Oxfordshire · London and the South East
Chimney Survey in Shippon
A survey of chimney stacks, pots, flashings and flaunching in Shippon, with drones and thermal imaging where they help. Get in touch for a price.
- Loose, cracked or missing pots
- Gaps where the stack meets the roof
- Staining on walls around the chimney
Why it’s worth a survey now in Shippon
If a stack seems to lean, don’t leave it. We record its condition and recommend a structural engineer where needed, so you know where you stand. Older cottages and farmhouses around Shippon can have roof timbers that have been there a very long time, where water from a failed roof can cause rot if it is left.
Bigger, taller and commercial roofs take more time to survey, so the price reflects that. The price is confirmed before you book.
Why book with us
- Surveys seven days a week
- 98% customer satisfaction
- Thermal imaging and drones used where they help
- Package prices that include VAT
Take a look at how roof surveys are priced and what we found on two real jobs.
About our chimney survey in Shippon
If you’re buying a home with chimneys, it is worth knowing their condition before you exchange. Cracked flaunching, failed flashings and worn pointing are common findings on older stacks. You get photos and findings you can take back to the seller or agent. It complements a RICS home survey rather than replacing it. We survey chimney breasts, flaunching and brick chimney stacks, and common reasons people get in touch are bricks with flaking faces and worn or missing pointing.
In a small place like Shippon, 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 written report sets out what to deal with and in what order. On exposed older roofs, chimneys and lead flashings are often the first to give way.
Where we can’t see part of the chimney stack, the report says so. That way, it’s clear what was covered and what wasn’t.
- Location
- Shippon (OX13)
- Region
- Oxfordshire
- Prices
- From £150 inc. VAT
- Reports
- A written report with photos, by email
- Appointments
- Weekdays and weekends
- Cover
- PI and public liability insurance
- Phone
- 07833 053749
- Last updated
- 27 October 2026
Landlord and commercial surveys in Shippon
Buyers’ agents can book surveys on behalf of their clients. Reports are emailed, so they’re easy to pass on, photographs included.
For a freeholder or residents’ company, a roof report is a sound basis for a maintenance plan, with the most urgent items set out first.
When you need someone else
A survey is a proper look at the chimney stack, but it cannot do everything. The main limits are:
- What’s inside the brickwork or behind render, without opening up
- The inside of the flue, which needs a sweep or flue specialist
- Whether a gas appliance or its flue is safe
If you are not sure which survey you need, phone 07833 053749 or email us and we’ll give you a straight answer before you book. What our survey covers.
What this survey covers
- Flaunching
- Brick chimney stacks
- Chimney pots and cowls
- Lead flashings
- Chimney breasts
- Shared and party-wall stacks
Towns and villages near Shippon
Other services in Shippon
What we look for on each type of roof
Brick stacks
Brick stacks rely on sound pointing to keep water out. We check the bricks for spalling and the joints for erosion.
Chimney pots and cowls
On redundant flues, we look at how the pots are capped. Capping without ventilation can trap moisture.
Chimney surveys around Shippon
Older buildings in west Oxfordshire often have Cotswold stone slate roofs, and some Oxfordshire villages still have thatch. Slate and clay tile are the usual coverings on older South East houses, with concrete tiles on many later estates. Whichever you have, the details that tend to fail before the covering itself get the closest look. Historic houses like Appleton Manor, about 3.1 miles north-west, show how far back building in the area around Shippon goes. On older houses around here, roofs often carry the marks of earlier repairs, from replaced slates to new lead, and a listed home or one in a conservation area may need consent for changes of material.
If you live near a park such as Albert Park, or anywhere with mature trees, autumn leaves can block gutters and valleys, and blocked gutters overflow and soak walls. If you let a flat or house near Radley station, a roof report helps you deal with small faults before they turn into a call from a tenant.
Shippon is about 1 mile west of Abingdon-on-Thames, in Oxfordshire. Houses, flats, blocks and commercial buildings in Shippon can all book chimney surveys, with a written report and photographs every time. Shippon is one of the towns and villages in Oxfordshire we cover for chimney surveys. Our Oxford page covers surveys nearby.
