Surrey · London and the South East
Chimney Survey in Knaphill
A careful look at the chimney stack at your property in Knaphill, and put it all in a photo-illustrated written report.
- Damp patches on chimney breasts
- Gaps in the mortar around the pots
- Loose, cracked or missing pots
How it works
Once we have finished looking, we write up our findings in a report with photos, emailed to you. As for time on site, most surveys take about 1–2 hours on an ordinary house, though large, tall or awkward roofs take more time. Being in a smaller place like Knaphill does not change how the visit works: outside, inside and from any safe vantage point, in that order. It’s useful to show us anything you’ve already noticed.
- First we talk through the stacks, their history and any problems.
- We check every stack from wherever it can be seen safely.
- We photograph and record the pots, flaunching, pointing and flashings.
- Inside, the chimney breasts and the loft are checked for damp where there’s access.
- You get a written report with photos and recommendations by email.
Before we arrive
- If the roof is shared, arrange access with whoever manages the building
- Clear the way to the loft hatch
- Find any records of previous roof work
Getting a price
Every survey is priced before it is booked, so you know the cost up front. Chimney survey starts from £150, including VAT. For a price for your roof, ring 07833 053749 or send us an email.
Related advice
How a chimney survey works in Knaphill
Each stack is looked at from the safest viewpoints available: from the ground, from windows and vantage points, and from the loft where there is access. With our Premium Survey, a drone inspection is included where it applies. Where part of a stack cannot be seen, the report says so. Each defect is recorded with a photo and a plain description. If you’re worried about mortar washing out of the joints and damp on a chimney breast inside, a survey will tell you what’s going on.
Trees around homes in smaller places like Knaphill drop leaves, twigs and moss onto roofs and into gutters. Once gutters and outlets block, water spills over and soaks the walls, and moss holds water against tiles. A report spots that kind of slow problem before it becomes damp inside. Plants growing from a gutter or moss on the tiles are signs worth noting from the ground.
After the visit, you get a report with photos, emailed to you. It sets out the condition of the chimney stack, any defects and our written recommendations.
- Location
- Knaphill (GU21, GU24)
- Region
- Surrey
- Cost
- From £150 inc. VAT
- Report
- Written, with photos, emailed to you
- When we survey
- Weekdays and weekends
- Insurance
- PI and public liability insurance
- Telephone
- 07833 053749
- Last updated
- 27 October 2026
Roofs, chimneys and gutters in Knaphill
Many older homes in Surrey have handmade clay tiles and tile-hung upper walls. A few of Surrey’s oldest buildings have heavy Horsham stone slab roofs. Whatever the covering, it is often the fixings, flashings, valleys and gutters that give out first. What can be done to an older roof may depend on listing or a conservation area. Your council and Historic England’s list will tell you where you stand.
If you live in an older home near St Hugh of Lincoln's Church, its roof may have old fixings, lead flashings and chimneys that need a closer look. Take a building like Knaphill School: long gutter runs and wide roofs on a building that size are worth checking on a regular cycle.
Knaphill is about 2 miles west of Woking, in Surrey. From houses to flats and shops in Knaphill, we can survey the roof. Our area takes in places right across Surrey, from the larger towns to small villages.
Chimney surveys in GU21 and GU24 are booked the same way as anywhere else. Local streets include Wood Lane, High Street and Barnby Road, all of which we cover. Close by, we survey roofs in Bisley (1 mile north-west), Sheet's Heath (1 mile south-west), Castle Green (1 mile north), Brookwood (1 mile south-west) and Penny Pot (1 mile north). Within a short drive, we also cover Guildford (5 miles south), Camberley (5 miles west), Epsom (15 miles east), Farnham (11 miles south-west), Egham (8 miles north) and Walton-on-Thames (10 miles north-east).
