West Sussex · London and the South East
East Grinstead Chimney Survey
Not sure what state the chimney stack is in? You can book a chimney survey in East Grinstead and across West Sussex, with plain-English findings.
- Damp on a chimney breast inside
- Flaunching that has broken away
- Flashings pulling away from the stack
Chimney survey in East Grinstead
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. If something we see points to the flue, we will say so. We survey shared and party-wall stacks, chimney pots and cowls and lead flashings, and common reasons people get in touch are worn or missing pointing and gaps where the stack meets the roof.
Semis and terraces in a town like East Grinstead share roof details with the neighbours. When a stack or gutter is shared, the problem may not be on your side alone. We can only inspect what we have access to, so shared parts are reported as far as they can safely be seen. It helps to mention any shared stacks or gutters when booking.
What you get is a clear record of the chimney stack on the day we saw it. It is useful right away, and a good reference for later.
- Location
- East Grinstead (RH19)
- Wider area
- West Sussex
- Price
- From £150 inc. VAT
- Report
- A written report with photos, by email
- Appointments
- Weekdays and weekends
- Cover
- Professional indemnity and public liability
- Call
- 07833 053749
- Last updated
- 27 October 2026
What happens if roof problems are left?
A damp chimney breast seldom dries out until the cause is found. It can stain walls and damage plaster. Finding the cause means the right work can be planned. On a house in a town like East Grinstead, wet loft insulation stops working and can stay damp for a long time. That’s an extra cost on top of the roof work itself.
All our prices include VAT. Chimney survey starts from £150, including VAT. We confirm the price for your survey before booking.
What you get with us
- 98% of customers satisfied
- Plain-English reports with photos
- Weekday and weekend surveys
- Drone and thermal imaging surveys available
Take a look at our cost guide or what we found on two real jobs.
Common questions in East Grinstead
Do you survey roofs for landlords with property near East Grinstead station?
Yes, rented property is part of what we cover. Just ring 07833 053749 or send us an email and let us know about the building.
How do I find out if my home in East Grinstead is listed?
Check Historic England’s online list first, then ask the council about conservation areas and any Article 4 direction. The answer matters most when a change of material is on the cards.
What causes damp on a chimney breast?
There are a few common causes: water getting in at the top, through the brickwork or at the flashings, or moisture trapped in a stack with no ventilation. We check each one and note the most likely cause.
Do you use drones?
Yes, where applicable and safe. We fly a sub-250g drone and we are a CAA-registered drone operator (Flyer ID and Operator ID). Drone inspection is part of the Drone Roof Survey and the Premium Survey, where applicable.
Is a leaning chimney dangerous?
Have it checked rather than leaving it. Stacks can lean when mortar on one side breaks down. The survey records what we can see, and a structural engineer can confirm whether it’s stable.
Will I get photos?
Yes. The report includes photographs of what we found, so you can see exactly what each finding refers to.
Can you give me structural calculations?
No. Our survey is not a structural engineer’s report, and it doesn’t include calculations. If we see signs that need an engineer’s opinion, we will recommend one.
Landlord and commercial surveys in East Grinstead
Any of our surveys can be booked by landlords, agents and building managers in East Grinstead. For a price for a let property or a block, phone 07833 053749 or use the contact form.
Surveys can also be booked by buyers’ agents acting for a client. The report is emailed, so it can go straight to your client.
The survey, step by step
It helps to start with what’s prompted the survey: buying, a leak, storm damage, new work or just wanting to know where things stand. It helps us focus on what matters most to you. The visit normally takes between one and two hours at a house, as part of a look at the roof around the stack. A typical visit in East Grinstead begins with the street side of the roof and then moves round the building. Rear gardens and side paths often give the best view of extensions and back slopes. The loft comes next, where there is safe access.
- First we talk through the stacks, their history and any problems.
- Each stack is inspected from safe positions outside.
- Pots, cowls, flaunching, pointing and flashings are checked and photographed.
- Inside, the chimney breasts and the loft are checked for damp where there is access.
