Southampton · London and the South East
Chimney Survey in Itchen
A survey of chimney stacks, pots, flashings and flaunching in Itchen. More than 5,000 surveys completed across London and South East England.
- Signs that a stack is leaning
- Worn or missing pointing
- Redundant stacks capped without ventilation
How a chimney survey works in Itchen
On terraced and semi-detached houses, a chimney stack is often shared with next door. We inspect the parts we can see safely and the parts the owner gives us access to. Where a problem seems to involve a neighbour’s side, the report records it, so you can talk to them. Everything is written up with photos and what we recommend. We survey flaunching, chimney pots and cowls and shared and party-wall stacks, and the problems we’re asked to look at most are disused chimneys trapping moisture and flaunching that has broken away.
Around Itchen, gardens, hedges and nearby trees can mean leaves and moss end up on roofs and in gutters. Blocked gutters overflow and soak the walls below, and moss holds water against tiles. It is the kind of slow problem a roof report picks up early. Plants growing from a gutter or moss on the tiles are signs worth noting from ground level.
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.
- Location
- Itchen (SO19, SO14)
- Region
- Southampton
- Cost
- From £150 inc. VAT
- Report
- Emailed report with photos and recommendations
- Appointments
- Weekdays, Saturdays and Sundays
- Insurance
- PI and public liability insurance
- Phone
- 07833 053749
- Updated
- 27 October 2026
Itchen questions
How do I find out if my home in Itchen is listed?
For listing, use Historic England’s list; for conservation areas, ask the council. The answer matters most when a change of material is on the cards.
Will you come out to Itchen?
Yes, smaller places are covered as well as towns. We work right across London and the South East. Let us know about access, parking and anything unusual about getting there when booking.
How do I arrange a chimney survey in Itchen?
Simply phone 07833 053749 or drop us an email with the address. We’ll ask a few questions, confirm the price and agree a date, weekday or weekend.
Do you look in the roof space?
Where it’s relevant to the survey and there’s safe access, yes. Please clear anything stored under the hatch.
Do you need to go on the roof to check the chimney?
We look from ground level, from windows and from the loft where it is safe. A drone inspection is part of the Premium Survey where applicable. The report is clear about anything that couldn’t be seen.
Do you inspect the flue?
No. We survey the stack and its weathering, not the flue. The flue should be checked by a sweep, or by a Gas Safe registered engineer for gas appliances.
Is it a problem to have an unused chimney?
There is no single answer. We record how the stack is doing and whether it is capped with ventilation. In a conservation area or on a listed building, changes may need consent.
Nearby places to Itchen
Other services in Itchen
Before and after the survey
A few practical points come up again and again on our surveys. They’re worth knowing whatever the roof:
- Have the flue swept and checked if you use the fire
- Keep the report to compare against at the next survey
- Find out whether changes to a stack need permission
- Check fixings on the stack are secure
Once we’ve been, the findings are written up with photos. It covers the pots, flaunching, pointing, brickwork and flashings, and any damp we found inside. Basic reports arrive within 48 hours, Standard reports in 24 to 48 hours and Premium reports the same day.
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 you can safely check yourself
A DIY look is useful, 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.
The one thing to avoid is getting up close. Slates, tiles, flat roofs and rooflights can give way, and falls from height are serious. That part is for a survey.
Roof by roof
Chimney breasts and the loft
Stains on timbers or brickwork around the stack can point to a leak. What we find is photographed and described.
Rendered stacks
Some stacks are rendered, which can hide the condition of the brickwork beneath. The survey checks for cracking, bulging and staining in the render.
What we do, step by step
Every visit follows the same pattern: we hear what you’ve seen, look at the roof from every safe viewpoint, take photographs as we go and record our findings for the written report. Most visits take about one to two hours at a house, as part of a look at the roof around the stack. With a bit of garden around a house, as there frequently is around Itchen, the roof can be viewed from several angles. Mention any side of the property we cannot get to. Inside, the loft is looked at where it can be reached safely.
