earley
Aerials and dishes are frequently fixed to stacks. Their weight and the wind on them can loosen bricks and pointing. We check fixings on the stack as part of the survey.
It is worth booking a survey if you’ve seen:
- Unused flues sealed without airflow
- Loose, cracked or missing pots
- Eroded joints in the brickwork
- Flashings pulling away from the stack
If you own a rental within reach of Earley station, knowing the condition of the roof, chimneys and gutters helps you plan work rather than react to complaints.
Choosing a roof surveyor
- Whether they hold professional indemnity and public liability insurance
- Do they have a CAA Flyer ID and Operator ID for drone work?
- Whether you get a written report with photos
- How they’ll see the roof: from the ground, the loft, the roof or by drone
Why get it checked now?
If you are thinking of removing or reducing a stack, it helps to know its condition first. In a conservation area or on a listed building, changes may need permission from the council, so check with them first. Roof faults found early can be planned for, while one found after water comes through typically has to be dealt with in a hurry.
Prices start from £150, including VAT, for a Basic Survey. The Standard Survey starts from £250 and the Premium Survey from £400, both with VAT included. You’ll know the price for the job before booking.
Why us?
- Clear package prices, inc. VAT
- More than 20 years surveying roofs
- CAA-registered drone operator (Flyer ID and Operator ID)
- Plain-English reports with photos
Read what a roof survey costs or what we found on two real jobs.
Chimney surveys around Earley
Slate and clay tile are the usual coverings on older South East houses, with concrete tiles on many later estates, with flat-roofed extensions, dormers and garages common everywhere. Whatever the covering, it’s often the fixings, flashings, valleys and gutters that give out first. 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, ideally before any re-roofing is planned.
If you live in an older home near Trinity Church, old fixings, lead flashings and tall chimneys are typical of older roofs. If you look after a building such as Radstock Primary School, a written record of a large roof helps plan work for the holidays rather than in term time.
Earley is about 2 miles south-east of Reading, in Wokingham. Anywhere in Earley, we can carry out chimney surveys at your property. Earley is one of the towns and villages in Wokingham where we work.
Every address in RG6, RG2 and RG1 is covered for chimney surveys, from the main roads to the quietest streets. Local streets include Elm Road, Elm Lane and Mays Lane, and we cover them all. You’ll find Earley on the A327 and A3290, so it is easy for us to get to. If you are just outside Earley, we cover Lower Earley (1 mile south-east), Whitley (1 mile west), Newtown (2 miles north-west), Whitley Wood (2 miles south-west) and Shinfield (2 miles south). Larger places within reach include Wokingham (4 miles south-east), Crowthorne (7 miles south-east), Woosehill (4 miles south-east), Emmbrook (3 miles east), Twyford (4 miles north-east) and Charvil (4 miles north-east). As one of the bigger places in Wokingham, Earley has homes, rented property and businesses of every kind.
Near you in Earley
We work in homes and buildings around Maiden Erlegh Local Nature Reserve, Leighton Park School and The Three Tuns pub. Nearby too are University of Reading library (0.7 miles north-west) and Maiden Erlegh School (0.5 miles north-east). Earley’s nearest station is Earley station, roughly 0.9 miles north-east. Other landmarks nearby include Royal Berkshire Hospital (1.7 miles north-west) and Berkshire Medical Heritage Centre Museum (1.7 miles north-west). The countryside around Earley includes South Lake and Fobney Island Wetland Reserve.
Places near Earley
Other services in Earley
Should I look at the roof myself first?
You can learn a lot from ground level. Binoculars help you spot slipped slates or tiles, gaps along the ridge and a leaning stack. Never climb onto the roof to look.
What you can’t do safely is get up close. Slates, tiles, flat roofs and rooflights can give way, and a fall can be serious. That is where a survey comes in, using safe viewpoints and a drone where it applies.
The survey, step by step
The visit usually starts outside and finishes in the loft: outside views come first, then the loft space if there is safe access. In total, it takes an hour or two for most homes, a little longer where there are several stacks. Semi-detached and terraced homes in a town like Earley often share a roof line with the neighbours, so shared parts are looked at as far as they can be seen from your property. It is useful to know about previous repairs, leaks or recent work.
- We go through the chimneys, any damp and any work done on them.
- We check every stack from wherever it can be seen safely.
- We photograph and record the pots, flaunching, pointing and flashings.
- 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.
Getting ready for the survey
- Have keys ready for side gates, garages or roof access doors
- Leave a clear route to the loft
- Tell us about parking before the day
Book a survey
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.