East Sussex · London and the South East
Chimney survey in Ripe, East Sussex
A careful look at the chimney stack at your property in Ripe, with photos and a written report.
- Flaunching that has broken away
- Lifted or split lead flashings
- A stack that appears to lean
Chimney surveys for homes and businesses in Ripe
Many homes have chimneys that are no longer used. Even when it isn’t used, a stack has to stay weathertight. If it has been capped without ventilation, damp can build up inside it. We check how redundant stacks have been capped and look for damp in the chimney breasts. You get photos of each stack and our recommendations. If you’ve noticed cracked or missing flaunching and lifted or split lead flashings, we can find out what’s behind it, on shared and party-wall stacks, lead flashings and chimney pots and cowls alike.
Older buildings in small places like Ripe may be listed or in a conservation area. That can affect what materials can be used when work is done, so check with the council before planning anything. A roof report helps you plan work with that in mind. Where a building is listed, matching the existing roof materials is frequently expected.
You can share the report with anyone who needs it: your solicitor, the seller, your insurer, a roofer or the building’s managing agent.
- Location
- Ripe (BN8)
- Region
- East Sussex
- Cost
- From £150 inc. VAT
- Your report
- Written, with photos, emailed to you
- Survey days
- Weekdays, Saturdays and Sundays
- Insured
- Professional indemnity and public liability
- Phone
- 07833 053749
- Last updated
- 27 October 2026
Why act early in Ripe
For a buyer, the best time to learn about a chimney is before exchange. Once you’ve exchanged, the work is down to you. A report gives you something specific to put to the seller. In a place like Ripe, a barn or garage roof left to fail puts whatever is inside at risk. A quick look before winter can save a lot.
Price depends partly on the package: from £150 for Basic, £250 for Standard and £400 for Premium, with VAT included. Size, height and access can affect the price too.
Why book us in Ripe
- Drone and thermal imaging surveys available
- Surveys on any day of the week
- An independent look at the roof
- CAA-registered drone operator (Flyer ID and Operator ID)
Read our cost guide and what we found on two real jobs.
Should I look at the roof myself first?
If you have a loft with safe access, take a look inside. Take a torch and only step on boards or joists, checking for stains, damp wood or chinks of daylight.
You can learn a lot 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 a chimney survey looks like in Ripe
About 2.3 miles south-west lies Charleston Farmhouse, a reminder of how long the area around Ripe has been built on. On older houses around here, roofs often carry the marks of earlier repairs, from replaced slates to new lead. Many older homes in Sussex have handmade clay tiles and tile-hung walls. Horsham stone slab roofs survive on some old Sussex buildings, alongside oast houses and timber-framed Wealden hall houses. Whatever the covering, it is often the fixings, flashings, valleys and gutters that give out first.
Take an older house close to The Parish Church of St John the Baptist: the nails, lead and mortar on the roof may be wearing out even where the slates or tiles look fine. If you own a rental within reach of Berwick (Sussex) station, knowing the condition of the roof, chimneys and gutters helps you plan work rather than react to complaints.
Ripe is about 5 miles west of Hailsham, in East Sussex. If you’re in Ripe, booking works exactly as it does anywhere else: get in touch, agree the price and pick a day. Ripe is one of the places in East Sussex where we work for chimney surveys. Our Brighton page covers surveys nearby.
Postcode districts we cover here for chimney surveys: BN8. Local streets include Carriage Mews, Channers Lane and Church Lane, all of which we cover. Nearby, we also carry out chimney surveys in Selmeston (2 miles south), Wickstreet (2 miles south-east), Laughton (2 miles north), Golden Cross (2 miles north-east) and Berwick (2 miles south). We also work in nearby towns such as Eastbourne (8 miles south-east), Bexhill-on-Sea (14 miles east), Seaford (7 miles south), Lewes (6 miles west), Hailsham (5 miles east) and Crowborough (13 miles north).
