West Sussex · London and the South East
Chimney Survey in Shopwyke
Find out what’s going on with the chimney stack before you spend money on it. Chimney surveys in Shopwyke, with photographs and a clear written report.
- Staining on walls around the chimney
- Gaps where the stack meets the roof
- Gaps in the mortar around the pots
What we do, step by step
It helps to start with what’s prompted the survey: buying, a leak, storm damage, new work or just wanting to know where things stand. It helps us focus on what matters most to you. The visit usually takes about 1–2 hours on an ordinary house, rising to roughly 3–4 hours on a commercial building. Around Shopwyke, older homes can have small or awkward roof spaces, so tell us about the loft hatch and any ladder. Only areas that can be reached safely are inspected.
- 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 be seen safely.
- We check and photograph the pots, cowls, flaunching, pointing and flashings.
- We check the chimney breasts and the stack in the roof space where we can reach them.
- You get a report with photographs and our recommendations.
Getting ready for the survey
- Jot down any questions you want answered
- If you are buying, let the agent know when we are coming
- Clear the way to the loft hatch
Arrange a survey
When you are ready to go ahead, phone 07833 053749 or drop us an email. We will suggest a package, agree the price and find a date.
Related advice
Chimney survey in Shopwyke: what you get
If you are 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. Our report gives you specific points to raise with the seller or agent. It works alongside a RICS home survey, not instead of one. If you’ve noticed staining on walls around the chimney and flaunching that has broken away, a survey will tell you what’s going on, whatever the roof.
Somewhere as small as Shopwyke, homes are often older cottages and farmhouses, with outbuildings and some newer houses. Roofs there can be clay tile, slate, stone or thatch, and chimney stacks are frequently old. We report on everything that’s safely in view, and thatch is a specialist material. Chimneys and lead flashings on old roofs often need the most attention.
The report works through the roof section by section, from the coverings down to the gutters, with a note and a photo for each point. You’ll see the good as well as the bad.
- Place
- Shopwyke (PO20)
- Region
- West Sussex
- Cost
- From £150 inc. VAT
- Report
- Written, with photos, emailed to you
- Appointments
- Monday to Sunday, daytime
- Insured
- Professional indemnity and public liability
- Telephone
- 07833 053749
- Updated
- 27 October 2026
How the survey changes by roof type
Lead flashings
Some older stacks have mortar fillets instead of lead. They tend to crack, so we check them closely.
Chimney pots and cowls
Damaged pots are a safety concern as well as a leak risk. We photograph each pot and note any damage.
Common roof problems in Shopwyke
Aerials and dishes are frequently fixed to stacks. Their weight and the wind on them can loosen bricks and pointing. We check fixings on the stack as part of the survey.
Most people get in touch when they’ve noticed something like this:
- Signs that a stack is leaning
- Frost-damaged brickwork on the stack
- Damp on a chimney breast inside
- Cracked or missing flaunching
Goodwood House, about 2.1 miles north, is one of the historic houses in the wider area around Shopwyke. If your home is one of the older ones, the roof may have been repaired many times, and the survey records how each part is holding up.
What to check before booking
- Whether the loft space is looked at, where there is one
- Which parts of the roof they’ll actually see
- Their insurance cover
- When you will get the report
Checking the roof from the ground
Look up at the roof after a storm, from ground level: pieces of tile or slate on the ground, a gap in the ridge or a lifted flashing are all worth noting. Leave anything above ground level to a survey.
You can learn a lot from ground level. Binoculars help you spot slipped slates or tiles, gaps along the ridge and a leaning stack. Please do not climb up for a closer look.
Towns and villages near Shopwyke
More services for Shopwyke
What a chimney survey looks like in Shopwyke
The coast is about 5 miles or less from Shopwyke, so there’s more wind and more salt in the air than further inland. Salt is hard on nails, clips and metal flashings, and strong wind lifts anything already loose on a roof. Older houses across Sussex often have handmade clay tiles, and many have tile-hanging on their upper walls. Some old buildings in Sussex have Horsham stone slab roofs. Whichever you have, the details that tend to fail before the covering itself get the closest look.
If you look after a building like Westbourne House School, its roofs, gutters and any chimneys need the same checks as a house’s, just on a bigger scale. If you let a flat or house near Chichester station, a roof report between tenancies helps plan work before a small defect becomes a tenant’s leak.
Shopwyke is about 2 miles east of Chichester, in West Sussex. Whether the building in Shopwyke is a house, a flat or a commercial unit, the roof can be surveyed. Across West Sussex, we cover Shopwyke. Our Portsmouth page covers surveys nearby.
Every address in PO20 is within our area for chimney surveys, from the main roads to the quietest streets. Local streets include Coach Road and Drayton Lane, and we cover them all. Close by, we survey roofs in Maudlin (1 mile north), Westhampnett (1 mile north-west), Oving (1 mile east), Portfield (1 mile west) and Strettington (1 mile north). Further out, we also cover Worthing (15 miles east), Bognor Regis (4 miles south-east), Selsey (8 miles south), Littlehampton (9 miles east), Emsworth (9 miles west) and Rustington (10 miles east).
Local landmarks in Shopwyke
Around Shopwyke, our work takes us to homes and buildings near The Coach And Horses Public House, The March CofE Primary School and Chichester High School For Girls. Shopwyke’s nearest station is Chichester station, about 1.9 miles west. A little further out are Chichester Castle (1.5 miles west) and St Richard's Hospital (1.3 miles west). Green spaces nearby include Stoke Down.
When you need someone else
No survey can tell you everything, and we’d rather be clear about that before booking. Keep these in mind:
- What’s inside the brickwork or behind render, without opening up
- Gas safety checks, which need a Gas Safe registered engineer
- Whether a stack needs rebuilding on structural grounds
If in doubt, phone 07833 053749 or use the contact form and we will point you to the right survey. The full list of what we check.
Roof types and parts we check
- Chimney breasts
- Brick chimney stacks
- Chimney pots and cowls
- Lead flashings
- Shared and party-wall stacks
- Flaunching
Landlord and commercial surveys in Shopwyke
With a portfolio of properties, surveys can be booked for more than one address. To discuss a number of properties, call 07833 053749 or drop us an email with the addresses.
Any of our surveys can be booked by landlords, agents and building managers in Shopwyke. To discuss a property or a block, phone 07833 053749 or email us.
Shopwyke questions
Do roofs near the sea, like those around Shopwyke, take more of a battering?
Generally, yes: wind and salt air take more of a toll near the sea. Ridges, verges, flashings and fixings are where it normally shows.
How do I find out if my home in Shopwyke is listed?
We cannot confirm that for you, but Historic England’s list and your council can. A change of roofing material may need consent in either case, and councils can also use Article 4 directions.
When does the report arrive?
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.
Should a redundant chimney be removed?
There is no single answer. The survey shows its condition and how it’s been capped. If you’re thinking of removing it, check with the council first in a conservation area or on a listed building.
How do you inspect a chimney without scaffolding?
We look from the ground, from windows and from the loft where it’s safe. Where it applies, our Premium Survey adds a drone inspection for a closer view. Any area we couldn’t view is noted.
Which parts of the chimney do you look at?
Every part of the stack we can see from safe positions: from the pots and flaunching down to the flashings. Leaning, unused stacks and damp on chimney breasts are recorded too.
How long will you be at the property?
Time on site depends on the roof; most visits take about 1–2 hours at a typical home, though large, tall or awkward roofs take more time. The written report follows by email.