West Sussex · London and the South East
Chimney Survey in Lower Horncroft
A survey of chimney stacks, pots, flashings and flaunching in Lower Horncroft, carried out by an experienced roof surveyor. Every survey comes with a written report and photos.
- Unused flues sealed without airflow
- Signs that a stack is leaning
- Damaged chimney pots and cowls
Checking the roof from the ground
If you have a loft with safe access, take a look inside. Take a torch and only step on boards or joists, and look for staining, damp timber or daylight coming through.
Keep a simple record: dates of leaks, photos from the ground and any work done on the roof. Send it with your enquiry.
About our chimney survey in Lower Horncroft
On terraced and semi-detached houses, a chimney stack is frequently shared with next door. We inspect the parts we can see safely and the parts the owner gives us access to. If a defect appears to be on the neighbour’s side, we note it, so you can talk to them. Everything is written up with photos and our recommendations. We survey brick chimney stacks, lead flashings and chimney breasts, and common reasons people get in touch are a chimney out of line and lifted or split lead flashings.
In a small place like Lower Horncroft, many roofs stand in the open, so ridges, chimney stacks, flashings and gutters work hard. Damp in old walls is slow to dry, so a small leak can do a lot of harm. A written report sets out what to deal with and in what order. On exposed older roofs, chimneys and lead flashings are often the first to give way.
It isn’t only a list of defects. It explains what we found, why it matters and what we recommend, so you can decide what to do next.
- Location
- Lower Horncroft (RH20)
- Wider area
- West Sussex
- Price
- From £150 inc. VAT
- Your report
- A written report with photos, by email
- Appointments
- Monday to Sunday, daytime
- Insured
- PI and public liability insurance
- Call
- 07833 053749
- Updated
- 27 October 2026
Different roofs, different checks
Flaunching
The sloping mortar around the pots is called flaunching. Cracks in it let water into the stack.
Chimney pots and cowls
Pots sit in the flaunching on top of the stack, and cowls or caps sit on the pots. The survey looks for cracked, loose or missing pots and cowls.
Chimney surveys around Lower Horncroft
Many older homes in Sussex have handmade clay tiles and tile-hung walls. Horsham stone slab roofs survive on some old Sussex buildings. Whichever you have, the details that tend to fail before the covering itself get the closest look. The wider area around Lower Horncroft has a long history of building, with Bignor Roman Villa about 2.2 miles south-west. If your house is among the older ones, expect a mix of original materials and later repairs on the roof, and the council can say whether a home is in a conservation area.
For an older house near a landmark like Church of St Agatha, its chimney, valleys and lead work are likely to be the parts that need attention first. For site and facilities teams at buildings such as Fittleworth CofE Village School, long gutter runs and wide roofs on a building that size are worth checking on a regular cycle.
Lower Horncroft is about 10 miles north of Littlehampton, in West Sussex. Bookings from Lower Horncroft are handled just like any other: get in touch, agree the price and pick a day. Lower Horncroft is one of the places in West Sussex where we work. For surveys nearby, see our Crawley page.
Here we cover the RH20 postcode area for chimney surveys. We also cover Coates (1 mile west), Fittleworth (1 mile north), Watersfield (1 mile south), Coldwaltham (1 mile south-east) and Bedham (1 mile north). Further out, we also cover Horsham (13 miles north-east), Worthing (11 miles south-east), Bognor Regis (12 miles south-west), Chichester (12 miles south-west), Littlehampton (10 miles south) and Shoreham-by-Sea (15 miles south-east).
Landmarks near Lower Horncroft
Locally, jobs take us to homes and businesses close to The Swan Hotel and Lodge Hill Residential Centre and the streets around them. For rail, the closest station is Pulborough station, about 2.3 miles east of the centre. Well-known places in the area include Coates Castle (0.9 miles west) and Coultershaw Heritage Site (2.4 miles north-west). Open spaces near Lower Horncroft include Amberley Wildbrooks RSPB Reserve and Bignor Hill.
