Reading · London and the South East
Chimney Survey in Play Hatch
Get a clear view of the chimney stack at a property in Play Hatch from an independent roof surveyor. Visits run on weekdays and weekends, in the daytime.
- Eroded joints in the brickwork
- Loose, cracked or missing pots
- Lifted or split lead flashings
About our chimney survey in Play Hatch
If you’re buying a home with chimneys, it is worth knowing their condition before you exchange. On older stacks, we frequently find cracked flaunching, loose flashings and worn pointing. Our report gives you specific points to raise with the seller or agent. It works alongside a RICS home survey, not instead of one. Common reasons to book are spalled or crumbling bricks and signs that a stack is leaning, on shared and party-wall stacks, flaunching and chimney breasts.
Older buildings in small places like Play Hatch may be listed or in a conservation area. If yours is, re-roofing in different materials may need consent, so the council is the place to check. Knowing the roof’s condition helps you plan ahead with that in mind. Older materials like clay tiles, slate and stone are frequently matched when work is done.
If any part of the chimney stack couldn’t be seen safely, we say so in the report. That way, it’s clear what was covered and what wasn’t, and what we’d suggest next.
- Place
- Play Hatch (RG4)
- Region
- Reading
- Price
- From £150 inc. VAT
- Report
- A written report with photos, by email
- When we survey
- Weekdays and weekends
- Insured
- Professional indemnity and public liability
- Phone
- 07833 053749
- Updated
- 27 October 2026
What affects the price in Play Hatch
Not every roof costs the same to survey, and it comes down to:
- Features like valleys, chimneys, dormers and parapets
- The type of building, from a house to a block or an office
- Roof area
- The height of the building and how the roof can safely be seen
Every price we give includes VAT, and the written report is part of the package. Chimney survey starts from £150, including VAT. Size, height and access decide where your roof falls.
What to tell us when you get in touch
You don’t need to know any roofing terms. Just let us know:
- Your timetable, such as an exchange date
- Access details, like a loft hatch or a shared roof
- What made you get in touch
- The kind of building and roof involved
Getting a price is simple: just ring 07833 053749 or use the contact form and give us some details about the property and we will point you to the right survey. We confirm the price before anything is booked.
Chimney surveys around Play Hatch
Mapledurham House, about 4.4 miles west, is one of the historic houses in the wider area around Play Hatch. On older houses around here, roofs often carry the marks of earlier repairs, from replaced slates to new lead. Slate and clay tile are the usual coverings on older South East houses, with concrete tiles on many later estates, and flat-roofed additions turn up almost everywhere. Whichever you have, the details that tend to fail before the covering itself get the closest look.
If you run a business near The Oracle, a written record of the roof’s condition helps you plan maintenance rather than react to leaks. The streets around a church such as St Andrew's Church are often among the oldest in a place, and if yours is one of the older homes nearby, the nails, lead and mortar on the roof may be wearing out even where the slates or tiles look fine. Landlords with a home close to Reading station may find that knowing the condition of the roof, chimneys and gutters helps you plan work rather than react to complaints.
Play Hatch is about 1 mile east of Caversham, in Reading. We visit Play Hatch as part of our work across Reading, for homes and businesses alike. Play Hatch is one of the places in Reading where we work.
We survey roofs across the RG4 postcode area for chimney surveys. You will find streets like Dene Close, Henley Road and Foxhill Lane, all of which we cover. Close by, we survey roofs in Dunsden Green (1 mile north), Caversham Park Village (1 mile west), Littlestead Green (1 mile north-west), Emmer Green (1 mile west) and Sonning (1 mile south-east). Within a short drive, we also cover Norcot (4 miles west), West Reading (3 miles south-west), Tilehurst Within (5 miles west), Shinfield (5 miles south), Arborfield Garrison (7 miles south) and Horncastle (5 miles south-west).
