Hertfordshire · London and the South East
Chimney Survey in Bricket Wood
Not sure what state the chimney stack is in? We carry out chimney surveys in Bricket Wood and across Hertfordshire, with plain-English findings.
- Damp patches on chimney breasts
- Worn or missing pointing
- A chimney out of line
How the survey works
Once we’ve finished looking, we write up our findings in a report with photos, emailed to you. As for time on site, most surveys take roughly 1–2 hours at a house, as part of a look at the roof around the stack. Being in a smaller place like Bricket Wood does not change how the visit works: we look from ground level, from windows, from the loft and from the roof where it is safe. Point out any stains, cracks or loose pieces you’ve spotted.
- We start with the details: how many stacks, whether any are shared and any signs of damp.
- Each chimney is viewed from wherever it can be seen safely.
- Every part we can see is looked at: pots, cowls, flaunching, pointing, bricks and flashings.
- Where there’s safe access, we look at 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
- If it is not your property yet, arrange access through the agent
- Tell us about parking before the day
- Have any paperwork from past roof work to hand
Book a survey
Surveys can be booked for weekdays, Saturdays or Sundays. To find a date that works for you, ring 07833 053749 or drop us an email with the address and the days you’d prefer.
Advice
How a chimney survey works in Bricket Wood
A chimney stands up above the roof, exposed to wind, rain and frost on every side. In time, flaunching cracks, mortar washes out and flashings come loose. Water then gets into the stack and can show as damp on a chimney breast or a stain in the loft. A survey finds these problems and records them with photographs. We survey brick chimney stacks, lead flashings and shared and party-wall stacks, and the problems we are asked to look at most are gaps where the stack meets the roof and frost-damaged brickwork on the stack.
Houses in smaller places like Bricket Wood can face open ground, where wind and driving rain hit the roof harder. That weather tells first on ridges, verges, chimneys and flashings. A careful look shows whether anything has started to loosen before it lets water in. Once one ridge tile or slate moves, wind gets under the next one too.
You can share the report with anyone who needs it: a seller or estate agent, an insurer, a roofer, a builder or a managing agent, whichever applies.
- Place
- Bricket Wood (AL2)
- Region
- Hertfordshire
- Price
- From £150 inc. VAT
- Reports
- Emailed report with photos and recommendations
- Appointments
- Weekdays and weekends
- Insured
- PI and public liability insurance
- Call
- 07833 053749
- Updated
- 27 October 2026
Before and after the survey
There’s plenty you can do without going near the roof. Here’s what helps most:
- Remove aerials or dishes from the stack if they’re no longer needed
- Ask about consent before removing a chimney on an older property
- Check that disused chimneys can still breathe
- Keep the report to compare against at the next survey
If anything in the report isn’t clear, just ask us. Standard Surveys come with a follow-up consultation, and Premium Surveys with an in-person one.
Keep an eye on chimney breasts for new damp patches. Early signs are easier to trace.
What this survey cannot tell you
It helps to know what a survey won’t do before booking:
- Whether a gas appliance or its flue is safe
- Hidden damage within the stack
- Whether a stack needs rebuilding on structural grounds
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.
What we look at
- Lead flashings
- Shared and party-wall stacks
- Brick chimney stacks
- Chimney breasts
- Chimney pots and cowls
- Flaunching
Why get it checked now?
For a buyer, the best time to learn about a chimney is before exchange. Once you’ve exchanged, the work is down to you. A report gives you something specific to put to the seller. Tradespeople may need to travel further to a smaller place like Bricket Wood, so it helps to plan roof work rather than call someone out in a hurry. Knowing early gives you time to get the right people in.
A small, low roof with good viewpoints takes less time than a tall, complicated one, and the package matters as well. We’ll give you the figure before anything is booked.
Why book with us
- More than 20 years surveying roofs
- An independent view of the roof
- 98% customer satisfaction
- 5,000+ surveys completed
Read what a roof survey costs or our case studies.
Checking the roof from the ground
Your own check is a good start, but it isn’t a survey. From ground level, valleys, flashings and the backs of chimneys are often out of sight.
