Milton Keynes · London and the South East
Chimney survey in Great Brickhill, Milton Keynes
A survey of chimney stacks, pots, flashings and flaunching in Great Brickhill, carried out by an experienced roof surveyor. Every survey comes with a written report and photos.
- Bricks with flaking faces
- Redundant stacks capped without ventilation
- Cracked or missing flaunching
What a chimney survey looks like in Great Brickhill
Across the South East, older homes tend to have slate or clay tiles, and many later ones concrete tiles, with flat-roofed extensions, dormers and garages common everywhere. On roofs like these, good slates or tiles can outlast the nails, battens, lead and mortar around them. The wider area around Great Brickhill has a long history of building, with Bletchley Park about 3.4 miles north-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.
If you live near a park such as Stockgrove Country Park, or anywhere with mature trees, autumn leaves can block gutters and valleys. Take a building like High Ash Church of England Primary School: its roofs, gutters and any chimneys need the same checks as a house’s, just on a bigger scale.
Great Brickhill is about 3 miles south-east of Bletchley, in Milton Keynes. We carry out chimney surveys for homes and businesses in Great Brickhill and nearby. Great Brickhill is one of the towns and villages in Milton Keynes where we work for chimney surveys. Our Milton Keynes page covers surveys nearby.
All of MK17 is within our area for chimney surveys, from the main roads to the quietest streets. We offer chimney surveys to properties on Cuff Lane, Heath Road and Holts Green and the roads around them. Nearby, we also carry out chimney surveys in Little Brickhill (1 mile north) and Woburn (3 miles north-east). We also work in nearby towns such as Milton Keynes (6 miles north-west), Bletchley (3 miles north-west), Newport Pagnell (9 miles north), Bletchley and Fenny Stratford (3 miles north-west), Furzton (4 miles north-west) and Whitehouse (7 miles north-west).
Around Great Brickhill
In Great Brickhill, that means homes and buildings near Sir Herbert Leon Academy, Old Red Lion pub and Stockgrove Country Park and the streets around them. The closest station to Great Brickhill is Bow Brickhill station, roughly 2.9 miles north of the centre. Nearby you’ll also find Bletchley Community Hospital (3.6 miles north-west) and Hangmans Hill (3.9 miles west). Not far away are Blue Lagoon and Kings and Bakers Woods and Heaths.
Chimney surveys for homes and businesses in Great Brickhill
On terraced and semi-detached houses, a chimney stack is often shared with next door. We check whatever is safely visible and what the owner gives us access to. Where a problem seems to involve a neighbour’s side, the report records it, so you can talk to them. You get a written report with photos and what we recommend. Common reasons to book are a chimney out of line and mortar washing out of the joints, on flaunching, shared and party-wall stacks and brick chimney stacks.
Some older homes in villages like Great Brickhill are listed or in a conservation area. That can affect what materials can be used when work is done, so check with the council before planning anything. A roof report helps you plan work with that in mind. Where a building is listed, matching the existing roof materials is often expected.
The written findings come by email, easy to pass on to a roofer, an agent or an insurer. Turnaround is within 48 hours for Basic, 24–48 hours for Standard and same day for Premium.
- Where
- Great Brickhill (MK17)
- Region
- Milton Keynes
- Price
- From £150 inc. VAT
- Your report
- Emailed report with photos and recommendations
- When we survey
- Weekdays and weekends
- Insurance
- PI and public liability insurance
- Phone
- 07833 053749
- Updated
- 27 October 2026
The survey, step by step
After the inspection, everything we found is written up in a report with photos. As for time on site, it usually takes about 1–2 hours at a house, as part of a look at the roof around the stack. Around Great Brickhill, older homes can have small or awkward roof spaces, so it helps to know whether there is a loft hatch and how easy it is to reach. We only go where it is safe.
- We go through the chimneys, any damp and any work done on them.
- We look at every stack from wherever it can safely be seen.
- 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.
