Bracknell Forest · London and the South East
Chimney Survey in Home Farm
A careful look at the chimney stack at your property in Home Farm, and put it all in a written report with photographs.
- Pots or cowls that look unsafe
- Unused flues sealed without airflow
- Gaps where the stack meets the roof
How a chimney survey works in Home Farm
A chimney stands up above the roof, exposed to wind, rain and frost on every side. In time, flaunching cracks, mortar washes out and flashings come loose. Water then gets into the stack and can show as damp on a chimney breast or a stain in the loft. We record what we find with photographs and recommendations. We survey chimney pots and cowls, chimney breasts and shared and party-wall stacks, and common reasons people get in touch are unused flues sealed without airflow and gaps where the stack meets the roof.
Somewhere as small as Home Farm, 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 frequently old. Each needs checking in its own way, and thatch is a specialist material we report on as far as it can be seen. On older roofs, it’s usually the chimneys and lead flashings that need work first.
Nothing in the report is left vague: where something needs attention, it says so plainly, along with how urgent it is.
- Where
- Home Farm (RG12, RG45, RG40)
- Wider area
- Bracknell Forest
- Price
- From £150 inc. VAT
- Reports
- Written, with photos, emailed to you
- Appointments
- Monday to Sunday, daytime
- Insurance
- PI and public liability insurance
- Telephone
- 07833 053749
- Page updated
- 27 October 2026
Signs you need a chimney survey in Home Farm
Stacks that were used for open fires for many years can weaken from the inside. Mortar can deteriorate unevenly from flue gases and moisture, which is one reason stacks start to lean.
These are some of the problems a survey can pick up:
- Pots or cowls that look unsafe
- Damp on a chimney breast inside
- Frost-damaged brickwork on the stack
- Unused flues sealed without airflow
Landlords with a home close to Bracknell station may find that the gap between tenancies is a good time to have the roof looked at.
What to check before booking
- Which parts of the roof they’ll actually see
- What follow-up you get after the report
- Whether VAT is added on top
- If they fly a drone, whether they hold a CAA Flyer ID and Operator ID
What happens if roof problems are left?
Damp in a chimney breast usually gets worse while the cause is left. It can spoil decoration and plaster. Knowing whether it’s the flaunching, flashings, brickwork or ventilation means the right fix can be planned. Older cottages and farmhouses around Home Farm can have roof timbers that have been there a very long time, and water through a failed covering can rot timber if it’s left.
To find out what your survey will cost, ring 07833 053749 or email us with the address and a few details. We’ll confirm the figure before booking.
Why book us in Home Farm
- Independent findings on the roof’s condition
- Drones and thermal imaging where applicable
- A photo-illustrated written report
- 20+ years’ experience
Read our cost guide or our case studies.
Honest limits
To be straight with you, a roof survey has limits:
- Gas safety checks, which need a Gas Safe registered engineer
- Parts of the stack that cannot be seen safely or belong to a neighbour we can’t access
- Whether the flue is safe to use
Not sure which survey suits your roof? You can call 07833 053749 or use the contact form and we’ll tell you. What a survey covers and does not.
What this survey covers
- Brick chimney stacks
- Chimney breasts
- Flaunching
- Shared and party-wall stacks
- Lead flashings
- Chimney pots and cowls
Places near Home Farm
More services for Home Farm
Common questions in Home Farm
Do you survey roofs for landlords with property near Bracknell station?
Yes, that is a common request. We just need to know who will give access, and the report can go straight to you or your agent.
Should a flat-roofed garage or porch in Home Farm be checked too?
Often, yes, so mention it when you book. Many homes in new towns like Bracknell have flat-roofed garages and porches, and felt roofs often last around 15–20 years.
Will you fly a drone over my roof?
Where it helps and it’s safe, yes. Whether we can fly on the day depends on the weather and the airspace rules, and we check for restrictions near airports before flying. We’re a CAA-registered drone operator.
Do I have to be there for the survey?
Not always. If we only need the outside, we can agree that ahead of time, but the loft and any rooms with damp need someone to let us in.
