West Sussex · London and the South East
Portfield Chimney Survey
A survey of chimney stacks, pots, flashings and flaunching around Portfield, with a written report you can act on. Book a weekday or weekend visit.
- Gaps in the mortar around the pots
- A stack that appears to lean
- Redundant stacks capped without ventilation
Checking the roof from the ground
What you cannot do safely is get up close. Roofs are fragile and slippery, and falls from height are serious. That is where a survey comes in.
Fresh stains on ceilings or walls after rain are worth noting. Take a photo and write down when you saw it.
Chimney survey in Portfield
If a chimney looks out of line, it’s worth getting it checked. Stacks can lean when mortar on one side breaks down, often after years of flue gases and damp. We record the lean and the condition of the brickwork and pointing. If the stack looks like a structural issue, the report recommends a structural engineer. If you’ve noticed lifted or split lead flashings and gaps in the mortar around the pots, a survey will tell you what’s going on, on flaunching, lead flashings and chimney pots and cowls alike.
Around Portfield, older cottages sit alongside bungalows and newer houses. Coverings range from slate and clay tiles on older homes to concrete tiles on many later ones. On older homes, chimney stacks, valleys and gutters are normally where the work is. Nails and battens under older coverings often give out before the slates or tiles themselves.
Where we cannot see part of the chimney stack, the report says so. That way, it is clear what was covered and what wasn’t.
- Place
- Portfield (PO19, PO20, PO18)
- Region
- West Sussex
- Cost
- From £150 inc. VAT
- Reports
- Written, with photos, emailed to you
- Survey days
- Monday to Sunday, daytime
- Insured
- PI and public liability insurance
- Telephone
- 07833 053749
- Updated
- 27 October 2026
Honest limits
Without opening up the roof, some things stay hidden, so a survey has limits:
- Whether a gas appliance or its flue is safe
- Areas we cannot view from safe positions
- A structural engineer’s assessment
Not sure which survey suits your roof? You can ring 07833 053749 or use the contact form and we’ll tell you before booking. The full list of what we check.
Roof types and parts we check
- Chimney breasts
- Brick chimney stacks
- Lead flashings
- Shared and party-wall stacks
- Flaunching
- Chimney pots and cowls
What happens if roof problems are left?
A leaning stack should be looked at sooner rather than later. We record its condition and recommend a structural engineer where needed, so you know where you stand. Homes in smaller places like Portfield can face more weather, so a loose ridge or verge soon lets rain in. Wind gets under it and lifts more, and water follows.
Chimney survey starts from £150, including VAT. What you pay depends on how big and how high the roof is, how it can safely be seen and the package you choose.
Why us?
- Insured for professional indemnity and public liability
- Plain-English reports with photos
- Thermal imaging and drones used where they help
- Independent findings on the roof’s condition
Read our cost guide or two real surveys.
What a chimney survey looks like in Portfield
The coast is about 5 miles or less from Portfield, so there’s more wind and more salt in the air than further inland. Salt is hard on nails, clips and metal flashings, and strong wind lifts anything already loose on a roof. In Sussex, older roofs are often handmade clay tile, frequently with tile-hanging on the walls below. 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.
Take a building like Portfield Primary Academy: a written record of a large roof helps plan work for the holidays rather than in term time. Goodwood House, about 2.5 miles north, is one of the historic houses in the wider area around Portfield. On a period home nearby, the survey separates sound original work from tired later repairs.
Portfield is about 1 mile east of Chichester, in West Sussex. Anywhere in Portfield, we can carry out chimney surveys at your property, on a weekday, Saturday or Sunday. Portfield is one of the towns and villages in West Sussex we cover. There is also a page for Portsmouth.
We cover every part of the PO19, PO20 and PO18 postcode area for chimney surveys and the streets around it. We offer chimney surveys to properties on Kent Road, York Road and Spur Road. Being close to the A259 and A285, Portfield is simple for us to get to for chimney surveys. Nearby, we also carry out chimney surveys in Chichester (1 mile west), Westhampnett (1 mile north-east), Shopwyke (1 mile east), Maudlin (1 mile north-east) and North Mundham (2 miles south). We also work in nearby towns such as Bognor Regis (5 miles south-east), Selsey (7 miles south), Littlehampton (10 miles east), Emsworth (8 miles west), Rustington (11 miles east) and Storrington (15 miles north-east).
