Buckinghamshire · London and the South East
Chimney survey in Preston Bissett, Buckinghamshire
A survey of chimney stacks, pots, flashings and flaunching in Preston Bissett, carried out by an experienced roof surveyor. Every survey comes with a written report and photographs.
- Loose, cracked or missing pots
- Mortar washing out of the joints
- A stack that appears to lean
Your questions about chimney surveys in Preston Bissett
Do you cover smaller places like Preston Bissett?
We do. Villages and rural addresses get the same survey as a town house, with the route planned beforehand.
Is Preston Bissett in the area you cover?
We do. The survey and report are the same in Preston Bissett as anywhere else, and visits run on weekdays and weekends.
Do you take photos of the roof?
Yes. Photos are taken throughout the survey, and they go into the written report.
How do you inspect a chimney without scaffolding?
We use safe viewpoints rather than climbing onto the stack. Where it applies, our Premium Survey adds a drone inspection for a closer view. The report is clear about anything that couldn’t be seen.
Does the weather affect the survey?
Light rain is normally fine; heavy rain and wind are different. Strong wind or heavy rain can make access unsafe and ground a drone, and we’d agree another day.
How do I arrange a chimney survey in Preston Bissett?
Just ring 07833 053749 or use the contact form with the address. After a few questions, we confirm the price and fix a day.
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.
Chimney survey in Preston Bissett
A chimney survey looks at the stack and everything around it: the pots and cowls, the flaunching on top, the pointing, the brickwork and the flashings where it meets the roof. Inside, we check chimney breasts and the stack in the loft where it’s safe to reach. You get a written report with photos and our recommendations. We survey single stacks on houses and groups of stacks on bigger buildings. We survey chimney breasts, flaunching and chimney pots and cowls, and people most often book us about lifted or split lead flashings and pots or cowls that look unsafe.
In a village or hamlet like Preston Bissett, older cottages and farmhouses frequently sit alongside barns, outbuildings and a few newer houses. Older roofs may be clay tile, slate, stone or thatch, frequently with chimneys that have stood a long time. We report on what can safely be seen, and thatch is a specialist material. On older roofs, it’s usually the chimneys and lead flashings that need work first.
The Standard Survey adds moisture detection, a structural check and a follow-up consultation. The Premium Survey adds thermal imaging, drone inspection where applicable, structural analysis and an in-person consultation.
- Place
- Preston Bissett (MK18)
- Wider area
- Buckinghamshire
- Price
- From £150 inc. VAT
- Report
- Emailed report with photos and recommendations
- Appointments
- Weekdays and weekends
- Insurance
- Professional indemnity and public liability
- Phone
- 07833 053749
- Updated
- 27 October 2026
Preston Bissett homes and their roofs
A number of Buckinghamshire villages keep thatched roofs on their older buildings. Slate and clay tile are the usual coverings on older South East houses, with concrete tiles on many later estates. On roofs like these, good slates or tiles can outlast the nails, battens, lead and mortar around them. Claydon House, about 4.7 miles south-east, is one of the historic houses in the wider area around Preston Bissett. Period homes nearby can have lead valleys, tall chimneys and a patchwork of past repairs, and a listed home or one in a conservation area may need consent for changes of material.
Preston Bissett is about 3 miles south-west of Buckingham, in Buckinghamshire. If you are in Preston Bissett, booking works exactly as it does anywhere else: get in touch, agree the price and pick a day. Preston Bissett is one of the towns and villages in Buckinghamshire where we work for chimney surveys. There’s also a page for Milton Keynes.
We cover every part of MK18 for chimney surveys and the streets around it. We offer chimney surveys to properties on Main Street, Pound Lane and Leys Lane. Nearby, we also carry out chimney surveys in Gawcott (2 miles north-east), Tingewick (2 miles north), Hillesden (2 miles south-east), Twyford (2 miles south) and Finmere (2 miles north-west). Larger places within reach include Aylesbury (14 miles south-east), Buckingham (3 miles north-east), Elmhurst (14 miles south-east), Southcourt (15 miles south-east), Haydon Hill (13 miles south-east) and Turnfurlong (15 miles south-east).
