Oxfordshire · London and the South East
Chimney Survey in Little Tew
Wondering about the chimney stack at a property in Little Tew? You can book a chimney survey in Little Tew and across Oxfordshire.
- Spalled or crumbling bricks
- A chimney out of line
- Staining on walls around the chimney
When to book a survey in Little Tew
Flashings seal the gap where a stack passes through the roof. They can lift in wind, crack with age or pull out of the mortar joints. Failed flashings are one of the most common causes of damp around chimneys. Lead is also a target for theft.
We are often asked to look at:
- Unused flues sealed without airflow
- A stack that appears to lean
- Damp patches on chimney breasts
- Lifted or split lead flashings
The streets around a church such as Church of St John the Evangelist are often among the oldest in a place, and if yours is one of the older homes nearby, corroded nails, tired lead and weathered chimney pointing are the things to watch on older roofs.
Questions to ask before you book
- Whether VAT is added on top
- What follow-up you get after the report
- If they fly a drone, whether they hold a CAA Flyer ID and Operator ID
- What they won’t be able to tell you
Chimney survey in Little Tew
A chimney stands up above the roof, exposed to wind, rain and frost on every side. Over the years, the flaunching cracks, the pointing wears and flashings lift. That lets water into the brickwork, which can show up as damp on a chimney breast or in the loft space. A survey finds these problems and records them with photographs. If you’ve noticed flaunching that has broken away and gaps where the stack meets the roof, a survey will tell you what’s going on, on flaunching, shared and party-wall stacks and chimney pots and cowls alike.
In a village or hamlet like Little Tew, older cottages and farmhouses often sit alongside barns, outbuildings and a few newer houses. Roofs there can be clay tile, slate, stone or thatch, and chimney stacks are frequently old. 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 usually the chimneys and lead flashings that need work first.
Every survey ends with a written report, with photographs, sent by email. It sets out the condition of the chimney stack, any defects and our written recommendations.
- Where
- Little Tew (OX7)
- Wider area
- Oxfordshire
- Cost
- From £150 inc. VAT
- Reports
- Emailed report with photos and recommendations
- Survey days
- Weekdays and weekends
- Cover
- Professional indemnity and public liability
- Phone
- 07833 053749
- Page updated
- 27 October 2026
Surveys for landlords and agents in Little Tew
An agent can book and manage the survey for a landlord. Access is agreed with the tenant beforehand.
Managing agents and residents’ management companies use roof surveys to plan maintenance. Recommendations are set out by urgency where it matters.
Should I look at the roof myself first?
Fresh stains on ceilings or walls after rain are worth noting. Photograph them and note the date, which helps when we look at the roof.
Watch the gutters in a downpour, from a window or the ground. Water spilling over the edge can be a sign of a blockage or a gutter that has dropped.
What a chimney survey looks like in Little Tew
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. An older home may be listed, or stand in a conservation area. Historic England’s list shows listed buildings, and the council can say whether a street is in a conservation area. Re-roofing in different materials may need permission there.
Anyone responsible for a site like Great Tew County Primary School will know that long gutter runs and wide roofs on a building that size are worth checking on a regular cycle.
Little Tew is about 9 miles south-west of Banbury, in Oxfordshire. We survey roofs in Little Tew and the rest of Oxfordshire. Our area takes in places right across Oxfordshire. Our Oxford page covers surveys nearby.
Here we cover the OX7 postcode area for chimney surveys. If you need a chimney survey at a property on Water Lane and Enstone Road or anywhere close by, we can help. If you are just outside Little Tew, we cover Great Tew (1 mile north-east), Swerford (2 miles north), Church Enstone (2 miles south), Enstone (3 miles south) and Wigginton (3 miles north). Within a short drive, we also cover Banbury (9 miles north-east), Bicester (13 miles east), Witney (12 miles south), Carterton (14 miles south-west), Kidlington (11 miles south-east) and Bure Park (13 miles east).
Local landmarks in Little Tew
Typical jobs here are in homes near The Falkland Arms Public House and the streets around them. Other landmarks nearby include Old Forge Museum (Great Tew) (0.9 miles north-east). Green spaces nearby include Woodford Bottom and Lamb's Pool.
What we do, step by step
We do not take risks to get a closer look. Everything that can safely be seen is inspected, and if part of the roof cannot be seen, the report says so. The survey normally takes an hour or two for most houses, rising to roughly 3–4 hours on a commercial building. Older rural homes like those around Little Tew can have a main roof, lower lean-to roofs and outbuildings all joined together. We work round each section in turn, from the safest viewpoints.
- We go through the chimneys, any damp and any work done on them.
- We look at every stack from wherever it can safely be seen.
- 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.
Getting ready for the survey
- Note where any stains or damp appear
- Let us know about parking near the property
- Keep pets in another room
How to book
A quick phone call is normally the easiest start: call 07833 053749 or send us an email and we will ask a few questions about the roof. The price is agreed before a date is set.
Advice
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
- Areas we can’t view from safe positions
- Whether a stack needs rebuilding on structural grounds
If in doubt, phone 07833 053749 or drop us an email and we will suggest the right survey. What our survey covers.
Roof types and parts we check
- Chimney pots and cowls
- Chimney breasts
- Lead flashings
- Shared and party-wall stacks
- Brick chimney stacks
- Flaunching
Before and after the survey
Over many surveys, some simple habits stand out as worth the effort:
- Keep the report to compare against at the next survey
- Remove aerials or dishes from the stack if they’re no longer needed
- Check that disused chimneys can still breathe
- Book a sweep for flues that are in use
Where another specialist is needed, such as a structural engineer or sweep, we explain why. That helps you brief them.
Look at your chimneys from the ground now and then, particularly after strong winds. With binoculars, you can frequently see cracked flaunching or lifted lead.
Questions from Little Tew
Do you cover smaller places like Little Tew?
Yes, we do. We work right across London and South East England, and smaller places are part of that. Longer journeys are simply planned beforehand.
Do you carry out roof surveys in Little Tew?
Yes, Little Tew is within the area we cover. We cover the whole of London and South East England. You can call 07833 053749 or drop us an email with the address and a few details.
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.
Will I get photos?
Yes, plenty. Pictures sit next to the findings they show, so you can see what we mean.
Our stack is shared. Can you still survey it?
Yes. We look at the parts we can see safely and the parts you can give us access to. If a defect seems to be on your neighbour’s side, the report records it, so you can discuss it with them.
How long does the survey take?
Time on site depends on the roof; most visits take between one and two hours at a house, as part of a look at the roof around the stack. The written report follows by email.
Are you structural engineers?
No. Our survey is not a structural engineer’s report. We’ll recommend an engineer if we see signs that call for one.