West Sussex · London and the South East
Chimney Survey in Southwater
Chimney surveys around Southwater, with findings in writing and pictures to back them up. Book a weekday or weekend visit.
- Damaged chimney pots and cowls
- Staining on walls around the chimney
- Eroded joints in the brickwork
Chimney survey in Southwater: what you get
A damp patch on a chimney breast doesn’t always come from the same place. Water may be getting in at the top through cracked flaunching or an uncapped pot, through the brickwork, or at the flashings. Moisture trapped inside a stack with no ventilation can also cause damp. We check each possibility and record what we find. You then know where to start. Common reasons to book are damp on a chimney breast inside and lifted or split lead flashings, on shared and party-wall stacks, flaunching and chimney breasts.
Trees around homes in smaller places like Southwater drop leaves, twigs and moss onto roofs and into gutters. Once gutters and outlets block, water spills over and soaks the walls. It’s the kind of slow problem a roof report picks up early. Moss on the roof and weeds in the gutter are both easy to spot from ground level.
We write the report in plain English, so you do not need to be a roofer to follow it. Each point is backed by a photograph where possible.
- Where
- Southwater (RH13)
- Wider area
- West Sussex
- Price
- From £150 inc. VAT
- Report
- Emailed report with photos and recommendations
- Survey days
- Monday to Sunday, daytime
- Insured
- Professional indemnity and public liability
- Phone
- 07833 053749
- Page updated
- 27 October 2026
When you need someone else
To be straight with you, a roof survey has limits:
- Whether a gas appliance or its flue is safe
- Hidden sides of a shared stack
- Flue inspections or sweeping
If in doubt, ring 07833 053749 or send us an email and we’ll recommend the right survey. The full list of what we check.
Roof types and parts we check
- Lead flashings
- Chimney pots and cowls
- Shared and party-wall stacks
- Chimney breasts
- Brick chimney stacks
- Flaunching
For landlords and managing agents
Freeholders and residents’ companies use a roof report to plan and budget.
Shared roofs need a little more planning: we need access agreed with the building owner or managing agent. Let us know about it when you book and we will plan the survey around it.
The survey, step by step
The visit usually starts outside and finishes in the loft: outside views come first, then the loft space if there is safe access. In total, it takes about one to two hours for most homes, a little longer where there are several stacks. With a bit of garden around a house, as there often is around Southwater, the roof can be viewed from several angles. Mention any side of the property we cannot get to. The loft, where there is safe access, completes the picture.
- We go through the chimneys, any damp and any work done on them.
- We look at every stack from wherever it can be seen safely.
- Pots, cowls, flaunching, pointing and flashings are checked and photographed.
- Inside, the chimney breasts and the loft are checked for damp where there’s access.
- You get a written report with photos and recommendations by email.
Before we arrive
- Have any questions written down, so nothing gets missed
- Move anything stored under the loft hatch
- Agree roof access with the managing agent if it is shared
How to book
To arrange a survey, ring 07833 053749 or drop us an email and tell us the address and what’s prompted the survey. We’ll confirm the price before you book.
Related advice
Prices for chimney surveys in Southwater
A few things affect what a survey costs:
- How complicated the roof is, with its valleys, chimneys and parapets
- The number of roofs, including extensions and garages
- Basic, Standard or Premium
- Roof area
Every price we give includes VAT. Chimney survey starts from £150, including VAT. We confirm the exact price before booking.
Getting in touch
Getting the details right at the start saves time. Please include:
- Photos of the roof, taken safely from ground level or a window
- The address and postcode of the property
- What kind of property and roof it is
- What’s prompted the survey
If you have photos of the roof, send them over. Take them safely from the ground or a window; never climb up to get a better view. To get started, call 07833 053749 or use the contact form.
FAQs for Southwater
Can a landlord with a rental near Christs Hospital station book a roof survey?
Yes, that is a common request. We just need to know who will give access, and the report can go straight to you or your agent.
