Oxfordshire · London and the South East
Risinghurst Chimney Survey
A survey of chimney stacks, pots, flashings and flaunching in Risinghurst, carried out by an experienced roof surveyor. Every survey comes with a written report and photos.
- Staining on walls around the chimney
- Eroded joints in the brickwork
- A stack that appears to lean
Risinghurst: your questions answered
I let a flat near Oxford station. Can you check the roof?
Yes, landlords and letting agents book with us as well as owners. Just ring 07833 053749 or send us an email and let us know about the building.
Will you come out to Risinghurst?
We do. Villages and rural addresses get the same survey as a town house, with the route planned beforehand.
Our stack is shared. Can you still survey it?
Yes. We check the parts we can see safely and the parts you can give us access to. If a defect seems to be on your neighbour’s side, the report records it, so you can discuss it with them.
Does the report include photos?
Yes. The report includes photos of what we found.
Can you find out why my chimney breast is damp?
Normally it’s water getting in from outside, or condensation in a sealed stack. The survey looks at the stack, the flashings and the capping, and record what we find.
Can you survey at the weekend?
Surveys can be booked for any day of the week: Monday to Friday, Saturdays and Sundays. Tell us which days suit you when booking.
Will you fly a drone over my roof?
Where it helps and it is safe, yes. Flights depend on the weather on the day and airspace rules, and we check for restrictions near airports before flying. We hold a CAA Flyer ID and Operator ID.
Chimney surveys for homes and businesses in Risinghurst
A damp patch on a chimney breast does not always come from the same place. It might come in at the top, through worn pointing or porous bricks, or where the flashings meet the roof. Moisture trapped inside a stack with no ventilation can also cause damp. We look at each possibility and record what we find. You then know where to start. Common reasons to book are loose, cracked or missing pots and signs that a stack is leaning, across chimney pots and cowls, chimney breasts and flaunching.
In a smaller place like Risinghurst, some roofs stand more exposed to wind and rain than in a built-up town. Ridge tiles, verges, chimney stacks and flashings take the worst of it. Checking those edges shows whether anything has begun to work loose before it lets water in. A loose ridge tile or slate gives the wind something to catch, and others soon follow.
It is not only a list of defects. For each finding, it explains what it is, why it matters and what we’d recommend, so you can plan your next steps.
- Place
- Risinghurst (OX3)
- Wider area
- Oxfordshire
- Cost
- From £150 inc. VAT
- Reports
- Written, with photos, emailed to you
- Appointments
- Weekdays, Saturdays and Sundays
- Cover
- Professional indemnity and public liability
- Telephone
- 07833 053749
- Updated
- 27 October 2026
Checking the roof from the ground
If you have a loft with safe access, take a look inside. Use a torch and stay on the joists or boards, and look for staining, damp timber or daylight coming through.
Your own check is a good start, but it isn’t a survey. You will not see flashings, valleys or the backs of chimneys properly from the ground, and those are details a survey looks at closely.
Roof by roof
Flaunching
Cracked flaunching is one of the most common chimney defects we record. It is usually a modest repair when it is caught early.
Brick stacks
Most chimney stacks are built of brick, with mortar joints that wear over time. The survey looks for crumbling bricks and worn or missing mortar.
What we do, step by step
Every roof is different, but as a rough guide the survey takes about one to two hours at most homes; commercial roofs usually need 3–4 hours. You’re welcome to ask questions while we are there. A visit to Risinghurst is planned like any other: the time, the access and where to park are agreed beforehand. Weekday and weekend visits are both possible. Let us know about any garages, outbuildings or extensions you want included.
- We go through the chimneys, any damp and any work done on them.
- Each stack is inspected from safe positions outside.
- We photograph and record the pots, flaunching, pointing and flashings.
- Inside, the chimney breasts and the loft are checked for damp where there’s access.
- The report, with photos and recommendations, is emailed to you.
Before the survey
- If you’re buying, let the agent know when we are coming
- Keep pets inside or away from the areas we are looking at
- Gather any invoices or paperwork from past roof work
Booking a survey
Surveys can be booked for weekdays, Saturdays or Sundays. To find a date that works for you, phone 07833 053749 or use the contact form with the address and the days you’d prefer.