Local landmarks in Preston Bissett
Other landmarks nearby include Buckingham Community Hospital (3.5 miles north-east) and Buckingham Castle (3.2 miles north-east). Not far away are Calvert Jubilee.
When to book a survey in Preston Bissett
Some owners book because a chimney breast has been removed below and they want to know about the stack above. We record what we can see in the loft and outside, and the report recommends a structural engineer if support is a concern.
Things that often lead to a survey include:
- A stack that appears to lean
- Damp on a chimney breast inside
- Bricks with flaking faces
- Mortar washing out of the joints
If you live in an older home near Church of St John the Baptist, old fixings, lead flashings and tall chimneys are typical of older roofs.
What to check before booking
- Will the report include photos?
- Whether the loft is part of the inspection
- Whether VAT is added on top
- When you will get the report
What a chimney survey doesn’t cover
We only report everything that’s safely in view on the day, so there are some things a survey cannot cover:
- Checks on boilers, fires or their flues
- Parts of the stack that cannot be seen safely or belong to a neighbour we can’t access
- Flue inspections or sweeping
Not sure which survey suits your roof? You can ring 07833 053749 or use the contact form and we will tell you. What our survey covers.
Roof types and parts we check
- Chimney breasts
- Chimney pots and cowls
- Lead flashings
- Flaunching
- Shared and party-wall stacks
- Brick chimney stacks
Should I look at the roof myself first?
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.
What you cannot do safely is get up close. Slates, tiles, flat roofs and rooflights can give way, and falls from height are serious. That part is for a survey, using safe viewpoints and a drone where it applies.
What happens on the day
We work from the outside in: first the slopes, edges and gutters from every safe viewpoint, then the roof space where it can be reached. All told, expect between one and two hours for most homes, a little longer where there are several stacks. Somewhere like Preston Bissett needs a little journey planning: let us know about lanes, gates and parking. The roof is looked at from ground level, from windows, from the loft where there’s safe access and from the roof where it is safe.
- We start with the details: how many stacks, whether any are shared and any signs of damp.
- Each chimney is viewed from wherever it can safely be seen.
- The pots, cowls, flaunching, pointing, brickwork and flashings are checked and photographed.
- Inside, we look for damp on chimney breasts and in the loft where there’s safe access.
- We send a written report with photos, the defects found and what we recommend.
Preparing for the visit
- Keep pets out of the way during the survey
- Let us know about parking near the property
- Have any questions written down, so nothing gets missed
Arrange a survey
A quick phone call is usually the easiest start: phone 07833 053749 or email us, and we will ask about the building and what you need. The price is agreed before a date is set.
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More services for Preston Bissett
Why act early in Preston Bissett
If you are buying, find out about the stacks before you exchange. After that, any work is yours to arrange and pay for. A report gives you something specific to put to the seller. For older village homes like those around Preston Bissett, the right replacement materials are not always easy to find quickly. That is one more reason to find defects before they become urgent.
Prices start from £150, including VAT. Basic starts from £150, Standard from £250 and Premium from £400, VAT included, and we can help you choose.
Why book with us
- Thermal imaging and drones used where they help
- Two decades and more of roof surveys
- Visits on any day of the week
- PI and public liability insurance
Practical tips
Over many surveys, some simple habits stand out as worth the effort:
- Leave close inspection to people with safe access
- Ask for ventilated caps on redundant stacks
- Look at the chimneys with binoculars after a storm
- Keep the report to compare against at the next survey
With a shared stack, the report can help when talking to next door. It shows what we found and where, as far as we could see.
Keep an eye on chimney breasts for new damp patches. Early signs are easier to trace.