Hampshire · London and the South East
Chimney Survey in Preston Candover
A survey of chimney stacks, pots, flashings and flaunching in Preston Candover, carried out by an experienced roof surveyor. Every survey comes with a written report and photographs.
- Damp on a chimney breast inside
- Signs that a stack is leaning
- Unused flues sealed without airflow
Preston Candover questions
Is Preston Candover within the area you cover?
Yes, smaller places are covered as well as towns. We survey roofs across London and the South East. Just mention lanes, gates or anything else about the route when booking.
How do I find out if my home in Preston Candover is listed?
For listing, use Historic England’s list; for conservation areas, ask the council. The answer matters most when a change of material is on the cards.
What happens after the survey?
You will receive the report by email, and you decide the next step: use it with a seller, an insurer, a roofer or a managing agent.
What does a chimney survey cover?
The survey covers the pots and cowls, the flaunching, the pointing, the bricks and the flashings. We also check chimney breasts and the stack in the loft space where we can reach. You get a written report with photos.
Is it a problem to have an unused chimney?
A redundant chimney needs looking after like any other. If it’s capped without ventilation, damp can build up inside. Our survey records its condition and how it’s capped, so you can plan what to do with it.
How many surveys have you done?
More than 5,000 surveys over 20+ years.
What causes damp on a chimney breast?
There are a few common causes: water getting in at the top, through the brickwork or at the flashings, or moisture trapped in a stack with no ventilation. Our survey checks each of these and records the likely cause.
How a chimney survey works in Preston Candover
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. We also look for damp on chimney breasts and in the loft where there is safe access. The findings come in a written report with photos and recommendations. We survey single stacks on houses and groups of stacks on bigger buildings. If you’ve noticed worn or missing pointing and gaps in the mortar around the pots, a survey will tell you what’s going on.
Somewhere as small as Preston Candover, homes are frequently older cottages and farmhouses, with outbuildings and some newer houses. Roofs there can be clay tile, slate, stone or thatch, and chimney stacks are often old. We report on what can safely be seen, and thatch is a specialist material. On older roofs, it is typically the chimneys and lead flashings that need work first.
We keep jargon out of it: if work is needed, the report says so clearly, along with how urgent it is.
- Location
- Preston Candover (RG25)
- Region
- Hampshire
- Price
- From £150 inc. VAT
- Reports
- A written report with photos, by email
- Appointments
- Weekdays, Saturdays and Sundays
- Cover
- Professional indemnity and public liability
- Call
- 07833 053749
- Page updated
- 27 October 2026
DIY checks: what’s safe
The one thing to avoid is getting up close. Slates, tiles, flat roofs and rooflights can give way, and falls from height are serious. That is where a survey comes in.
After strong wind, take a look from the pavement or garden: broken slates or tiles in the garden, gaps along the ridge or loose lead are signs to note. Do not go up yourself.
What we look for on each type of roof
Chimney breasts and the loft
Where a breast has been taken out, we look at what supports the stack. Confirming the support is a job for a structural engineer.
Chimney pots and cowls
Pots sit in the flaunching on top of the stack, and cowls or caps sit on the pots. The survey looks for cracked, loose or missing pots and cowls.
Do you need a chimney survey in Preston Candover?
Many chimneys are no longer used. If a stack is capped or blocked without ventilation, moisture can build up inside. Damp patches can appear on chimney breasts even when nothing is leaking.
Here are some of the things we see frequently:
- Frost-damaged brickwork on the stack
- Staining on walls around the chimney
- A chimney out of line
- Cracked or missing flaunching
Anyone responsible for a site like Preston Candover Church of England Primary School will know that its roofs, gutters and any chimneys need the same checks as a house’s, just on a bigger scale.
Choosing a roof surveyor
- Will they check the loft as well as the outside?
- How long the report takes to arrive
- Whether VAT is added on top
- What experience they bring
Why get it checked now?
If you are thinking of removing or reducing a stack, it’s useful to know its condition first. Changes to stacks in conservation areas or on listed buildings may need consent, so check with them first. Around Preston Candover, older homes often have old roof timbers, and water through a failed covering can rot timber if it is left.
Thermal imaging and drone inspection (where it applies) come with the Premium Survey, from £400 including VAT. We can help you choose the package that fits what you want to find out.
Why book us in Preston Candover
- An independent look at the roof
- Satisfaction rate of 98%
- Every finding written up with photos
- A sub-250g drone, flown with a CAA Flyer ID and Operator ID
The survey, step by step
We don’t take risks to get a closer look. Everything that can safely be seen is inspected, and if part of the roof can’t be seen, the report says so. Most visits take roughly 1–2 hours at most homes, rising to roughly 3–4 hours on a commercial building. Cottages and farmhouses around Preston Candover often have roofs at several levels, with lean-tos and outbuildings attached. We work round each section in turn, from the safest viewpoints, and anything we can’t see is noted.
- 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.
- Every part we can see is looked at: pots, cowls, flaunching, pointing, bricks and flashings.
- Where there is safe access, we look at the stack in the loft and the chimney breasts for damp.
- You get a written report with photos and our recommendations.
Preparing for the visit
- Leave a clear route to the loft
- Make a note of anything you’d like us to look at
- Make sure we can get to the back of the property
Booking a survey
Unsure which package suits your roof? The easiest way is to ring 07833 053749 or send us an email and describe the roof and why you want it surveyed. We’ll talk you through the options and what they cost.
Read more
Chimney surveys around Preston Candover
A number of Hampshire villages keep thatched roofs on their older buildings. Across the South East, older homes tend to have slate or clay tiles, and many later ones concrete tiles. Knowing the covering helps explain which parts of a roof are likely to need work first. About 3.6 miles east lies Hall Place, a reminder of how long the area around Preston Candover has been built on. If your house is among the older ones, expect a mix of original materials and later repairs on the roof.
Take an older house close to Church of St. Mary the Virgin: corroded nails, tired lead and weathered chimney pointing are the things to watch on older roofs.
Preston Candover is about 7 miles south of Basingstoke, in Hampshire. Preston Candover gets the same service as everywhere else we work: a proper look at everything that’s safely in view, photos and a clear written report. Our area takes in places right across Hampshire, large and small. You can also see our page for Reading.
All of RG25 is covered for chimney surveys, from the main roads to the quietest streets. Streets in the area include Stenbury Drive, Farriers Close and Garden Close, all of which we cover. Close by, we survey roofs in Upper Wield (2 miles south-east), Brown Candover (2 miles south-west), Totford (3 miles south-west), Northington (4 miles south-west) and Bighton (5 miles south). Within a short drive, we also cover Basingstoke (7 miles north), Winchester (11 miles south-west), Fleet (15 miles north-east), Andover (15 miles west), Alton (7 miles east) and Petersfield (14 miles south-east).
Near you in Preston Candover
In Preston Candover, that means homes and buildings near The Purefoy Arms Public House, among other places. Other landmarks nearby include Barton Castle (2.4 miles south). The countryside around Preston Candover includes Farleigh Hill.
Towns and villages near Preston Candover
More services for Preston Candover
What this survey cannot tell you
Without opening up the roof, some things stay hidden, and that sets some limits:
- Whether the flue is safe to use
- A structural engineer’s assessment
- Checks on boilers, fires or their flues
If you are not sure which survey you need, call 07833 053749 or use the contact form and we’ll give you a straight answer. What a survey covers and does not.
What this survey covers
- Chimney pots and cowls
- Flaunching
- Lead flashings
- Chimney breasts
- Shared and party-wall stacks
- Brick chimney stacks