Buckinghamshire · London and the South East
Ilmer Chimney Survey
A careful look at the chimney stack at your property in Ilmer, with photographs and a written report.
- Mortar washing out of the joints
- Redundant stacks capped without ventilation
- A chimney out of line
Chimney survey in Ilmer: what you get
Our survey covers the structure of the stack and its weathering details. It isn’t a flue inspection, a sweep or a gas safety check. For the flue itself, you’ll need a sweep or, for gas appliances, a Gas Safe registered engineer. We will tell you if we see anything that suggests they should take a look. Typical surveys look at eroded joints in the brickwork and a chimney out of line, on brick chimney stacks, flaunching and lead flashings.
In a small place like Ilmer, many roofs stand in the open, which is hard on ridges, chimneys, flashings and gutters. Damp in old walls is slow to dry, so a small leak can do a lot of harm. A written report sets out what to deal with and in what order. On exposed older roofs, chimneys and lead flashings are frequently the first to give way.
We write the report in plain English, so you don’t need to be a roofer to follow it. Photos show what each point refers to, and recommendations are put in order of urgency where relevant.
- Place
- Ilmer (HP27)
- Wider area
- Buckinghamshire
- Cost
- From £150 inc. VAT
- Your report
- Emailed report with photos and recommendations
- Survey days
- Monday to Sunday, daytime
- Cover
- PI and public liability insurance
- Telephone
- 07833 053749
- Updated
- 27 October 2026
Prices for chimney surveys in Ilmer
Several things affect the price of a survey:
- The size of the roof
- Building height and the viewpoints available
- Extra roofs, like extensions, dormers or garages
- House, block, shop or office
A small, low roof with good viewpoints takes less time than a tall, complicated one, and the package you pick makes a difference too. We’ll give you the figure before anything is booked.
Booking your survey
You do not need to know any roofing terms. It’s enough to let us know:
- What kind of property and roof it is
- Any deadline, like an exchange date
- Anything about access we should know
- Why you want a survey: buying, a leak, a storm or new work
Booking is simple: just phone 07833 053749 or drop us an email, let us know about the property and we’ll explain which survey suits. We confirm the price before anything is booked.
What a chimney survey looks like in Ilmer
Thatch survives on some older buildings in Buckinghamshire’s villages. Across the South East, older homes tend to have slate or clay tiles, and many later ones concrete tiles. Whatever the covering, it is often the fixings, flashings, valleys and gutters that give out first. There are about 500,000 buildings on England’s list of listed buildings, and around 10,000 conservation areas. If your home is listed, changes that affect its special interest need listed building consent, and in a conservation area re-roofing in different materials may need permission, so check with the council.
If you look after a building such as Longwick Church of England Combined School, a written record of a large roof helps plan work for the holidays rather than in term time. Landlords with a home close to Monks Risborough station may find that a roof report between tenancies helps plan work before a small defect becomes a tenant’s leak.
Ilmer is about 4 miles east of Thame, in Buckinghamshire. Roofs in Ilmer get the same thorough look as anywhere else in Buckinghamshire. Our Buckinghamshire coverage includes Ilmer. You can also see our page for Oxford.
Here we cover the HP27 postcode area for chimney surveys. Other places close to Ilmer include Longwick (1 mile south-east), Holly Green (1 mile south), Forty Green (1 mile south), Owlswick (1 mile east) and Pitch Green (2 miles south). Larger places within reach include Aylesbury (6 miles north-east), High Wycombe (10 miles south-east), Chesham (12 miles east), Marlow (13 miles south), Amersham (13 miles east) and Beaconsfield (14 miles south-east).
Around Ilmer
Ilmer’s nearest station is Monks Risborough station, roughly 2.5 miles east. Well-known places in the area include Thame Community Hospital (3.6 miles west) and Great Kimble Dial Hill (3.4 miles east). The countryside around Ilmer includes Beacon Hill and Snakemoor.
