Hertfordshire · London and the South East
Boxmoor Chimney Survey
We take a careful look at the chimney stack at your property in Boxmoor, with photos and a written report.
- Damp patches on chimney breasts
- A chimney out of line
- Flashings pulling away from the stack
How a chimney survey works in Boxmoor
Damp on a chimney breast can have several causes. It might come in at the top, through worn pointing or porous bricks, or where the flashings meet the roof. Moisture trapped inside a stack with no ventilation can also cause damp. We check each possibility and record what we find. You then know where to start. We survey chimney breasts, shared and party-wall stacks and flaunching, and the problems we are asked to look at most are mortar washing out of the joints and a stack that appears to lean.
Around Boxmoor, gardens, hedges and nearby trees can mean leaves and moss end up on roofs and in gutters. Blocked gutters overflow and soak the walls below, and moss holds water against tiles. 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.
If any part of the chimney stack couldn’t be seen safely, we say so in the report. You’ll know exactly what was inspected and what wasn’t, and what we’d suggest next.
- Place
- Boxmoor (HP1, HP3, HP2)
- Wider area
- Hertfordshire
- Price
- From £150 inc. VAT
- Your report
- A written report with photos, by email
- Appointments
- Weekdays and weekends
- Cover
- Professional indemnity and public liability
- Phone
- 07833 053749
- Updated
- 27 October 2026
Can I check my roof myself?
Fresh stains on ceilings or walls after rain are worth noting. Take a photo and write down when you saw it.
What you can’t do safely is get up close. Slates, tiles, flat roofs and rooflights can give way, and a fall can be serious. That part is for a survey.
Honest limits
It helps to know what a survey will not do before you book:
- Gas safety checks, which need a Gas Safe registered engineer
- Structural calculations for a leaning stack
- What’s inside the brickwork or behind render, without opening up
If you’re not sure which survey you need, ring 07833 053749 or drop us an email and we’ll give you a straight answer. The full list of what we check.
Roofs we survey in Boxmoor
- Chimney breasts
- Lead flashings
- Flaunching
- Chimney pots and cowls
- Shared and party-wall stacks
- Brick chimney stacks
Do you need a chimney survey in Boxmoor?
Stacks that were used for open fires for many years can weaken from the inside. Flue gases and damp can break down the mortar, sometimes more on one side than the other, which is one reason stacks start to lean.
Things that often lead to a survey include:
- Signs that a stack is leaning
- Cracked or missing flaunching
- Loose, cracked or missing pots
- Frost-damaged brickwork on the stack
Anyone responsible for a site like Boxmoor Primary School will know that large buildings have long gutter runs and big roofs that need checking like any other.
Choosing a roof surveyor
- How soon the report will arrive
- What experience they bring
- Whether VAT is added on top
- Which viewpoints they use to see the roof
Rented homes, blocks and businesses
An agent can book and manage the survey for a landlord, and the report can go to both. We agree a time with the tenant beforehand.
Letting agents can arrange access with tenants. We survey on weekdays, Saturdays and Sundays, which can make access easier.
How the survey works
Safety comes first on every visit. We inspect what can be seen safely, and if part of the roof can’t be seen, the report says so. The survey normally takes about 1–2 hours for most homes, a little longer where there are several stacks. With a bit of garden around a house, as there often is around Boxmoor, the roof can be viewed from several angles. Mention any side of the property we can’t get to. The loft, where there is safe access, completes the picture.
- We go through the chimneys, any damp and any work done on them.
- We check every stack from wherever it can be seen safely.
- We photograph and record the pots, flaunching, pointing and flashings.
- Inside, the chimney breasts and the loft are checked for damp where there is access.
- The report, with photos and recommendations, is emailed to you.
Before we arrive
- Make sure the loft hatch can be reached
- Tell us about parking before the day
- Unlock side gates and any roof access doors
Booking a survey
Not sure which survey you need? The easiest way is to call 07833 053749 or send us an email and describe the roof and what’s worrying you. We will talk you through the options and what they cost.
