Buckinghamshire · London and the South East
Chimney Survey in Thornborough
Independent chimney surveys in Thornborough. We have completed more than 5,000 surveys across London and South East England.
- Spalled or crumbling bricks
- Flaunching that has broken away
- Lifted or split lead flashings
What happens if roof problems are left?
If you’re thinking of removing or reducing a stack, it helps to know its condition first. In a conservation area or on a listed building, changes may need permission from the council, so check with them first. Outbuildings and barns around Thornborough are easy to forget, but a failed roof there can spoil what’s stored inside. A quick look before winter can save a lot.
Prices start from £150, including VAT, for a Basic Survey. Standard is from £250 and Premium from £400, both including VAT. You’ll know the price for the job before booking.
Why book us in Thornborough
- Drones and thermal imaging where applicable
- More than 20 years surveying roofs
- 98% customer satisfaction
- Over 5,000 surveys carried out
Take a look at how roof surveys are priced or what we found on two real jobs.
Chimney surveys for homes and businesses in Thornborough
We inspect chimneys from wherever they can be seen safely: the ground, nearby windows and higher points, and the roof space where it’s safe. With our Premium Survey, a drone inspection is included where applicable. If we cannot see part of the stack, the report makes that clear. Each defect is recorded with a photo and a plain description. Common reasons to book are worn or missing pointing and damp on a chimney breast inside, on lead flashings, chimney breasts and brick chimney stacks.
Some older homes in villages like Thornborough are listed or in a conservation area. That can affect what materials can be used when work is done, so check with the council before planning anything. Knowing the roof’s condition helps you plan ahead with that in mind. Older materials such as clay tiles, slate and stone are frequently matched when work is done.
You can share the report with anyone who needs it: your solicitor, the seller, your insurer, a roofer or the building’s managing agent, whichever applies.
- Place
- Thornborough (MK18)
- Region
- Buckinghamshire
- Cost
- From £150 inc. VAT
- Report
- A written report with photos, by email
- Survey days
- Monday to Sunday, daytime
- Cover
- PI and public liability insurance
- Telephone
- 07833 053749
- Updated
- 27 October 2026
Should I look at the roof myself first?
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. Do not go up yourself.
Fresh stains on ceilings or walls after rain are worth noting. Take a photo and write down when you saw it, as it helps a surveyor trace the cause.
What a survey costs
Every roof is different, so prices are confirmed before you book. These are the things that affect it:
- Basic, Standard or Premium
- Features like valleys, chimneys, dormers and parapets
- Height and safe access
- Commercial roofs and larger buildings
The cost of a survey depends on the roof: how big it is, how high it is, the number of separate roofs and how it can be reached and seen safely. Chimney survey starts from £150, including VAT.
Helping us price your survey
A little information up front helps. Please include:
- The property’s address and postcode
- How the loft is reached, if there is one
- Pictures from the garden or a window, if you have them
- The style of property, from a terrace to a block
A quick phone call is usually the easiest start: phone 07833 053749 or send us an email and we’ll ask a few questions about the roof. The price is agreed before a date is set.
What happens on the day
Where it’s relevant and can be reached safely, the roof space is checked as well as the outside. In the loft, the signs we look for are staining, damp, daylight and sagging. The whole visit usually takes about 1–2 hours for most houses, and about three to four hours for a commercial roof. Somewhere like Thornborough needs a little journey planning: let us know about lanes, gates and parking. The roof is looked at from the ground, from windows, from the loft where there’s safe access and from the roof where it is safe.
- We go through the chimneys, any damp and any work done on them.
- We check every stack from wherever it can safely be seen.
- Pots, cowls, flaunching, pointing and flashings are checked and photographed.
- We look for damp on chimney breasts and in the loft space.
- The report, with photographs and recommendations, is emailed to you.
Getting ready for the survey
- Have any paperwork from past roof work to hand
- Let us know about parking near the property
- Buyers: confirm access with the estate agent or seller
How to book
Unsure which package suits your roof? It’s easiest to ring 07833 053749 or use the contact form and describe the roof and why you want it surveyed. We’ll explain the options and the price.
