Bracknell Forest · London and the South East
Chimney Survey in Tickleback Row
A survey of chimney stacks, pots, flashings and flaunching for Tickleback Row, from an experienced roof surveyor. Every survey comes with a written report and photographs.
- Frost-damaged brickwork on the stack
- Redundant stacks capped without ventilation
- Damaged chimney pots and cowls
Local roofs in Tickleback Row
Slate and clay tile are the usual coverings on older South East houses, with concrete tiles on many later estates, and flat-roofed additions turn up almost everywhere. Each of these coverings has its own weak points, from fixings and valleys to flashings, chimneys and gutters. About 4.7 miles east lies St Leonard's Hill, a reminder of how long the area around Tickleback Row has been built on. On older houses around here, roofs frequently carry the marks of earlier repairs, from replaced slates to new lead, and a listed home or one in a conservation area may need consent for changes of material.
If you let a flat or house near Bracknell station, knowing the condition of the roof, chimneys and gutters helps you plan work rather than react to complaints. For an older house near a landmark such as Church of St Michael and All Angels, the nails, lead and mortar on the roof may be wearing out even where the slates or tiles look fine. Take a building like Garth Hill College: its roofs, gutters and any chimneys need the same checks as a house’s, just on a bigger scale.
Tickleback Row is about 3 miles north of Bracknell, in Bracknell Forest. From houses to flats and shops in Tickleback Row, the roof can be surveyed. Our area takes in places right across Bracknell Forest, large and small. We also survey roofs in Reading.
Here we cover the RG42 postcode area for chimney surveys. If you are just outside Tickleback Row, we cover Moss End (1 mile east), Jealott's Hill (1 mile north), Warfield (1 mile east), Hawthorn Hill (1 mile north-east) and Newell Green (1 mile south). Further out, we also cover Bracknell (3 miles south), Sandhurst (7 miles south), Great Hollands (3 miles south), Forest Park (3 miles south), The Warren (3 miles south-east) and Harmans Water (3 miles south).
What’s near Tickleback Row
Tickleback Row’s nearest station is Bracknell station, about 2.3 miles south of the centre. Well-known places in the area include The Lexicon (2.1 miles south) and Heatherwood Hospital (3.9 miles south-east). Green spaces nearby include Holt Copse & Joel Park and Weycock Hill.
About our chimney survey in Tickleback Row
A chimney survey is about the outside of the stack and the roof around it. It is not a flue inspection, a sweep or a gas safety check. For the flue itself, you’ll need a sweep or, for gas appliances, a Gas Safe registered engineer. We will tell you if we see anything that suggests they should take a look. We survey shared and party-wall stacks, lead flashings and flaunching, and people most often book us about worn or missing pointing and gaps where the stack meets the roof.
Village roofs often face open fields and take the full force of wind and rain, so ridges, chimney stacks, flashings and gutters work hard. Damp in old walls is slow to dry, so a small leak can do a lot of harm. A written report sets out what to deal with and in what order. Lead flashings and old chimney stacks are often where weather gets in first.
You receive the findings by email, easy to pass on to a roofer, an agent or an insurer. Turnaround is within 48 hours for Basic, 24–48 hours for Standard and same day for Premium.
- Location
- Tickleback Row (RG42)
- Region
- Bracknell Forest
- Price
- From £150 inc. VAT
- Your report
- Emailed report with photos and recommendations
- When we survey
- Monday to Sunday, daytime
- Insured
- Professional indemnity and public liability
- Telephone
- 07833 053749
- Updated
- 27 October 2026
Towns and villages near Tickleback Row
What else we do in Tickleback Row
What we look for on each type of roof
Rendered stacks
We can’t see the bricks behind render without it being opened up, so the report explains what we could and couldn’t assess.
Chimney pots and cowls
On redundant flues, we check how the pots are capped. Poor capping can lead to damp inside the stack.
Tips from our surveys
You don’t need to be a roofer to help. What helps most:
- Keep track of stains on chimney breasts
- Glance at the stacks from the street now and then
- Check with the council before altering a stack in a conservation area or on a listed building
- Book a sweep for flues that are in use
Many people use the report to get quotes for the work. With the same list in front of each contractor, comparing quotes is simpler.