- You get a written report with photos and recommendations by email.
Preparing for the visit
- If you are buying, check with the agent that we can get in
- Clear the way to the loft hatch
- Keep pets inside or away from the areas we’re looking at
How to book
A quick phone call is typically the easiest start: call 07833 053749 or use the contact form, and we’ll ask about the building and what you need. The price is agreed before a date is set.
Related advice
Why get it checked now?
For a buyer, the best time to learn about a chimney is before exchange. After that, any work is yours to arrange and pay for. A report gives you something specific to put to the seller. Around Great Brickhill, older homes frequently have old roof timbers, where water from a failed roof can cause rot if it’s left.
Simple, low roofs take less time to survey than tall or complicated ones, and the package you pick makes a difference too. The price is always agreed first.
Why us?
- Drone and thermal imaging surveys available
- Satisfaction rate of 98%
- Every finding written up with photos
- Prices that include VAT
Read how roof surveys are priced and what we found on two real jobs.
Nearby places to Great Brickhill
Other services in Great Brickhill
Different roofs, different checks
Chimney pots and cowls
For unused flues, we check whether caps or cowls allow ventilation. Capping without ventilation can trap moisture.
Rendered stacks
Some stacks are rendered, which can hide the condition of the brickwork beneath. The survey checks for cracking, bulging and staining in the render.
Your questions about chimney surveys in Great Brickhill
I let a flat near Bow Brickhill station. Can you check the roof?
Yes, landlords and agents book with us as well as owners. You can call 07833 053749 or send us an email with the address and some details, including who will give access on the day.
Is Great Brickhill within the area you cover?
Yes, Great Brickhill is covered. We work right across London and South East England, from towns to the smallest villages. Longer journeys are simply planned ahead of time.
Do I need to be at home?
It depends on what we need to see. For inside areas and the roof space, someone has to give us access; we will agree the details when you book.
What do you check on a chimney?
The survey covers the pots and cowls, the flaunching, the pointing, the bricks and the flashings. We also check chimney breasts and the stack in the roof space where we can reach. You get a written report with photos.
How many surveys have you done?
Over 20 years and more than 5,000 surveys.
Will I get photos?
Yes. Photos are part of every report, so you can see exactly what each finding refers to.
How quickly is the report sent?
That depends on the survey you book: Basic within 48 hours, Standard in 24–48 hours and Premium the same day. The report is emailed to you.
Common roof problems in Great Brickhill
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. Loose pots can follow.
Problems we come across frequently include:
- Damp patches on chimney breasts
- Signs that a stack is leaning
- Cracked or missing flaunching
- Lifted or split lead flashings
The streets around a church like St Mary the Virgin are frequently among the oldest in a place, and if yours is one of the older homes nearby, its roof may have old fixings, lead flashings and chimneys that need a closer look.
Before booking anyone
- How they plan to inspect the roof safely
- Whether VAT is in the quoted price
- Do they have a CAA Flyer ID and Operator ID for drone work?
- How soon the report will arrive
Practical tips
Getting the most from a chimney survey starts before we arrive and carries on afterwards. Tips:
- Check your stacks from ground level after strong winds
- Keep the report to compare against at the next survey
- Have brackets on the chimney checked
- Don’t use a ladder to reach the stack yourself
After the visit, we write up the report with photos of each stack. It covers the pots, flaunching, pointing, brickwork and flashings, and any damp we found inside. Turnaround is within 48 hours for Basic, 24 to 48 hours for Standard and the same day for Premium.
Look at your chimneys from the ground now and then, especially after strong winds. With binoculars, you can frequently see cracked flaunching or lifted lead.
What you can safely check yourself
During heavy rain, look at the gutters from the ground or a window. Water spilling over the edge can be a sign of a blockage or a gutter that has dropped.
You can learn a lot from the ground. With binoculars, look for slipped or missing slates and tiles, gaps along the ridge and leaning chimneys. Never climb onto the roof to look.