Chimneys and parapets
The report mentions a lead saddle next to the thatched chimney. Has parget along the ridge been tested, or only named?
Parget along the ridge has been named, not tested. The report mentions a lead saddle next to the thatched chimney, which is a different detail at the stack. The survey has recorded the saddle as far as it could be seen and has recorded that parget was spoken of or glimpsed along the ridge. It has not decided that the lime coat is intact, stuck or complete. The saddle does not prove the parget, and the parget note does not prove the saddle is weathertight.
Last reviewed 24 October 2026. Written for buyers in England and Wales unless this answer says otherwise. No named surveyor has signed this page. It is general guidance, not a report on your house, and not legal advice.
What is the fuller explanation?
A lead saddle is lead dressed where the thatch meets the chimney so water is thrown off the stack. Parget here is the lime finish along the top of a thatched ridge. One sits at the chimney. The other runs along the crown. From the ground both can be pointed at and still not examined. The surveyor does not cut the ridge or peel the lead. They should stay named separately, and neither note is a test of the other.
Ask the solicitor whether a thatcher has renewed the ridge parget or the lead at the chimney, and ask for any note of that work. A thatcher and, for the lead, a competent roofer may both be relevant, which this visit has not appointed. Do not fold the two details into one repair. The home survey saw, or was told of, a saddle and a parget line. It tested neither.
What should you ask your surveyor?
- How much of the lead saddle at the thatched chimney was in view?
- Was the parget seen along the ridge, or only named?
- Does the report keep the saddle and the parget as separate details?
What are the typical next steps?
- Read the parget as named, not tested.
- Ask what work has been done at the chimney and the ridge.
- Keep a thatcher's view separate from this survey.
Costs vary with the building and with who you instruct. Where this page does not cite a published figure, ask the surveyor, a relevant specialist, or your solicitor for a written quote. Do not treat a forum average as the price.
Also asked about this
Does a new lead saddle renew the thatch around it?
A saddle is a lead detail at the stack. It does not renew the coat or the parget along the ridge. The survey did not measure how the lead meets the thatch and did not date either material. Ask for the papers on the saddle alone. The ridge remains its own question.
Can parget be confused with cement smeared on the ridge?
It can, from the ground. The report uses the word parget for what was named along the ridge. It did not sample the mortar or decide whether the mix is lime. A thatcher can tell the difference when the ridge is worked on. This visit has not made that test.