Oxfordshire · London and the South East
Purley on Thames Chimney Survey
A careful look at the chimney stack at your property in Purley on Thames, and put it all in a written report with photos.
- Worn or missing pointing
- Lifted or split lead flashings
- Loose, cracked or missing pots
Purley on Thames: your questions answered
Will you come out to Purley on Thames?
We do. Villages and rural addresses get the same survey as a town house.
How do I find out if my home in Purley on Thames is listed?
We can’t confirm that for you, but Historic England’s list and your council can. Both listing and conservation areas can limit changes of roofing material.
How experienced are you?
We’ve been surveying roofs for over 20 years and have carried out more than 5,000 surveys.
How do I arrange a chimney survey in Purley on Thames?
Simply phone 07833 053749 or drop us an email. After a few questions, we confirm the price and fix a day, weekday or weekend.
What happens next?
You receive the written report by email, with photos and recommendations. You can use it to talk to a seller, an insurer, a roofer or a managing agent, whichever applies.
Is it the same as a RICS Level 2 or Level 3 survey?
No. We are experienced roof surveyors, and our survey covers the roof rather than the whole building. For the rest of the building, a RICS home survey is a separate job.
Do you carry professional indemnity insurance?
Our surveys are covered by professional indemnity and public liability insurance. If you need details for a managing agent or a building owner, just ask.
About our chimney survey in Purley on Thames
If you’re buying a home with chimneys, it’s 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. We survey shared and party-wall stacks, lead flashings and brick chimney stacks, and the problems we’re asked to look at most are pots or cowls that look unsafe and unused flues sealed without airflow.
Trees around homes in smaller places like Purley on Thames drop leaves, twigs and moss onto roofs and into gutters. Once gutters and outlets block, water spills over and soaks the walls, and moss holds water against tiles. It is the kind of slow problem a roof report picks up early. Moss on the roof and weeds in the gutter are both easy to spot from the ground.
Pictures do a lot of the work in our reports, because a photo of a cracked flashing says more than a paragraph. Anything out of sight on the day is listed as such.
- Location
- Purley on Thames (RG8, RG31, RG4)
- Region
- Oxfordshire
- Price
- From £150 inc. VAT
- Reports
- Written, with photos, emailed to you
- When we survey
- Weekdays and weekends
- Insurance
- Professional indemnity and public liability
- Telephone
- 07833 053749
- Page updated
- 27 October 2026
Local roofs in Purley on Thames
Historic houses such as Mapledurham House, about 0.6 miles north-east, show how far back building in the area around Purley on Thames goes. If your house is among the older ones, expect a mix of original materials and later repairs on the roof, and a listed home or one in a conservation area may need consent for changes of material. Older buildings in west Oxfordshire often have Cotswold stone slate roofs, and some Oxfordshire villages still have thatch. Older houses in the South East often have slate or clay tile roofs, while many later estates have concrete tiles. Knowing the covering helps explain which parts of a roof are likely to need work first.
Take an older house close to Church of St Mary: its roof may have old fixings, lead flashings and chimneys that need a closer look. Homes near green spaces such as Round Copse can get more leaves in their gutters in autumn, so outlets and downpipes are worth watching. If you own a rental within reach of Tilehurst station, the gap between tenancies is a good time to have the roof looked at.
Purley on Thames is about 3 miles west of Caversham, in Oxfordshire. Purley on Thames gets the same service as everywhere else we work: a careful inspection, photographs and a written report. Our area takes in places right across Oxfordshire, large and small.
We survey roofs across the RG8, RG31 and RG4 postcode area for chimney surveys and the streets around it. We offer chimney surveys to properties on Glebe Road, Hazel Road and Menpes Road and the roads around them. We also cover Mapledurham (1 mile north-east), Tilehurst (1 mile south), Sulham (1 mile south-west), Little Heath (2 miles south) and Trench Green (2 miles north-east). Within a short drive, we also cover Didcot (12 miles north-west), Henley-on-Thames (7 miles north-east), Benson (10 miles north), Wallingford (9 miles north-west), Great Western Park (13 miles north-west) and Watlington (11 miles north).
