Hampshire · London and the South East
Chimney survey in Lower Burgate, Hampshire
A survey of chimney stacks, pots, flashings and flaunching for Lower Burgate, from an experienced roof surveyor. Every survey comes with a written report and photographs.
- Cracked or missing flaunching
- Loose, cracked or missing pots
- Mortar washing out of the joints
Chimney survey in Lower Burgate: what you get
A chimney survey is about the outside of the stack and the roof around it. It isn’t a flue inspection, a sweep or a gas safety check. If you use a fire or a gas appliance, the flue should be checked by a sweep or a Gas Safe registered engineer as appropriate. If something we see points to the flue, we’ll say so. We survey flaunching, lead flashings and chimney pots and cowls, and the problems we are asked to look at most are eroded joints in the brickwork and gaps in the mortar around the pots.
Some older homes in villages like Lower Burgate 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. A roof report helps you plan work with that in mind. Older materials such as clay tiles, slate and stone are often matched when work is done.
The report records the chimney stack as we found it on the day. That makes it useful now and a handy reference later, such as when you want to compare after future work.
- Place
- Lower Burgate (SP6)
- Wider area
- Hampshire
- Cost
- From £150 inc. VAT
- Your report
- A written report with photos, by email
- Survey days
- Monday to Sunday, daytime
- Insurance
- PI and public liability insurance
- Phone
- 07833 053749
- Updated
- 27 October 2026
Your questions about chimney surveys in Lower Burgate
How do I find out if my home in Lower Burgate is listed?
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 carry out roof surveys in Lower Burgate?
Yes, Lower Burgate is one of the places we work. Every survey there gets the same written report with photographs.
What’s in the survey report?
It sets out what we found, why it matters and what we recommend, backed by photos. It also says if any part of the roof couldn’t be seen safely.
How much is a survey?
Chimney survey starts from £150, including VAT. Our Basic Survey starts from £150, the Standard Survey from £250 and the Premium Survey from £400, all inc. VAT.
Can you find out why my chimney breast is damp?
There are a few common causes: water getting in at the top, through the brickwork or at the flashings, or moisture trapped in a stack with no ventilation. Our survey checks each of these and records the likely cause.
Do you need to get into the loft?
If it’s needed and safe to reach, yes. Inside, we look for damp, staining, gaps and sagging.
Will you walk on the roof?
Only if it is safe. We check everything that can be seen safely: from ground level, from windows, from inside the roof space, from the roof where it is safe and by drone where it applies. The report says if anything couldn’t be seen.
Checking the roof from the ground
If you have a loft with safe access, take a look inside. Use a torch and stay on the joists or boards, and look for staining, damp timber or daylight coming through.
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.
Places near Lower Burgate
What else we do in Lower Burgate
How we price chimney surveys
All our prices include VAT. What changes the price is:
- Building height and the viewpoints available
- How many separate roofs there are, like extensions, dormers and garages
- How complicated the roof is, with its valleys, chimneys and parapets
- If the survey needs thermal imaging or a drone
The Premium Survey includes thermal imaging and drone inspection where it applies, which starts from £400, inc. VAT. We can help you choose the package that fits what you’d like to know.
Booking your survey
We’ll normally ask about:
- The style of property, from a terrace to a block
- How the loft is reached, if there is one
- The address and postcode of the property
- Your timetable, such as an exchange date
Our price is from £150, including VAT. What you pay depends on the roof’s size, access and the package, and you can ring 07833 053749 or use the contact form to find out.
What happens on the day
The visit has one job: to look at the chimney stack as closely as is safe and record what we find. Everything we note and photograph goes into the written report. It usually takes roughly 1–2 hours on an ordinary house, rising to roughly 3–4 hours on a commercial building. Cottages and farmhouses around Lower Burgate frequently have roofs at several levels, with lean-tos and outbuildings attached. We work round each section in turn, from the safest viewpoints.
- We start with the details: how many stacks, whether any are shared and any signs of damp.
- Each chimney is viewed from wherever it can safely be seen.
- Every part we can see is looked at: pots, cowls, flaunching, pointing, bricks 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 the survey
- Tell us about any leaks, stains or damp patches you know of
- Move anything stored under the loft hatch
- Have keys ready for side gates, garages or roof access doors
How to book
Buyers should book once an offer has been accepted, so there is time to use the report before exchange. For any other survey, just call 07833 053749 or email us when you are ready.
Related advice
Before and after the survey
Over many surveys, some simple habits stand out:
- File photos of the stacks with your home records
- Look at the chimneys with binoculars after a storm
- Do not use a ladder to reach the stack yourself
- Note any damp on chimney breasts and when it appears
You can send the report to roofers or builders for quotes. With the same list in front of each contractor, comparing quotes is simpler.
Look at your chimneys from the ground now and then, especially after strong winds. Binoculars help you spot loose pots, missing mortar or lifted flashings.
Honest limits
Some things cannot be seen without opening up the roof, so a survey has limits:
- Whether a stack needs rebuilding on structural grounds
- Conditions inside walls
- Hidden sides of a shared stack
Not sure which survey suits your roof? You can phone 07833 053749 or email us and we will tell you before you book. The full list of what we check.
What we look at
- Flaunching
- Chimney breasts
- Brick chimney stacks
- Shared and party-wall stacks
- Lead flashings
- Chimney pots and cowls
Local roofs in Lower Burgate
A number of Hampshire villages keep thatched roofs on their older buildings. Across the South East, older homes tend to have slate or clay tiles, and many later ones concrete tiles. On roofs like these, good slates or tiles can outlast the nails, battens, lead and mortar around them. The wider area around Lower Burgate has a long history of building, with Breamore House about 2.2 miles north. Older roofs in the wider area can hide decades of patch repairs, so the detail matters.
If you live in an older home near St Mary's Church, the nails, lead and mortar on the roof may be wearing out even where the slates or tiles look fine.
Lower Burgate is in Hampshire. Lower Burgate gets the same service as everywhere else we work: a close look at what can safely be seen, photos and a clear written report. Our area takes in places right across Hampshire, from the larger towns to small villages. Our Southampton page covers surveys nearby.
Chimney surveys in SP6 work the same way as everywhere else we cover. You will find streets such as Kingfisher Drive, Grebe Place and Salisbury Road, all of which we cover. Other places close to Lower Burgate include Tinkers Cross (1 mile west), Upper Burgate (1 mile north), Fordingbridge (1 mile south-west), Horseport (1 mile south) and Criddlestyle (1 mile south-east). Further out, we also cover Totton (12 miles east), Romsey (14 miles east), New Milton (14 miles south-east), Ringwood (6 miles south), Barton on Sea (15 miles south) and Marchwood (15 miles east).
Landmarks near Lower Burgate
We work in homes and buildings around Fordingbridge Infant School and The George Inn, among other places. A little further out are Godshill Castle Hill (1 mile east) and Fordingbridge Museum (0.8 miles south). Open spaces near Lower Burgate include Blashford Lakes.
Common roof problems in Lower Burgate
Many chimneys are no longer used. 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 are often asked to look at:
- Damaged chimney pots and cowls
- Disused chimneys trapping moisture
- A chimney out of line
- Frost-damaged brickwork on the stack
For site and facilities teams at buildings like The Burgate School and Sixth Form, a written record of a large roof helps plan work for the holidays rather than in term time.
Before booking any roof surveyor
- What follow-up you get after the report
- Whether VAT is added on top
- Their drone registration, if they fly one
- Their insurance cover