Around Knaphill
Typical jobs here are in homes near Anchor Inn, The Winston Churchill School A Specialist Sports College and Brookwood Lye, among other places. For rail, the closest station is Brookwood station, roughly 1.4 miles south-west. Well-known places in the area include The Peacocks (2.5 miles east) and Brookwood Hospital (less than half a mile south). The countryside around Knaphill includes Brookwood Lye.
What you can safely check yourself
After strong wind, take a look from the pavement or garden: broken slates or tiles in the garden, gaps along the ridge or loose lead are signs to note. Leave anything above ground level to a survey.
If you have a loft with safe access, take a look inside. Use a torch and stay on the joists or boards, checking for stains, damp wood or chinks of daylight.
Different roofs, different checks
Rendered stacks
What’s behind the render can’t be seen without removing some, so the report says what can and can’t be judged.
Brick stacks
Frost can damage bricks that have soaked up water, making the faces flake away. Any spalling is noted with photos.
What a survey costs
All our prices include VAT. What changes the price is:
- Extensions, dormers and garages with roofs of their own
- Roof area
- The use of thermal imaging or a drone
- Commercial roofs and larger buildings
Thermal imaging and drone inspection (where it applies) come with the Premium Survey, which starts from £400, including VAT. We can help you choose the package that fits what you want to find out.
Booking your survey
The more you tell us, the easier it is to price the survey. When you contact us, tell us:
- Whether there is a loft hatch, a shared roof or tricky access
- The reason for the survey, such as buying, a leak or storm damage
- Photos of the roof, taken safely from the ground or a window
- Any stains, drips or damp patches you’ve seen indoors
Once you know what you need, call 07833 053749 or use the contact form. We’ll suggest a package, agree the price and find a date, weekday or weekend.
Knaphill: your questions answered
Can a landlord with a rental near Brookwood station book a roof survey?
Yes, landlords and agents book with us as well as owners. You can phone 07833 053749 or send us an email with the address and some details.
How do I find out if my home in Knaphill is listed?
We cannot confirm that for you, but Historic England’s list and your council can. A change of roofing material may need consent in either case.
Will you photograph what you find?
Yes, plenty. Pictures sit next to the findings they show.
Are you structural engineers?
No. We’re experienced roof surveyors, and visible signs such as sagging are noted, but calculations and an engineer’s opinion are outside what we do. If one is needed, the report says so.
Does this replace a RICS home survey?
No. This is a survey of the roof only, so it is not a RICS Level 2 or Level 3 survey. It can sit alongside a RICS survey if you want both.
Is a leaning chimney dangerous?
Have it checked rather than leaving it. Stacks can lean when mortar on one side breaks down. The survey records what we can see, and a structural engineer can assess whether it needs work.
Can you survey a chimney stack we share with next door?
Yes. We inspect whatever is safely visible and what you give us access to. Where a problem appears to be on next door’s side, we note it and you can raise it with them.
When to book a survey in Knaphill
Lots of homes have redundant stacks. If a stack is capped or blocked without ventilation, moisture can build up inside. That can lead to damp patches on chimney breasts, even with the roof in good order.
Signs worth acting on include:
- Unused flues sealed without airflow
- Loose, cracked or missing pots
- Damp patches on chimney breasts
- A stack that appears to lean
For businesses in and around places such as The Peacocks, a written record of the roof’s condition helps you plan maintenance rather than react to leaks.
Before you book anyone
- What experience they bring
- Is VAT included in the price?
- Which parts of the roof they’ll actually see
- When you’ll get the report
Useful tips for Knaphill property owners
Getting the most from a chimney survey starts before we arrive and carries on afterwards. Some tips:
- Ask for ventilated caps on redundant stacks
- Use a Gas Safe registered engineer for gas appliances
- Glance at the stacks from the street now and then
- Never climb onto the roof to look at a chimney
If the report recommends a structural engineer, a sweep or a Gas Safe registered engineer, it will say why. It gives them a clear starting point.
Unused stacks should be capped in a way that still lets air through. Ventilation helps keep the stack dry.