Related advice
Chimney surveys around Thornborough
Thatch survives on some older buildings in Buckinghamshire’s villages. Across the South East, older homes tend to have slate or clay tiles, and many later ones concrete tiles. Knowing the covering helps explain which parts of a roof are likely to need work first. Stowe House, about 4.9 miles north-west, is one of the historic houses in the wider area around Thornborough. Older homes in the wider area often have features worth a closer look, such as lead valleys, tall stacks and roofs that have been patched over the years, and the council can say whether a home is in a conservation area.
If you live in an older home near Church of St Mary, the nails, lead and mortar on the roof may be wearing out even where the slates or tiles look fine.
Thornborough is about 3 miles east of Buckingham, in Buckinghamshire. From houses to flats and shops in Thornborough, the roof can be surveyed on a weekday or at the weekend. Thornborough is one of the towns and villages in Buckinghamshire where we work for chimney surveys. Our Milton Keynes page covers surveys nearby.
Surveys in MK18 work the same way as everywhere else we cover. If you need a chimney survey at a property on High Street, Chapel Lane and The Green or anywhere close by, we can help. Other places close to Thornborough include Adstock (2 miles south), Padbury (2 miles south-west), Buckingham (3 miles west), Steeple Claydon (5 miles south-west) and East Claydon (5 miles south). Further out, we also cover Aylesbury (13 miles south), Elmhurst (13 miles south), Southcourt (14 miles south), Haydon Hill (12 miles south), Turnfurlong (14 miles south) and Quarrendon Estate (12 miles south).
Local landmarks in Thornborough
Other landmarks nearby include Buckingham Castle (3.1 miles west) and Buckingham Movie Museum (3 miles west). The countryside around Thornborough includes Buckingham Sand Pit.
Tips from our surveys
Here are a few things we’d tell any owner:
- Remove aerials or dishes from the stack if they’re no longer needed
- Check unused flues are capped with ventilation
- Use a Gas Safe registered engineer for gas appliances
- Check your stacks from the ground after strong winds
With a shared stack, the report can help when talking to next door. It shows what we found and where from the viewpoints we used.
Check fixings on the stack are sound, and moved if they’re working it loose. Removing unused fixings takes strain off the brickwork.
What we are asked to look at in Thornborough
Flashings seal the gap where a stack passes through the roof. With age they can lift, split or come away from the joints. Failed flashings are one of the most common causes of damp around chimneys. Lead is also a target for theft.
Signs worth acting on include:
- Spalled or crumbling bricks
- Staining on walls around the chimney
- A chimney out of line
- Unused flues sealed without airflow
Anyone responsible for a site like Thornborough Infant School will know that its roofs, gutters and any chimneys need the same checks as a house’s, just on a bigger scale.
What to check before booking
- What the report includes, and whether it has photos
- What they will not be able to tell you
- How much experience they have with roofs like yours
- How they’ll see the roof: from ground level, the loft, the roof or by drone
Questions from Thornborough
Will you come out to Thornborough?
Yes. Thornborough is within the area we cover, which takes in towns, villages and rural addresses. Our area covers London and South East England. Let us know about access, parking and anything unusual about getting there as you book.
Do you cover Thornborough?
We do. Every survey there gets the same written report with photographs.
How much does a chimney survey cost in Thornborough?
Our price is from £150, including VAT. What you pay for your roof depends on its size, height, access and the package, and it is agreed before booking.
What do you check on a chimney?
Every part of the stack we can see from safe positions: from the pots and flaunching down to the flashings. We also note leaning, redundant stacks and damp inside.
My chimney looks like it’s leaning. What should I do?
A leaning stack should be looked at. We record the lean, the brickwork and the pointing, and if it may be a structural issue, we recommend a structural engineer.
What happens after the survey?
You’ll receive the report by email, and what you do next is up to you: use it with a seller, an insurer, a roofer or a managing agent.
Do you survey roofs on blocks of flats?
Yes, once whoever controls the roof agrees access. We look at the parts we are given access to, and the report makes that clear.