West Sussex · London and the South East
West Preston Chimney Survey
A survey of chimney stacks, pots, flashings and flaunching for West Preston, from an experienced roof surveyor. Every survey comes with a written report and photographs.
- Gaps where the stack meets the roof
- Pots or cowls that look unsafe
- Disused chimneys trapping moisture
What affects the price in West Preston
Prices vary from roof to roof, for these reasons:
- The use of thermal imaging or a drone
- The height of the building and how the roof can be seen safely
- Extensions, dormers and garages with roofs of their own
- Commercial roofs and larger buildings
Prices quoted always include VAT, and the written report is part of the package. Prices start from £150, including VAT. Size, height and access decide where your roof falls.
What we need to know
You don’t need to know any roofing terms. It is enough to tell us:
- Pictures from the garden or a window, if you have them
- Anything about access we should know
- Any marks or damp showing indoors
- The property’s address and postcode
When you’re ready to go ahead, phone 07833 053749 or use the contact form. We will suggest a package, agree the price and find a date.
How a chimney survey works in West Preston
A damp patch on a chimney breast does not always come from the same place. It might come in at the top, through worn pointing or porous bricks, or where the flashings meet the roof. Condensation inside an unventilated stack is another common cause. Our survey checks each of these and records the likely cause. That points the work in the right direction. Typical surveys look at damp patches on chimney breasts and loose, cracked or missing pots, across flaunching, brick chimney stacks and chimney breasts.
Trees around homes in smaller places like West Preston drop leaves, twigs and moss onto roofs and into gutters. Blocked gutters overflow and soak the walls below. A report spots that kind of slow problem before it becomes damp inside. Moss on the roof and weeds in the gutter are both easy to spot from the ground.
We write the report in plain English, so it makes sense without any roofing background. Each point is backed by a photo where possible, and recommendations are put by urgency where it matters.
- Where
- West Preston (BN16)
- Region
- West Sussex
- Cost
- From £150 inc. VAT
- Reports
- Written, with photos, emailed to you
- Survey days
- Weekdays and weekends
- Insured
- PI and public liability insurance
- Phone
- 07833 053749
- Page updated
- 27 October 2026
Signs you need a chimney survey in West Preston
Aerials and dishes are frequently fixed to stacks. The extra load in wind can work bricks and joints loose. Any fixings on the stack are checked and recorded.
Things that often lead to a survey include:
- Unused flues sealed without airflow
- Signs that a stack is leaning
- Spalled or crumbling bricks
- Cracked or missing flaunching
If you live in an older home near The Parish Church of St Mary, corroded nails, tired lead and weathered chimney pointing are the things to watch on older roofs.
What to check before booking
- What happens after the report arrives
- Do they have a CAA Flyer ID and Operator ID for drone work?
- How long they’ve been surveying roofs
- Their insurance cover
Before and after the survey
From years of surveys, a few habits stand out as worth the effort:
- Don’t use a ladder to reach the stack yourself
- Glance at the stacks from the street now and then
- Keep track of stains on chimney breasts
- Remove aerials or dishes from the stack if they’re no longer needed
You can send the report to roofers or builders for quotes. Because everyone is pricing the same findings, the quotes are easier to compare.
Get small mortar repairs done while they’re small. It’s far simpler than rebuilding a stack later.
West Preston questions
Do you cover smaller places like West Preston?
Yes, smaller places are covered as well as towns. We cover the whole of London and South East England. Just mention lanes, gates or anything else about the route as you book.
Do you survey roofs for landlords with property near Angmering station?
Yes, landlords and agents are among the people we work for. Just ring 07833 053749 or use the contact form with the details.
Does this replace a RICS home survey?
No. Our survey looks at the roof, not the whole building. For the rest of the building, a RICS home survey is a separate job.
Can you survey a chimney stack we share with next door?
Yes. We look at the parts we can see safely and the parts you can give us access to. If a defect seems to be on your neighbour’s side, the report records it, so you can discuss it with them.
What’s in the survey report?
It explains what we saw, what it means and what we’d suggest, backed by photos. It also says if any part of the roof couldn’t be seen safely.
