West Berkshire · London and the South East
Chimney Survey in Little Hungerford
Independent chimney surveys in Little Hungerford. More than 5,000 surveys completed across London and South East England.
- Damp on a chimney breast inside
- Cracked or missing flaunching
- A chimney out of line
Tips from our surveys
Over many surveys, some simple habits stand out as worth the effort:
- Use the report as a baseline for future checks
- Find out whether changes to a stack need permission
- Note any damp on chimney breasts and when it appears
- Check that disused chimneys can still breathe
You get the report by email and can pass it to whoever does the work. Each defect is described in plain words and shown in a photo, so it’s easy to follow.
Unused stacks should be capped in a way that still lets air through. That helps stop damp building up inside.
How a chimney survey works in Little Hungerford
Our chimney survey covers the stack and the details that keep water out around it: pots, cowls, flaunching, pointing, bricks and the flashings at the roof line. Inside, we check chimney breasts and the stack in the loft where it is safe to reach. You get a written report with photos and our recommendations. We survey single stacks on houses and groups of stacks on bigger buildings. If you are worried about cracked or missing flaunching and signs that a stack is leaning, we can find out what’s behind it, on shared and party-wall stacks, brick chimney stacks and lead flashings alike.
Some older homes in villages like Little Hungerford are listed or in a conservation area. That can affect what materials can be used when work is done, so check with the council before planning anything. Knowing the roof’s condition helps you plan ahead with that in mind. Older materials such as clay tiles, slate and stone are often matched when work is done.
We write the report in plain English, so it makes sense without any roofing background. Photos show what each point refers to, and recommendations are put by urgency where it matters.
- Where
- Little Hungerford (RG18)
- Region
- West Berkshire
- Prices
- From £150 inc. VAT
- Reports
- Written, with photos, emailed to you
- Survey days
- Weekdays, Saturdays and Sundays
- Insured
- Professional indemnity and public liability
- Telephone
- 07833 053749
- Updated
- 27 October 2026
How we price chimney surveys
Prices always include VAT. What changes the price is:
- The use of thermal imaging or a drone
- The roof’s overall size
- Features like valleys, chimneys, dormers and parapets
- Commercial roofs and larger buildings
What a survey costs comes down to the roof itself: its size, its height, how many sections it has and how safely it can be seen. Our price is from £150, including VAT.
Booking your survey
Here’s what helps us most when you contact us:
- Access details, such as a loft hatch or a shared roof
- Any marks or damp showing indoors
- Your postcode, so we can check access and travel
- Pictures of the roof from a safe spot, if you have them
Getting a price is simple: just call 07833 053749 or email us, let us know about the property and we’ll suggest the right survey. The price is agreed up front.
The survey, step by step
We check the roof from outside and, where it’s relevant and there’s safe access, from inside the loft space too. Inside, we look for staining, damp, gaps and signs of movement, as far as the space allows. The whole visit usually takes roughly 1–2 hours for most homes, a little longer where there are several stacks. Around Little Hungerford, older homes can have small or awkward roof spaces, so it helps to know whether there’s a loft hatch and how easy it is to reach. We only go where it’s safe.
- First we talk through the stacks, their history and any problems.
- Each stack is inspected from safe positions outside.
- We photograph and record the pots, flaunching, pointing and flashings.
- We look for damp on chimney breasts and in the loft space.
- You get a written report with photos and recommendations by email.
Preparing for the visit
- Jot down any questions you want answered
- If the roof is shared, arrange access with whoever manages the building
- Move anything stored under the loft hatch
Arrange a survey
To book a survey, call 07833 053749 or email us and tell us the address and what’s prompted the survey. We’ll confirm the price before you book.
Related advice
Can I check my roof myself?
Inside, the loft is a good place to look, with care. Take a torch and only step on boards or joists, and look for staining, damp timber or daylight coming through.
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. Don’t go up yourself.
