East Sussex · London and the South East
Piddinghoe Chimney Survey
Find out the condition of the chimney stack at your property in Piddinghoe from an independent roof surveyor. Visits run on weekdays and weekends, in the daytime.
- A stack that appears to lean
- Mortar washing out of the joints
- Bricks with flaking faces
Chimney survey in Piddinghoe
If you are buying a home with chimneys, it is worth knowing their condition before you exchange. On older stacks, we often find cracked flaunching, loose flashings and worn pointing. You get photographs and findings you can take back to the seller or agent. It works alongside a RICS home survey, not instead of one. If you’ve noticed worn or missing pointing and frost-damaged brickwork on the stack, we can find out what’s behind it, whatever the roof.
In a village or hamlet like Piddinghoe, 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’s typically the chimneys and lead flashings that need work first.
We write the report in plain English, so you don’t need to be a roofer to follow it. Photographs show what each point refers to.
- Where
- Piddinghoe (BN9)
- Wider area
- East Sussex
- Cost
- From £150 inc. VAT
- Reports
- Written, with photos, emailed to you
- Survey days
- Monday to Sunday, daytime
- Cover
- Professional indemnity and public liability
- Phone
- 07833 053749
- Updated
- 27 October 2026
Why it is worth a survey now in Piddinghoe
A damp chimney breast seldom dries out until the cause is found. It can stain walls and damage plaster. Knowing whether it is the flaunching, flashings, brickwork or ventilation means the right fix can be planned. Matching old materials, like handmade tiles or stone slates, can take time to source. Spotting a problem early leaves room to find them.
Price depends partly on the package: from £150 for Basic, £250 for Standard and £400 for Premium, inc. VAT. Size, height and access can affect the price too.
What you get with us
- An independent view of the roof
- 5,000+ surveys completed
- 20+ years’ experience
- CAA-registered drone operator (Flyer ID and Operator ID)
See how roof surveys are priced and what we found on two real jobs.
Your questions about chimney surveys in Piddinghoe
Do you cover smaller places like Piddinghoe?
Yes. Piddinghoe is within the area we cover, which takes in towns, villages and rural addresses. We survey roofs across London and the South East. Let us know about access, parking and anything unusual about getting there when you book.
How do I find out if my home in Piddinghoe is listed?
The council and Historic England’s list are the places to check. It is worth checking before planning roof work, as both can affect what’s allowed.
Are you structural engineers?
No. We are experienced roof surveyors, and visible signs such as sagging are noted, but calculations and an engineer’s opinion are outside what we do. The report will say if you need an engineer.
Do I need to be at home?
That depends on the survey. Inside the building and in the loft, we need someone to let us in; we will agree the details when booking.
Do you need to go on the roof to check the chimney?
Each stack is viewed from the safest viewpoints: the ground, nearby windows and higher points, and the roof space. A drone inspection is included in our Premium Survey where applicable. If part of a stack cannot be seen, the report says so.
Can you inspect my roof with a drone?
Yes, where it applies and safe. We’re a CAA-registered drone operator (Flyer ID and Operator ID), flying a sub-250g drone. Drone inspection is part of the Drone Roof Survey and the Premium Survey, where it applies.
How do I arrange a chimney survey in Piddinghoe?
It’s easiest to call 07833 053749 or drop us an email. Give us the address and some details about the roof. Surveys run on weekdays and at weekends.
The survey, step by step
We check the roof from outside and, where it’s relevant and there’s safe access, from inside the roof space too. In the loft, the signs we look for are staining, damp, daylight and sagging. The whole visit normally takes roughly 1–2 hours at a house, as part of a look at the roof around the stack. Older rural homes like those around Piddinghoe can have a main roof, lower lean-to roofs and outbuildings all joined together. Each part is looked at from wherever it can safely be seen.
- You let us know how many stacks there are and any damp or problems you’ve noticed.
- Each chimney is viewed from wherever it can safely be seen.
- We check and photograph the pots, cowls, flaunching, pointing and flashings.