What we do, step by step
On the day, we begin with a quick chat about the roof and anything that’s worrying you. We then inspect everything that can safely be seen, from ground level, from windows, in the roof space and by drone where it applies. The survey typically takes about one to two hours for most homes, a little longer where there are several stacks. Older roofs in small places like Ilmer can have low, tight loft spaces, so let us know about the loft hatch and any ladder. Only areas that can be reached safely are inspected.
- First you let us know about the chimneys, any damp on the chimney breasts and any worries.
- The stacks are looked at from ground level, from windows and from other safe vantage points.
- 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 roof space where we can reach them.
- The findings are written up with photographs and recommendations and emailed to you.
How to prepare
- If it is not your property yet, arrange access through the agent
- Unlock side gates and any roof access doors
- Have any questions written down, so nothing gets missed
Book a survey
Surveys can be booked for weekdays, Saturdays or Sundays. To find a date that works for you, ring 07833 053749 or use the contact form with the address and the days you’d prefer.
Advice
What we look for on each type of roof
Rendered stacks
Water can get in through cracks and then struggle to dry out. Cracks are photographed and noted.
Lead flashings
Flashings can lift in wind or pull out of their mortar joints. We photograph any we find that look loose or damaged.
Signs you need a chimney survey in Ilmer
Years of fires can affect the mortar inside a stack. Flue gases and damp can break down the mortar, sometimes more on one side than the other, which is one reason stacks start to lean.
People typically book a survey after spotting one of these:
- Eroded joints in the brickwork
- Loose, cracked or missing pots
- Gaps in the mortar around the pots
- Disused chimneys trapping moisture
If you live in an older home near Church of St Peter, the nails, lead and mortar on the roof may be wearing out even where the slates or tiles look fine.
Before booking any roof surveyor
- What’s outside the scope of the survey
- What insurance they carry
- Their drone registration, if they fly one
- What exactly goes into their report
FAQs for Ilmer
Is Ilmer within the area you cover?
Yes, Ilmer is covered. We survey roofs across London and South East England, and smaller places are part of that. The journey is planned ahead, so it is useful to know about access.
I let a flat near Monks Risborough station. Can you check the roof?
Of course. We just need to know who will give access, and the report can go straight to you or your agent.
How many surveys have you done?
We’ve been surveying roofs for over 20 years and have carried out more than 5,000 surveys across London and the South East.
What does a chimney survey cover?
The whole stack, as far as it can safely be seen: from the pots and flaunching down to the flashings. Leaning, unused stacks and damp on chimney breasts are recorded too.
Is it a structural engineer’s report?
No. We note visible signs like sagging or deflection, but we are not structural engineers and don’t carry out calculations. Where an engineer is needed, we say so in the report.
When does the report arrive?
It depends on the package: the Basic Survey report arrives within 48 hours, the Standard Survey in 24 to 48 hours and the Premium Survey the same day. Reports are sent by email.
Do you need to get into the loft?
If the survey needs it and the roof space can be reached safely, yes. Please clear anything stored under the hatch.
Nearby places to Ilmer
Also in Ilmer
What we cannot see
This isn’t a RICS building survey, a structural engineer’s report or an asbestos survey. It also has these limits:
- Whether the flue is safe to use
- Structural calculations for a leaning stack
- Whether a gas appliance or its flue is safe
If in doubt, ring 07833 053749 or email us and we’ll point you to the right survey. What a survey covers and does not.
What we look at
- Shared and party-wall stacks
- Chimney pots and cowls
- Lead flashings
- Flaunching
- Brick chimney stacks
- Chimney breasts
For landlords and managing agents
With a portfolio of properties, you can book surveys for several addresses. To discuss a number of properties, phone 07833 053749 or send us an email.
An agent can book and manage the survey for a landlord, with the report sent to whoever needs it. We agree a time with the tenant beforehand.