West Berkshire · London and the South East
Chimney Survey in Sheepdrove
Know where you stand with the chimney stack before you decide what to do next. Chimney surveys in Sheepdrove.
- Gaps where the stack meets the roof
- Damp patches on chimney breasts
- A chimney out of line
Can I check my roof myself?
What you can’t do safely is get up close. Roofs are fragile and slippery, and falls from height are serious. That part is for a survey, using safe viewpoints and a drone where it applies.
If you have a loft with safe access, take a look inside. Use a torch and stay on the joists or boards, checking for stains, damp wood or chinks of daylight.
Chimney survey in Sheepdrove
Redundant chimneys are common, particularly where fires have been replaced by central heating. Even when it is not used, a stack has to stay weathertight. Capping a stack without ventilation can trap moisture and lead to damp inside. Our survey looks at how each unused stack has been capped and checks the breasts for damp. You get photos of each stack and our recommendations. If you’ve noticed signs that a stack is leaning and frost-damaged brickwork on the stack, a survey will tell you what’s going on.
In a small place like Sheepdrove, many roofs stand in the open, so ridges, chimney stacks, flashings and gutters work hard. Damp in old walls is slow to dry, so a small leak can do a lot of harm. A roof report shows what needs attention first. On exposed older roofs, chimneys and lead flashings are often the first to give way.
How fast the report arrives depends on the package: Basic within 48 hours, Standard in 24–48 hours and Premium the same day.
- Place
- Sheepdrove (RG17)
- Wider area
- West Berkshire
- Cost
- From £150 inc. VAT
- Reports
- Emailed report with photos and recommendations
- Survey days
- Weekdays and weekends
- Insured
- Professional indemnity and public liability
- Telephone
- 07833 053749
- Page updated
- 27 October 2026
Tips from our surveys
Small things make a difference, both for the survey and for the roof itself. Some pointers:
- Use the report as a baseline for future checks
- Photograph damp patches with the date
- Check with the council before altering a stack in a conservation area or on a listed building
- Leave close inspection to people with safe access
If the stack is shared, you can pass the report to your neighbour. The photos show the problem and which side it is on from the viewpoints we used.
Have aerial and dish brackets on the stack checked, and moved if they’re working it loose. Less load on the stack means less strain in wind.
Chimney surveys around Sheepdrove
Ashdown House, about 3.9 miles west, is one of the historic houses in the wider area around Sheepdrove. Older roofs in the wider area can hide decades of patch repairs, so the detail matters, and a listed home or one in a conservation area may need consent for changes of material. Older houses in the South East frequently 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 Michael and All Angels: its roof may have old fixings, lead flashings and chimneys that need a closer look.
Sheepdrove is about 6 miles south-west of Wantage, in West Berkshire. Sheepdrove is part of the area we cover and the surrounding area across London and South East England. Our area takes in places right across West Berkshire. You can also see our page for Oxford.
We work across RG17 for chimney surveys. We also cover Lambourn (1 mile south-west), Upper Lambourn (2 miles west), Sparsholt (5 miles north), Westcot (5 miles north) and Kingston Lisle (5 miles north). Larger places within reach include Newbury (12 miles south-east), Thatcham (14 miles south-east), Speenhamland (11 miles south-east), Hungerford (7 miles south), Shaw (11 miles south-east) and Wash Common (12 miles south-east).
Landmarks near Sheepdrove
Not far away are Rams Hill and Seven Barrows.
Nearby places to Sheepdrove
Also in Sheepdrove
Leave it or get it looked at?
Cracked flaunching and worn pointing are often modest repairs when they’re caught early. Left for a few winters, frost and water can loosen pots and bricks, and the work grows. Outbuildings and barns around Sheepdrove are easy to forget, but a failed roof there can spoil what’s stored inside. A quick look before winter can save a lot.
Bigger, taller and commercial roofs take more time to survey, so they’re priced to match. The price is confirmed before you book.
What you get with us
- Packages from £150, with VAT included
- Two decades and more of roof surveys
- Drone and thermal imaging surveys available
- An independent look at the roof
See our cost guide and two real surveys.
Roof by roof
Chimney breasts and the loft
Stains on timbers or brickwork around the stack can point to a leak. What we find is photographed and described.
Lead flashings
Lead flashings seal the joint between the stack and the roof. The survey looks at whether the lead is tight, sound and well fixed.
How the survey works
A survey visit follows a simple order: we hear what you’ve seen, inspect the roof from each safe vantage point, take photos as we go and make notes for the report. Most visits take an hour or two at most homes, with bigger or more complicated roofs taking longer. Cottages and farmhouses around Sheepdrove frequently 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.
- First we talk through the stacks, their history and any problems.
- 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 photographs and recommendations, is emailed to you.
Before we arrive
- For a flat or shared roof, check access with the freeholder or managing agent
- Keep pets out of the way during the survey
- Note where any stains or damp appear
Book a survey
To book a survey, ring 07833 053749 or drop us an email with the address and what you’d like to know about the roof. We’ll confirm the price before booking.
Advice
What this survey cannot tell you
Our survey isn’t a RICS Level 2 or Level 3 survey, a structural engineer’s report or an asbestos survey. It also has these limits:
- Hidden sides of a shared stack
- Whether a gas appliance or its flue is safe
- Hidden damage within the stack
Not sure which survey suits your roof? You can ring 07833 053749 or send us an email and we will tell you. The full list of what we check.
Roof types and parts we check
- Flaunching
- Brick chimney stacks
- Chimney pots and cowls
- Shared and party-wall stacks
- Lead flashings
- Chimney breasts
Common questions in Sheepdrove
Do you cover Sheepdrove?
Yes, Sheepdrove is one of the places we work. Every survey there gets the same written report with photographs, and visits run on weekdays and weekends.
Do you cover smaller places like Sheepdrove?
Yes, smaller places are covered as well as towns. We work right across London and South East England. Just mention lanes, gates or anything else about the route when you book.
How do you inspect a chimney without scaffolding?
We inspect from wherever is safe: from ground level, windows and vantage points, and from the loft where there is access. Our Premium Survey includes a drone inspection where it applies. We note anything we couldn’t see.
Is this a RICS survey?
No. We look at the roof, not the whole building, and it isn’t a RICS Level 2 or Level 3 survey. It can sit alongside a RICS survey if you want both.
What does the report include?
It works through the roof part by part, in writing and with photos, finishing with recommendations. The most urgent items are made clear.
Do you survey roofs on blocks of flats?
Yes, if whoever owns or manages the building agrees access. We check the parts we are given access to.
How long is the visit?
Most surveys take about one to two hours for a house, with bigger or more complicated roofs taking longer. The report follows by email.