We survey roofs across the OX13 postcode area for chimney surveys and the streets around it. Whether your property is on Chestnut Tree Close, Willow Tree Close and Whitehouse Close or anywhere close by, we can survey it. Other places close to Shippon include Cothill (1 mile north-west), Dry Sandford (2 miles north-west), Marcham (2 miles south-west), Sutton Wick (2 miles south) and Frilford Heath (2 miles west). Larger places within reach include Oxford (6 miles north-east), Didcot (6 miles south-east), Witney (11 miles north-west), Carterton (14 miles north-west), Thame (15 miles east) and Wantage (8 miles south-west).
Around Shippon
Typical jobs here are in homes near St Nicolas Church of England Primary School, Prince Of Wales pub and Albert Park. The closest station to Shippon is Radley station, roughly 2.8 miles east. Nearby you will also find Abingdon Community Hospital (0.8 miles south) and FitzHarris Castle (1 mile south-east). The countryside around Shippon includes Cumnor Hill and Dry Sandford Pit.
How the survey works
Expect us to ask a few questions before we start, such as when any problem began and what work has been done before. The inspection then takes about one to two hours at a house, as part of a look at the roof around the stack. Somewhere as small as Shippon, access is frequently the only tricky part. Let us know about outbuildings, past repairs and any leaks you’ve noticed. Weekday and weekend visits are available.
- You let us know how many stacks there are and any damp or problems you’ve noticed.
- Each chimney is viewed from wherever it can safely be seen.
- The pots, cowls, flaunching, pointing, brickwork and flashings are checked and photographed.
- Inside, we look for damp on chimney breasts and in the loft where there is safe access.
- The findings are written up with photographs and recommendations and emailed to you.
Before the survey
- Tell us where we can park nearby
- Dig out any old roof reports or invoices
- Keep pets out of the way during the survey
Book a survey
To book a survey, ring 07833 053749 or drop us an email and let us know the address and what’s prompted the survey. You’ll know the price before anything is booked.
Read more
Common questions in Shippon
Do you survey roofs for landlords with property near Radley station?
Yes, that is a common request. Let us know whether a tenant or an agent will let us in, and we can send the report to you or your agent.
Does a conservation area affect roof work in Shippon?
The council and Historic England’s list are the places to check. Either can affect what roof work is allowed, so it is worth checking before planning any.
Do you use drones?
Where it helps and it is safe, yes. Whether we can fly on the day depends on the weather and the airspace rules, including flight restriction zones near airports. We’re a CAA-registered drone operator.
What should I do with a chimney I don’t use?
An unused stack still needs to stay weathertight and ventilated. If it is capped without ventilation, damp can build up inside. Our survey records its condition and how it is capped, so you can decide with a builder what to do.
What happens next?
The report comes by email, and what you do next is up to you: raise it with a seller, send it to an insurer, brief a roofer or share it with a managing agent.
What will the report tell me?
It works through the roof part by part, in writing and with photos. Points are put in order of urgency where relevant.
How do you inspect a chimney without scaffolding?
We look from ground level, from windows and from the loft where it is safe. Where it applies, our Premium Survey adds a drone inspection for a closer view. Any area we couldn’t view is noted.
What we’re asked to look at in Shippon
Flaunching is the mortar bed that holds the pots and throws water off the top. Cracked flaunching lets water in, and each winter makes it worse. Loose pots can follow.
A survey makes sense if you’ve noticed:
- Pots or cowls that look unsafe
- Staining on walls around the chimney
- Signs that a stack is leaning
- Gaps where the stack meets the roof
Anyone responsible for a site like Larkmead School will know that long gutter runs and wide roofs on a building that size are worth checking on a regular cycle.
What to check before booking
- What insurance they carry
- Their report turnaround times
- Which limits apply to the survey
- How long they’ve been surveying roofs