Oxfordshire · London and the South East
Chimney survey in Headington Quarry, Oxfordshire
Chimney surveys for homes and businesses in Headington Quarry. More than 5,000 surveys completed across London and South East England.
- Mortar washing out of the joints
- Cracked or missing flaunching
- Pots or cowls that look unsafe
Why act early in Headington Quarry
Damp in a chimney breast normally gets worse while the cause is left. It can spoil decoration and plaster. Finding the cause means the right work can be planned. On a bungalow or cottage around Headington Quarry, the roof sits close to the rooms below, so water can show inside quickly once it gets past the covering. Finding the cause first saves a second job inside.
The cost of a survey depends on the roof: how big it is, how high it is, the number of separate roofs and how safely it can be seen. Our price is from £150, including VAT.
What you get with us
- Independent findings on the roof’s condition
- Weekday and weekend surveys
- More than 20 years surveying roofs
- Plain-English reports with photos
See how roof surveys are priced and what we found on two real jobs.
Chimney survey in Headington Quarry
A damp patch on a chimney breast does not always come from the same place. It might come in at the top, through worn pointing or porous bricks, or where the flashings meet the roof. Moisture trapped inside a stack with no ventilation can also cause damp. Our survey checks each of these and records the likely cause. That points the work in the right direction. We survey brick chimney stacks, flaunching and lead flashings, and people most often book us about damp on a chimney breast inside and lifted or split lead flashings.
Houses in smaller places like Headington Quarry 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.
We write the report in plain English, so you don’t need to be a roofer to follow it. Each point is backed by a photograph where possible.
- Location
- Headington Quarry (OX3)
- Region
- Oxfordshire
- Prices
- From £150 inc. VAT
- Reports
- Written, with photos, emailed to you
- Appointments
- Weekdays, Saturdays and Sundays
- Cover
- PI and public liability insurance
- Telephone
- 07833 053749
- Page updated
- 27 October 2026
Towns and villages near Headington Quarry
What else we do in Headington Quarry
Chimney surveys around Headington Quarry
West Oxfordshire’s older buildings frequently carry Cotswold stone slates, and a few villages in the county keep their thatch. Slate and clay tile are the usual coverings on older South East houses, with concrete tiles on many later estates. Whatever the covering, it’s often the fixings, flashings, valleys and gutters that give out first. Historic houses such as Holywell Manor, about 2 miles west, show how far back building in the area around Headington Quarry goes. If your home is one of the older ones, expect a mix of original materials and later repairs on the roof, and any change of roofing material on a listed home needs checking with the council first.
If yours is one of the older homes in the streets near Holy Trinity Church, corroded nails, tired lead and weathered chimney pointing are the things to watch on older roofs. Landlords with a home close to Oxford station may find that a dated record of the roof is useful when planning maintenance across a let. For site and facilities teams at buildings such as Headington Quarry Foundation Stage School, large buildings have long gutter runs and big roofs that need checking like any other.
Headington Quarry is about 2 miles north-east of Oxford, in Oxfordshire. We provide chimney surveys for homes and businesses in Headington Quarry and the surrounding area. Our Oxfordshire coverage includes Headington Quarry.
Here we cover the OX3 postcode area for chimney surveys. That includes homes and businesses on Old Road, Mark Road and York Road and the roads around them. We also cover the places around Headington Quarry: Headington (1 mile north-west), Headington Hill (1 mile west), Northway (1 mile north-west), Oxford (2 miles south-west) and New Marston (2 miles west). Larger places within reach include Didcot (11 miles south), Bicester (10 miles north), Abingdon-on-Thames (7 miles south-west), Witney (13 miles west), Thame (10 miles east) and Wantage (15 miles south-west).
Near you in Headington Quarry
In Headington Quarry, that means homes and buildings near Parish Church of St Mary, The Chequers pub and Bury Knowle Park, among other places. Nearby too are Cheney School (1.1 miles south-west), Windmill Primary School (within half a mile south-west) and English Faculty Library (2 miles west). The nearest railway station is Oxford station, about 3 miles west of the centre. Nearby you will also find Nuffield Orthopaedic Centre (0.5 miles south-west) and Templars Square (2.1 miles south). Open spaces near Headington Quarry include CS Lewis Nature Reserve and Shotover.
