Hertfordshire · London and the South East
Chimney survey in Chells, Hertfordshire
A survey of chimney stacks, pots, flashings and flaunching in Chells, using drones and thermal imaging where it applies. Get in touch for a price.
- Gaps in the mortar around the pots
- Gaps where the stack meets the roof
- Damaged chimney pots and cowls
Rented homes, blocks and businesses
We also survey roofs for businesses and commercial landlords. Larger roofs take longer.
Freeholders and residents’ companies use a roof report to plan and budget, putting the urgent items at the top.
Chimney surveys for homes and businesses in Chells
Many homes have chimneys that are no longer used. A disused stack still needs looking after. If it has been capped without ventilation, damp can build up inside it. Our survey looks at how each unused stack has been capped and checks the breasts for damp. You get photos of each stack and our recommendations. If you’ve noticed gaps where the stack meets the roof and damp patches on chimney breasts, a survey will tell you what’s going on.
Houses in smaller places like Chells can face open ground, where wind and driving rain hit the roof harder. Ridge tiles, verges, chimney stacks and flashings take the worst of it. Checking those edges shows whether anything has begun to work loose before it lets water in. Once one ridge tile or slate moves, wind gets under the next one too.
What you get is a clear record of the chimney stack on the day we saw it. That makes it useful now and a handy reference later, such as when you want to compare after future work.
- Where
- Chells (SG2, SG1)
- Region
- Hertfordshire
- Prices
- From £150 inc. VAT
- Report
- Written, with photos, emailed to you
- Survey days
- Weekdays, Saturdays and Sundays
- Insured
- PI and public liability insurance
- Phone
- 07833 053749
- Updated
- 27 October 2026
What affects the cost of chimney surveys
What a survey costs depends on the time and equipment it needs. That comes down to:
- Height and safe access
- The type of building, from a house to a block or an office
- Extensions, dormers and garages with roofs of their own
- How big the roof is
To find out what your survey will cost, phone 07833 053749 or email us and let us know about the roof. We will confirm the figure before booking.
What we need to know
The more you tell us, the easier it is to price the survey. When you get in touch, it’s useful to mention:
- The address and postcode of the property
- Whether there’s a loft hatch, a shared roof or tricky access
- Any photos you have, taken from ground level or a window
- What made you get in touch
Most bookings start with a short call: call 07833 053749 or drop us an email, and we’ll ask about the building and what you need. You will have a price before anything is arranged.
What we do, step by step
We don’t take risks to get a closer look. 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 an hour or two at a house, as part of a look at the roof around the stack. Parking around Chells is usually easier than in a town centre, but mention lanes, gates or long drives. Low roofs on bungalows can often be seen well from the ground, and the loft shows the rest, while taller roofs may need other vantage points or the drone where it applies.
- First we talk through the stacks, their history and any problems.
- We check every stack from wherever it can be seen safely.
- We photograph and record the pots, flaunching, pointing and flashings.
- We look for damp on chimney breasts and in the roof space.
- You get a written report with photos and recommendations by email.
Before the survey
- Keep pets out of the way during the survey
- Dig out any old roof reports or invoices
- Tell us where we can park nearby
Arrange a survey
If you’re buying, it helps to book soon after your offer is accepted, so you have the findings in time to act on them before you exchange. For any other survey, just ring 07833 053749 or send us an email when you are ready.
Related advice
Questions from Chells
Do you survey roofs for landlords with property near Stevenage station?
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’ll talk through which survey suits.
My home in Chells has a flat-roofed garage or porch. Is it worth having that looked at?
Frequently, yes, so mention it as you book. Many homes in new towns like Stevenage have flat-roofed garages and porches, and felt roofs often last around 15–20 years.
Can you survey at the weekend?
Surveys can be booked for any day of the week: weekdays, Saturdays and Sundays. Just tell us the days that suit you.
Do you inspect the flue?
No. Our survey covers the outside of the stack and the roof around it. For the flue, you will need a sweep or, for gas, a Gas Safe registered engineer.
Should a redundant chimney be removed?
There is no single answer. The survey shows its condition and how it’s been capped. In a conservation area or on a listed building, changes may need consent.
My chimney looks like it’s leaning. What should I do?
A leaning stack should be looked at. We record the lean, the brickwork and the pointing, and if it may be a structural issue, we recommend a structural engineer.
What does the report include?
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.
Chimney surveys in Chells: local notes
Across the South East, older homes tend to have slate or clay tiles, and many later ones concrete tiles. On roofs like these, good slates or tiles can outlast the nails, battens, lead and mortar around them. With Aston Bury about 2.4 miles south, Chells sits in an area with a long building history. If yours is one of the older homes, expect a mix of original materials and later repairs on the roof, and any change of roofing material on a listed home needs checking with the council first.
If you own a rental within reach of Stevenage station, knowing the condition of the roof, chimneys and gutters helps you plan work rather than react to complaints. Anyone responsible for a site like The Nobel School will know that its roofs, gutters and any chimneys need the same checks as a house’s, just on a bigger scale.
Chells is about 1 mile east of Stevenage, in Hertfordshire. Roofs in Chells get the same thorough look as anywhere else in Hertfordshire. Chells is one of the places in Hertfordshire we cover. Our Milton Keynes page covers surveys nearby.
We work across SG2 and SG1 for chimney surveys. Streets in the area include Scott Road, Eliot Road and Newton Road, and we cover them all. We also cover Stevenage (1 mile west), St Nicholas (1 mile north-west), Pin Green (1 mile west), Aston End (1 mile south-east) and Bedwell (1 mile south-west). We also work in nearby towns such as St Albans (13 miles south-west), Bishop's Stortford (14 miles east), Welwyn Garden City (8 miles south), Harpenden (10 miles south-west), Hitchin (5 miles north-west) and Hoddesdon (13 miles south-east).
Landmarks near Chells
Around Chells, our work takes us to homes and buildings near Lodge Farm Primary School. The closest station to Chells is Stevenage station, roughly 1.8 miles south-west. A little further out are Lister Hospital (2.1 miles north-west) and Benington Castle (2.4 miles south-east). Green spaces nearby include Pryor's Wood.
Common roof problems in Chells
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 is one reason stacks start to lean.
Look out for signs like these:
- Worn or missing pointing
- Loose, cracked or missing pots
- Redundant stacks capped without ventilation
- A stack that appears to lean
For an older house near a landmark such as St Hugh & St John, corroded nails, tired lead and weathered chimney pointing are the things to watch on older roofs.
Questions to ask before booking
- Whether the roof space is looked at, where there is one
- Whether you get a written report with photos
- Their track record with similar roofs
- Is VAT included in the price?
Also near Chells
More services for Chells
Should I look at the roof myself first?
Keep a simple record: when leaks happen, ground-level photos and any past roof work. Share it with us when booking, as it helps us focus the survey.
During heavy rain, look at the gutters from ground level or a window. Water spilling over the edge can be a sign of a blockage or a gutter that has dropped.
Before and after the survey
A few practical points come up again and again on our surveys. They apply to most roofs:
- Look at the chimneys with binoculars after a storm
- Keep the report to compare against at the next survey
- Use a Gas Safe registered engineer for gas appliances
- Check fixings on the stack are secure
If the report recommends a structural engineer, a sweep or a Gas Safe registered engineer, it will say why. That helps you brief them.
Make sure fixings on the stack are sound and taken off if they’re no longer needed. Less load on the stack means less strain in wind.