Buckinghamshire · London and the South East
Chimney survey in Horsenden, Buckinghamshire
A survey of chimney stacks, pots, flashings and flaunching across Horsenden, with drones and thermal imaging where they help. Call or email for a price.
- Cracked or missing flaunching
- Signs that a stack is leaning
- Staining on walls around the chimney
Rented homes, blocks and businesses
Freeholders and residents’ companies use a roof report to plan and budget.
Landlords and agents in Horsenden book surveys as well as homeowners. A photo-illustrated written report gives you a clear record of the chimney stack, useful for planning maintenance.
Chimney surveys for homes and businesses in Horsenden
Chimney stacks take more weather than almost any other part of a house. Over the years, the flaunching cracks, the pointing wears and flashings lift. 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 photos and recommendations. Typical surveys look at a stack that appears to lean and gaps in the mortar around the pots, across chimney breasts, lead flashings and shared and party-wall stacks.
Village roofs often face open fields and take the full force of wind and rain, which is hard on ridges, chimneys, flashings and gutters. Older walls take a long time to dry once water gets in. A roof report shows what needs attention first. On exposed older roofs, chimneys and lead flashings are frequently the first to give way.
How fast the report arrives depends on the package: the Basic Survey within 48 hours, the Standard Survey in 24 to 48 hours and the Premium Survey on the same day.
- Where
- Horsenden (HP27)
- Wider area
- Buckinghamshire
- Prices
- From £150 inc. VAT
- Your report
- Written, with photos, emailed to you
- When we survey
- Weekdays, Saturdays and Sundays
- Insurance
- PI and public liability insurance
- Telephone
- 07833 053749
- Page updated
- 27 October 2026
Places near Horsenden
Also in Horsenden
Horsenden: your questions answered
I let a flat near Princes Risborough station. Can you check the roof?
Yes, rented property is part of what we cover. Just call 07833 053749 or use the contact form and let us know about the building.
How do I find out if my home in Horsenden is listed?
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.
How quickly is the report sent?
Basic reports arrive within 48 hours, Standard reports in 24–48 hours and Premium reports on the same day. All of them come by email.
What if it rains on the day?
A survey can typically go ahead in light rain, and it can even help show where water is getting in. 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.
How do I arrange a chimney survey in Horsenden?
To arrange a survey, call 07833 053749 or use the contact form with the address, the type of property and what’s prompted the survey. We will confirm the price and find a day that suits.
Do you inspect the flue?
No. We survey the stack and its weathering, not the flue. For the flue, you’ll need a sweep or, for gas, a Gas Safe registered engineer.
What do I do with the report?
The report arrives by email. The Standard Survey includes a follow-up consultation, and the Premium Survey an in-person consultation.
Can I check my roof myself?
During heavy rain, look at the gutters from the ground or a window. Overflowing water can be a sign of a blockage or a gutter that has dropped.
Your own check is a good start, but it isn’t 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.
Useful tips for Horsenden property owners
Here are a few things we’d tell any owner:
- Don’t use a ladder to reach the stack yourself
- Book a sweep for flues that are in use
- Photograph damp patches with the date
- Have brackets on the chimney checked
Where another specialist is needed, such as a structural engineer or sweep, we explain why. That helps you brief them.
Check your stacks from the street or garden after a storm. Binoculars help you spot loose pots, missing mortar or lifted flashings.
What we are asked to look at in Horsenden
Flashings seal the gap where a stack passes through the roof. They can lift in wind, crack with age or pull out of the mortar joints. Failed flashings are one of the most common causes of damp around chimneys. Lead flashings can also be stolen.
These are some of the problems a survey can pick up:
- Eroded joints in the brickwork
- Unused flues sealed without airflow
- Gaps in the mortar around the pots
- Staining on walls around the chimney
For landlords with property near Princes Risborough station, a roof report helps you deal with small faults before they turn into a call from a tenant.
Before booking anyone
- How they plan to inspect the roof safely
- Whether you get a written report with photos
- Will they check the loft as well as the outside?
- Their insurance cover
What we do, step by step
Expect us to ask a few questions before we start, about the roof’s history, any leaks and past repairs. Then the inspection itself takes between one and two hours at a house, as part of a look at the roof around the stack. Somewhere as small as Horsenden, access is often 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.
- You tell us how many stacks there are and any damp or problems you’ve noticed.
- Each chimney is viewed from wherever it can safely be seen.
- Every part we can see is looked at: pots, cowls, flaunching, pointing, bricks and flashings.
- We check the chimney breasts and the stack in the loft space where we can reach them.
- You get a written report with photos and our recommendations.
Before the survey
- Make a note of anything you’d like us to look at
- Agree roof access with the managing agent if it’s shared
- Leave side gates unlocked
Arrange a survey
If you have photos of the roof, send them over. Take them safely from the ground or a window, and please do not climb up for a closer look. To send them or to book, phone 07833 053749 or email us.
Advice
Roofs, chimneys and gutters in Horsenden
Some villages in Buckinghamshire still have thatched roofs. In this part of the South East, older roofs are mostly slate or clay tile and many newer ones concrete tile. On roofs like these, good slates or tiles can outlast the nails, battens, lead and mortar around them. An older home may be listed, or stand in a conservation area. Historic England’s list shows listed buildings, and the council can say whether a street is in a conservation area. Re-roofing in different materials may need permission there.
Take an older house close to Church of St Michael and All Angels: old fixings, lead flashings and tall chimneys are typical of older roofs. For site and facilities teams at buildings like Princes Risborough School, a written record of a large roof helps plan work for the holidays rather than in term time.
Horsenden is about 5 miles east of Thame, in Buckinghamshire. We visit Horsenden as part of our work across Buckinghamshire, for houses, flats and commercial buildings. Our Buckinghamshire coverage includes Horsenden and the places around it. We also survey roofs in Oxford.
Chimney surveys in HP27 are booked the same way as anywhere else. Other places close to Horsenden include Bledlow (1 mile south-west), Princes Risborough (1 mile east), Pitch Green (1 mile west), Alscot (1 mile north-east) and Longwick (1 mile north). Within a short drive, we also cover Aylesbury (7 miles north), High Wycombe (8 miles south-east), Chesham (10 miles east), Marlow (11 miles south), Amersham (11 miles east) and Beaconsfield (12 miles south-east).
Around Horsenden
We work in homes and buildings around Princes Risborough Primary School and The Bird in Hand pub. Horsenden has its own railway station: Princes Risborough station. Other landmarks nearby include Thame Community Hospital (5.3 miles west) and Great Kimble Dial Hill (2.7 miles north-east). Open spaces near Horsenden include Brush Hill Local Nature Reserve and Beacon Hill.
What this survey cannot tell you
Without opening up the roof, some things stay hidden, so a survey has limits:
- Flue inspections or sweeping
- Gas safety checks, which need a Gas Safe registered engineer
- Whether a stack needs rebuilding on structural grounds
If you are not sure which survey you need, phone 07833 053749 or send us an email and we will give you a straight answer. The full list of what we check.
Roof types and parts we check
- Shared and party-wall stacks
- Flaunching
- Brick chimney stacks
- Chimney pots and cowls
- Lead flashings
- Chimney breasts