How do I arrange a chimney survey in Home Farm?
To book, phone 07833 053749 or send us an email with the address, the type of property and what’s prompted the survey. We will confirm the price and find a day that suits.
Is Home Farm in your area?
Yes, we do. Home Farm is part of the area we cover.
Do you inspect the flue?
No. A flue inspection, sweep or gas safety check is a separate job. We check the structure and weathering of the stack and any damp, and we’ll say if anything suggests the flue needs checking.
Useful tips for Home Farm property owners
These tips come from what we see on roofs every week, before and after a survey:
- Ask about consent before removing a chimney on an older property
- Ask for ventilated caps on redundant stacks
- Have brackets on the chimney checked
- Do not use a ladder to reach the stack yourself
With a shared stack, the report can help when talking to next door. It shows what we found and where, as far as we could see.
Get small mortar repairs done while they’re small. Small repairs now can save bigger work later.
Landlords, agents and block managers in Home Farm
Freeholders and residents’ companies use a roof report to plan and budget.
If the property is let, the agent or a tenant can let us in, at a time agreed ahead of time. We survey on any day of the week, which helps when tenants work during the week.
Local roofs in Home Farm
If your home is older, it’s worth knowing whether it is listed or in a conservation area before planning roof work. Listed building consent covers changes to a listed building’s special interest, and an Article 4 direction can bring extra controls in a conservation area. Home Farm is part of Bracknell, one of the post-war new towns. Many homes in the new towns date from the post-war decades, with concrete interlocking tiles, low-pitched roofs and flat-roofed garages and porches. Low-pitched roofs shed water more slowly, and older concrete tiles, felt and gutters on these homes may be nearing the end of their life.
If you run a business near The Lexicon, a roof report helps plan work around trading rather than after a leak. Take an older house close to St Michael and St Mary Magdalene's Church: its chimney, valleys and lead work are likely to be the parts that need attention first.
Home Farm is about 1 mile north-east of Crowthorne, in Bracknell Forest. Bookings from Home Farm are handled just like any other: a call or an email, a price, then a date. Our Bracknell Forest coverage includes Home Farm and the places around it. You can also see our page for Reading.
Surveys in RG12, RG45 and RG40 are booked the same way as anywhere else. Whether your property is on West Road, South Road and Wheldon Lane or anywhere close by, we can survey it. We also cover the places around Home Farm: Wooden Hill (1 mile east), Great Hollands (1 mile north-east), Hanworth (1 mile east), Birch Hill (1 mile east) and Crowthorne (1 mile south-west). Further out, we also cover Sandhurst (3 miles south), Wick Hill (3 miles north-east), Lawrence Hill (3 miles north-east), Binfield (3 miles north), Quelm Park (3 miles north-east) and Whitegrove (3 miles north-east).
Local landmarks in Home Farm
Around Home Farm, our work takes us to homes and buildings near Golden Retriever pub and Easthampstead Park Community School and the streets around them. For rail, the closest station is Bracknell station, roughly 2 miles north-east of the centre. Nearby you will also find Staff College Museum (3.8 miles south-east) and The Lexicon (2.3 miles north-east). Not far away are Heath Lake and Wildmoor Heath.
The survey, step by step
After the inspection, everything we found is written up as a photo-illustrated written report, emailed to you. As for time on site, most surveys take an hour or two at a house, as part of a look at the roof around the stack. Rural addresses near Home Farm can be hard to find from a postcode alone, so a few directions are welcome. After that, the survey runs as it would anywhere.
- We go through the chimneys, any damp and any work done on them.
- We check every stack from wherever it can be seen safely.
- Pots, cowls, flaunching, pointing and flashings are checked and photographed.
- Inside, the chimney breasts and the loft are checked for damp where there’s access.
- The report, with photographs and recommendations, is emailed to you.
How to prepare
- Dig out any old roof reports or invoices
- Agree roof access with the managing agent if it’s shared
- Jot down any questions you want answered
How to book
Chimney survey starts from £150, including VAT. The exact figure depends on the roof and the package, and you can ring 07833 053749 or use the contact form to find out.