If you have a loft with safe access, take a look inside. Take a torch and only step on boards or joists, and look for staining, damp timber or daylight coming through.
Local roofs in Bricket Wood
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. Whichever you have, the details that tend to fail before the covering itself get the closest look. Historic houses such as High Elms Manor, about 1.1 miles west, show how far back building in the area around Bricket Wood goes. Period homes nearby can have lead valleys, tall chimneys and a patchwork of past repairs, and the council can say whether a home is in a conservation area.
If you let a flat or house near Bricket Wood station, a dated record of the roof is useful when planning maintenance across a let. Take a building like Mount Pleasant Lane Primary School: long gutter runs and wide roofs on a building that size are worth checking on a regular cycle. If you own one of the older houses in the streets near Church of All Saints, its roof may have old fixings, lead flashings and chimneys that need a closer look.
Bricket Wood is about 3 miles north-east of Watford, in Hertfordshire. From houses to flats and shops in Bricket Wood, we can survey the roof on a weekday or at the weekend. Bricket Wood is one of the places in Hertfordshire where we work. We also survey roofs in London.
Surveys in AL2 work the same way as everywhere else we cover. Streets in the area include Station Road, Brackendene and Moss Side, all of which we cover. Bricket Wood is on the A405, so it is easy for us to get to. If you are just outside Bricket Wood, we cover Waterdale (1 mile west), How Wood (1 mile north-east), Chiswell Green (1 mile north), Frogmore (2 miles north-east) and Park Street (2 miles north-east). Larger places within reach include Watford (3 miles south-west), Hemel Hempstead (5 miles north-west), St Albans (4 miles north-east), Welwyn Garden City (10 miles north-east), Harpenden (8 miles north) and Hoddesdon (15 miles east).
Local landmarks in Bricket Wood
Locally, jobs take us to homes and businesses close to Garston Park, The Black Boy Public House and Saint Michael's Catholic High School, among other places. Bricket Wood’s nearest station is Bricket Wood station, about 0.5 miles east. Nearby you’ll also find Radlett and District Museum (3 miles south-east) and Hilfield Castle (4 miles south). Green spaces nearby include Longspring Wood and Verulamium Lake.
Towns and villages near Bricket Wood
What else we do in Bricket Wood
FAQs for Bricket Wood
Does a conservation area affect roof work in Bricket Wood?
You can check whether a building is listed on Historic England’s list, and your council can tell you if it’s in a conservation area. If a home is listed, changes that affect its special interest need listed building consent, and in a conservation area re-roofing in different materials may need permission.
Can a landlord with a rental near Bricket Wood station book a roof survey?
Yes. We survey roofs for landlords, letting agents and managing agents as well as owners. You can phone 07833 053749 or drop us an email with the address and what you need, and we will talk through which survey suits.
What does the report include?
It works through the roof part by part, in writing and with photos. Points are put with the most urgent first where relevant.
What happens next?
We email you the written report with photographs and recommendations. You can use it to talk to a seller, an insurer, a roofer or a managing agent, whichever applies.
How can you see the top of the stack?
We use safe viewpoints rather than climbing onto the stack. Where it applies, our Premium Survey adds a drone inspection for a closer view. The report is clear about anything that couldn’t be seen.
Will you go up on the roof?
Only when it’s safe. Most of what we need can be seen from safe viewpoints, the loft and, where applicable, a drone, and the report notes anything we couldn’t see.
Will you check the chimney is safe to use with a fire?
No. It isn’t a flue, sweep or gas safety inspection. We look at the stack, pots, flaunching, pointing and flashings, and damp inside, and we will say if anything suggests the flue needs checking.
Landlord and commercial surveys in Bricket Wood
We also survey roofs for businesses and commercial landlords, from shops and offices to industrial units. Larger roofs take longer, and they’re priced for the size.
We survey roofs for landlords and agents as well as homeowners. The report gives you a dated record of the chimney stack, with photos, useful for planning maintenance.