East Sussex · London and the South East
Chimney survey in Friston, East Sussex
Find out the condition of the chimney stack at your property in Friston. We visit on weekdays and at weekends.
- Bricks with flaking faces
- Worn or missing pointing
- A stack that appears to lean
How a chimney survey works in Friston
We inspect chimneys from wherever they can safely be seen: from the ground, from windows and vantage points, and from the loft where there is access. A drone inspection is part of our Premium Survey where applicable. If we can’t see part of the stack, the report makes that clear. Each defect is recorded with a photo and a plain description. If you’ve noticed pots or cowls that look unsafe and damp on a chimney breast inside, a survey will tell you what’s going on.
Houses in smaller places like Friston can face open ground, where wind and driving rain hit the roof harder. That weather tells first on ridges, verges, chimneys and flashings. A careful look shows whether anything has started to loosen before it lets water in. A loose ridge tile or slate gives the wind something to catch, and others soon follow.
Nothing in the report is left vague: if work is needed, the report says so clearly, along with how urgent it is.
- Location
- Friston (BN20)
- Region
- East Sussex
- Cost
- From £150 inc. VAT
- Report
- Emailed report with photos and recommendations
- When we survey
- Monday to Sunday, daytime
- Insured
- PI and public liability insurance
- Call
- 07833 053749
- Page updated
- 27 October 2026
FAQs for Friston
Is Friston within the area you cover?
Yes. Friston is within the area we cover, which takes in towns, villages and rural addresses. We survey roofs across London and the South East. Let us know about access, parking and anything unusual about getting there when booking.
Is my home in Friston listed or in a conservation area?
For listing, use Historic England’s list; for conservation areas, ask the council. It matters most if you’re planning to re-roof in a different material.
Does someone need to be in?
Not always. An outside-only look can be arranged beforehand, but anything inside needs someone there to give access.
Are you structural engineers?
No. We’re experienced roof surveyors, and visible signs such as sagging are noted, but calculations and an engineer’s opinion are outside what we do. If one is needed, the report says so.
Will you check the chimney is safe to use with a fire?
No. It isn’t a flue, sweep or gas safety inspection. We check the structure and weathering of the stack and any damp, and we will say if anything suggests the flue needs checking.
How much does a chimney survey cost in Friston?
Prices start from £150, including VAT. You will know the price for your roof before booking. For a price, phone 07833 053749 or email us.
Will I get photos?
Yes. Photos are taken throughout the survey, and the report uses them to show each finding alongside our recommendations.
Nearby places to Friston
What else we do in Friston
Landlords, agents and block managers in Friston
Buyers’ agents can book surveys on behalf of their clients. Reports are emailed, so they’re easy to pass on, photos included.
With a portfolio of properties, surveys can be booked for more than one address. To arrange surveys for several addresses, ring 07833 053749 or send us an email with the addresses.
Can I check my roof myself?
You can learn a lot from the ground. Binoculars help you spot slipped slates or tiles, gaps along the ridge and a leaning stack. Never climb onto the roof to look.
After heavy rain, check ceilings and the tops of walls for new stains. Photograph them and note the date.
Before and after the survey
A little preparation and a few simple habits help. Our tips:
- Do not use a ladder to reach the stack yourself
- Glance at the stacks from the street now and then
- Use a Gas Safe registered engineer for gas appliances
- 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 is easy to follow.
Make sure fixings on the stack are sound, and moved if they’re working it loose. Removing unused fixings takes strain off the brickwork.
What a chimney survey looks like in Friston
The coast is about 1 mile or less from Friston, so there is more wind and more salt in the air than further inland. Near the sea, metal fixings wear faster and loose pieces on a roof are more likely to lift, and driving rain gets into whatever gap is left. In Sussex, older roofs are frequently handmade clay tile, frequently with tile-hanging on the walls below. A few old Sussex buildings still carry heavy Horsham stone slabs, and the county’s older buildings include oast houses and Wealden hall houses. Knowing the covering helps explain which parts of a roof are likely to need work first.
If you live in an older home near The Parish Church of St Simon and St Jude, old fixings, lead flashings and tall chimneys are typical of older roofs. Alfriston Clergy House lies about 3.7 miles north-west, so building around Friston goes back a long way. Older roofs nearby often mix original materials with later repairs, and the survey shows where each one is.
Friston is about 4 miles south-west of Eastbourne, in East Sussex. Houses, flats, blocks and commercial buildings in Friston can all book chimney surveys, with a written report and photographs every time. Friston is one of the towns and villages in East Sussex we cover. You can also see our page for Brighton.
Postcode districts we cover here for chimney surveys: BN20. That includes homes and businesses on Dene Side, Dene Close and Michel Close and the roads around them. Other places close to Friston include East Dean (1 mile south-west), Birling Gap (1 mile south), Jevington (2 miles north), Old Town (3 miles east) and Meads (3 miles east). Further out, we also cover Eastbourne (4 miles north-east), Bexhill-on-Sea (13 miles north-east), Seaford (4 miles west), Lewes (12 miles north-west), Hailsham (7 miles north) and Uckfield (15 miles north).
Around Friston
In Friston, that means homes and buildings near The Tiger Inn, among other places. For rail, the closest station is Eastbourne station, about 3.2 miles east. Other landmarks nearby include Eastbourne District General Hospital (3 miles north-east) and Filching Manor And Motor Museum (3 miles north). Not far away are Combe Hill.
How it works
After the inspection, everything we found is written up in a report with photos, sent to you by email. As for time on site, most surveys take between one and two hours at a house, as part of a look at the roof around the stack. Homes around Friston often have gardens on more than one side, which gives us room to step back and see the roof. Let us know if any side is fenced off or hard to reach. Inside, the loft is checked where it can be reached safely.
- You tell us whether any stacks are shared, unused or leaning.
- The flashings and the roof around each chimney are inspected.
- The top of each stack is checked for cracked flaunching and loose pots.
- We note the brickwork, pointing and any sign of leaning.
- The report explains the condition and which work is most urgent.
Before we arrive
- Have any paperwork from past roof work to hand
- Agree roof access with the managing agent if it’s shared
- Have keys ready for side gates, garages or roof access doors
Booking a survey
To book a survey, phone 07833 053749 or email us with the address and what you’d like to know about the roof. You’ll know the price before anything is booked.
Advice
What we’re asked to look at in Friston
A stack takes the weather from every direction. Frost works into cracks in the flaunching and pointing, and rain soaks into worn brickwork. People usually call us when they notice damp or a problem with the stack, or before a purchase.
People usually book a survey when they’ve noticed one of these:
- Flashings pulling away from the stack
- Disused chimneys trapping moisture
- A chimney out of line
- Frost-damaged brickwork on the stack
For landlords with property near Eastbourne station, knowing the condition of the roof, chimneys and gutters helps you plan work rather than react to complaints.
Choosing a roof surveyor
- Do they have a CAA Flyer ID and Operator ID for drone work?
- What insurance they carry
- What the survey won’t cover
- What experience they bring
What we look for on each type of roof
Chimney pots and cowls
Pots sit in the flaunching on top of the stack, and cowls or caps sit on the pots. The survey looks for cracked, loose or missing pots and cowls.
Flaunching
Flaunching is the mortar on top of a stack that holds the pots and sheds water. Cracks in it let water into the stack.