Isle of Wight · London and the South East
Chimney Survey in Hale Common
Chimney surveys for homes and businesses in Hale Common. More than 5,000 surveys completed across London and South East England.
- Damp patches on chimney breasts
- Gaps where the stack meets the roof
- Bricks with flaking faces
Chimney surveys in Hale Common: local notes
Hale Common lies within about 3 miles of the sea, so there’s 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, while driving rain finds any gap. Historic houses such as Haseley Manor, about 0.9 miles north, show how far back building in the area around Hale Common goes. Older roofs in the wider area can hide decades of patch repairs, so the detail matters, and a listed home or one in a conservation area may need consent for changes of material.
If you let a flat or house near Shanklin station, knowing the condition of the roof, chimneys and gutters helps you plan work rather than react to complaints.
Hale Common is about 3 miles north-west of Shanklin, in the Isle of Wight. We carry out chimney surveys in Hale Common for houses, flats, blocks and commercial buildings. Hale Common is one of the places in the Isle of Wight where we work. You can also see our page for Portsmouth.
Chimney surveys in PO36 and PO30 are booked the same way as anywhere else. Hale Common is on the A3056, which makes it straightforward to reach. If you’re just outside Hale Common, we cover Branstone (1 mile east), Winford (1 mile east), Princelett (1 mile south-east), Newchurch (1 mile north-east) and Apse Heath (1 mile south-east). Within a short drive, we also cover Newport (4 miles north-west), Ryde (6 miles north-east), Cowes (8 miles north-west), Sandown (3 miles east), Shanklin (3 miles south-east) and Ventnor (4 miles south). If you’re somewhere remote, a little more planning is needed, so let us know when you get in touch.
Landmarks near Hale Common
The closest station to Hale Common is Shanklin station, roughly 2.5 miles south-east. Nearby you will also find Museum of Country And Agriculture (1 mile north) and Sandown Castle (3.5 miles east). Green spaces nearby include Stenbury Down and Alverstone Mead.
Chimney surveys for homes and businesses in Hale Common
We inspect chimneys from wherever they can safely be seen: from the ground, from windows and vantage points, and from the loft where there’s access. With our Premium Survey, a drone inspection is included where it applies. Where part of a stack can’t be seen, the report says so. Every defect we find is photographed and described in plain words. We survey lead flashings, chimney pots and cowls and shared and party-wall stacks, and people most often book us about gaps in the mortar around the pots and lifted or split lead flashings.
Somewhere as small as Hale Common, homes are often older cottages and farmhouses, with outbuildings and some newer houses. Roofs there can be clay tile, slate, stone or thatch, and chimney stacks are often old. We report on everything that’s safely in view, and thatch is a specialist material. On older roofs, it’s typically the chimneys and lead flashings that need work first.
The Standard Survey adds moisture detection, a structural check and a follow-up consultation. The Premium Survey adds thermal imaging, drone inspection where it applies, structural analysis and an in-person consultation.
- Place
- Hale Common (PO36, PO30)
- Region
- Isle of Wight
- Cost
- From £150 inc. VAT
- Your report
- Written, with photos, emailed to you
- Survey days
- Weekdays, Saturdays and Sundays
- Insured
- PI and public liability insurance
- Call
- 07833 053749
- Updated
- 27 October 2026
Questions from Hale Common
Is the coastal weather around Hale Common hard on roofs?
Often, yes. Hale Common is within about 3 miles of the sea, and coastal roofs tend to see faster wear on metal parts and more wind lifting loose pieces.
Do you cover smaller places like Hale Common?
Yes. Hale Common is within the area we cover, which takes in towns, villages and rural addresses. We work right across London and South East England. Just mention lanes, gates or anything else about the route when you book.
What causes damp on a chimney breast?
There are a few common causes: cracked flaunching, worn pointing, failed flashings, uncapped pots, or damp trapped in an unventilated stack. We check each one and note the most likely cause.
