Oxfordshire · London and the South East
Chimney survey in Swinbrook, Oxfordshire
Find out the condition of the chimney stack at your property in Swinbrook. We visit on weekdays and at weekends.
- Cracked or missing flaunching
- Worn or missing pointing
- Staining on walls around the chimney
Tips that help
Nothing here needs a ladder. A few suggestions:
- Ask about consent before removing a chimney on an older property
- Have the flue swept and checked if you use the fire
- Never climb onto the roof to look at a chimney
- Look at the chimneys with binoculars after a storm
The report is emailed to you, ready to share with a roofer or builder. Each defect is described in plain words and shown in a photo so anyone reading it can see what we saw.
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 for homes and businesses in Swinbrook
A chimney stands up above the roof, exposed to wind, rain and frost on every side. Over the years, the flaunching cracks, the pointing wears and flashings lift. Water then gets into the stack and can show as damp on a chimney breast or a stain in the loft. We record what we find with photos and recommendations. If you are worried about mortar washing out of the joints and cracked or missing flaunching, we can find out what’s behind it.
In a village or hamlet like Swinbrook, older cottages and farmhouses frequently sit alongside barns, outbuildings and a few newer houses. Roofs there can be clay tile, slate, stone or thatch, and chimney stacks are frequently old. Each needs checking in its own way, and thatch is a specialist material we report on as far as it can be seen. Chimneys and lead flashings on old roofs often need the most attention.
If any part of the chimney stack couldn’t be seen safely, we say so in the report. That way, it is clear what was covered and what wasn’t.
- Place
- Swinbrook (OX18)
- Wider area
- Oxfordshire
- Price
- From £150 inc. VAT
- Report
- Emailed report with photos and recommendations
- Appointments
- Weekdays and weekends
- Cover
- Professional indemnity and public liability
- Telephone
- 07833 053749
- Last updated
- 27 October 2026
Questions from Swinbrook
Is my home in Swinbrook listed or in a conservation area?
You can check whether a building is listed on Historic England’s list, and your council can tell you if it is in a conservation area. 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.
Can a landlord with a rental near Shipton station book a roof survey?
Yes, rented property is part of what we cover. Just call 07833 053749 or use the contact form and tell us about the building.
Do you inspect the flue?
No. A flue inspection, sweep or gas safety check is a separate job. We check the structure and weathering of the stack and any damp and flag anything that suggests the flue needs a look.
What insurance do you have?
Our cover is professional indemnity plus public liability, and we can provide details if a managing agent needs them.
What happens after the survey?
You receive the written report by email, with photographs and recommendations. It’s yours to share with a seller, insurer, roofer or managing agent, whichever applies.
Do I have to be there for the survey?
If the survey includes the loft or the inside of the building, someone needs to let us in. We will talk about access when booking.
Do you survey roofs on blocks of flats?
Yes, once access has been agreed. The roof of a block or converted house is frequently shared, so the building owner or managing agent needs to agree access. We inspect only the parts we’re allowed to reach.
Leave it or get it looked at?
A loose pot or brick can fall from height. Finding them early means they can be dealt with before they come down by a suitable contractor. Where a roof is exposed, as many are in small places like Swinbrook, driving rain gets into any weakness, and damp in older walls is slow to dry out.
We offer three survey packages: the Basic Survey from £150, the Standard Survey from £250 and the Premium Survey from £400, all with VAT included. What your roof costs depends on its size, access and what you want to find out.
Why book with us
- 98% of customers satisfied
- Over 5,000 surveys carried out
- An independent view of the roof
- Every finding written up with photos
See our cost guide or our case studies.
What a chimney survey looks like in Swinbrook
West Oxfordshire’s older buildings often carry Cotswold stone slates, and a few villages in the county keep their thatch. Across the South East, older homes tend to have slate or clay tiles, and many later ones concrete tiles. Whatever the covering, it is often the fixings, flashings, valleys and gutters that give out first. With Minster Lovell Hall about 2.9 miles south-east, Swinbrook sits in an area with a long building history. If you own one of the older houses, expect a mix of original materials and later repairs on the roof, and the council can say whether a home is in a conservation area.
If you look after a building such as Burford School, large buildings have long gutter runs and big roofs that need checking like any other. If you let a flat or house near Shipton station, the gap between tenancies is a good time to have the roof looked at. Take an older house close to Church of St Mary: corroded nails, tired lead and weathered chimney pointing are the things to watch on older roofs.
Swinbrook is about 3 miles north of Carterton, in Oxfordshire. Swinbrook gets the same service as everywhere else we work: a close look at everything that’s safely in view, photos and a clear written report. Our area takes in places right across Oxfordshire. We also survey roofs in Oxford.
Chimney surveys in OX18 are booked the same way as anywhere else. Other places close to Swinbrook include Leafield (3 miles north-east), Shipton-under-Wychwood (3 miles north), Ascott d'Oyley (3 miles north-east), Ascott Earl (3 miles north) and Ascott-under-Wychwood (4 miles north). Further out, we also cover Witney (5 miles south-east), Carterton (3 miles south), Faringdon (11 miles south), Kidlington (13 miles east), Chipping Norton (9 miles north) and St John Street area (15 miles east).
Local landmarks in Swinbrook
Typical jobs here are in homes near The Swan pub. Swinbrook’s nearest station is Shipton station, roughly 3.3 miles north.
What a survey costs
To price your survey, we look at:
- Any need for thermal images or a drone flight
- House, block, shop or office
- Building height and the viewpoints available
- The size of the roof
A Basic Survey starts from £150, inc. VAT. Standard is from £250 and Premium from £400. You will know the price for the job before booking.
Booking your survey
A little information up front helps. Please include:
- What’s prompted the survey
- Dates you’re working to, such as exchange
- The property’s address and postcode
- Whether there’s a loft hatch, a shared roof or tricky access
A quick phone call is normally the easiest start: phone 07833 053749 or use the contact form and we will ask a few questions about the roof. You will have a price before anything is arranged.
The survey, step by step
The aim of the visit is simple: to see as much of the chimney stack as can safely be seen and record it clearly. Everything we note and photograph goes into the written report. The visit normally takes an hour or two for most homes, a little longer where there are several stacks. Rural addresses near Swinbrook can be hard to find from a postcode alone, so a few directions, or a note of a nearby landmark, help us arrive on time. After that, the survey runs as it would anywhere.
- 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.
- We look for damp on chimney breasts and in the roof space.
- The report, with photographs and recommendations, is emailed to you.
How to prepare
- Make sure the loft hatch can be reached
- Make sure we can get to the back of the property
- Keep pets out of the way during the survey
Booking a survey
You can call us seven days a week. To book or ask a question, call 07833 053749 or drop us an email.
Read more
Towns and villages near Swinbrook
More services for Swinbrook
What we can’t see
It helps to know what a survey won’t do before you book:
- Gas safety checks, which need a Gas Safe registered engineer
- Whether the flue is safe to use
- Whether a stack needs rebuilding on structural grounds
If you’re not sure which survey you need, phone 07833 053749 or drop us an email and we’ll give you a straight answer before booking. What a survey covers and doesn’t.
What this survey covers
- Chimney breasts
- Flaunching
- Shared and party-wall stacks
- Lead flashings
- Brick chimney stacks
- Chimney pots and cowls
Can I check my roof myself?
The one thing to avoid is getting up close. Slates, tiles, flat roofs and rooflights can give way, and a fall can be serious. That part is for a survey.
After heavy rain, check ceilings and the tops of walls for new stains. Take a photo and write down when you saw it, as it helps a surveyor trace the cause.