Hertfordshire · London and the South East
Chimney survey in Aspenden, Hertfordshire
A survey of chimney stacks, pots, flashings and flaunching in Aspenden, with drones and thermal imaging where they help. Get in touch for a price.
- Worn or missing pointing
- Cracked or missing flaunching
- Unused flues sealed without airflow
Chimney survey in Aspenden: what you get
Many terraced and semi-detached homes share their chimney stacks with a neighbour. We look at what can safely be seen and what the owner gives us access to. Where a problem seems to involve a neighbour’s side, the report records it, so you can talk to them. You get a written report with photos and what we recommend. We survey chimney pots and cowls, lead flashings and brick chimney stacks, and the problems we’re asked to look at most are bricks with flaking faces and loose, cracked or missing pots.
In a small place like Aspenden, many roofs stand in the open, which is hard on ridges, chimneys, flashings and gutters. Damp in old walls is slow to dry, so a small leak can do a lot of harm. A roof report shows what needs attention first. On exposed older roofs, chimneys and lead flashings are often the first to give way.
The report is written in plain words, so you don’t need to be a roofer to follow it. Photographs show what each point refers to, with the urgent items made clear.
- Location
- Aspenden (SG9)
- Wider area
- Hertfordshire
- 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
- Phone
- 07833 053749
- Page updated
- 27 October 2026
What we look for on each type of roof
Chimney breasts and the loft
In the loft, staining around the stack often shows where water is getting in. What we find is photographed and described.
Lead flashings
Where the chimney meets the roof slopes, lead flashings keep water out. We check for lifting, splits and gaps in the joints.
Chimney surveys around Aspenden
What can be done to an older roof may depend on listing or a conservation area. The council is the place to check, along with Historic England’s list. In this part of the South East, older roofs are mostly slate or clay tile and many newer ones concrete tile, with flat-roofed extensions, dormers and garages common everywhere. On roofs like these, good slates or tiles can outlast the nails, battens, lead and mortar around them.
For site and facilities teams at buildings such as Millfield First and Nursery School, its roofs, gutters and any chimneys need the same checks as a house’s, just on a bigger scale.
Aspenden is about 7 miles east of Stevenage, in Hertfordshire. Wherever you are in Aspenden, we can come and survey your property. Aspenden is one of the places in Hertfordshire we cover. There’s also a page for Chelmsford.
Here we cover the SG9 postcode area for chimney surveys. If you need a chimney survey at a property on London Road, Keen Avenue and Aspenden Road or anywhere close by, we can survey it. We also cover the places around Aspenden: Westmill (1 mile south), Buntingford (1 mile north), Layston (1 mile north), Throcking (2 miles north-west) and Wyddial (2 miles north). Within a short drive, we also cover Stevenage (7 miles west), Bishop's Stortford (9 miles south-east), Welwyn Garden City (12 miles south-west), Hitchin (11 miles west), Hoddesdon (12 miles south) and Hatfield (15 miles south-west).
Around Aspenden
Locally, jobs take us to homes and businesses close to The Fox Public House and Freman College and the streets around them. Other landmarks nearby include Anstey Hales Farm (4.2 miles north-east). For a walk, there’s Hawkins Wood.
What we do, step by step
We photograph the roof as we go, so you can see in the report what we found and where. Close-ups come from the safest viewpoint available, including by drone where it is applicable and the weather allows. A typical visit takes between one and two hours at a house, as part of a look at the roof around the stack. In a hamlet or village like Aspenden, a postcode does not always lead to the right gate, so a few directions, or a note of a nearby landmark, help us arrive on time. The visit itself is the same as anywhere else.
- We start with the details: how many stacks, whether any are shared and any signs of damp.
- We inspect each stack from safe viewpoints outside.
- Every part we can see is checked: pots, cowls, flaunching, pointing, bricks and flashings.
- We check the chimney breasts and the stack in the loft space where we can reach them.