Do you need to get into the loft?
Where it is relevant to the survey and there is safe access, yes. A clear path to the hatch helps.
Does the report include photographs?
Yes. Photos are part of every report, so you can see each point for yourself.
Roofs, chimneys and gutters in West Preston
West Preston lies within about 1 mile of the sea, and being near the sea means more wind and salt than a roof inland would face. Salt corrodes metal fixings and flashings, and wind lifts loose slates, tiles and ridge pieces. Many older homes in Sussex have handmade clay tiles and tile-hung walls. Some old buildings in Sussex have Horsham stone slab roofs. Whichever you have, the details that tend to fail before the covering itself get the closest look.
If you look after a building such as Georgian Gardens Community Primary School, its roofs, gutters and any chimneys need the same checks as a house’s, just on a bigger scale. Landlords with a home close to Angmering station may find that knowing the condition of the roof, chimneys and gutters helps you plan work rather than react to complaints.
West Preston is about 4 miles west of Worthing, in West Sussex. Houses, flats, blocks and commercial buildings in West Preston can all book chimney surveys, with a written report and photographs every time. Across West Sussex, we cover West Preston and the places around it. Brighton is in our area too.
Here we cover the BN16 postcode area for chimney surveys. That includes homes and businesses on Ash Lane, Mill Lane and Sea Avenue. We also cover East Preston (1 mile east), Angmering-on-Sea (1 mile south-east), Angmering (1 mile north-east), West Kingston (1 mile east) and Kingston Gorse (2 miles east). Larger places within reach include Worthing (4 miles east), Bognor Regis (8 miles west), Chichester (13 miles west), Selsey (14 miles south-west), Shoreham-by-Sea (10 miles east) and Lancing (8 miles east).
What’s near West Preston
We work in homes and buildings around The Angmering School and Mewsbrook Park and the streets around them. The nearest railway station is Angmering station, roughly 0.5 miles north-east. Well-known places in the area include Lyminster Siege Castle (3.3 miles north-west) and Zachary Merton Hospital (under half a mile south-west). For a walk, there’s Highdown Hill and WWT Arundel.
The survey, step by step
We don’t take risks to get a closer look. We inspect whatever is safely visible, and if part of the roof can’t be seen, the report says so. Most visits take roughly 1–2 hours at a typical home, and about three to four hours for a commercial roof. A visit to West Preston is planned like any other: the time, the access and where to park are agreed ahead of time. Visits can be on weekdays, Saturdays or Sundays. Let us know about any garages, outbuildings or extensions you want included.
- First you let us know about the chimneys, any damp on the chimney breasts and any worries.
- We inspect each stack from safe viewpoints outside.
- Every part we can see is looked at: pots, cowls, flaunching, pointing, bricks and flashings.
- Where there’s safe access, we check the stack in the loft and the chimney breasts for damp.
- We send a written report with photos, the defects found and what we recommend.
Before we arrive
- Jot down any questions you want answered
- Agree roof access with the managing agent if it is shared
- Gather any invoices or paperwork from past roof work
Booking a survey
Surveys can be booked for weekdays, Saturdays or Sundays. To arrange a day that suits you, phone 07833 053749 or drop us an email.
Read more
What we look for on each type of roof
Lead flashings
Over time, lead can lift or come away from the brickwork. Any loose or split flashings are recorded.
Chimney pots and cowls
For unused flues, we check whether caps or cowls allow ventilation. Capping without ventilation can trap moisture.
Nearby places to West Preston
More services for West Preston
When you need someone else
Without opening up the roof, some things stay hidden, so a survey has limits:
- Parts of the stack that can’t be seen safely or belong to a neighbour we cannot access
- Conditions inside walls
- The inside of the flue, which needs a sweep or flue specialist
If you’re not sure which survey you need, call 07833 053749 or email us and we’ll give you a straight answer before booking. The full list of what we check.
Roof types and parts we check
- Flaunching
- Chimney pots and cowls
- Brick chimney stacks
- Shared and party-wall stacks
- Lead flashings
- Chimney breasts