West Berkshire · London and the South East
Hermitage Chimney Survey
Chimney surveys across Hermitage, with over 20 years’ experience behind it. Every survey ends with a written report and photographs.
- Bricks with flaking faces
- Gaps where the stack meets the roof
- Signs that a stack is leaning
How a chimney survey works in Hermitage
Our survey covers the structure of the stack and its weathering details. It is not a flue inspection, a chimney sweep or a gas safety inspection. If you use a fire or a gas appliance, the flue should be checked by a sweep or a Gas Safe registered engineer as appropriate. If something we see points to the flue, we’ll say so. If you are worried about gaps where the stack meets the roof and loose, cracked or missing pots, a survey will tell you what’s going on, whatever the roof.
Some older homes in villages like Hermitage 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. Knowing the roof’s condition helps you plan ahead with that in mind. Older materials such as clay tiles, slate and stone are frequently matched when work is done.
After the visit, you get a report with photographs, sent by email. It explains the condition of the chimney stack, the defects we found and what we recommend.
- Where
- Hermitage (RG18)
- Wider area
- West Berkshire
- Prices
- From £150 inc. VAT
- Your report
- Written, with photos, emailed to you
- When we survey
- Monday to Sunday, daytime
- Cover
- PI and public liability insurance
- Phone
- 07833 053749
- Page updated
- 27 October 2026
Why act early in Hermitage
A loose pot or brick can fall from height. A survey picks them out so they can be made safe by a suitable contractor. In a small place like Hermitage, homes can be exposed to wind and rain, which finds any gap, and damp in older walls is slow to dry out.
We offer three survey packages: the Basic Survey from £150, the Standard Survey from £250 and the Premium Survey from £400, with VAT included. The price for your roof depends on its size, access and what you’d like to know.
Why book us in Hermitage
- Thermal imaging and drones used where they help
- Two decades and more of roof surveys
- Plain-English reports with photos
- Surveys seven days a week
See our cost guide or our case studies.
Landlords, agents and block managers in Hermitage
Landlords, agents and building managers in Hermitage and across West Berkshire can book any of our surveys. For a price for a let property or a block, phone 07833 053749 or email us.
Where a roof is shared: access has to be agreed with whoever owns or manages the building. Let us know about it when you book and we’ll plan the survey around it.
How the survey works
On the day, we start by asking what you’ve noticed and what you’d like to know. After that, we check everything we can see safely, from the ground, from windows, in the loft space and by drone where it applies. Most surveys take between one and two hours for most homes, a little longer where there are several stacks. For a village or hamlet like Hermitage, the journey is planned ahead of time: let us know about lanes, gates and parking. The roof is looked at from the ground, from windows, from the loft where there’s safe access and from the roof where it’s safe.
- 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 be seen safely.
- The pots, cowls, flaunching, pointing, brickwork and flashings are checked and photographed.
- We check the chimney breasts and the stack in the loft space where we can reach them.
- We send a written report with photos, the defects found and what we recommend.
How to prepare
- Let us know about parking near the property
- Check we can get to the back of the property
- For flats, make sure roof access has been agreed
How to book
Most bookings start with a short call: call 07833 053749 or drop us an email and we will ask a few questions about the roof. The price is agreed before a date is set.
Advice
What else we do in Hermitage
Practical tips
Nothing here needs a ladder. A few suggestions:
- Use a Gas Safe registered engineer for gas appliances
- Check with the council before altering a stack in a conservation area or on a listed building
- Check that disused chimneys can still breathe
- Note any damp on chimney breasts and when it appears
Many people use the report to get quotes for the work. Because everyone is pricing the same findings, the quotes are easier to compare.
Have aerial and dish brackets on the stack checked and taken off if they’re no longer needed. Less load on the stack means less strain in wind.
What affects the cost of chimney surveys
Survey packages start from £150, including VAT. The price for your roof depends on:
- Features like valleys, chimneys, dormers and parapets
- How tall the building is and how easy the roof is to see
- Which survey package you book
- Roof area
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. Prices start from £150, including VAT.
What we need to know
When you call or email, these details help:
- Any stains, drips or damp patches you’ve seen indoors
- Dates you’re working to, like exchange
- Pictures of the roof from a safe spot, if you have them
- The address and postcode of the property
Prices start from £150, including VAT. What you pay depends on the roof’s size, access and the package, so phone 07833 053749 or use the contact form with the details.
Hermitage: your questions answered
Do you survey roofs for landlords with property near Newbury Racecourse station?
Of course. We just need to know who will give access, and the report can go straight to you or your agent.
Is my home in Hermitage listed or in a conservation area?
The council and Historic England’s list are the places to check. It is worth checking before planning roof work, as both can affect what’s allowed.
What do you check on a chimney?
The survey covers the pots and cowls, the flaunching, the pointing, the bricks and the flashings. Inside, we look for damp on chimney breasts and in the loft where there is safe access. Everything is written up with photographs.
When does the report arrive?
Report times are set by the package. Basic: within 48 hours. Standard: 24 to 48 hours. Premium: the same day. Mention any deadline when you book.
Can you survey in bad weather?
It depends on the weather and the survey. Strong wind or a downpour can make access unsafe and ground a drone, so we’d move the date with you.
Which days do you carry out surveys?
Surveys run on weekdays, Saturdays and Sundays. To arrange a date, ring 07833 053749 or drop us an email.
Will you check the chimney is safe to use with a fire?
No. Our survey covers the outside of the stack and the roof around it. For the flue, you’ll need a sweep or, for gas, a Gas Safe registered engineer.
What we look for on each type of roof
Lead flashings
Lead flashings seal the joint between the stack and the roof. The survey looks at whether the lead is tight, sound and well fixed.
Chimney pots and cowls
On redundant flues, we look at how the pots are capped. Poor capping can lead to damp inside the stack.
Chimney surveys in Hermitage: local notes
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. Each of these coverings has its own weak points, from fixings and valleys to flashings, chimneys and gutters. With Shaw House about 3.4 miles south-west, Hermitage sits in an area with a long building history. If yours is one of the older homes, 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.
For an older house near a landmark such as Holy Trinity, its chimney, valleys and lead work are likely to be the parts that need attention first. For site and facilities teams at buildings such as Hermitage Primary School, its roofs, gutters and any chimneys need the same checks as a house’s, just on a bigger scale. For landlords with property near Newbury Racecourse station, the gap between tenancies is a good time to have the roof looked at.
Hermitage is about 4 miles north of Thatcham, in West Berkshire. Roofs in Hermitage get the same thorough look as anywhere else in West Berkshire. Hermitage is one of the towns and villages in West Berkshire where we work for chimney surveys. We also survey roofs in Reading.
Surveys in RG18 are booked the same way as anywhere else. Whether your property is on Newbury Road, Lipscomb Close and Marlston Road or a nearby road, we can help. Nearby, we also carry out chimney surveys in Longlane (1 mile south-west), Little Hungerford (1 mile north-east), Oare (1 mile north), Wellhouse (1 mile east) and Curridge (1 mile south-west). Within a short drive, we also cover Newbury (4 miles south-west), Thatcham (4 miles south), Burghfield Common (10 miles east), Speenhamland (4 miles south-west), Hungerford (11 miles west) and Spencers Wood (14 miles east).
Local landmarks in Hermitage
Around Hermitage, our work takes us to homes and buildings near The White Horse pub, among other places. For rail, the closest station is Newbury Racecourse station, roughly 4 miles south of the centre. Well-known places in the area include Hampstead Norris Castle (2.4 miles north-east) and West Berkshire Community Hospital (3.3 miles south). For a walk, there’s Snelsmore Common.