Landmarks near Purley on Thames
Typical jobs here are in homes near Denefield School, Round Copse and Roebuck pub and the streets around them. The nearest railway station is Tilehurst station, roughly 1 mile south-east of the centre. Nearby you’ll also find Battle Hospital (2.6 miles south-east) and Royal Berkshire Regiment Museum (2.4 miles south-east). For a walk, there is Hosehill Lake and Moor Copse Nature Reserve.
Also near Purley on Thames
More services for Purley on Thames
How the survey works
Once we have finished looking, we write up our findings in a report with photos, sent to you by email. On timing, most surveys take about one to two hours at a house, as part of a look at the roof around the stack. A visit to Purley on Thames is planned like any other: the time, the access and where to park are agreed beforehand. Visits can be on weekdays, Saturdays or Sundays. If there are outbuildings or garages you want looked at, mention them.
- We start with the details: how many stacks, whether any are shared and any signs of damp.
- The stacks are looked at from the ground, from windows and from other safe vantage points.
- The pots, cowls, flaunching, pointing, brickwork and flashings are checked and photographed.
- Where there’s safe access, we check the stack in the loft and the chimney breasts for damp.
- We send a written report with photos, the defects found and what we recommend.
How to prepare
- If you’re buying, let the agent know when we’re coming
- Dig out any old roof reports or invoices
- Let us know about parking before the day
Book a survey
To book a survey, call 07833 053749 or use the contact form with the address and what you’d like to know about the roof. We’ll confirm the price before booking.
Read more
What we look for on each type of roof
Flaunching
Sitting at the very top, flaunching is fully exposed. We look for cracks, gaps around the pots and missing pieces.
Chimney pots and cowls
Each pot is bedded into the flaunching, frequently with a cowl or cap on top. The survey looks for cracked, loose or missing pots and cowls.
Landlords, agents and block managers in Purley on Thames
Letting agents frequently book on a landlord’s behalf, with the report sent to whoever needs it. We agree a time with the tenant beforehand.
Roof problems in a rented home affect tenants as well as the building. A survey helps you spot issues early and plan the work.
Why it is worth a survey now in Purley on Thames
Most people never get a careful look at their chimney stacks. Defects tend to go unseen until there’s a stain. A survey gives you a clear picture before that happens. Homes in smaller places like Purley on Thames can face more weather, so a loose ridge or verge soon lets rain in. Wind gets under it and lifts more.
Price depends partly on the package: Basic from £150, Standard from £250 or Premium from £400, all inc. VAT. Size, height and access can affect the price too.
Why book with us
- More than 20 years surveying roofs
- Insured for professional indemnity and public liability
- Surveys on any day of the week
- Drones and thermal imaging where it applies
Read what a roof survey costs or what we found on two real jobs.
Prices for chimney surveys in Purley on Thames
When we price a survey, we consider:
- Whether thermal imaging or a drone is needed
- Building height and the viewpoints available
- Whether you choose the Basic, Standard or Premium Survey
- Features like valleys, chimneys, dormers and parapets
Prices start from £150, with VAT included, for a Basic Survey. Standard is from £250 and Premium from £400, both including VAT. You will know the price for the job before booking.
What to let us know when you contact us
If you can, have these to hand when you get in touch:
- The type of building and roof, such as pitched or flat
- The reason for the survey, like buying, a leak or storm damage
- Any stains, drips or damp patches you’ve seen indoors
- Pictures of the roof from a safe spot, if you have them
We confirm the price for your roof before you book, so you know where you stand. Chimney survey starts from £150, including VAT. To book, ring 07833 053749 or send us an email.
Before and after the survey
Most of what helps is simple and safe from the ground. A few suggestions:
- Keep the report to compare against at the next survey
- Photograph damp patches with the date
- Ask about consent before removing a chimney on an older property
- Remove aerials or dishes from the stack if they’re no longer needed
Many people use the report to get quotes for the work. Because everyone is pricing the same findings, the quotes are easier to compare.
Have aerial and dish brackets on the stack checked and taken off if they’re no longer needed. Less load on the stack means less strain in wind.