Oxfordshire · London and the South East
Chimney Survey in Ratley
A survey of chimney stacks, pots, flashings and flaunching in Ratley, with drones and thermal imaging where they help. Call or email for a price.
- Staining on walls around the chimney
- Gaps where the stack meets the roof
- Frost-damaged brickwork on the stack
About our chimney survey in Ratley
Damp on a chimney breast can have several causes. It might come in at the top, through worn pointing or porous bricks, or where the flashings meet the roof. Condensation inside an unventilated stack is another common cause. Our survey checks each of these and records the likely cause. That points the work in the right direction. We survey brick chimney stacks, chimney pots and cowls and chimney breasts, and people most frequently book us about gaps where the stack meets the roof and damaged chimney pots and cowls.
In a small place like Ratley, many roofs stand in the open, so ridges, chimney stacks, flashings and gutters work hard. Older walls take a long time to dry once water gets in. A written report sets out what to deal with and in what order. Lead flashings and old chimney stacks are frequently where weather gets in first.
The written findings come by email, ready to forward to whoever needs them. Basic reports come within 48 hours, Standard within 24–48 hours and Premium on the day.
- Location
- Ratley (OX15)
- Region
- Oxfordshire
- Cost
- From £150 inc. VAT
- Report
- A written report with photos, by email
- Appointments
- Monday to Sunday, daytime
- Insurance
- Professional indemnity and public liability
- Phone
- 07833 053749
- Page updated
- 27 October 2026
How the survey changes by roof type
Brick stacks
Older brick stacks often have soft lime mortar. We note where repairs should match the original mortar.
Flaunching
Flaunching is the mortar on top of a stack that holds the pots and sheds water. Once it cracks, water can get straight into the brickwork.
What a survey costs
Several things affect the price of a survey:
- Height and safe access
- The roof’s overall size
- The use of thermal imaging or a drone
- Which survey package you book
A Basic Survey starts from £150, with VAT included. Standard is from £250 and Premium from £400. You will know the price for your roof before booking.
Getting in touch
The more you let us know, the easier it is to price the survey. When you contact us, tell us:
- The style of property, from a terrace to a block
- Anything about access we should know
- Photos of the roof, taken safely from the ground or a window
- Where any leaks, stains or damp patches show inside
Every survey is priced before it is booked, so you know where you stand. Our price is from £150, including VAT. For a price for your roof, ring 07833 053749 or email us.
Also near Ratley
Other services in Ratley
Local roofs in Ratley
West Oxfordshire’s older buildings often carry Cotswold stone slates, and a few villages in the county keep their thatch. 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 1.3 miles south-west lies Upton House, a reminder of how long the area around Ratley has been built on. On older houses around here, roofs frequently carry the marks of earlier repairs, from replaced slates to new lead, and the council can say whether a home is in a conservation area.
Ratley is about 6 miles north-west of Banbury, in Oxfordshire. Bookings from Ratley are handled just like any other: get in touch, agree the price and pick a day. Across Oxfordshire, we cover Ratley. Our Oxford page covers surveys nearby.
Here we cover the OX15 postcode area for chimney surveys. If you need a chimney survey at a property on High Street, Townhill and Chapel Lane or a nearby road, we can help. Neighbouring places we cover for chimney surveys include Edgehill (1 mile west), Sun Rising (2 miles south-west) and Hornton (2 miles south-east). We also work in nearby towns such as Banbury (6 miles south-east), Chipping Norton (13 miles south), Neithrop (6 miles south-east), Grimsbury (7 miles south-east), Ruscote (6 miles south-east) and Bloxham (8 miles south).
Landmarks near Ratley
Around Ratley, our work takes us to homes and buildings near The Rose And Crown Public House. Nearby you’ll also find W. O. Bentley Memorial Foundation (3.3 miles south-east) and King John's Castle (3.9 miles north-west). Open spaces near Ratley include Edge Hill.
Checking the roof from ground level
A DIY look is useful, but it isn’t a survey. You won’t see flashings, valleys or the backs of chimneys properly from the ground, and those are details a survey looks at closely.
Fresh stains on ceilings or walls after rain are worth noting. Take a photo and write down when you saw it, as it helps a surveyor trace the cause.
What we’re asked to look at in Ratley
Removing a chimney breast inside can leave questions about how the stack is supported. We note what’s visible in the loft space and outside, and the report recommends a structural engineer if support is a concern.
Here are some of the things we see often:
- Gaps in the mortar around the pots
- A chimney out of line
- Lifted or split lead flashings
- Spalled or crumbling bricks
If you live in an older home near Church of St Peter Ad Vincula, the nails, lead and mortar on the roof may be wearing out even where the slates or tiles look fine.
Questions to ask before booking
- Whether VAT is added on top
- What experience they bring
- Their insurance cover
- Their drone registration, if they fly one
Useful tips for Ratley property owners
A few practical points come up again and again on our surveys. They’re worth knowing whatever the roof:
- Find out whether changes to a stack need permission
- Check that disused chimneys can still breathe
- Have the flue swept and checked if you use the fire
- Keep the report to compare against at the next survey
With a shared stack, the report can help when talking to next door. The photos show the problem and which side it is on from the viewpoints we used.
Get small mortar repairs done while they’re small. It is far simpler than rebuilding a stack later.
How the survey works
Every roof is different; as a rough guide, the survey takes about one to two hours for most houses, or half a day or so for a commercial building. If you have questions on the day, just ask. For a village or hamlet like Ratley, the journey is planned in advance: let us know about lanes, gates and parking. On the day, we inspect whatever is safely visible, inside and out.
- 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.
- Every part we can see is looked at: pots, cowls, flaunching, pointing, bricks and flashings.
- 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
- Find any records of previous roof work
- Buyers: confirm access with the estate agent or seller
- Tell us where we can park nearby
Book a survey
Buyers should book once an offer has been accepted, so you have the findings in time to act on them before you exchange. For any other survey, just ring 07833 053749 or use the contact form when you’re ready.
Related advice
Ratley: your questions answered
Is my home in Ratley listed or in a conservation area?
Start with Historic England’s list for listing and your council for conservation areas. Either can affect what roof work is allowed, so it’s worth checking before planning any.
Is Ratley in the area you cover?
We do. Every survey there gets the same written report with photographs.
Do you inspect the flue?
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 we’ll say if anything suggests the flue needs checking.
Are you structural engineers?
No. We point out what can be seen, such as sagging or deflection, but we are not structural engineers and do not carry out calculations. If we think you need an engineer, the report says so.
How fast do I get the report?
That depends on the survey you book: the Basic Survey report arrives within 48 hours, the Standard Survey in 24 to 48 hours and the Premium Survey the same day. Reports are sent by email.
Is this a RICS survey?
No. This is a survey of the roof only, and it is not a RICS Level 2 or Level 3 survey. It can sit alongside a RICS survey if you want both.
What causes damp on a chimney breast?
It can come from several places: cracked flaunching, worn pointing, failed flashings, uncapped pots, or damp trapped in an unventilated stack. We look at each one and note the most likely cause.