Buckinghamshire · London and the South East
Chimney survey in Owlswick, Buckinghamshire
A careful look at the chimney stack at your property in Owlswick, and put it all in a written report with photographs.
- Staining on walls around the chimney
- Unused flues sealed without airflow
- Mortar washing out of the joints
Chimney survey in Owlswick: what you get
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. We record what we find with photos and recommendations. We survey shared and party-wall stacks, chimney breasts and chimney pots and cowls, and common reasons people get in touch are worn or missing pointing and redundant stacks capped without ventilation.
Village roofs often face open fields and take the full force of wind and rain, which is hard on ridges, chimneys, flashings and gutters. Damp in old walls is slow to dry, so a small leak can do a lot of harm. A roof report shows what needs attention first. Lead flashings and old chimney stacks are frequently where weather gets in first.
Nothing in the report is left vague: if work is needed, the report says so clearly.
- Where
- Owlswick (HP27)
- Wider area
- Buckinghamshire
- Cost
- From £150 inc. VAT
- Your report
- Emailed report with photos and recommendations
- Survey days
- Weekdays, Saturdays and Sundays
- Cover
- PI and public liability insurance
- Call
- 07833 053749
- Page updated
- 27 October 2026
How it works
We work from the outside in: outside views come first, then the roof space if there is safe access. All told, expect an hour or two for most homes, a little longer where there are several stacks. Older rural homes like those around Owlswick 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.
- We start with the details: how many stacks, whether any are shared and any signs of damp.
- We inspect each stack from safe viewpoints outside.
- We check and photograph the pots, cowls, flaunching, pointing and flashings.
- We check the chimney breasts and the stack in the roof space where we can reach them.
- The findings are written up with photos and recommendations and emailed to you.
How to prepare
- If you’re buying, let the agent know when we’re coming
- Have any questions written down, so nothing gets missed
- Move anything stored under the loft hatch
Arrange a survey
To get a price for chimney surveys in Owlswick, ring 07833 053749 or send us an email. Some details about the property and the roof help us price the survey accurately.
Read more
How the survey changes by roof type
Lead flashings
Lead flashings seal the joint between the stack and the roof. The survey looks at whether the lead is tight, sound and well fixed.
Flaunching
The sloping mortar around the pots is called flaunching. Once it cracks, water can get straight into the brickwork.
What you can safely check yourself
A lot can be seen from ground level. Binoculars help you spot slipped slates or tiles, gaps along the ridge and a leaning stack. Never climb onto the roof to look.
During heavy rain, look at the gutters from ground level or a window. 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 Owlswick
England has around 10,000 conservation areas and about 500,000 listed buildings. If your home is listed, changes that affect its special interest need listed building consent, and in a conservation area re-roofing in different materials may need permission, so the council is the place to ask. Thatch survives on some older buildings in Buckinghamshire’s villages. Across the South East, older homes tend to have slate or clay tiles, and many later ones concrete tiles. Whichever you have, the details that tend to fail before the covering itself get the closest look.
For site and facilities teams at buildings like Longwick Church of England Combined School, long gutter runs and wide roofs on a building that size are worth checking on a regular cycle. If you own a rental within reach of Monks Risborough station, a roof report helps you deal with small faults before they turn into a call from a tenant.
Owlswick is about 5 miles east of Thame, in Buckinghamshire. Surveys in Owlswick work the same way as everywhere we cover: a careful inspection, photos and a written report. Our Buckinghamshire coverage includes Owlswick. We also survey roofs in Oxford.
All of HP27 is covered for chimney surveys. Nearby, we also carry out chimney surveys in Meadle (1 mile east), Longwick (1 mile south), Ilmer (1 mile west), Alscot (1 mile south-east) and Monks Risborough (2 miles south-east). We also work in nearby towns such as Aylesbury (5 miles north), High Wycombe (9 miles south-east), Chesham (11 miles east), Marlow (13 miles south), Amersham (12 miles south-east) and Beaconsfield (13 miles south-east).
Near you in Owlswick
We work in homes and buildings around Princes Risborough School and The Red Lion Public House. The nearest railway station is Monks Risborough station, roughly 1.5 miles south-east of the centre. A little further out are St John's Hospital (3.7 miles north) and Great Kimble Dial Hill (2.1 miles east). For a walk, there is Beacon Hill and Brush Hill Local Nature Reserve.
FAQs for Owlswick
Is my home in Owlswick listed or in a conservation area?
Your council is the best source, with Historic England’s list for listed buildings. Both listing and conservation areas can limit changes of roofing material.
Can a landlord with a rental near Monks Risborough station book a roof survey?
Yes, that’s a common request. We just need to know who will give access, and the report can go straight to you or your agent.
Should a redundant chimney be removed?
An unused stack still needs to stay weathertight and ventilated. Capping without airflow can lead to damp. Our survey records its condition and how it is capped, so you can decide with a builder what to do.
How can you see the top of the stack?
We use safe viewpoints rather than climbing onto the stack. A drone inspection is part of the Premium Survey where it applies. Any area we couldn’t view is noted.
Do you look in the loft space?
If there is a loft and safe access to it, yes. From inside, the underside of the roof frequently shows damp, staining or daylight that can’t be seen from outside.
Is a leaning chimney dangerous?
Don’t ignore it. Stacks can lean when mortar on one side breaks down. The survey records what we can see, and a structural engineer can confirm whether it’s stable.
Is it the same as a RICS Level 2 or Level 3 survey?
No. Our survey looks at the roof, not the whole building. For the rest of the building, a RICS home survey is a separate job.
When to book a survey in Owlswick
Lots of homes have redundant stacks. A stack sealed without ventilation can trap damp. Damp patches can appear on chimney breasts even when nothing is leaking.
Most people get in touch after spotting one of these:
- Unused flues sealed without airflow
- Staining on walls around the chimney
- Signs that a stack is leaning
- Flashings pulling away from the stack
For an older house near a landmark like Owlswick Chapel, corroded nails, tired lead and weathered chimney pointing are the things to watch on older roofs.
Choosing a roof surveyor
- Their insurance cover
- If they fly a drone, whether they hold a CAA Flyer ID and Operator ID
- What exactly goes into their report
- What follow-up you get after the report
More services for Owlswick
What a survey costs
All our prices include VAT. What changes the price is:
- How many separate roofs there are, like extensions, dormers and garages
- Chimneys, valleys, parapets and other details
- Building height and the viewpoints available
- Whether thermal imaging or a drone is needed
There are three survey packages: Basic from £150, Standard from £250 and Premium from £400, with VAT included. The price for your roof depends on its size, access and what you need to know.
Booking your survey
The more you let us know, the easier it is to price the survey. When you get in touch, it helps to mention:
- When you need the report by
- Photos of the roof, taken safely from the ground or a window
- Where the property is, with the postcode
- Why you want a survey: buying, a leak, a storm or new work
Once you know what you need, call 07833 053749 or drop us an email. From there it is a case of choosing a package, agreeing the price and fixing a day.
What happens if roof problems are left?
Before deciding what to do with a redundant stack, a survey shows how it’s doing. Changes to stacks in conservation areas or on listed buildings may need consent, so check with them first. For an older or listed building in a place like Owlswick, repairs may need matching materials and consent, so a defect found early gives time to plan the work properly.
Prices start from £150, including VAT. Packages run from Basic at £150 through Standard at £250 to Premium at £400, inc. VAT, and we can help you choose.
What you get with us
- Package prices that include VAT
- Insured for professional indemnity and public liability
- An independent look at the roof
- Plain-English reports with photos
Take a look at what a roof survey costs or two real surveys.