West Berkshire · London and the South East
Chimney Survey in Kingsclere
A survey of chimney stacks, pots, flashings and flaunching in Kingsclere, carried out by an experienced roof surveyor. Every survey comes with a written report and photographs.
- Eroded joints in the brickwork
- Cracked or missing flaunching
- A chimney out of line
How a chimney survey works in Kingsclere
If you are buying a home with chimneys, it’s worth knowing their condition before you exchange. Cracked flaunching, failed flashings and worn pointing are common findings on older stacks. You get photographs and findings you can take back to the seller or agent. It works alongside a RICS home survey, not instead of one. Common reasons to book are disused chimneys trapping moisture and lifted or split lead flashings, across shared and party-wall stacks, chimney pots and cowls and lead flashings.
Around Kingsclere, older cottages sit alongside bungalows and newer houses. Coverings range from slate and clay tiles on older homes to concrete tiles on many later ones. On older homes, chimney stacks, valleys and gutters are normally where the work is. The fixings under an older roof frequently fail before good slates or tiles do.
How fast the report arrives depends on the package: Basic within 48 hours, Standard in 24–48 hours and Premium the same day.
- Where
- Kingsclere (RG20)
- Region
- West Berkshire
- Cost
- From £150 inc. VAT
- Reports
- Written, with photos, emailed to you
- Survey days
- Monday to Sunday, daytime
- Insurance
- PI and public liability insurance
- Phone
- 07833 053749
- Updated
- 27 October 2026
Questions from Kingsclere
Does a conservation area affect roof work in Kingsclere?
Start with Historic England’s list for listing and your council for conservation areas. Either can affect what roof work is allowed, so it’s worth checking before planning any.
Do you survey roofs for landlords with property near Thatcham station?
Yes, that is a common request. Let us know whether a tenant or an agent will let us in, and we can send the report to you or your agent.
Do you work in Kingsclere?
Yes. We survey roofs across London and South East England, and that includes Kingsclere.
Do you inspect the flue?
No. Our survey covers the outside of the stack and the roof around it. For the flue, you will need a sweep or, for gas, a Gas Safe registered engineer.
Do you look in the roof space?
If the survey needs it and the loft space can be reached safely, yes. A clear path to the hatch helps.
How soon will I get the report?
Each package has its own report time. Basic is within 48 hours, Standard is 24–48 hours and Premium is the same day. If you have a deadline, such as an exchange date, let us know as you book.
How much is a survey?
Our price is from £150, including VAT. Our Basic Survey starts from £150, the Standard Survey from £250 and the Premium Survey from £400, all including VAT.
How the survey works
There isn’t much for you to do on the day. Point out anything you’ve noticed, such as stains, drips or loose pieces, and we’ll take it from there. The survey itself takes about one to two hours at a house, as part of a look at the roof around the stack. A visit to a smaller place like Kingsclere is no different on the day: outside, inside and from any safe vantage point, in that order. It is useful to show us anything you’ve already noticed.
- We start by noting which stacks are in use, shared or causing concern.
- We check the roof around each stack, including the flashings.
- The top of each stack is checked for cracked flaunching and loose pots.
- We note the brickwork, pointing and any sign of leaning.
- The report explains the condition and which work is most urgent.
Before the survey
- Tell us about parking before the day
- Make sure we can get to the back of the property
- Make sure pets are kept safely away
How to book
A quick phone call is typically the easiest start: phone 07833 053749 or send us an email and we’ll ask a few questions about the roof. The price is agreed before a date is set.
Advice
Leave it or get it looked at?
A damp chimney breast seldom dries out until the cause is found. It can spoil decoration and plaster. Knowing whether it’s the flaunching, flashings, brickwork or ventilation means the right fix can be planned. Homes in smaller places like Kingsclere can face more weather, so a loose ridge or verge soon lets rain in. Wind gets under it and lifts more.
Chimney survey starts from £150, including VAT. Packages run from Basic at £150 through Standard at £250 to Premium at £400, with VAT included.