Read more
Nearby places to Boxmoor
More services for Boxmoor
Boxmoor questions
Is my home in Boxmoor listed or in a conservation area?
The council and Historic England’s list are the places to check. Either can affect what roof work is allowed, so it is worth checking before planning any.
My home in Boxmoor has a flat-roofed garage or porch. Is it worth having that looked at?
Yes, if you’d like it included, mention it as you book. On buildings from before 2000, cement sheet roofs may contain asbestos and should be checked by a specialist asbestos surveyor before anyone disturbs them.
Can you survey a shared roof?
Yes, once access has been agreed. The roof of a block or converted house is often shared, so the building owner or managing agent needs to agree access. We can only inspect what we are given access to.
How do you inspect a chimney without scaffolding?
We look from ground level, from windows and from the loft where it’s safe. A drone inspection is part of the Premium Survey where applicable. Any area we couldn’t view is noted.
Do you work in Boxmoor?
Yes. We survey roofs in Boxmoor and the rest of Hertfordshire. For a price, ring 07833 053749 or send us an email.
What insurance do you have?
We’re covered by professional indemnity and public liability insurance, for every survey we carry out.
Do you look in the roof space?
If there’s a loft and safe access to it, yes. From inside, the underside of the roof frequently shows damp, staining or daylight that cannot be seen from outside.
Useful tips for Boxmoor property owners
There is plenty you can do without going near the roof. Here’s what helps most:
- Don’t use a ladder to reach the stack yourself
- Remove aerials or dishes from the stack if they’re no longer needed
- Look at the chimneys with binoculars after a storm
- Check that disused chimneys can still breathe
If the stack is shared, you can pass the report to your neighbour. The photos show the problem and which side it’s on from the viewpoints we used.
Keep an eye on chimney breasts for new damp patches. The sooner damp is spotted, the easier the cause is to find.
What a chimney survey looks like in Boxmoor
Listing and conservation areas can both shape what roof work is allowed on an older home. Your council and Historic England’s list will tell you where you stand. Older houses in the South East often have slate or clay tile roofs, while many later estates have concrete tiles, with flat-roofed extensions, dormers and garages common everywhere. Whichever you have, the details that tend to fail before the covering itself get the closest look.
The streets around a church such as Church of St John the Evangelist and Attached Church Hall are frequently among the oldest in a place, and if you own one of the older houses nearby, corroded nails, tired lead and weathered chimney pointing are the things to watch on older roofs. Living close to Gadebridge Park is pleasant, but mature trees mean leaves in gutters and valleys each autumn, so outlets and downpipes are worth watching.
Boxmoor is about 1 mile south-west of Hemel Hempstead, in Hertfordshire. Boxmoor is part of the area we cover as part of our work across London and South East England. Across Hertfordshire, we cover Boxmoor. We also survey roofs in Milton Keynes.
Postcode districts we cover here for chimney surveys: HP1, HP3 and HP2. We cover properties on Cardy Road, Heath Lane and London Road and the roads around them. Boxmoor is on the A4251, which makes it simple to reach. If you’re just outside Boxmoor, we cover Warner's End (1 mile north), Grovehill (1 mile north-east), Woodhall Farm (1 mile north-east), Apsley (1 mile south-east) and Hemel Hempstead (1 mile north-east). Larger places within reach include Watford (7 miles south-east), St Albans (7 miles east), Welwyn Garden City (13 miles east), Harpenden (8 miles north-east), Hatfield (11 miles east) and Borehamwood (11 miles south-east).
Landmarks near Boxmoor
Locally, jobs take us to homes and businesses close to Gadebridge Park, The Hemel Hempstead School and Fishery Inn and the streets around them. There is a railway station in Boxmoor itself: Hemel Hempstead station. Nearby you’ll also find Hemel Hempstead Hospital (0.7 miles north-east). Not far away are Long Deans.