Landlord and commercial surveys in Headington Quarry
Businesses and commercial landlords can book us too. Larger roofs take longer, so they’re priced to suit.
For a freeholder or residents’ company, a roof report is a sound basis for a maintenance plan, with the most urgent items set out first.
The survey, step by step
There is not much for you to do on the day. Point out anything you’ve noticed, like stains, drips or loose pieces, and we’ll take it from there. The survey itself takes about one to two hours at a typical home, and longer for a large or complex roof. In a smaller place like Headington Quarry, as anywhere, the forecast plays a part: the parts that need calm, dry weather are planned around it.
- First we talk through the stacks, their history and any problems.
- We look at every stack from wherever it can be seen safely.
- We photograph and record the pots, flaunching, pointing and flashings.
- Inside, the chimney breasts and the loft are checked for damp where there’s access.
- The report, with photos and recommendations, is emailed to you.
Before the survey
- Keep pets out of the way during the survey
- Have any questions written down, so nothing gets missed
- Show us where any leaks or stains appear
Getting a price
If you have photos of the roof, send them over. Pictures from the ground or a window are fine, and please do not climb up for a closer look. To get started, call 07833 053749 or drop us an email.
Related advice
Before and after the survey
Most of what helps is simple and safe from ground level. Our suggestions:
- Remove aerials or dishes from the stack if they’re no longer needed
- Note any damp on chimney breasts and when it appears
- Check that disused chimneys can still breathe
- Do not use a ladder to reach the stack yourself
You get the report by email and can pass it to whoever does the work. We use plain English and a photo for each defect, so it’s easy to follow.
Check your stacks from the street or garden after a storm. With binoculars, you can often see cracked flaunching or lifted lead.
Headington Quarry: your questions answered
Is my home in Headington Quarry listed or in a conservation area?
You can check whether a building is listed on Historic England’s list, and your council can tell you if it’s in a conservation area. Listed building consent is needed for changes that affect a listed building’s special interest, and conservation areas can limit changes of roofing material.
Will you come out to Headington Quarry?
Yes, Headington Quarry is on our map. A small place gets exactly the same survey as a big one.
What happens next?
You will get the report by email, with photos and clear recommendations. The Standard Survey includes a follow-up consultation, and the Premium Survey an in-person consultation, so you can talk the findings through.
How experienced are you?
We’ve completed more than 5,000 surveys, over more than 20 years, with 98% customer satisfaction.
Should I worry about a leaning stack?
Have it checked rather than leaving it. Stacks can lean when mortar on one side breaks down. We record its condition with photographs, and a structural engineer can assess whether it needs work.
Do you survey on Saturdays and Sundays?
We survey seven days a week: weekdays, Saturdays and Sundays. Let us know which days suit you as you book.
Does the report include photographs?
Yes, every report has them. Each finding is shown in a picture where possible, which makes the report easy to follow.
What this survey cannot tell you
Without opening up the roof, some things stay hidden, and that sets some limits:
- The inside of the flue, which needs a sweep or flue specialist
- Areas we can’t view from safe positions
- Structural calculations for a leaning stack
If you’re not sure which survey you need, phone 07833 053749 or email us and we will give you a straight answer before you book. The full list of what we check.
What this survey covers
- Chimney pots and cowls
- Flaunching
- Chimney breasts
- Brick chimney stacks
- Shared and party-wall stacks
- Lead flashings
What a survey costs
Prices vary from roof to roof, for these reasons:
- The height of the building and how the roof can be seen safely
- Features like valleys, chimneys, dormers and parapets
- The roof’s overall size
- Commercial roofs and larger buildings
Price depends partly on the package: Basic from £150, Standard from £250 or Premium from £400, all inc. VAT. Size, height and access can affect the price too.
Getting in touch
Here’s what helps us most when you contact us:
- Photos of the roof, taken safely from ground level or a window
- How the loft is reached, if there is one
- The address and postcode of the property
- Dates you’re working to, such as exchange
Most bookings start with a short call: ring 07833 053749 or email us and we’ll ask a few questions about the roof. You’ll have a price before anything is arranged.