- The findings are written up with photographs and recommendations and emailed to you.
Getting ready for the survey
- Gather any invoices or paperwork from past roof work
- If you’re buying, let the agent know when we’re coming
- Jot down any questions you want answered
Book a survey
Booking is simple: just phone 07833 053749 or email us, let us know about the property and we’ll explain which survey suits. The price is agreed up front.
Read more
What you can safely check yourself
Watch the gutters in a downpour, from a window or the ground. Water spilling over the edge can be a sign of a blockage or a gutter that has dropped.
What you can’t do safely is get up close. Roofs are fragile and slippery, and a fall can be serious. That part is for a survey.
Leave it or get it looked at?
A damp chimney breast seldom dries out until the cause is found. It can stain walls and damage plaster. Knowing whether it is the flaunching, flashings, brickwork or ventilation means the right fix can be planned. In a small place like Aspenden, homes can be exposed to wind and rain, which finds any gap, and damp in older walls is slow to dry out.
Every price we give includes VAT. Prices start from £150, including VAT. We confirm the price for the job before booking.
What you get with us
- Satisfaction rate of 98%
- Packages from £150, with VAT included
- Over 5,000 surveys carried out
- Weekday and weekend surveys
Read our cost guide and our case studies.
When to book a survey in Aspenden
Years of fires can affect the mortar inside a stack. Flue gases and damp can break down the mortar, sometimes more on one side than the other, which can make a stack lean.
Common reasons to book include:
- Frost-damaged brickwork on the stack
- Signs that a stack is leaning
- Pots or cowls that look unsafe
- Redundant stacks capped without ventilation
If your house is among the older ones in the streets near Parish Church of St Mary, its roof may have old fixings, lead flashings and chimneys that need a closer look.
Before booking any roof surveyor
- What insurance they carry
- What the report includes, and whether it has photographs
- Which parts of the roof they’ll actually see
- Their drone registration, if they fly one
How we price chimney surveys
Not every roof costs the same to survey, for these reasons:
- Whether thermal imaging or a drone is needed
- How tall the building is and how easy the roof is to see
- Extra roofs, like extensions, dormers or garages
- Basic, Standard or Premium
Larger roofs, taller buildings and commercial roofs take longer, so the price reflects that. The price is confirmed before you book.
Helping us price your survey
If you can, have these to hand when you get in touch:
- The address and postcode of the property
- Any photos you have, taken from ground level or a window
- How the loft is reached, if there is one
- Your timetable, such as an exchange date
Chimney survey starts from £150, including VAT. The exact figure depends on the roof and the package, and you can call 07833 053749 or drop us an email to find out.
Common questions in Aspenden
Do you cover smaller places like Aspenden?
We do. Villages and rural addresses get the same survey as a town house.
How do I find out if my home in Aspenden is listed?
Your council is the best source, with Historic England’s list for listed buildings. A change of roofing material may need consent in either case, and councils can also use Article 4 directions.
Will you walk on the roof?
Only when it’s safe. Safety comes first, and fragile or steep roofs cannot always be walked on. We use safe viewpoints, the loft space and a drone where it applies, and the report records anything we couldn’t see.
Is it a structural engineer’s report?
No. We note visible signs such as sagging or deflection, but we are not structural engineers and don’t carry out calculations. Where an engineer is needed, we say so in the report.
Can you find out why my chimney breast is damp?
There are a few common causes: cracked flaunching, worn pointing, failed flashings, uncapped pots, or damp trapped in an unventilated stack. Our survey checks each of these and records the likely cause.
Is a leaning chimney dangerous?
A leaning stack should be looked at. We record the lean, the brickwork and the pointing, and recommend a structural engineer where it may be a structural concern.
Does the weather affect the survey?
Some surveys depend on the weather more than others. Drone flights need calm, dry weather, and thermal imaging works best after a sunny day, with a dry roof and little wind. We will rearrange with you if the weather isn’t right.