West Sussex · London and the South East
Chimney Survey in Thorney Island
Know where you stand with the chimney stack before you spend money on it. Chimney surveys in Thorney Island, with photos and a clear written report.
- Lifted or split lead flashings
- Cracked or missing flaunching
- A chimney out of line
Chimney survey in Thorney Island: what you get
On terraced and semi-detached houses, a chimney stack is often shared with next door. We check everything that’s safely in view and what the owner gives us access to. Where a problem seems to involve a neighbour’s side, the report records it and you can then discuss it with them. Everything is written up with photos and our recommendations. If you’ve noticed damp on a chimney breast inside and unused flues sealed without airflow, we can find out what’s behind it, whatever the roof.
Somewhere as small as Thorney Island, homes are frequently 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. 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.
Where we cannot see part of the chimney stack, the report says so. That way, it’s clear what was covered and what wasn’t, and what we’d suggest next.
- Place
- Thorney Island (PO10)
- Region
- West Sussex
- Cost
- From £150 inc. VAT
- Reports
- Emailed report with photos and recommendations
- Survey days
- Weekdays and weekends
- Cover
- PI and public liability insurance
- Phone
- 07833 053749
- Page updated
- 27 October 2026
Should I look at the roof myself first?
Watch the gutters in a downpour, from a window or the ground. Water spilling over the edge can point to a blockage or a sagging run.
It helps to keep a record: when leaks happen, ground-level photos and any past roof work. Share it with us when booking and it will help the survey.
Nearby places to Thorney Island
Other services in Thorney Island
Thorney Island homes and their roofs
Thorney Island is within about 1 mile of the coast, and being near the sea means more wind and salt than a roof inland would face. Metal fixings and flashings corrode faster in salt air, while gales work at loose ridges, slates and tiles, while driving rain finds any gap. With Warblington Castle about 2.1 miles north-west, Thorney Island sits in an area with a long building history. If your home is one of the older ones, expect a mix of original materials and later repairs on the roof, and any change of roofing material on a listed home needs checking with the council first.
If you live in an older home near The Parish Church of St Nicholas, old fixings, lead flashings and tall chimneys are typical of older roofs. Trees in and around Eames Farm shed leaves that can end up in nearby gutters, and blocked gutters overflow and soak walls. Anyone responsible for a site like Thorney Island Community Primary School will know that a written record of a large roof helps plan work for the holidays rather than in term time.
Thorney Island is about 4 miles south-east of Havant, in West Sussex. Thorney Island is one of many places we visit across West Sussex, for homes and businesses alike. Our West Sussex coverage includes Thorney Island. Portsmouth is in our area too.
We work across the PO10 postcode area for chimney surveys and the streets around it. If you need a chimney survey at a property on Hunter Road, Emsworth Road and Spartan Close or a nearby road, we can survey it. We also cover the places around Thorney Island: West Thorney (1 mile south-east), North Hayling (1 mile west), Tye (1 mile south-west), Northney (1 mile west) and Emsworth (2 miles north). We also work in nearby towns such as Bognor Regis (11 miles east), Chichester (7 miles east), Selsey (9 miles south-east), Portfield (7 miles east), Yapton (14 miles east) and East Wittering (5 miles south-east).
Local landmarks in Thorney Island
Around Thorney Island, our work takes us to homes and buildings near Bourne Community College and Eames Farm and the streets around them. For rail, the closest station is Southbourne station, roughly 1.8 miles north-east of the centre. A little further out are Havant War Memorial Hospital (3.2 miles north-west) and Emsworth Museum (1.6 miles north). For a walk, there is Nutborne Marshes.
What happens if roof problems are left?
Loose pots and bricks on a stack are a safety concern. A survey picks them out so they can be made safe by a roofer. Where a roof is exposed, as many are in small places like Thorney Island, driving rain gets into any weakness, and older walls, once damp, take a long time to dry.
Larger roofs, taller buildings and commercial roofs take longer, so the price reflects that. You will know the figure before booking.
Why book with us
- Professional indemnity and public liability insurance
- 5,000+ roofs surveyed
- Drone flown under a CAA Flyer ID and Operator ID
- 20+ years’ experience
Tips from our surveys
A survey works best with a little help from you, before and after. Tips:
- Ask for ventilated caps on redundant stacks
- Ask about consent before removing a chimney on an older property
- File photos of the stacks with your home records
- Never climb onto the roof to look at a chimney
If anything in the report is not clear, just ask us. Standard Surveys come with a follow-up consultation, and Premium Surveys with an in-person one.
Make sure fixings on the stack are sound, and moved if they’re working it loose. Removing unused fixings takes strain off the brickwork.
How it works
We check the roof from outside and, where it is relevant and there is safe access, from inside the roof space too. Inside, we look for staining, damp, gaps and signs of movement, as far as the space allows. All in, the survey normally takes an hour or two for most homes, a little longer where there are several stacks. Somewhere like Thorney Island needs a little journey planning: let us know about lanes, gates and parking. The roof is looked at from ground level, from windows, from the loft where there’s safe access and from the roof where it’s safe.
- We go through the chimneys, any damp and any work done on them.
- Each stack is inspected from safe positions outside.
- We photograph and record the pots, flaunching, pointing and flashings.
- We look for damp on chimney breasts and in the loft space.
- You get a written report with photos and recommendations by email.
Before we arrive
- Find any records of previous roof work
- If you’re buying, check with the agent that we can get in
- Let us know about parking near the property
Arrange a survey
We survey roofs on any day of the week. To arrange a day that suits you, call 07833 053749 or email us with the address and the days you’d prefer.
Read more
How the survey changes by roof type
Chimney pots and cowls
For unused flues, we check whether caps or cowls allow ventilation. Poor capping can lead to damp inside the stack.
Chimney breasts and the loft
Where a breast has been taken out, we look at what supports the stack. Confirming the support is a job for a structural engineer.
Questions from Thorney Island
Is the coastal weather around Thorney Island hard on roofs?
Places near the sea get more wind and more salt in the air than inland, and both are hard on roofs. Salt corrodes metal fixings and flashings, and wind lifts loose slates, tiles and ridge pieces.
Does a conservation area affect roof work in Thorney Island?
Check Historic England’s online list first, then ask the council about conservation areas and any Article 4 direction. It matters most if you’re planning to re-roof in a different material.
How many surveys have you done?
We have more than 20 years’ experience and have completed over 5,000 surveys.
Why is my chimney breast damp?
Damp on a chimney breast normally means water is getting into the stack, or moisture is trapped inside it. We check the stack, the flashings and how unused flues are capped and records the likely cause.
Do you test for asbestos?
No. Asbestos surveys and testing aren’t part of what we do. If we see materials that could contain asbestos, like cement roof sheets or soffits on buildings from before 2000, we flag them, and recommend a specialist asbestos surveyor checks them before they’re disturbed.
Can you survey a shared roof?
Yes. Shared roofs just need a little more planning, with the building owner or managing agent. Tell us about it when booking and we will plan the survey around it.
What’s in the survey report?
It works through the roof part by part, in writing and with photos, and ends with what we recommend. Points are put in order of urgency where relevant.
Honest limits
A survey is a careful look at the chimney stack, but it can’t do everything. Its limits include:
- The inside of the flue, which needs a sweep or flue specialist
- Checks on boilers, fires or their flues
- Areas we can’t view from safe positions
If in doubt, phone 07833 053749 or use the contact form and we will recommend the right survey before booking. What our survey covers.
Roof types and parts we check
- Lead flashings
- Shared and party-wall stacks
- Brick chimney stacks
- Chimney pots and cowls
- Chimney breasts
- Flaunching