Have worn pointing and cracked flaunching dealt with early. Small repairs now can save bigger work later.
Why get it checked now?
If a stack seems to lean, do not leave it. We record its condition and recommend a structural engineer where needed, so you know where you stand. In a small place like Tickleback Row, homes can be exposed to wind and rain, which finds any gap, and older walls, once damp, take a long time to dry.
The Premium Survey includes thermal imaging and drone inspection where applicable, from £400 inc. VAT. We’ll tell you which package suits the questions you have.
Why book us in Tickleback Row
- Two decades and more of roof surveys
- An independent look at the roof
- Packages from £150, including VAT
- Drones and thermal imaging where it applies
Take a look at what a roof survey costs or what we found on two real jobs.
FAQs for Tickleback Row
How do I find out if my home in Tickleback Row is listed?
The council and Historic England’s list are the places to check. It is worth checking before planning roof work, as both can affect what’s allowed.
Do you survey roofs for landlords with property near Bracknell station?
Of course. Let us know whether a tenant or an agent will let us in, and the report can go straight to you or your agent.
Is this an asbestos survey?
No. We can flag materials that might contain asbestos, but confirming it is a job for a specialist asbestos surveyor. It may be present in buildings built or refurbished before 2000.
Is it the same as a RICS Level 2 or Level 3 survey?
No. Our survey looks at the roof, not the whole building. If you need a full building survey, you’ll need a RICS survey as well.
What does the report include?
Written findings with photos, explaining the condition of the chimney stack, any defects and our recommendations, with the most urgent first where relevant. Standard adds moisture detection and a structural check; Premium adds thermal imaging, drone inspection where it applies and structural analysis.
What happens after the survey?
You’ll receive the report by email, and what you do next is up to you: raise it with a seller, send it to an insurer, brief a roofer or share it with a managing agent.
Can you inspect my roof with a drone?
Yes, where it’s applicable. We hold a CAA Flyer ID and Operator ID and fly a drone under 250g, and the airspace and weather are checked before every flight.
What affects the cost of chimney surveys
What a survey costs depends on the time and equipment it needs. That comes down to:
- Building height and the viewpoints available
- Which survey package you book
- The shape of the roof and its details
- The roof’s overall size
Our price is from £150, including VAT. Packages run from Basic at £150 through Standard at £250 to Premium at £400, with VAT included, and we can help you choose.
What to tell us when you get in touch
There’s no need for technical words. It’s enough to let us know:
- The type of building and roof, such as pitched or flat
- Any marks or damp showing indoors
- How the loft is reached, if there is one
- What’s prompted the survey
Photos help, if you have them. Take them safely from ground level or a window. To send them or to book, call 07833 053749 or send us an email.
How the survey works
We work from the outside in: outside views come first, then the loft space if there is safe access. In total, it takes between one and two hours on an ordinary house, with bigger or more complicated roofs taking longer. Cottages and farmhouses around Tickleback Row often have roofs at several levels, with lean-tos and outbuildings attached. We work round each section in turn, from the safest viewpoints, and anything we cannot see is noted.
- First we talk through the stacks, their history and any problems.
- Each stack is inspected from safe positions outside.
- Pots, cowls, flaunching, pointing and flashings are checked and photographed.
- We look for damp on chimney breasts and in the roof space.
- You get a written report with photos and recommendations by email.
Getting ready for the survey
- Point out any leaks or damp patches
- Make a note of anything you’d like us to look at
- Have keys ready for side gates, garages or roof access doors
Book a survey
We survey roofs seven days a week. To find a date that works for you, phone 07833 053749 or email us with the address and the days you’d prefer.
Read more
Honest limits
Our findings are based on what we can see safely on the day, so some things are outside what a survey can do:
- Areas we cannot view from safe positions
- The inside of the flue, which needs a sweep or flue specialist
- What’s inside the brickwork or behind render, without opening up
If you’re not sure which survey you need, phone 07833 053749 or email us and we’ll give you a straight answer. What our survey covers.
What this survey covers
- Chimney breasts
- Flaunching
- Brick chimney stacks
- Shared and party-wall stacks
- Chimney pots and cowls
- Lead flashings