Is my home in Southwater listed or in a conservation area?
Historic England’s list shows listed buildings, and the local council can tell you about conservation areas. If a home is listed, changes that affect its special interest need listed building consent, and in a conservation area re-roofing in different materials may need permission.
Is it a problem to have an unused chimney?
A redundant chimney needs looking after like any other. If it’s capped without ventilation, damp can build up inside. We check how it’s capped and its condition, so you can decide with a builder what to do.
How do I arrange a chimney survey in Southwater?
To arrange a survey, call 07833 053749 or use the contact form with the address, the type of property and what’s prompted the survey. We’ll confirm the price and find a day that suits.
Do I need to be at home?
Not always. An outside-only look can be arranged beforehand, but the loft and any rooms with damp need someone to let us in.
Are you structural engineers?
No. We’re experienced roof surveyors, and visible signs like sagging are noted, but calculations and an engineer’s opinion are outside what we do. If one is needed, the report says so.
Can you find out why my chimney breast is damp?
It can come from several places: cracked flaunching, worn pointing, failed flashings, uncapped pots, or damp trapped in an unventilated stack. Our survey checks each of these and records the likely cause.
What you can safely check yourself
Look up at the roof after a storm, from ground level: broken slates or tiles in the garden, gaps along the ridge or loose lead are signs to note. Leave anything above ground level to a survey.
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.
Also near Southwater
What else we do in Southwater
Why get it checked now?
A damp chimney breast seldom dries out until the cause is found. It can stain walls and damage plaster. Knowing whether it’s the flaunching, flashings, brickwork or ventilation means the right fix can be planned. In an older home around Southwater, water from a roof defect can get into timber and plaster, and that’s a much bigger job than the original defect.
A Basic Survey starts from £150, inc. VAT. Standard is from £250 and Premium from £400, both including VAT. You will know the price for the job before booking.
Why book with us
- Photos and a written report every time
- CAA-registered drone operator (Flyer ID and Operator ID)
- Visits on any day of the week
- Thermal imaging and drones used where they help
Take a look at how roof surveys are priced and our case studies.
Local roofs in Southwater
What can be done to an older roof may depend on listing or a conservation area. Your council and Historic England’s list will tell you where you stand, before anyone quotes for re-roofing. In Sussex, older roofs are often handmade clay tile, frequently with tile-hanging on the walls below. Horsham stone slab roofs survive on some old Sussex buildings. Whichever you have, the details that tend to fail before the covering itself get the closest look.
If you look after a building like Southwater Infant Academy, a written record of a large roof helps plan work for the holidays rather than in term time. For an older house near a landmark like Holy Innocents Church, its roof may have old fixings, lead flashings and chimneys that need a closer look. If you let a flat or house near Christs Hospital station, a dated record of the roof is useful when planning maintenance across a let.
Southwater is about 3 miles south of Horsham, in West Sussex. Southwater is part of the area we cover and the surrounding area as part of our work across London and the South East. Our area takes in places right across West Sussex. There is also a page for Crawley.
Chimney surveys in RH13 are booked the same way as anywhere else. Streets in the area include Station Road, Walmer Close and Pevensey Road. Neighbouring places we cover for chimney surveys include Tower Hill (2 miles north), Nuthurst (2 miles east), Brooks Green (2 miles west), Barns Green (2 miles west) and Maplehurst (2 miles south-east). Larger places within reach include Crawley (9 miles north-east), Horsham (3 miles north), Worthing (14 miles south), Haywards Heath (11 miles east), Burgess Hill (11 miles south-east) and Shoreham-by-Sea (13 miles south).
Near you in Southwater
Locally, jobs take us to homes and businesses close to The Lintot pub and The Doyle School of Design and Technology. The closest station to Southwater is Christs Hospital station, about 1.9 miles north-west of the centre. Well-known places in the area include Christs Hospital School Museum (1.5 miles north-west) and Horsham Hospital (3.2 miles north). The countryside around Southwater includes Knepp Wildland.