Hertfordshire · London and the South East
Colney Butts Chimney Survey
Wondering about the chimney stack at a property in Colney Butts? We carry out chimney surveys in Colney Butts and across Hertfordshire, with plain-English findings.
- Staining on walls around the chimney
- Loose, cracked or missing pots
- Signs that a stack is leaning
About our chimney survey in Colney Butts
Our survey covers the structure of the stack and its weathering details. It is not a flue inspection, a sweep or a gas safety check. If you use a fire or a gas appliance, the flue should be checked by a sweep or a Gas Safe registered engineer as appropriate. We’ll tell you if we see anything that suggests they should take a look. Common reasons to book are damaged chimney pots and cowls and redundant stacks capped without ventilation, across lead flashings, flaunching and chimney breasts.
Around Colney Butts, older cottages sit alongside bungalows and newer houses. Coverings range from slate and clay tiles on older homes to concrete tiles on many later ones. On older homes, chimney stacks, valleys and gutters are typically where the work is. The fixings under an older roof often fail before good slates or tiles do.
The report works through the roof section by section, from the coverings down to the gutters. You will see the good as well as the bad.
- Place
- Colney Butts (WD18, WD17, WD19)
- Region
- Hertfordshire
- Price
- From £150 inc. VAT
- Reports
- Written, with photos, emailed to you
- Appointments
- Weekdays, Saturdays and Sundays
- Cover
- PI and public liability insurance
- Telephone
- 07833 053749
- Page updated
- 27 October 2026
What you can safely check yourself
A DIY look is useful, but it is not a survey. From ground level, valleys, flashings and the backs of chimneys are often out of sight, and those are details a survey looks at closely.
Look up at the roof after a storm, from ground level: broken slates or tiles in the garden, gaps along the ridge or loose lead are signs to note. Don’t go up yourself.
The survey, step by step
When we arrive, we begin with a quick chat about the roof and anything that’s worrying you. After that, we check everything we can see safely. The survey usually takes roughly 1–2 hours at most homes, rising to roughly 3–4 hours on a commercial building. Being in a smaller place like Colney Butts doesn’t change how the visit works: outside, inside and from any safe vantage point, in that order. Point out any stains, cracks or loose pieces you’ve spotted.
- We go through the chimneys, any damp and any work done on them.
- We look at every stack from wherever it can safely be seen.
- Pots, cowls, flaunching, pointing and flashings are checked and photographed.
- We look for damp on chimney breasts and in the loft space.
- You get a written report with photos and recommendations by email.
Before we arrive
- Show us where any leaks or stains appear
- For flats, make sure roof access has been agreed
- Find any records of previous roof work
Arrange a survey
We survey roofs on weekdays, Saturdays and Sundays. To find a date that works for you, call 07833 053749 or use the contact form.
Read more
Prices for chimney surveys in Colney Butts
All our prices include VAT. The things that change the price are:
- The number of roofs, including extensions and garages
- The package you choose: Basic, Standard or Premium
- Commercial roofs and larger buildings
- How tall the building is and how easy the roof is to see
Chimney survey starts from £150, including VAT. The final price depends on the size and height of the roof, how it can safely be seen and which survey you book.
What to tell us when you contact us
There’s no need for technical words. It’s enough to let us know:
- The property’s address and postcode
- The type of building and roof, such as pitched or flat
- The reason for the survey, such as buying, a leak or storm damage
- Any photos you have, taken from the ground or a window
When you’re ready to go ahead, ring 07833 053749 or email us. We’ll suggest a package, agree the price and find a date, weekday or weekend.
What a chimney survey looks like in Colney Butts
About 3.6 miles north lies High Elms Manor, a reminder of how long the area around Colney Butts has been built on. Period homes nearby can have lead valleys, tall chimneys and a patchwork of past repairs, and any change of roofing material on a listed home needs checking with the council first. Slate and clay tile are the usual coverings on older South East houses, with concrete tiles on many later estates, 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.
