Reading · London and the South East
Emmer Green Chimney Survey
Chimney surveys in Emmer Green from an independent, experienced roof surveyor. More than 20 years and over 5,000 surveys across London and South East England.
- Redundant stacks capped without ventilation
- Cracked or missing flaunching
- Frost-damaged brickwork on the stack
How a chimney survey works in Emmer Green
A leaning chimney stack is worth having looked at. Stacks can lean when mortar on one side breaks down, often after years of flue gases and damp. The survey notes how the stack looks, how far it seems to lean and the state of the bricks and joints. Where it may be a structural concern, we will recommend a structural engineer. We survey chimney pots and cowls, brick chimney stacks and shared and party-wall stacks, and the problems we’re asked to look at most are gaps where the stack meets the roof and spalled or crumbling bricks.
In a smaller place like Emmer Green, some roofs stand more exposed to wind and rain than in a built-up town. That weather tells first on ridges, verges, chimneys and flashings. A close look shows whether anything has started to loosen before it lets water in. Once one ridge tile or slate moves, wind gets under the next one too.
Most points in the report come with a picture, because a photo of a cracked flashing says more than a paragraph. If something couldn’t be seen safely, the report is clear about it.
- Location
- Emmer Green (RG4)
- Wider area
- Reading
- Cost
- From £150 inc. VAT
- Report
- Written, with photos, emailed to you
- When we survey
- Monday to Sunday, daytime
- Insured
- PI and public liability insurance
- Telephone
- 07833 053749
- Last updated
- 27 October 2026
Why act early in Emmer Green
Damp in a chimney breast typically gets worse while the cause is left. It can spoil decoration and plaster. Finding the cause means the right work can be planned. In a smaller place like Emmer Green, wherever a roof is exposed, a loose ridge or flashing doesn’t stay loose for long. Each storm lifts it a little further, and water follows.
Bigger, taller and commercial roofs take more time to survey, so they’re priced to match. The price is confirmed before booking.
Why book with us
- Over 20 years’ experience
- A sub-250g drone, flown with a CAA Flyer ID and Operator ID
- Professional indemnity and public liability insurance
- Thermal imaging and drone inspection where they help
See how roof surveys are priced or what we found on two real jobs.
What a survey costs
All our prices include VAT. What changes the price is:
- The package you choose: Basic, Standard or Premium
- House, block, shop or office
- Features like valleys, chimneys, dormers and parapets
- The use of thermal imaging or a drone
One thing that affects the price is the package: from £150 for Basic, £250 for Standard and £400 for Premium, including VAT. The roof’s size, height and access matter as well.
Getting in touch
If you can, have these to hand when you contact us:
- Your postcode, so we can check access and travel
- The type of building and roof, such as pitched or flat
- Whether there’s a loft hatch, a shared roof or tricky access
- What’s prompted the survey
For a price for chimney surveys in Emmer Green, phone 07833 053749 or email us. The address, the type of property and what you’d like to know help us give you an accurate price.
What you can safely check yourself
A DIY look is useful, but it isn’t a survey. From ground level, valleys, flashings and the backs of chimneys are often out of sight, and those are details a survey looks at closely.
During heavy rain, look at the gutters from ground level or a window. Water spilling over the edge can point to a blockage or a sagging run.
FAQs for Emmer Green
Can a landlord with a rental near Reading station book a roof survey?
Yes, landlords and agents are among the people we work for. You can ring 07833 053749 or send us an email with the address and what you need, and we will talk through which survey suits.
Is Emmer Green within the area you cover?
Yes, Emmer Green is on our map. A small place gets exactly the same survey as a big one.
Will I get photos?
Yes. Photos are part of every report, so you can see each point for yourself.
Are you structural engineers?
No. We’re roof surveyors, not structural engineers. We will recommend an engineer if we see signs that call for one.
Why is my chimney breast damp?
It can come from several places: cracked flaunching, worn pointing, failed flashings, uncapped pots, or damp trapped in an unventilated stack. We look at each one and note the most likely cause.
Should I worry about a leaning stack?
Do not ignore it. Leaning often comes from mortar breaking down unevenly. We record its condition with photographs, and a structural engineer can confirm whether it is stable.
What does the report include?
