Oxfordshire · London and the South East
Lewknor Chimney Survey
Chimney surveys around Lewknor, with a written report you can act on. Weekday and weekend visits available.
- Signs that a stack is leaning
- Cracked or missing flaunching
- Spalled or crumbling bricks
How a chimney survey works in Lewknor
Each stack is looked at from the safest viewpoints available: the ground, nearby windows and higher points, and the loft space where it is safe. With our Premium Survey, a drone inspection is included where it applies. Where part of a stack cannot be seen, the report says so. Every defect we find is photographed and described in plain words. Typical surveys look at pots or cowls that look unsafe and flashings pulling away from the stack, on chimney breasts, brick chimney stacks and lead flashings.
In a village or hamlet like Lewknor, older cottages and farmhouses often sit alongside barns, outbuildings and a few newer houses. Older roofs may be clay tile, slate, stone or thatch, often with chimneys that have stood a long time. Each needs checking in its own way, and thatch is a specialist material we report on as far as it can be seen. On older roofs, it is typically the chimneys and lead flashings that need work first.
The report does not just list problems. For each finding, it explains what it is, why it matters and what we’d recommend, so you can decide what to do next.
- Location
- Lewknor (OX49)
- Wider area
- Oxfordshire
- Price
- From £150 inc. VAT
- Your report
- Written, with photos, emailed to you
- Appointments
- Weekdays and weekends
- Cover
- PI and public liability insurance
- Telephone
- 07833 053749
- Last updated
- 27 October 2026
For landlords and managing agents
Managing agents and residents’ management companies use roof surveys to plan maintenance. The report sets out what needs attention now and what can wait, which helps with budgets and planning.
Landlords, agents and building managers in Lewknor and across Oxfordshire can book any of our surveys. To discuss a property or a block, call 07833 053749 or send us an email.
Checking the roof from the ground
What you cannot do safely is get up close. Slates, tiles, flat roofs and rooflights can give way, and a fall can be serious. That is where a survey comes in, using safe viewpoints and a drone where applicable.
Fresh stains on ceilings or walls after rain are worth noting. Take a photo and write down when you saw it, which helps when we look at the roof.
Do you need a chimney survey in Lewknor?
Flaunching is the mortar bed that holds the pots and throws water off the top. Once it cracks, water gets in and frost makes the cracks bigger. Loose pots can follow.
Typical things we’re asked to look at include:
- Frost-damaged brickwork on the stack
- Damp on a chimney breast inside
- Damaged chimney pots and cowls
- Mortar washing out of the joints
Take a building like Lewknor Church of England Primary School: a written record of a large roof helps plan work for the holidays rather than in term time.
Before you book anyone
- Are they insured for the work?
- What’s outside the scope of the survey
- When you will get the report
- Which parts of the roof they’ll actually see
Roof by roof
Chimney pots and cowls
For unused flues, we check whether caps or cowls allow ventilation. Capping without ventilation can trap moisture.
Chimney breasts and the loft
In the loft, staining around the stack often shows where water is getting in. What we find is photographed and described.
Lewknor questions
Do you cover smaller places like Lewknor?
Yes, Lewknor is on our map. Villages and rural addresses get the same survey as a town house, with the route planned beforehand.
Does a conservation area affect roof work in Lewknor?
Check Historic England’s online list first, then ask the council about conservation areas and any Article 4 direction. It matters most if you are planning to re-roof in a different material.
Do you look in the roof space?
Yes, where the survey calls for it and there’s safe access. We look for staining, damp, daylight and signs of movement.
Can you tell me if my roof has asbestos?
No. We do not sample or test for asbestos. The report may flag materials that could contain asbestos on buildings built or refurbished before 2000.
Is a leaning chimney dangerous?
Have it checked rather than leaving it. Leaning frequently comes from mortar breaking down unevenly. We record its condition with photos, and a structural engineer can assess whether it needs work.
When does the report arrive?
That depends on the survey you book: the Basic Survey report arrives within 48 hours, the Standard Survey in 24 to 48 hours and the Premium Survey the same day. The report is emailed to you.
Which parts of the chimney do you look at?
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.
The survey, step by step
Photos are taken throughout the visit, so the report shows exactly what we saw. Close-ups come from the safest viewpoint available. A typical visit takes roughly 1–2 hours at a typical home; commercial roofs usually need 3–4 hours. In a small place like Lewknor, access is typically the main thing to plan. Mention any outbuildings, barns or garages you want included, and anything about the roof you already know. Weekday and weekend visits are available.
- You tell us how many stacks there are and any damp or problems you’ve noticed.
- The stacks are looked at from ground level, from windows and from other safe vantage points.
- We check and photograph the pots, cowls, flaunching, pointing and flashings.
- Inside, we look for damp on chimney breasts and in the loft where there is safe access.
- You get a written report with photos and our recommendations.
Before we arrive
- Mention any parking restrictions on your street
- Have any paperwork from past roof work to hand
- If you are buying, let the agent know when we are coming
How to book
If you are buying, it is useful to book soon after your offer is accepted, so there’s time to use the report before exchange. Otherwise, simply call 07833 053749 or drop us an email whenever suits you.
Related advice
Towns and villages near Lewknor
What else we do in Lewknor
Chimney surveys around Lewknor
About 1.6 miles north-west lies Adwell House, a reminder of how long the area around Lewknor has been built on. On older houses around here, roofs often carry the marks of earlier repairs, from replaced slates to new lead, and a listed home or one in a conservation area may need consent for changes of material. West Oxfordshire’s older buildings often carry Cotswold stone slates, and a few villages in the county keep their thatch. Slate and clay tile are the usual coverings on older South East houses, with concrete tiles on many later estates. Each of these coverings has its own weak points, from fixings and valleys to flashings, chimneys and gutters.
The streets around a church like Church of St Margaret are often among the oldest in a place, and if your home is one of the older ones nearby, the nails, lead and mortar on the roof may be wearing out even where the slates or tiles look fine.
Lewknor is about 5 miles south of Thame, in Oxfordshire. We cover Lewknor and the rest of Oxfordshire. Our Oxfordshire coverage includes Lewknor and the places around it. There is also a page for Oxford.
We work across the OX49 postcode area for chimney surveys. If you need a chimney survey at a property on High Street, Weston Road and Lewknor Close or anywhere close by, we can survey it. Nearby, we also carry out chimney surveys in South Weston (1 mile north-west), Aston Rowant (1 mile north-east), Postcombe (1 mile north), Shirburn (1 mile south-west) and Kingston Blount (2 miles north-east). Larger places within reach include Oxford (12 miles north-west), Didcot (13 miles west), Abingdon-on-Thames (13 miles west), Thame (5 miles north), Henley-on-Thames (10 miles south) and Benson (7 miles south-west).
What’s near Lewknor
Typical jobs here are in homes near Ye Olde Leathern Bottle Public House and Icknield Community College. Other landmarks nearby include Thame Community Hospital (5 miles north). For a walk, there’s Aston Rowant NNR and Bald Hill.
Before and after the survey
There’s plenty you can do without going near the roof. Here’s what helps most:
- Leave close inspection to people with safe access
- Have brackets on the chimney checked
- Ask for ventilated caps on redundant stacks
- Look at the chimneys with binoculars after a storm
If anything in the report is not clear, just ask us. The Standard Survey includes a follow-up consultation and the Premium Survey an in-person consultation.
Look at your chimneys from the ground now and then, especially after strong winds. With binoculars, you can often see cracked flaunching or lifted lead.