Common questions in Lower Horncroft
Do you cover smaller places like Lower Horncroft?
Yes. Lower Horncroft is within the area we cover, which takes in towns, villages and rural addresses. Our area covers London and South East England. Let us know about access, parking and anything unusual about getting there as you book.
Is my home in Lower Horncroft listed or in a conservation area?
Your council is the best source, with Historic England’s list for listed buildings. A change of roofing material may need consent in either case, and councils can also use Article 4 directions.
Is it a structural engineer’s report?
No. We point out what can be seen, like sagging or deflection, but we do not carry out calculations or give an engineer’s opinion. If we think you need an engineer, the report says so.
How long is the visit?
It typically takes about 1–2 hours at a house, as part of a look at the roof around the stack. The report follows by email.
Are you insured?
Every survey is covered by professional indemnity and public liability insurance.
Can you find out why my chimney breast is damp?
Damp on a chimney breast normally means water is getting into the stack, or moisture is trapped inside it. We check the stack, the flashings and how unused flues are capped and records the likely cause.
Do I have to be there for the survey?
Not always. If we only need the outside, we can agree that in advance, but the loft and any rooms with damp need someone to let us in.
How we price chimney surveys
Survey packages start from £150, with VAT included. What you pay for your roof depends on:
- The number of roofs, including extensions and garages
- Height and safe access
- House, block, shop or office
- Roof area
Larger roofs, taller buildings and commercial roofs take longer, so the price reflects that. The price is confirmed before booking.
Getting in touch
You do not need to know any roofing terms. It is enough to tell us:
- When you need the report by
- The kind of building and roof involved
- Any photos you have, taken from ground level or a window
- What’s prompted the survey
Our price is from £150, including VAT. The exact figure depends on the roof and the package, so ring 07833 053749 or send us an email with the details.
Useful tips for Lower Horncroft property owners
Most of what helps is simple and safe from ground level. Our suggestions:
- Use a Gas Safe registered engineer for gas appliances
- Check your stacks from the ground after strong winds
- Use the report as a baseline for future checks
- Don’t use a ladder to reach the stack yourself
You get the report by email and can pass it to whoever does the work. We use plain English and a photo for each defect so anyone reading it can see what we saw.
Get small mortar repairs done while they’re small. Small repairs now can save bigger work later.
Places near Lower Horncroft
Other services in Lower Horncroft
Common roof problems in Lower Horncroft
The flaunching on top of a stack holds the pots in place and sheds water. Cracked flaunching lets water in, and each winter makes it worse. Loose pots can follow.
These are some of the problems a survey can pick up:
- Frost-damaged brickwork on the stack
- Gaps in the mortar around the pots
- Flashings pulling away from the stack
- Damp on a chimney breast inside
If you own a rental within reach of Pulborough station, knowing the condition of the roof, chimneys and gutters helps you plan work rather than react to complaints.
Choosing a roof surveyor
- Whether the loft is part of the inspection
- What exactly goes into their report
- Whether VAT is in the quoted price
- Do they have a CAA Flyer ID and Operator ID for drone work?
The survey, step by step
The visit has one job: to see as much of the chimney stack as can be seen safely and record it clearly. Everything we note and photograph goes into the written report. The visit typically takes an hour or two at a house, as part of a look at the roof around the stack. Older rural homes like those around Lower Horncroft can have a main roof, lower lean-to roofs and outbuildings all joined together. Each part is looked at from wherever it can be seen safely, and anything we cannot see is noted.
- We go through the chimneys, any damp and any work done on them.
- We look at every stack from wherever it can be seen safely.
- Pots, cowls, flaunching, pointing and flashings are checked and photographed.
- We look for damp on chimney breasts and in the loft space.
- You get a written report with photos and recommendations by email.
Before we arrive
- Make sure the loft hatch can be reached
- Gather any invoices or paperwork from past roof work
- Point out any leaks or damp patches
How to book
You can call us seven days a week, including Saturdays and Sundays. To book or ask a question, call 07833 053749 or send us an email.