If you live near a park such as Oxhey Park, or anywhere with mature trees, autumn leaves can block gutters and valleys. If you look after a building like Watford Grammar School for Girls, its roofs, gutters and any chimneys need the same checks as a house’s, just on a bigger scale. If you run a business near Harlequin Centre, a roof report helps plan work around trading rather than after a leak.
Colney Butts is about 1 mile south of Watford, in Hertfordshire. From houses to flats and shops in Colney Butts, the roof can be surveyed on a weekday or at the weekend. We cover towns and villages across Hertfordshire, large and small. London is in our area too.
Surveys in WD18, WD17 and WD19 work the same way as everywhere else we cover. Streets in the area include York Road, Hagden Lane and Willow Lane. You’ll find Colney Butts on the A4178, so it is easy for us to get to. If you’re just outside Colney Butts, we cover Cassiobury (1 mile north), Holywell (1 mile west), Croxley Green (2 miles west), Eastbury (2 miles south) and Moor Park (2 miles south-west). We also work in nearby towns such as Hemel Hempstead (8 miles north), St Albans (8 miles north-east), Welwyn Garden City (14 miles north-east), Harpenden (12 miles north), Hatfield (11 miles north-east) and Borehamwood (5 miles east).
What’s near Colney Butts
Around Colney Butts, our work takes us to homes and buildings near Croxley Danes School, Oxhey Park and The Red Lion pub. Colney Butts has its own railway station: Watford High Street station. Nearby you will also find Watford General Hospital (under half a mile south-west) and Hertfordshire Fire Brigade Museum (0.5 miles east). Not far away are Harrow Weald Common and Tumbling Bay.
What a chimney survey doesn’t cover
To be straight with you, a roof survey has limits:
- Whether a stack needs rebuilding on structural grounds
- The inside of the flue, which needs a sweep or flue specialist
- Conditions inside walls
If you’re not sure which survey you need, phone 07833 053749 or drop us an email and we’ll give you a straight answer. What our survey covers.
Roof types and parts we check
- Flaunching
- Lead flashings
- Chimney breasts
- Brick chimney stacks
- Shared and party-wall stacks
- Chimney pots and cowls
Roof by roof
Chimney pots and cowls
Damaged pots are a safety concern as well as a leak risk. We record their condition with photographs.
Lead flashings
Where the chimney meets the roof slopes, lead flashings keep water out. The survey looks at whether the lead is tight, sound and well fixed.
Also near Colney Butts
Other services in Colney Butts
Before and after the survey
Over many surveys, some simple habits stand out:
- Have the flue swept and checked if you use the fire
- Keep the report to compare against at the next survey
- Glance at the stacks from the street now and then
- Remove aerials or dishes from the stack if they’re no longer needed
Many people use the report to get quotes for the work. With the same list in front of each contractor, comparing quotes is simpler.
Check 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.
Your questions about chimney surveys in Colney Butts
Does a conservation area affect roof work in Colney Butts?
We can’t confirm that for you, but Historic England’s list and your council can. Both listing and conservation areas can limit changes of roofing material.
Is Colney Butts within the area you cover?
We do. A small place gets exactly the same survey as a big one, with the route planned beforehand.
What does a roof survey cost?
Prices start from £150, including VAT. Our three packages are Basic from £150, Standard from £250 and Premium from £400, with VAT included.
Should a redundant chimney be removed?
An unused stack still needs to stay weathertight and ventilated. If it’s capped without ventilation, damp can build up inside. Our survey records its condition and how it’s capped, so you can plan what to do with it.
Do you survey roofs on blocks of flats?
Yes, once access has been agreed. The roof of a block or converted house is frequently shared, so we need permission from the freeholder or managing agent. We can only inspect what we are given access to.
Will I get photos?
Yes. Photographs are taken throughout the survey, and the report uses them to show each finding.
Is a chimney survey the same as a flue inspection?
No. A flue inspection, sweep or gas safety check is a separate job. We check the stack, pots, flaunching, pointing and flashings, and damp inside and flag anything that suggests the flue needs a look.