Local landmarks in Portfield
Around Portfield, our work takes us to homes and buildings near The Prebendal School, The East Gate Public House and Chichester High School For Girls and the streets around them. The closest station to Portfield is Chichester station, roughly 0.9 miles west. Other landmarks nearby include The Chichester City Museum (0.6 miles west) and Chichester Castle (0.6 miles west). Green spaces nearby include Kingley Vale National Nature Reserve and Stoke Down.
What we do, step by step
Safety comes first on every visit. Everything that can safely be seen is inspected, and anything we cannot see is noted in the report. Most visits take an hour or two at a house, as part of a look at the roof around the stack. Being in a smaller place like Portfield doesn’t change how the visit works: we look from the ground, from windows, from the loft and from the roof where it is safe. It is useful to show us anything you’ve already noticed.
- You let us know whether any stacks are shared, unused or leaning.
- The flashings and the roof around each chimney are inspected.
- The top of each stack is checked for cracked flaunching and loose pots.
- We note the brickwork, pointing and any sign of leaning.
- The report explains the condition and which work is most urgent.
Before the survey
- Move anything stored under the loft hatch
- Have keys ready for side gates, garages or roof access doors
- Agree roof access with the managing agent if it’s shared
How to book
Once you know what you need, call 07833 053749 or email us. We’ll suggest a package, agree the price and find a date, weekday or weekend.
Read more
What affects the cost of chimney surveys
A few things affect what a survey costs:
- Roof area
- The use of thermal imaging or a drone
- Basic, Standard or Premium
- How many separate roofs there are, such as extensions, dormers and garages
Price depends partly on the package: Basic from £150, Standard from £250 or Premium from £400, all with VAT included. The roof’s size, height and access matter as well.
What we need to know
We will usually ask about:
- Why you want a survey: buying, a leak, a storm or new work
- Pictures of the roof from a safe spot, if you have them
- Any marks or damp showing indoors
- What kind of property and roof it is
Photos help, if you have them. Pictures from ground level or a window are fine. To get started, ring 07833 053749 or drop us an email.
Questions from Portfield
Is the coastal weather around Portfield hard on roofs?
Generally, yes: wind and salt air take more of a toll near the sea. Ridges, verges, flashings and fixings are where it normally shows.
Do you cover smaller places like Portfield?
We do. A small place gets exactly the same survey as a big one, with the route planned beforehand.
Can you find out why my chimney breast is damp?
It can come from several places: cracked flaunching, worn pointing, failed flashings, uncapped pots, or damp trapped in an unventilated stack. Our survey checks each of these and records the likely cause.
Will you go up on the roof?
Only when it’s safe. Most of what we need can be seen from safe viewpoints, the loft and, where it applies, a drone, and the report notes anything we couldn’t see.
How soon will I get the report?
Basic reports arrive within 48 hours, Standard reports in 24–48 hours and Premium reports on the same day. All of them come by email.
Our stack is shared. Can you still survey it?
Yes. Many houses share stacks with a neighbour. We survey what we can see safely, and note anything that seems to involve next door.
Will you check the chimney is safe to use with a fire?
No. A flue inspection, sweep or gas safety check is a separate job. We check the stack, pots, flaunching, pointing and flashings, and damp inside and flag anything that suggests the flue needs a look.
What we’re asked to look at in Portfield
Chimney stacks stand above the roof, exposed to wind, rain and frost on every side. Frost works into cracks in the flaunching and pointing, and rain soaks into worn brickwork. People usually call us when they notice damp or a problem with the stack, or before a purchase.
Most people get in touch after spotting something like this:
- Eroded joints in the brickwork
- Gaps where the stack meets the roof
- Spalled or crumbling bricks
- Damp patches on chimney breasts
The streets around a church like St George's are frequently among the oldest in a place, and if your house is among the older ones nearby, corroded nails, tired lead and weathered chimney pointing are the things to watch on older roofs.
Before you book anyone
- Which limits apply to the survey
- What happens after the report arrives
- When you’ll get the report
- Their track record with similar roofs