Roofs, chimneys and gutters in Little Hungerford
With Shaw House about 4.1 miles south-west, Little Hungerford sits in an area with a long building history. On older houses around here, roofs frequently carry the marks of earlier repairs, from replaced slates to new lead, and any change of roofing material on a listed home needs checking with the council first. Slate and clay tile are the usual coverings on older South East houses, with concrete tiles on many later estates. On roofs like these, good slates or tiles can outlast the nails, battens, lead and mortar around them.
If you live in an older home near Church of St Bartholomew, the nails, lead and mortar on the roof may be wearing out even where the slates or tiles look fine. Anyone responsible for a site like Hermitage Primary School will know that its roofs, gutters and any chimneys need the same checks as a house’s, just on a bigger scale.
Little Hungerford is about 4 miles north of Thatcham, in West Berkshire. From houses to flats and shops in Little Hungerford, we can survey the roof on a weekday or at the weekend. Little Hungerford is one of the towns and villages in West Berkshire we cover. Reading is in our area too.
We work across RG18 for chimney surveys. Streets in the area include Brick Walk, Stretcher Drive and Wythe Close, all of which we cover. Neighbouring places we cover for chimney surveys include Oare (1 mile north-west), Hermitage (1 mile south-west), Wellhouse (1 mile south-east), Longlane (1 mile south-west) and Curridge (2 miles south-west). Further out, we also cover Newbury (5 miles south-west), Thatcham (4 miles south), Burghfield Common (10 miles south-east), Speenhamland (5 miles south-west), Hungerford (11 miles west) and Spencers Wood (13 miles east).
Landmarks near Little Hungerford
Locally, jobs take us to homes and businesses close to The White Horse pub. The nearest railway station is Newbury Racecourse station, roughly 4.7 miles south-west of the centre. A little further out are West Berkshire Community Hospital (4 miles south) and Hampstead Norris Castle (1.7 miles north-east). The countryside around Little Hungerford includes Snelsmore Common.
What else we do in Little Hungerford
What a chimney survey does not cover
This is not a RICS building survey, a structural engineer’s report or an asbestos survey. It also has these limits:
- What’s inside the brickwork or behind render, without opening up
- Hidden sides of a shared stack
- The inside of the flue, which needs a sweep or flue specialist
Not sure which survey suits your roof? You can call 07833 053749 or use the contact form and we will tell you before booking. What our survey covers.
Roof types and parts we check
- Chimney breasts
- Chimney pots and cowls
- Lead flashings
- Brick chimney stacks
- Flaunching
- Shared and party-wall stacks
Little Hungerford questions
Is Little Hungerford within the area you cover?
We do. Villages and rural addresses get the same survey as a town house.
Does a conservation area affect roof work in Little Hungerford?
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, and councils can also use Article 4 directions.
Can you survey at the weekend?
We carry out surveys on weekdays and at weekends. To arrange a date, phone 07833 053749 or send us an email.
Will you walk on the roof?
Only if it’s safe. We check everything that can safely be seen: from the ground, from windows, from inside the roof space, from the roof where it’s safe and by drone where it applies. Anything we cannot see is noted in the report.
Will you fly a drone over my roof?
Yes, where it’s applicable. Whether we can fly on the day depends on the weather and the airspace rules. We are a CAA-registered drone operator.
How long does the survey take?
Most surveys take roughly 1–2 hours on an ordinary house, though large, tall or awkward roofs take more time. The report follows by email.
Will you check the loft?
Yes, where the survey calls for it and there is safe access. Inside, we look for damp, staining, gaps and sagging, as far as the space allows.
What we are asked to look at in Little Hungerford
Lots of homes have redundant stacks. A stack sealed without ventilation can trap damp. That can lead to damp patches on chimney breasts, even with the roof in good order.
Typical things we’re asked to look at include:
- Frost-damaged brickwork on the stack
- Unused flues sealed without airflow
- Damaged chimney pots and cowls
- Flaunching that has broken away
If you own a rental within reach of Newbury Racecourse station, the gap between tenancies is a good time to have the roof looked at.
Choosing a roof surveyor
- What the report includes, and whether it has photos
- How much experience they have with roofs like yours
- Whether VAT is added on top
- How they plan to inspect the roof safely