Isle of Wight · London and the South East
Forest Side Chimney Survey
We take a careful look at the chimney stack at your property in Forest Side, and put it all in a written report with photos.
- Loose, cracked or missing pots
- Disused chimneys trapping moisture
- Spalled or crumbling bricks
Chimney survey in Forest Side
Each stack is looked at from the safest viewpoints available: the ground, nearby windows and higher points, and the loft space where it’s safe. With our Premium Survey, a drone inspection is included where applicable. If we cannot see part of the stack, the report makes that clear. Each defect is recorded with a photo and a plain description. Common reasons to book are a stack that appears to lean and disused chimneys trapping moisture, on chimney pots and cowls, lead flashings and flaunching.
Village roofs often face open fields and take the full force of wind and rain, which is hard on ridges, chimneys, flashings and gutters. Damp in old walls is slow to dry, so a small leak can do a lot of harm. A written report sets out what to deal with and in what order. Lead flashings and old chimney stacks are often where weather gets in first.
Findings are set out part by part, from the coverings down to the gutters, each with a short note and a photograph. You’ll see the good as well as the bad.
- Where
- Forest Side (PO30)
- Wider area
- Isle of Wight
- Price
- From £150 inc. VAT
- Report
- Emailed report with photos and recommendations
- When we survey
- Weekdays and weekends
- Insured
- PI and public liability insurance
- Telephone
- 07833 053749
- Page updated
- 27 October 2026
Forest Side homes and their roofs
The coast is about 4 miles or less from Forest Side, and places near the sea get more salt in the air and more wind than inland. Salt corrodes metal fixings and flashings, and wind lifts loose slates, tiles and ridge pieces. With Carisbrooke Castle about 1.3 miles south, Forest Side 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 the council can say whether a home is in a conservation area.
For site and facilities teams at buildings like Carisbrooke College, large buildings have long gutter runs and big roofs that need checking like any other. Trees in and around Seaclose Park shed leaves that can end up in nearby gutters.
Forest Side is about 1 mile north-west of Newport, in the Isle of Wight. Surveys in Forest Side work the same way as everywhere we cover: a careful look at everything that’s safely in view, photographs and a clear written report. We cover towns and villages across the Isle of Wight, from the larger towns to small villages. For surveys nearby, see our Portsmouth page.
All of PO30 is covered for chimney surveys, from the main roads to the quietest streets. We offer chimney surveys to properties on Forest Road and Gunville Road. We also cover Hunny Hill (1 mile east), Parkhurst (1 mile north-east), Noke Common (1 mile north-east), Porchfield (2 miles north-west) and Locksgreen (2 miles west). We also work in nearby towns such as Ryde (7 miles east), Cowes (4 miles north), Sandown (8 miles south-east), Shanklin (8 miles south-east), Ventnor (9 miles south-east) and East Cowes (4 miles north-east). If you’re somewhere remote, the survey takes a little more planning.
Around Forest Side
Typical jobs here are in homes near Hunnyhill Primary School, Seaclose Park and Island Innovation VI Form Campus. A little further out are Carisbrooke Castle (1.3 miles south) and St Mary's Hospital (1 mile east). The countryside around Forest Side includes Mill Hill and Briddlesford Nature Reserve.
Places near Forest Side
What else we do in Forest Side
Should I look at the roof myself first?
Keep a simple record: when leaks happen, ground-level photos and any past roof work. Send it with your enquiry and it will help the survey.
You can learn a lot from ground level. Binoculars help you spot slipped slates or tiles, gaps along the ridge and a leaning stack. Please do not climb up for a closer look.
What happens if roof problems are left?
Chimneys are easy to forget because you rarely see the top of them. Problems often go unnoticed until damp appears inside. Surveying the stack now can catch problems first. For older village homes like those around Forest Side, the right replacement materials are not always easy to find quickly. Spotting a problem early leaves room to find them.
Prices start from £150, inc. VAT, for a Basic Survey. Standard is from £250 and Premium from £400. You’ll know the price for the job before booking.
Why choose Independent Roof Survey in Forest Side
- Professional indemnity and public liability insurance
- Every finding written up with photos
- Two decades and more of roof surveys
- CAA-registered drone operator (Flyer ID and Operator ID)
Read our cost guide and what we found on two real jobs.
How it works
Once we have finished looking, we write up our findings as a written report with photos. As for time on site, it typically takes an hour or two for most homes, a little longer where there are several stacks. Older roofs in small places like Forest Side can have low, tight loft spaces, so it’s useful to know whether there is a loft hatch and how easy it is to reach. Only areas that can be reached safely are inspected.
- First you let us know about the chimneys, any damp on the chimney breasts and any worries.
- Each chimney is viewed from wherever it can safely be seen.
- We check and photograph the pots, cowls, flaunching, pointing and flashings.
- Where there’s safe access, we look at the stack in the loft and the chimney breasts for damp.
- You get a written report with photos and our recommendations.
Getting ready for the survey
- Have any questions written down, so nothing gets missed
- Keep pets inside or away from the areas we’re looking at
- Check the loft hatch can be reached
Getting a price
If you have photos of the roof, send them over. Pictures from ground level or a window are fine; never climb up to get a better view. To get started, phone 07833 053749 or email us.
Read more
Landlords, agents and block managers in Forest Side
Buyers’ agents can book surveys on behalf of their clients. Reports are emailed, so they’re easy to pass on, photos included.
Any of our surveys can be booked by landlords, agents and building managers in Forest Side. For a price for a let property or a block, call 07833 053749 or send us an email.
Common questions in Forest Side
Do roofs near the sea, like those around Forest Side, take more of a battering?
Frequently, yes. Forest Side is within about 4 miles of the sea, and coastal roofs tend to see faster wear on metal parts and more wind lifting loose pieces.
Is Forest Side within the area you cover?
We do. A small place gets exactly the same survey as a big one, with the route planned beforehand.
Will you check the loft?
If it’s needed and safe to reach, yes. We look for staining, damp, daylight and signs of movement.
Will you photograph what you find?
Yes. Photos are taken throughout the survey, and the report uses them to show each finding.
What insurance do you have?
Every survey is covered by professional indemnity and public liability insurance.
How do I arrange a chimney survey in Forest Side?
To book, phone 07833 053749 or drop us an email and let us know the address and what you’d like to know. We will confirm the price and agree a day with you.
What should I do with a chimney I do not use?
An unused stack still needs to stay weathertight and ventilated. Capping without airflow can lead to damp. Our survey records its condition and how it’s capped, so you can decide with a builder what to do.
When you need someone else
In fairness, there are limits to any roof survey:
- Whether the flue is safe to use
- Whether a gas appliance or its flue is safe
- Areas we cannot view from safe positions
Not sure which survey suits your roof? You can ring 07833 053749 or send us an email and we will tell you. The full list of what we check.
Roof types and parts we check
- Flaunching
- Chimney pots and cowls
- Chimney breasts
- Lead flashings
- Shared and party-wall stacks
- Brick chimney stacks
Do you need a chimney survey in Forest Side?
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.
We’re frequently asked to look at:
- Bricks with flaking faces
- Gaps where the stack meets the roof
- Signs that a stack is leaning
- Cracked or missing flaunching
For an older house near a landmark such as St. Mary's Church, old fixings, lead flashings and tall chimneys are typical of older roofs.
Choosing a roof surveyor
- When you’ll get the report
- What the survey will not cover
- Will the report include photos?
- Will they check the loft as well as the outside?