Near you in Ripe
We work in homes and buildings around Lamb Inn and the streets around them. The closest station to Ripe is Berwick (Sussex) station, roughly 2.2 miles south-east of the centre. Other landmarks nearby include Hellingly Hospital Railway (5.1 miles east) and Museum of Agricultural Bygones (3 miles north-west). Open spaces near Ripe include Firle Beacon.
Landlord and commercial surveys in Ripe
Any of our surveys can be booked by landlords, agents and building managers in Ripe. For a price for a let property or a block, ring 07833 053749 or use the contact form.
For blocks of flats, a roof survey helps managing agents and residents’ management companies plan ahead. Recommendations are set out by urgency where it matters.
What a chimney survey doesn’t cover
A survey is a careful look at the chimney stack, but it cannot do everything. The main limits are:
- Whether the flue is safe to use
- Parts of the stack that can’t be seen safely or belong to a neighbour we can’t access
- Conditions inside walls
Not sure which survey suits your roof? You can call 07833 053749 or email us and we’ll tell you before booking. What a survey covers and doesn’t.
Roofs we survey in Ripe
- Brick chimney stacks
- Lead flashings
- Shared and party-wall stacks
- Chimney pots and cowls
- Chimney breasts
- Flaunching
Common questions in Ripe
Is Ripe within the area you cover?
Yes. Ripe is within the area we cover, which takes in towns, villages and rural addresses. Our area covers London and the South East. Let us know about access, parking and anything unusual about getting there when booking.
Can a landlord with a rental near Berwick (Sussex) station book a roof survey?
Yes, rented property is part of what we cover. You can phone 07833 053749 or drop us an email with the address and a few details, including who will give access on the day.
Is it a structural engineer’s report?
No. We note visible signs such as sagging or deflection, but we don’t carry out calculations or give an engineer’s opinion. Where an engineer is needed, we say so in the report.
Is a leaning chimney dangerous?
It is worth having a leaning stack checked. Our survey notes how it looks and the condition of the bricks and joints, and if it may be a structural issue, we recommend a structural engineer.
Do you need to get into the loft?
If it’s needed and safe to reach, yes. We look for staining, damp, daylight and signs of movement, as far as the space allows.
How many surveys have you done?
Over 20 years and more than 5,000 surveys, across London and South East England.
What’s the best way to book?
Simply call 07833 053749 or email us. We’ll ask a few questions, confirm the price and agree a date, weekday or weekend.
What a survey costs
When we price a survey, we consider:
- Any need for thermal images or a drone flight
- Which survey package you book
- Whether it’s a home or a commercial building
- Height and safe access
Simple, low roofs take less time to survey than tall or complicated ones, and the package matters as well. We’ll give you the figure before anything is booked.
Getting in touch
Before you get in touch, it is useful to have:
- When you need the report by
- The reason for the survey, such as buying, a leak or storm damage
- Pictures from the garden or a window, if you have them
- Any stains, drips or damp patches you’ve seen indoors
When you’re ready to go ahead, ring 07833 053749 or drop us an email. We will suggest a package, agree the price and find a date.
Towns and villages near Ripe
Also in Ripe
The survey, step by step
Where it’s relevant and can be reached safely, the loft space is checked as well as the outside. In the loft, the signs we look for are staining, damp, daylight and sagging. The whole visit usually takes an hour or two at a typical home; commercial roofs usually need 3–4 hours. For a village or hamlet like Ripe, the journey is planned in advance: let us know about lanes, gates and parking. On the day, we inspect everything that’s safely in view, inside and out.
- First you let us know about the chimneys, any damp on the chimney breasts and any worries.
- Each chimney is viewed from wherever it can be seen safely.
- We check and photograph the pots, cowls, flaunching, pointing and flashings.
- We check the chimney breasts and the stack in the loft space where we can reach them.
- The findings are written up with photographs and recommendations and emailed to you.
Getting ready for the survey
- For a flat or shared roof, check access with the freeholder or managing agent
- If you’re buying, check with the agent that we can get in
- Point out any leaks or damp patches
Getting a price
Surveys can be booked for weekdays, Saturdays or Sundays. To arrange a day that suits you, ring 07833 053749 or send us an email with the address and the days you’d prefer.