Landmarks near Play Hatch
We work in homes and buildings around Highdown School and Sixth Form Centre, Reading Blue Coat School and The Shoulder of Mutton pub. For rail, the closest station is Reading station, roughly 2.2 miles south-west. A little further out are The Oracle (2.4 miles south-west) and Royal Berkshire Hospital (2.3 miles south-west). The countryside around Play Hatch includes Alder Moors and South Lake.
Roof by roof
Chimney breasts and the loft
Stains on timbers or brickwork around the stack can point to a leak. What we find is photographed and described.
Brick stacks
Frost can damage bricks that have soaked up water, making the faces flake away. Any spalling is noted with photos.
Nearby places to Play Hatch
More services for Play Hatch
What you can safely check yourself
If you have a loft with safe access, take a look inside. Take a torch and only step on boards or joists, checking for stains, damp wood or chinks of daylight.
During heavy rain, look at the gutters from ground level or a window. Overflowing water can be a sign of a blockage or a gutter that has dropped.
Tips from our surveys
From years of surveys, a few habits stand out as worth the effort:
- Ask for ventilated caps on redundant stacks
- Use the report as a baseline for future checks
- Photograph damp patches with the date
- Ask about consent before removing a chimney on an older property
The report is emailed to you, ready to share with a roofer or builder. We use plain English and a photo for each defect, so it’s easy to follow.
Watch for damp or staining on chimney breasts. The sooner damp is spotted, the easier the cause is to find.
Common questions in Play Hatch
Will you come out to Play Hatch?
Yes. Play Hatch is within the area we cover, which takes in towns, villages and rural addresses. Our area covers London and South East England. Just mention lanes, gates or anything else about the route when you book.
How do I find out if my home in Play Hatch is listed?
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.
What insurance do you have?
We are covered by professional indemnity and public liability insurance.
Will I get photos?
Yes. The report includes photos of what we found, so you can see exactly what each finding refers to.
What will the report tell me?
You get our findings in writing, part by part, with photos, and ends with what we recommend. The most urgent items are made clear.
Is this a RICS survey?
No. This is a survey of the roof only, and it isn’t a RICS Level 2 or Level 3 survey. It can sit alongside a RICS survey if you want both.
Do you use drones?
Where it helps and it’s safe, yes. Flights depend on the weather on the day and airspace rules. We’re a CAA-registered drone operator.
How the survey works
Photographs are taken throughout the visit, so the report shows exactly what we saw. We take close-ups from wherever is safe, including by drone where it is applicable and the weather allows. Most surveys take about one to two hours for most houses, with bigger or more complicated roofs taking longer. Somewhere as small as Play Hatch, access is often the only tricky part. Let us know about outbuildings, past repairs and any leaks you’ve noticed. Visits can be on weekdays, Saturdays or Sundays.
- You tell us whether any stacks are shared, unused or leaning.
- We check the roof around each stack, including the flashings.
- The top of each stack is checked for cracked flaunching and loose pots.
- Any lean, spalling or worn pointing is recorded.
- You receive a written report setting out what needs attention first.
Before we arrive
- Show us where any leaks or stains appear
- For a flat or shared roof, check access with the freeholder or managing agent
- Gather any invoices or paperwork from past roof work
Book a survey
To get a price for chimney surveys in Play Hatch, call 07833 053749 or use the contact form. A few details about the property and the roof help us give you an accurate price.
Read more
Why act early in Play Hatch
A small amount of repointing or new flaunching is usually a modest job. Left for a few winters, frost and water can loosen pots and bricks, and the work grows. Older and listed buildings around Play Hatch may need consent and matching materials for repairs, so a defect found early gives time to plan the work properly.
To find out what your survey will cost, phone 07833 053749 or send us an email and tell us about the roof. The price is agreed before a date is set.
Why book us in Play Hatch
- Over 20 years’ experience
- Independent findings on the roof’s condition
- Package prices that include VAT
- Photos and a written report every time
Read what a roof survey costs and two real surveys.