Why book with us
- Drone flown under a CAA Flyer ID and Operator ID
- Independent findings on the roof’s condition
- Prices that include VAT
- PI and public liability insurance
Read our cost guide or our case studies.
Honest limits
In fairness, a roof survey has limits:
- Conditions inside walls
- Whether the flue is safe to use
- A structural engineer’s assessment
If you are not sure which survey you need, call 07833 053749 or drop us an email and we’ll give you a straight answer before you book. What a survey covers and does not.
Roof types and parts we check
- Shared and party-wall stacks
- Chimney breasts
- Lead flashings
- Brick chimney stacks
- Chimney pots and cowls
- Flaunching
Roof by roof
Chimney breasts and the loft
Damp patches on chimney breasts often point to a problem above. We check them and at the stack in the loft where there is safe access.
Lead flashings
Lead flashings seal the joint between the stack and the roof. We check for lifting, splits and gaps in the joints.
Practical tips
You don’t need to be a roofer to help. Here’s what helps most:
- Use the report as a baseline for future checks
- Keep track of stains on chimney breasts
- Use a Gas Safe registered engineer for gas appliances
- Check your stacks from the ground after strong winds
Where another specialist is needed, such as a structural engineer or sweep, we explain why. It gives them a clear starting point.
Get small mortar repairs done while they’re small. It’s far simpler than rebuilding a stack later.
Towns and villages near Kingsclere
More services for Kingsclere
Roofs, chimneys and gutters in Kingsclere
There are about 500,000 buildings on England’s list of listed buildings, and around 10,000 conservation areas. Listed building consent is needed for changes that affect a listed building’s special interest, and conservation areas can limit changes of roofing material, so the council is the place to ask. In this part of the South East, older roofs are mostly slate or clay tile and many newer ones concrete tile, and flat-roofed additions turn up almost everywhere. Knowing the covering helps explain which parts of a roof are likely to need work first.
If you own a rental within reach of Thatcham station, knowing the condition of the roof, chimneys and gutters helps you plan work rather than react to complaints. Take a building like Kingsclere Church of England Primary School: large buildings have long gutter runs and big roofs that need checking like any other.
Kingsclere is about 5 miles south-west of Tadley, in West Berkshire. Roofs in Kingsclere get the same thorough look as anywhere else in West Berkshire. Our West Berkshire coverage includes Kingsclere. Reading is in our area too.
Postcode districts we cover here for chimney surveys: RG20. We offer chimney surveys to properties on King John Road, George Street and Garden Close and the roads around them. If you’re just outside Kingsclere, we cover Wolverton (2 miles east), Ecchinswell (2 miles west), Plastow Green (2 miles north), Fair Oak (2 miles north-east) and Headley (3 miles north). Further out, we also cover Newbury (6 miles north-west), Thatcham (5 miles north), Burghfield Common (9 miles north-east), Speenhamland (7 miles north-west), Hungerford (13 miles north-west) and Spencers Wood (13 miles east).
Around Kingsclere
We work in homes and buildings around George And Horne Public House. For rail, the closest station is Thatcham station, about 4.8 miles north of the centre. A little further out are Old Chapel Textile Centre (3.7 miles north-west) and West Berkshire Community Hospital (6 miles north). Green spaces nearby include Ladle Hill.
Common roof problems in Kingsclere
Lots of homes have redundant stacks. If a stack is capped or blocked without ventilation, moisture can build up inside. Damp patches can appear on chimney breasts even when nothing is leaking.
We’re frequently asked to look at:
- Mortar washing out of the joints
- Disused chimneys trapping moisture
- Damp on a chimney breast inside
- A chimney out of line
For an older house near a landmark like Church of St Mary, corroded nails, tired lead and weathered chimney pointing are the things to watch on older roofs.
Choosing a roof surveyor
- Their report turnaround times
- How they plan to inspect the roof safely
- What exactly goes into their report
- What insurance they carry