Read more
Useful tips for Risinghurst property owners
Here are a few things we’d tell any owner, before and after a survey:
- Remove aerials or dishes from the stack if they’re no longer needed
- Use a Gas Safe registered engineer for gas appliances
- Keep the report to compare against at the next survey
- Check your stacks from the ground after strong winds
If the report recommends a structural engineer, a sweep or a Gas Safe registered engineer, it will say why. It gives them a clear starting point.
Keep an eye on chimney breasts for new damp patches. Early signs are easier to trace.
Risinghurst homes and their roofs
West Oxfordshire’s older buildings often carry Cotswold stone slates, and a few villages in the county keep their thatch. Slate and clay tile are the usual coverings on older South East houses, with concrete tiles on many later estates. Whatever the covering, it is often the fixings, flashings, valleys and gutters that give out first. Holywell Manor, about 2.5 miles west, is one of the historic houses in the wider area around Risinghurst. Older roofs in the wider area can hide decades of patch repairs, so the detail matters, and any change of roofing material on a listed home needs checking with the council first.
Anyone responsible for a site like Bayards Hill School will know that its roofs, gutters and any chimneys need the same checks as a house’s, just on a bigger scale. Homes near green spaces like Stansfeld Park can get more leaves in their gutters in autumn. The streets around a church such as Parish Church of St Mary are frequently among the oldest in a place, and if you own one of the older houses nearby, its roof may have old fixings, lead flashings and chimneys that need a closer look.
Risinghurst is about 2 miles east of Oxford, in Oxfordshire. We survey roofs in Risinghurst and the rest of Oxfordshire, as part of our work across London and South East England. We cover towns and villages across Oxfordshire, from the larger towns to small villages.
We cover every part of OX3 for chimney surveys. Streets in the area include Mark Road, Kiln Lane and Pitts Road, all of which we cover. We also cover Shotover Hill (1 mile south), Barton (1 mile north-west), Forest Hill (2 miles east), Horspath (2 miles south-east) and Stanton St John (2 miles north-east). Larger places within reach include Didcot (11 miles south), Bicester (10 miles north), Abingdon-on-Thames (7 miles south-west), Witney (13 miles west), Thame (9 miles east) and Wantage (15 miles south-west).
Local landmarks in Risinghurst
Typical jobs here are in homes near Stansfeld Park, Cheney School and Holy Trinity Church. You will also find Headington Quarry Foundation Stage School (under half a mile west) and The Six Bells pub (under half a mile west). For rail, the closest station is Oxford station, roughly 3.5 miles west. Nearby you’ll also find Templars Square (2.2 miles south-west) and Nuffield Orthopaedic Centre (0.9 miles south-west). Green spaces nearby include Shotover and CS Lewis Nature Reserve.
Nearby places to Risinghurst
What else we do in Risinghurst
What this survey cannot tell you
To be straight with you, a roof survey has limits:
- Gas safety checks, which need a Gas Safe registered engineer
- Areas we cannot view from safe positions
- Flue inspections or sweeping
If you are not sure which survey you need, phone 07833 053749 or send us an email and we will give you a straight answer before you book. What our survey covers.
What this survey covers
- Chimney breasts
- Brick chimney stacks
- Lead flashings
- Flaunching
- Shared and party-wall stacks
- Chimney pots and cowls
How we price chimney surveys
Survey packages start from £150, inc. VAT. The price for your roof depends on:
- Basic, Standard or Premium
- If the survey needs thermal imaging or a drone
- How many separate roofs there are, such as extensions, dormers and garages
- The height of the building and how the roof can be seen safely
The Premium Survey includes thermal imaging and drone inspection where it applies, which starts from £400, with VAT included. We’ll tell you which package suits the questions you have.
Getting in touch
Getting the details right at the start saves time. It helps to include:
- The type of building and roof, such as pitched or flat
- Where the property is, with the postcode
- Any photos you have, taken from the ground or a window
- Any stains, drips or damp patches you’ve seen indoors
Buyers should book once an offer has been accepted, so there’s time to use the report before exchange. Otherwise, simply call 07833 053749 or email us whenever suits you.