- You let us know whether any stacks are shared, unused or leaning.
- The flashings and the roof around each chimney are inspected.
- The top of each stack is checked for cracked flaunching and loose pots.
- Any lean, spalling or worn pointing is recorded.
- You receive a written report setting out what needs attention first.
Before we arrive
- Move anything stored under the loft hatch
- Keep pets out of the way during the survey
- Tell us where we can park nearby
Arrange a survey
Unsure which package suits your roof? It’s easiest to ring 07833 053749 or email us and describe the roof and why you want it surveyed. We will explain the options and the price.
Advice
Why it is worth a survey now in Itchen
Chimneys are easy to forget because you rarely see the top of them. Defects tend to go unseen until there’s a stain. A survey gives you a clear picture before that happens. With lower homes, common in places like Itchen, there is little between a roof defect and the ceiling, so water can show inside quickly once it gets past the covering. Catching the cause first saves redecorating as well.
One thing that affects the price is the package: Basic from £150, Standard from £250 or Premium from £400, all inc. VAT. Size, height and access can affect the price too.
What you get with us
- Prices that include VAT
- Photos and a written report every time
- Weekday and weekend surveys
- Over 20 years’ experience
Read what a roof survey costs and our case studies.
What affects the cost of chimney surveys
Several things affect the price of a survey:
- House, block, shop or office
- Extensions, dormers and garages with roofs of their own
- The size of the roof
- The shape of the roof and its details
Prices start from £150, including VAT. The final price depends on how big and how high the roof is, how it can be seen safely and the package you choose.
What we need to know
We’ll normally ask about:
- When you need the report by
- The kind of building and roof involved
- What made you get in touch
- The address and postcode of the property
When you are ready to go ahead, ring 07833 053749 or drop us an email. We will suggest a package, agree the price and find a date.
Chimney surveys in Itchen: local notes
Itchen is within about 2 miles of the coast, where sea air brings more salt and stronger wind than inland. Near the sea, metal fixings wear faster and loose pieces on a roof are more likely to lift, and driving rain gets into whatever gap is left. Medieval Merchant's House, about 1.5 miles west, is one of the historic houses in the wider area around Itchen. Period homes nearby can have lead valleys, tall chimneys and a patchwork of past repairs, and the council can say whether a home is in a conservation area.
If you let a flat or house near Woolston station, a dated record of the roof is useful when planning maintenance across a let. Take a building like Ludlow Junior School: large buildings have long gutter runs and big roofs that need checking like any other. Trees in and around Houndwell Park shed leaves that can end up in nearby gutters, and an overflowing gutter soon means a wet wall.
Itchen is about 2 miles south-east of Southampton, in Southampton. We provide chimney surveys for homes and businesses in Itchen and the surrounding area. We cover towns and villages across Southampton, large and small.
Every address in SO19 and SO14 is covered for chimney surveys, from the main roads to the quietest streets. Local streets include Sea Road, Oak Road and West Road. Itchen is on the A3025, so it’s easy for us to get to. Neighbouring places we cover for chimney surveys include Peartree Green (1 mile north-west), Northam (1 mile north-west), Sholing (1 mile east), Bitterne (1 mile north-east) and St Mary's (1 mile west). Further out, we also cover Shirley (3 miles north-west), Regents Park (3 miles west), Maybush (4 miles north-west), Coxford (4 miles north-west), Freemantle (3 miles west) and Lordswood (4 miles north-west). As one of the bigger places in Southampton, Itchen has homes, rented property and businesses of every kind.
Near you in Itchen
Typical jobs here are in homes near Houndwell Park, Woolston School and Oasis Academy Sholing. There is a railway station in Itchen itself: Woolston station. A little further out are Bitterne Local History Society Heritage And Research Centre (0.9 miles north) and Marlands Shopping Centre (1.6 miles west). The countryside around Itchen includes Netley Common.