A written report with photos, covering the condition of the chimney stack, the defects we found and what we recommend. Standard adds moisture detection and a structural check; Premium adds thermal imaging, drone inspection where applicable and structural analysis.
How it works
Every visit follows the same pattern: we listen to what’s been worrying you, inspect the roof from every safe vantage point, take photos as we go and make notes for the report. Most visits take an hour or two at a house, as part of a look at the roof around the stack. Being in a smaller place like Emmer Green does not change how the visit works: outside, inside and from any safe vantage point, in that order. It is useful to show us anything you’ve already noticed.
- First you let us know about the chimneys, any damp on the chimney breasts and any worries.
- We inspect each stack from safe viewpoints outside.
- Every part we can see is checked: pots, cowls, flaunching, pointing, bricks and flashings.
- Inside, we look for damp on chimney breasts and in the loft where there is safe access.
- We send a written report with photos, the defects found and what we recommend.
How to prepare
- Show us where any leaks or stains appear
- Jot down any questions you want answered
- Find any records of previous roof work
How to book
Most bookings start with a short call: ring 07833 053749 or use the contact form. The price is agreed before a date is set.
Advice
Useful tips for Emmer Green property owners
Over many surveys, some simple habits stand out as worth the effort:
- Find out whether changes to a stack need permission
- Book a sweep for flues that are in use
- Keep track of stains on chimney breasts
- Glance at the stacks from the street now and then
The report is emailed to you, ready to share with a roofer or builder. We use plain English and a photo for each defect, so it’s easy to follow.
Look at your chimneys from the ground now and then, especially after strong winds. With binoculars, you can often see cracked flaunching or lifted lead.
Roofs, chimneys and gutters in Emmer Green
Across the South East, older homes tend to have slate or clay tiles, and many later ones concrete tiles, and flat-roofed additions turn up almost everywhere. Knowing the covering helps explain which parts of a roof are likely to need work first. The wider area around Emmer Green has a long history of building, with Mapledurham House about 3.2 miles west. On older houses around here, roofs often carry the marks of earlier repairs, from replaced slates to new lead, and a listed home or one in a conservation area may need consent for changes of material.
For businesses in and around places such as Broad Street Mall, knowing the roof’s condition lets you budget for work rather than pay for emergencies. Take a building like The Hill Primary School: its roofs, gutters and any chimneys need the same checks as a house’s, just on a bigger scale. The streets around a church such as St Barnabas Church Hall are often among the oldest in a place, and if yours is one of the older homes nearby, old fixings, lead flashings and tall chimneys are typical of older roofs.
Emmer Green is about 1 mile north-east of Caversham, in Reading. We cover Emmer Green and the rest of Reading, as part of our work across London and the South East. We cover towns and villages across Reading.
We cover every part of RG4 for chimney surveys. We offer chimney surveys to properties on Kiln Road, Grove Road and Barnes Road. We also cover the places around Emmer Green: Caversham (1 mile south-west), Caversham Park Village (1 mile east), Littlestead Green (1 mile north-east), Dunsden Green (1 mile north-east) and Chalkhouse Green (1 mile north-west). Larger places within reach include Norcot (3 miles south-west), Tilehurst Within (4 miles south-west), Shinfield (5 miles south), Arborfield Garrison (7 miles south), Horncastle (4 miles south-west) and Whitley Wood (5 miles south).
Local landmarks in Emmer Green
In Emmer Green, that means homes and buildings near The White Horse pub, Chiltern Nursery Nurse Training School and Highdown School and Sixth Form Centre. For rail, the closest station is Reading station, about 1.7 miles south of the centre. Other landmarks nearby include Broad Street Mall (2 miles south) and Royal Berkshire Hospital (2.2 miles south). The countryside around Emmer Green includes Sonning Hill and Fobney Island Wetland Reserve.
What a chimney survey doesn’t cover
This is not a RICS building survey, a structural engineer’s report or an asbestos survey. It also has these limits:
- Gas safety checks, which need a Gas Safe registered engineer
- The inside of the flue, which needs a sweep or flue specialist
- Structural calculations for a leaning stack
If in doubt, phone 07833 053749 or send us an email and we’ll suggest the right survey. What a survey covers and does not.
Roofs we survey in Emmer Green
- Flaunching
- Chimney breasts
- Brick chimney stacks
- Chimney pots and cowls
- Shared and party-wall stacks
- Lead flashings