- The report, with photographs and recommendations, is emailed to you.
How to prepare
- Point out any leaks or damp patches
- Mention any parking restrictions on your street
- Find any records of previous roof work
Book a survey
Photos help, if you have them. Pictures from the ground or a window are fine. To send them or to book, call 07833 053749 or drop us an email.
Advice
Before and after the survey
Nothing here needs a ladder. A few suggestions:
- Ask about consent before removing a chimney on an older property
- File photos of the stacks with your home records
- Ask for ventilated caps on redundant stacks
- Do not use a ladder to reach the stack yourself
If the stack is shared, you can pass the report to your neighbour. It shows what we found and where from the viewpoints we used.
Check fixings on the stack are sound, and moved if they’re working it loose. Less load on the stack means less strain in wind.
What we’re asked to look at in East Grinstead
Some owners book because a chimney breast has been removed below and they want to know about the stack above. We note what’s visible in the loft space and outside, and recommend a structural engineer where support is in question.
Signs worth acting on include:
- Redundant stacks capped without ventilation
- A stack that appears to lean
- Damp patches on chimney breasts
- Cracked or missing flaunching
Landlords with a home close to East Grinstead station may find that the gap between tenancies is a good time to have the roof looked at.
Choosing a roof surveyor
- How long they’ve been surveying roofs
- Do they have a CAA Flyer ID and Operator ID for drone work?
- Whether you get a written report with photos
- How long the report takes to arrive
Towns and villages near East Grinstead
What else we do in East Grinstead
East Grinstead homes and their roofs
With Saint Hill Manor about 1.7 miles south-west, East Grinstead sits in an area with a long building history. 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 any change of roofing material on a listed home needs checking with the council first. Older houses across Sussex often have handmade clay tiles, and many have tile-hanging on their upper walls. A few old Sussex buildings still carry heavy Horsham stone slabs. Each of these coverings has its own weak points, from fixings and valleys to flashings, chimneys and gutters.
If you live in an older home near Our Lady and St Peter's Church, the nails, lead and mortar on the roof may be wearing out even where the slates or tiles look fine. If you look after a building such as St Mary's CofE Primary School, long gutter runs and wide roofs on a building that size are worth checking on a regular cycle.
East Grinstead is about 8 miles east of Crawley, in West Sussex. We survey roofs in East Grinstead as part of our work across London and South East England. We cover towns and villages across West Sussex. Crawley is in our area too.
We survey roofs across RH19 for chimney surveys and the streets around it. You’ll find streets such as Station Road, High Street and London Road. Main roads around East Grinstead include the A22 and A264. Nearby, we also carry out chimney surveys in Dormans Park (1 mile north), Saint Hill Green (2 miles south), Felbridge (2 miles north-west), Ashurst Wood (2 miles south-east) and Felcourt (2 miles north). We also work in nearby towns such as Crawley (8 miles west), Horsham (14 miles west), Haywards Heath (10 miles south-west), Burgess Hill (13 miles south-west), Broadfield (9 miles west) and Bewbush (9 miles west). East Grinstead is among the bigger towns we cover in West Sussex.
Landmarks near East Grinstead
We work in homes and buildings around Bush Davies School of Theatre Arts, The Railway pub and Sackville School, among other places. There is a railway station in East Grinstead itself: East Grinstead station. Nearby you’ll also find East Grinstead Museum (under half a mile south-east) and Queen Victoria Hospital (0.8 miles north-east). The countryside around East Grinstead includes Hedgecourt Lake.
When you need someone else
Some things cannot be seen without opening up the roof, and that sets some limits:
- Checks on boilers, fires or their flues
- Whether the flue is safe to use
- Areas we cannot view from safe positions
Not sure which survey suits your roof? You can phone 07833 053749 or email us and we’ll tell you. What a survey covers and doesn’t.
Roof types and parts we check
- Chimney pots and cowls
- Shared and party-wall stacks
- Lead flashings
- Flaunching
- Brick chimney stacks
- Chimney breasts