West Sussex · London and the South East
Chimney Survey in Plummers Plain
Chimney surveys across Plummers Plain, with over 20 years’ experience behind it. You get a clear report with photographs.
- Flashings pulling away from the stack
- Signs that a stack is leaning
- Damaged chimney pots and cowls
Plummers Plain homes and their roofs
Older houses across Sussex often have handmade clay tiles, and many have tile-hanging on their upper walls. Some old buildings in Sussex have Horsham stone slab roofs. On roofs like these, good slates or tiles can outlast the nails, battens, lead and mortar around them. The wider area around Plummers Plain has a long history of building, with Tyes Place about 2.9 miles east. Older homes in the wider area often have features worth a closer look, such as lead valleys, tall stacks and roofs that have been patched over the years, and the council can say whether a home is in a conservation area.
The streets around a church such as St Mary's Church are often among the oldest in a place, and if you own one of the older houses nearby, its chimney, valleys and lead work are likely to be the parts that need attention first. Take a building like Newells Preparatory School: its roofs, gutters and any chimneys need the same checks as a house’s, just on a bigger scale.
Plummers Plain is about 4 miles east of Horsham, in West Sussex. Anywhere in Plummers Plain, we can come and survey your property. Plummers Plain is one of the places in West Sussex where we work.
We cover every part of RH13 for chimney surveys and the streets around it. You’ll find streets such as Handford Way, Handcross Road and Hammerpond Road. Other places close to Plummers Plain include Slaugham (1 mile east), Lower Beeding (1 mile south-west), Handcross (2 miles north-east), Mannings Heath (2 miles west) and Crabtree (2 miles south-west). Larger places within reach include Crawley (5 miles north-east), Horsham (4 miles west), Haywards Heath (7 miles south-east), Burgess Hill (8 miles south-east), East Grinstead (11 miles north-east) and Shoreham-by-Sea (14 miles south).
Local landmarks in Plummers Plain
Typical jobs here are in homes near The Wheatsheaf pub. Plummers Plain’s nearest station is Faygate station, roughly 3.8 miles north of the centre. A little further out are Horsham Hospital (4.4 miles north-west). Not far away are Tilgate Lake and Warnham LNR.
How a chimney survey works in Plummers Plain
Many terraced and semi-detached homes share their chimney stacks with a neighbour. We look at what can be seen safely and what the owner gives us access to. Where a problem seems to involve a neighbour’s side, the report records it and you can then discuss it with them. Everything is written up with photos and what we recommend. Typical surveys look at flaunching that has broken away and disused chimneys trapping moisture, on flaunching, lead flashings and brick chimney stacks.
Older buildings in small places like Plummers Plain 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. A roof report helps you plan work with that in mind. Where a building is listed, matching the existing roof materials is often expected.
Most points in the report come with a picture, so you can see each defect rather than just read about it. If something couldn’t be seen safely, the report is clear about it.
- Where
- Plummers Plain (RH13)
- Wider area
- West Sussex
- Prices
- From £150 inc. VAT
- Report
- Emailed report with photos and recommendations
- When we survey
- Weekdays, Saturdays and Sundays
- Insurance
- PI and public liability insurance
- Phone
- 07833 053749
- Last updated
- 27 October 2026
What you can safely check yourself
What you can’t do safely is get up close. Slates, tiles, flat roofs and rooflights can give way. That part is for a survey, using safe viewpoints and a drone where it applies.
It helps to keep a record: when leaks happen, ground-level photos and any past roof work. Send it with your enquiry, as it helps us focus the survey.
Places near Plummers Plain
Also in Plummers Plain
What affects the cost of chimney surveys
Survey packages start from £150, inc. VAT. What you pay for your roof depends on:
- The roof’s overall size
- Building height and the viewpoints available
- The package you choose: Basic, Standard or Premium
- Features like valleys, chimneys, dormers and parapets
Larger roofs, taller buildings and commercial roofs take longer, so they’re priced to match. You will know the figure before booking.
Helping us price your survey
What helps most when you contact us:
- Access details, like a loft hatch or a shared roof
- Dates you are working to, like exchange
- What made you get in touch
- The style of property, from a terrace to a block
Unsure which package suits your roof? It is easiest to ring 07833 053749 or drop us an email and describe the roof and why you want it surveyed. We will explain the options and the price.
Different roofs, different checks
Chimney pots and cowls
On redundant flues, we look at how the pots are capped. Poor capping can lead to damp inside the stack.
Rendered stacks
A rendered stack can mask problems in the bricks below. The survey checks for cracking, bulging and staining in the render.
What we are asked to look at in Plummers Plain
TV aerials, satellite dishes and their brackets are often fixed to chimneys. Their weight and the wind on them can loosen bricks and pointing. We check fixings on the stack as part of the survey.
Here are some of the things we see often:
- Damp patches on chimney breasts
- Damaged chimney pots and cowls
- Cracked or missing flaunching
- Spalled or crumbling bricks
For landlords with property near Faygate station, the gap between tenancies is a good time to have the roof looked at.
What to check before booking
- Whether VAT is in the quoted price
- Whether the loft space is looked at, where there is one
- How much experience they have with roofs like yours
- Will the report include photos?
How the survey works
Photos are taken throughout the visit, so you can see in the report what we found and where. We take close-ups from wherever is safe. A typical visit takes about 1–2 hours at a house, as part of a look at the roof around the stack. Somewhere like Plummers Plain needs a little journey planning: let us know about lanes, gates and parking. On the day, we inspect what can safely be seen, inside and out.
- First we talk through the stacks, their history and any problems.
- Each stack is inspected from safe positions outside.
- Pots, cowls, flaunching, pointing and flashings are checked and photographed.
- We look for damp on chimney breasts and in the roof space.
- The report, with photos and recommendations, is emailed to you.
Before the survey
- Keep pets out of the way during the survey
- If you’re buying, check with the agent that we can get in
- Find any records of previous roof work
Arrange a survey
Our price is from £150, including VAT. What you pay depends on the roof’s size, access and the package, so ring 07833 053749 or drop us an email with the details.
Advice
Practical tips
A survey works best with a little help from you, before and after. Some tips:
- Make sure fixings on the stack are secure
- Use the report as a baseline for future checks
- Use a Gas Safe registered engineer for gas appliances
- Check that disused chimneys can still breathe
After the visit, we write up the report with photographs of each stack. It explains the condition of each part of the stack and any damp inside. Turnaround is within 48 hours for Basic, 24 to 48 hours for Standard and the same day for Premium.
Unused stacks should be capped in a way that still lets air through. Ventilation helps keep the stack dry.
Common questions in Plummers Plain
Does a conservation area affect roof work in Plummers Plain?
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.
Can a landlord with a rental near Faygate station book a roof survey?
Yes, landlords and agents are among the people we work for. You can ring 07833 053749 or email us with the address and what you need.
How long does the survey take?
Expect it to take about one to two hours at a house, as part of a look at the roof around the stack. The written report follows by email, on the timescale of your package.
Do you test for asbestos?
No. We can flag materials that might contain asbestos, but confirming it is a job for a specialist asbestos surveyor. It may be present in buildings built or refurbished before 2000.
Will you walk on the roof?
Only when it is safe. Most of what we need can be seen from safe viewpoints, the loft and, where it applies, a drone.
Is it the same as a RICS Level 2 or Level 3 survey?
No. It is a specialist roof survey, not a RICS Level 2 or Level 3 building survey. It focuses on the roof, so it sits alongside a building survey rather than replacing it.
When does the report arrive?
The Premium Survey report comes the same day, the Standard within 24–48 hours and the Basic within 48 hours. All of them come by email.