How long is the visit?
Expect it to take between one and two hours for most homes, a little longer where there are several stacks. The written report follows by email.
When does the report arrive?
It depends on the package: the Basic Survey report arrives within 48 hours, the Standard Survey in 24 to 48 hours and the Premium Survey the same day. Reports are sent by email.
Is it a problem to have an unused chimney?
There’s no single answer. The survey shows its condition and how it’s been capped. In a conservation area or on a listed building, changes may need consent.
Can you inspect my roof with a drone?
Yes, where it is applicable. We hold a CAA Flyer ID and Operator ID and fly a drone under 250g, and the airspace and weather are checked before every flight.
Roof by roof
Chimney breasts and the loft
Inside, chimney breasts can show damp when water gets into the stack. We check them and at the stack in the loft where there is safe access.
Lead flashings
Some older stacks have mortar fillets instead of lead. They tend to crack, so we look at them closely.
Tips that help
A few practical points come up again and again on our surveys. They apply to most roofs:
- Find out whether changes to a stack need permission
- Check that disused chimneys can still breathe
- Have brackets on the chimney checked
- Don’t use a ladder to reach the stack yourself
Many people use the report to get quotes for the work. Because everyone is pricing the same findings, the quotes are easier to compare.
Check your stacks from the street or garden after a storm. With binoculars, you can often see cracked flaunching or lifted lead.
Places near Hale Common
What else we do in Hale Common
How the survey works
Expect us to ask a few questions before we start, like when any problem began and what work has been done before. The inspection then takes between one and two hours at a house, as part of a look at the roof around the stack. Older rural homes like those around Hale Common can have a main roof, lower lean-to roofs and outbuildings all joined together. We work round each section in turn, from the safest viewpoints, and anything we cannot see is noted.
- You let us know whether any stacks are shared, unused or leaning.
- We check the roof around each stack, including the flashings.
- The top of each stack is checked for cracked flaunching and loose pots.
- Any lean, spalling or worn pointing is recorded.
- You receive a written report setting out what needs attention first.
How to prepare
- If you are buying, let the agent know when we’re coming
- Let us know where we can park nearby
- Have keys ready for side gates, garages or roof access doors
How to book
To book a survey, phone 07833 053749 or use the contact form with the address and what you’d like to know about the roof. We will confirm the price before booking.
Read more
Signs you need a chimney survey in Hale Common
Many chimneys are no longer used. A stack sealed without ventilation can trap damp. Damp patches can appear on chimney breasts even when nothing is leaking.
A survey makes sense if you’ve noticed:
- Flaunching that has broken away
- Eroded joints in the brickwork
- Damaged chimney pots and cowls
- Bricks with flaking faces
Take a building like Newchurch Primary School: large buildings have long gutter runs and big roofs that need checking like any other.
What to check before booking
- Whether VAT is added on top
- Whether any drone flown is registered with the CAA
- Whether the inside of the roof is included
- How they’ll see the roof: from ground level, the loft, the roof or by drone
DIY checks: what’s safe
After heavy rain, check ceilings and the tops of walls for new stains. Take a photo and write down when you saw it.
Look up at the roof after a storm, from the ground: pieces of tile or slate on the ground, a gap in the ridge or a lifted flashing are all worth noting. Leave anything above ground level to a survey.
Why get it checked now?
For a buyer, the best time to learn about a chimney is before exchange. Once you’ve exchanged, the work is down to you. Our report gives you facts to raise with the seller or agent. Older and listed buildings around Hale Common may need consent and matching materials for repairs, so a defect found early gives time to plan the work properly.
What a survey costs comes down to the roof itself: how big it is, how high it is, the number of separate roofs and how it can be reached and seen safely. Our price is from £150, including VAT.
Why us?
- Satisfaction rate of 98%
- 20+ years’ experience
- Every finding written up with photos
- An independent view of the roof
See what a roof survey costs or what we found on two real jobs.