- Inside, we look for damp on chimney breasts and in the loft where there is safe access.
- We send a written report with photos, the defects found and what we recommend.
Before we arrive
- Keep pets inside or away from the areas we’re looking at
- If the roof is shared, arrange access with whoever manages the building
- Note where any stains or damp appear
Arrange a survey
To book a survey, call 07833 053749 or email us with the address and what you’d like to know about the roof. You will know the price before anything is booked.
Read more
Roofs, chimneys and gutters in Piddinghoe
The coast is about 2 miles or less from Piddinghoe, where sea air brings more salt and stronger wind than inland. Salt is hard on nails, clips and metal flashings, and strong wind lifts anything already loose on a roof, and driving rain gets into whatever gap is left. The wider area around Piddinghoe has a long history of building, with Monk's House about 2.3 miles north. Period homes nearby can have lead valleys, tall chimneys and a patchwork of past repairs, and any change of roofing material on a listed home needs checking with the council first.
For site and facilities teams at buildings like Breakwater Academy, long gutter runs and wide roofs on a building that size are worth checking on a regular cycle. Living close to Castle Hill is pleasant, but mature trees mean leaves in gutters and valleys each autumn, and blocked gutters overflow and soak walls.
Piddinghoe is about 1 mile north-west of Newhaven, in East Sussex. Anywhere in Piddinghoe, we can come and survey your property. Our East Sussex coverage includes Piddinghoe. There’s also a page for Brighton.
Chimney surveys in BN9 are booked the same way as anywhere else. We cover properties on Brookside and Lewes Road and the roads around them. If you’re just outside Piddinghoe, we cover South Heighton (1 mile east), Denton (1 mile east), Telscombe (2 miles west), Rodmell (2 miles north-west) and Northease (3 miles north-west). Larger places within reach include Eastbourne (11 miles east), Seaford (4 miles south-east), Lewes (5 miles north), Hailsham (10 miles east), Uckfield (11 miles north) and Polegate (9 miles east).
What’s near Piddinghoe
Locally, jobs take us to homes and businesses close to The Jolly Boatman pub, UTC@Harbourside and Castle Hill. The nearest railway station is Newhaven Town station, about 1.2 miles south-east. Well-known places in the area include Planet Earth Museum (0.8 miles south-east) and Lewes Castle (4.7 miles north). Open spaces near Piddinghoe include Itford Hill and Southerham Farm.
When to book a survey in Piddinghoe
Years of fires can affect the mortar inside a stack. Mortar can deteriorate unevenly from flue gases and moisture, which can make a stack lean.
Things that often lead to a survey include:
- Flashings pulling away from the stack
- Staining on walls around the chimney
- Frost-damaged brickwork on the stack
- Pots or cowls that look unsafe
If you own a rental within reach of Newhaven Town station, a dated record of the roof is useful when planning maintenance across a let.
Before you book any roof surveyor
- What follow-up you get after the report
- Whether any drone flown is registered with the CAA
- What’s outside the scope of the survey
- Whether the price includes VAT
What you can safely check yourself
The one thing to avoid is getting up close. Roofs are fragile and slippery, and falls from height are serious. That part is for a survey, using safe viewpoints and a drone where applicable.
Fresh stains on ceilings or walls after rain are worth noting. Photograph them and note the date.
How the survey changes by roof type
Flaunching
We often find flaunching that has cracked or broken away. Caught early, it is frequently a small job.
Chimney breasts and the loft
If a chimney breast has been removed below, we note what we can see of the support above. Confirming the support is a job for a structural engineer.
Also near Piddinghoe
Also in Piddinghoe
Tips from our surveys
Most of what helps is simple and safe from the ground. A few suggestions:
- Photograph damp patches with the date
- Look at the chimneys with binoculars after a storm
- Check with the council before altering a stack in a conservation area or on a listed building
- Have the flue swept and checked if you use the fire
Where another specialist is needed, like a structural engineer or sweep, we explain why. It gives them a clear starting point.
Get small mortar repairs done while they’re small. Small repairs now can save bigger work later.