West Berkshire · London and the South East
Chimney survey in Headley, West Berkshire
We carry out chimney surveys in Headley and the rest of West Berkshire. We survey on weekdays and at weekends.
- Cracked or missing flaunching
- Flashings pulling away from the stack
- Signs that a stack is leaning
Chimney survey in Headley: what you get
Redundant chimneys are common, especially where fires have been replaced by central heating. A disused stack still needs looking after. Capping a stack without ventilation can trap moisture and lead to damp inside. Our survey looks at how each unused stack has been capped and checks the breasts for damp. You get photos of each stack and our recommendations. If you’re worried about disused chimneys trapping moisture and gaps where the stack meets the roof, a survey will tell you what’s going on, on chimney breasts, flaunching and brick chimney stacks alike.
Older buildings in small places like Headley may be listed or in a conservation area. If yours is, re-roofing in different materials may need consent, so the council is the place to check. A roof report helps you plan work with that in mind. Older materials such as clay tiles, slate and stone are often matched when work is done.
Report times depend on the survey you book: the Basic Survey within 48 hours, the Standard Survey in 24 to 48 hours and the Premium Survey on the same day.
- Location
- Headley (RG19)
- Region
- West Berkshire
- Cost
- From £150 inc. VAT
- Reports
- A written report with photos, by email
- Survey days
- Monday to Sunday, daytime
- Insured
- Professional indemnity and public liability
- Phone
- 07833 053749
- Last updated
- 27 October 2026
The survey, step by step
Photos are taken throughout the visit, so the report shows exactly what we saw. We take close-ups from wherever is safe, including by drone where it is applicable and the weather allows. A typical visit takes an hour or two at a typical home, and longer for a large or complex roof. Somewhere as small as Headley, access is frequently the only tricky part. Mention any outbuildings, barns or garages you want included, and anything about the roof you already know. Visits can be on weekdays, Saturdays or Sundays.
- 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.
- The findings are written up with photos and recommendations and emailed to you.
How to prepare
- Jot down any questions you want answered
- Let us know where we can park nearby
- Check we can get to the back of the property
Book 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 phone 07833 053749 or send us an email when you are ready.
Advice
Roof by roof
Flaunching
We often find flaunching that has cracked or broken away. It is usually a modest repair when it’s caught early.
Brick stacks
Frost can damage bricks that have soaked up water, making the faces flake away. Any spalling is noted with photos.
Honest limits
In fairness, there are limits to any roof survey:
- Conditions inside walls
- The inside of the flue, which needs a sweep or flue specialist
- Areas we cannot view from safe positions
If you’re not sure which survey you need, ring 07833 053749 or send us an email and we will give you a straight answer. What a survey covers and doesn’t.
Roofs we survey in Headley
- Brick chimney stacks
- Flaunching
- Shared and party-wall stacks
- Lead flashings
- Chimney breasts
- Chimney pots and cowls
Headley questions
How do I find out if my home in Headley is listed?
Your council is the best source, with Historic England’s list for listed buildings. A change of roofing material may need consent in either case.
Do you cover smaller places like Headley?
Yes, smaller places are covered as well as towns. We survey roofs across London and the South East. Just mention lanes, gates or anything else about the route when booking.
Can you survey at the weekend?
Visits run seven days a week in the daytime, which suits people who work during the week. Just say which days work for you.
How soon will I get the report?
Basic reports arrive within 48 hours, Standard reports in 24–48 hours and Premium reports on the same day. Each one is emailed.
Why is my chimney breast damp?
Damp on a chimney breast typically means water is getting into the stack, or moisture is trapped inside it. We check the stack, the flashings and how unused flues are capped and records the likely cause.
Should a redundant chimney be removed?
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.
Can you survey in bad weather?
A survey can usually go ahead in light rain. Heavy rain or strong wind can ground a drone and make the roof unsafe, so if conditions aren’t right we will arrange another day with you.
Nearby places to Headley
More services for Headley
Roofs, chimneys and gutters in Headley
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. Whichever you have, the details that tend to fail before the covering itself get the closest look. Shaw House, about 4.4 miles north-west, is one of the historic houses in the wider area around Headley. Period homes nearby can have lead valleys, tall chimneys and a patchwork of past repairs, and a listed home or one in a conservation area may need consent for changes of material.
For landlords with property near Thatcham station, the gap between tenancies is a good time to have the roof looked at. For site and facilities teams at buildings such as Cheam School, its roofs, gutters and any chimneys need the same checks as a house’s, just on a bigger scale.
Headley is about 3 miles south of Thatcham, in West Berkshire. Anywhere in Headley, we can carry out chimney surveys at your property. Our West Berkshire coverage includes Headley and the places around it. For surveys nearby, see our Reading page.
Chimney surveys in RG19 are booked the same way as anywhere else. Local streets include Ashford Hill Road, Thornford Road and Harrow Drive, all of which we cover. Other places close to Headley include Mill Green (1 mile east), Plastow Green (1 mile south-east), Heads Hill (1 mile north-west), Goose Hill (1 mile east) and Bishop's Green (1 mile west). Further out, we also cover Newbury (4 miles north-west), Thatcham (3 miles north), Burghfield Common (9 miles east), Speenhamland (4 miles north-west), Hungerford (12 miles west) and Spencers Wood (12 miles east).
Landmarks near Headley
Around Headley, our work takes us to homes and buildings near New Greenham Park. For rail, the closest station is Thatcham station, about 2.3 miles north. Well-known places in the area include West Berkshire Community Hospital (3.5 miles north-west) and Old Chapel Textile Centre (1.4 miles north-west). The countryside around Headley includes Thatcham Reed Beds and Ladle Hill.
Why it is worth a survey now in Headley
Chimneys are easy to forget because you rarely see the top of them. Defects tend to go unseen until there is a stain. A survey gives you a clear picture before that happens. In a small place like Headley, homes can be exposed to wind and rain, which finds any gap, and older walls, once damp, take a long time to dry.
Simple, low roofs take less time to survey than tall or complicated ones, and the package matters as well. The price is always agreed first.
Why us?
- Covered by professional indemnity and public liability insurance
- Plain-English reports with photos
- Two decades and more of roof surveys
- A sub-250g drone, flown with a CAA Flyer ID and Operator ID
Checking the roof from ground level
If you have a loft with safe access, take a look inside. Take a torch and only step on boards or joists, checking for stains, damp wood or chinks of daylight.
Your own check is a good start, but it is not a survey. From ground level, valleys, flashings and the backs of chimneys are often out of sight, and those are details a survey looks at closely.
What we are asked to look at in Headley
Aerials and dishes are often fixed to stacks. The extra load in wind can work bricks and joints loose. We check fixings on the stack as part of the survey.
Look out for signs like these:
- Frost-damaged brickwork on the stack
- Mortar washing out of the joints
- Cracked or missing flaunching
- Signs that a stack is leaning
If yours is one of the older homes in the streets near Church of St Peter, its chimney, valleys and lead work are likely to be the parts that need attention first.
Questions to ask before you book
- Their insurance cover
- How they’ll see the roof: from the ground, the loft, the roof or by drone
- Whether the loft is part of the inspection
- Whether VAT is added on top