Oxfordshire · London and the South East
Chimney survey in Great Milton, Oxfordshire
An experienced roof surveyor for chimney surveys in Great Milton. More than 20 years and over 5,000 surveys across London and South East England.
- Gaps in the mortar around the pots
- Mortar washing out of the joints
- A stack that appears to lean
How a chimney survey works in Great Milton
If you are buying a home with chimneys, it is worth knowing their condition before you exchange. On older stacks, we frequently find cracked flaunching, loose flashings and worn pointing. You get photos and findings you can take back to the seller or agent. It works alongside a RICS home survey, not instead of one. If you’re worried about damp on a chimney breast inside and a chimney out of line, we can find out what’s behind it, on chimney breasts, lead flashings and shared and party-wall stacks alike.
Older buildings in small places like Great Milton may be 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. Knowing the roof’s condition helps you plan ahead with that in mind. Where a building is listed, matching the existing roof materials is often expected.
Every survey ends with a written report, with photographs, emailed to you. It explains the condition of the chimney stack, the defects we found and what we recommend.
- Place
- Great Milton (OX44)
- Region
- Oxfordshire
- Cost
- From £150 inc. VAT
- Reports
- A written report with photos, by email
- When we survey
- Weekdays and weekends
- Insurance
- PI and public liability insurance
- Call
- 07833 053749
- Updated
- 27 October 2026
Your questions about chimney surveys in Great Milton
Will you come out to Great Milton?
Yes, Great Milton is on our map. Villages and rural addresses get the same survey as a town house, with the route planned beforehand.
Is Great Milton in the area you cover?
We do. The survey and report are the same in Great Milton as anywhere else, and visits run on weekdays and weekends.
Do I need to be at home?
That depends on the survey. For inside areas and the loft space, someone has to give us access.
How long have you been surveying roofs?
More than 5,000 surveys over 20+ years.
Is it a problem to have an unused chimney?
It depends on its condition and your plans. The survey shows its condition and how it’s been capped. In a conservation area or on a listed building, changes may need consent.
Will I get photos?
Yes, every report has them. Each finding is shown in a picture where possible, which makes the report easy to follow.
Do you survey roofs on blocks of flats?
Yes, once whoever controls the roof agrees access. On a shared roof we can only inspect the parts we are allowed to reach.
What we look for on each type of roof
Chimney breasts and the loft
Inside, chimney breasts can show damp when water gets into the stack. We look at them and at the stack in the loft where there’s safe access.
Rendered stacks
Water can get in through cracks and then struggle to dry out. Cracks are photographed and noted.
Places near Great Milton
Also in Great Milton
Great Milton homes and their roofs
Older buildings in west Oxfordshire often have Cotswold stone slate roofs, and some Oxfordshire villages still have thatch. Slate and clay tile are the usual coverings on older South East houses, with concrete tiles on many later estates. Whichever you have, the details that tend to fail before the covering itself get the closest look. About 3.1 miles west lies Garsington Manor, a reminder of how long the area around Great Milton has been built on. If your house is among the older ones, expect a mix of original materials and later repairs on the roof, and the council can say whether a home is in a conservation area.
For an older house near a landmark such as Church of St Mary, its roof may have old fixings, lead flashings and chimneys that need a closer look.
Great Milton is about 5 miles west of Thame, in Oxfordshire. Great Milton is one of many places we visit across Oxfordshire. We cover towns and villages across Oxfordshire, large and small. You can also see our page for Oxford.
Here we cover the OX44 postcode area for chimney surveys. We cover properties on Church Road, Fullers Field and Green Hitchings. Other places close to Great Milton include Great Haseley (1 mile south-east), Milton Common (1 mile east), Tiddington (2 miles north-east), Albury (2 miles north-east) and Draycott (2 miles north-east). We also work in nearby towns such as Oxford (7 miles west), Didcot (10 miles south-west), Bicester (13 miles north), Abingdon-on-Thames (9 miles west), Thame (5 miles east) and Henley-on-Thames (15 miles south-east).
Local landmarks in Great Milton
We work in homes and buildings around The Bell Inn. Well-known places in the area include Waterperry Gardens Rural Museum (2.1 miles north) and Slade Hospital (5.1 miles west). The countryside around Great Milton includes Shotover and Wells Farm.
How the survey works
The visit normally starts outside and finishes in the loft: outside views come first, then the loft space if there is safe access. All told, expect about 1–2 hours at a house, as part of a look at the roof around the stack. Cottages and farmhouses around Great Milton often have roofs at several levels, with lean-tos and outbuildings attached. We work round each section in turn, from the safest viewpoints.
- We start with the details: how many stacks, whether any are shared and any signs of damp.
- Each chimney is viewed from wherever it can safely be seen.
- We check and photograph the pots, cowls, flaunching, pointing and flashings.
- Inside, we look for damp on chimney breasts and in the loft where there’s safe access.
- You get a report with photos and our recommendations.
Before the survey
- Keep pets in another room
- Dig out any old roof reports or invoices
- Note where any stains or damp appear
Arrange a survey
Buyers should book once an offer has been accepted, so you have the findings in time to act on them before you exchange. For any other survey, just call 07833 053749 or use the contact form when you’re ready.
Related advice
Tips from our surveys
There’s plenty you can do without going near the roof. Here’s what helps most:
- Check that disused chimneys can still breathe
- Glance at the stacks from the street now and then
- Find out whether changes to a stack need permission
- File photos of the stacks with your home records
Questions about the findings are always welcome. The Standard Survey includes a follow-up consultation and the Premium Survey an in-person consultation.
Get small mortar repairs done while they’re small. It is far simpler than rebuilding a stack later.
Surveys for landlords and agents in Great Milton
For blocks of flats, a roof survey helps managing agents and residents’ management companies plan ahead. Recommendations are set out with the most urgent first where relevant, which helps when budgeting.
Roof problems in a rented home affect tenants as well as the building. A survey helps you spot issues early and plan the work around your tenants.
What this survey cannot tell you
To be straight with you, a roof survey has limits:
- Gas safety checks, which need a Gas Safe registered engineer
- Structural calculations for a leaning stack
- Hidden sides of a shared stack
Not sure which survey suits your roof? You can ring 07833 053749 or drop us an email and we’ll tell you before you book. What a survey covers and does not.
Roof types and parts we check
- Lead flashings
- Chimney breasts
- Brick chimney stacks
- Flaunching
- Chimney pots and cowls
- Shared and party-wall stacks
Signs you need a chimney survey in Great Milton
Removing a chimney breast inside can leave questions about how the stack is supported. We record what we can see in the loft and outside, and recommend a structural engineer where support is in question.
It is worth booking a survey if you’ve seen:
- Pots or cowls that look unsafe
- Staining on walls around the chimney
- Signs that a stack is leaning
- Flaunching that has broken away
If you look after a building like Great Milton Church of England Primary School, its roofs, gutters and any chimneys need the same checks as a house’s, just on a bigger scale.
Before you book any roof surveyor
- What’s outside the scope of the survey
- Whether you get a written report with photos
- Whether VAT is in the quoted price
- Whether they hold professional indemnity and public liability insurance