Hertfordshire · London and the South East
Chimney Survey in Foxholes
A survey of chimney stacks, pots, flashings and flaunching in Foxholes, carried out by an experienced roof surveyor. Every survey comes with a written report and photos.
- Damp on a chimney breast inside
- A stack that appears to lean
- Flaunching that has broken away
Chimney surveys for homes and businesses in Foxholes
On terraced and semi-detached houses, a chimney stack is often shared with next door. We check whatever is safely visible and what the owner gives us access to. If a defect appears to be on the neighbour’s side, we note it and you can then discuss it with them. Everything is written up with photos and what we recommend. We survey chimney pots and cowls, chimney breasts and brick chimney stacks, and people most frequently book us about loose, cracked or missing pots and gaps where the stack meets the roof.
Houses in smaller places like Foxholes 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. A loose ridge tile or slate gives the wind something to catch, and others soon follow.
Findings are set out part by part, from the main slopes down to the gutters and outlets. It records what’s sound as well as what isn’t.
- Where
- Foxholes (SG13)
- Wider area
- Hertfordshire
- Price
- From £150 inc. VAT
- Your report
- Emailed report with photos and recommendations
- Survey days
- Weekdays, Saturdays and Sundays
- Insured
- Professional indemnity and public liability
- Call
- 07833 053749
- Last updated
- 27 October 2026
The survey, step by step
After the inspection, everything we found is written up in a report with photos, sent to you by email. As for time on site, it usually takes an hour or two for a house, rising to roughly 3–4 hours on a commercial building. In a smaller place like Foxholes, as anywhere, the forecast plays a part: the parts that need calm, dry weather are planned around it.
- 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.
- 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 the survey
- For a flat or shared roof, check access with whoever owns or manages the building
- Let us know about any leaks, stains or damp patches you know of
- Buyers: confirm access with the estate agent or seller
Booking a survey
Not sure which survey you need? The easiest way is to phone 07833 053749 or use the contact form and describe the roof and why you want it surveyed. We will talk you through the options and what they cost.
Read more
Tips from our surveys
Here are a few things we’d tell any owner, before and after a survey:
- Glance at the stacks from the street now and then
- Keep the report to compare against at the next survey
- Never climb onto the roof to look at a chimney
- Find out whether changes to a stack need permission
If the report recommends a structural engineer, a sweep or a Gas Safe registered engineer, it will say why. It gives them a clear starting point.
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.
Foxholes questions
Is Foxholes within the area you cover?
Yes, Foxholes is on our map. Villages and rural addresses get the same survey as a town house.
I let a flat near Hertford East station. Can you check the roof?
Yes, letting agents and landlords book with us as well as owners. Just ring 07833 053749 or email us and let us know about the building, including who will give access on the day.
My chimney looks like it’s leaning. What should I do?
Have it checked rather than leaving it. Stacks can lean when mortar on one side breaks down. We record its condition with photos, and a structural engineer can confirm whether it is stable.
What insurance do you have?
Our cover is professional indemnity plus public liability.
Do you need to go on the roof to check the chimney?
We look from ground level, from windows and from the loft where it is safe. A drone inspection is part of the Premium Survey where applicable. Any area we couldn’t view is noted.
What does a chimney survey cover?
Every part of the stack we can see from safe positions: from the pots and flaunching down to the flashings. Leaning, unused stacks and damp on chimney breasts are recorded too.
How much does a chimney survey cost in Foxholes?
Prices start from £150, including VAT. What you pay for your roof depends on its size, height, access and the package, and it is agreed before booking.
When to book a survey in Foxholes
Removing a chimney breast inside can leave questions about how the stack is supported. We note what’s visible in the roof space and outside, and recommend a structural engineer where support is in question.
A survey makes sense if you’ve noticed:
- Pots or cowls that look unsafe
- Flaunching that has broken away
- Eroded joints in the brickwork
- A stack that appears to lean
If you let a flat or house near Hertford East station, a dated record of the roof is useful when planning maintenance across a let.
Questions to ask before booking
- How they plan to inspect the roof safely
- What experience they bring
- Whether the loft is part of the inspection
- What happens after the report arrives
Roof by roof
Lead flashings
Over time, lead can lift or come away from the brickwork. We photograph any we find that look loose or damaged.
Rendered stacks
We cannot see the bricks behind render without it being opened up, so the report says what can and can’t be judged.
Nearby places to Foxholes
Also in Foxholes
Leave it or get it looked at?
A loose pot or brick can fall from height. Finding them early means they can be dealt with before they come down by a suitable contractor. Tradespeople may need to travel further to a smaller place like Foxholes, 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.
The Premium Survey includes thermal imaging and drone inspection where applicable, which starts from £400, inc. VAT. We’ll tell you which package suits the questions you have.
Why us?
- Weekday and weekend surveys
- 20+ years’ experience
- Customer satisfaction of 98%
- Covered by professional indemnity and public liability insurance
Take a look at our cost guide or what we found on two real jobs.
Local roofs in Foxholes
Older buildings may be listed or sit in a conservation area. To find out, check Historic England’s list and ask the council about conservation areas. In either case, a change of roofing material may need consent. Older houses in the South East frequently have slate or clay tile roofs, while many later estates have concrete tiles, and flat-roofed additions turn up almost everywhere. Knowing the covering helps explain which parts of a roof are likely to need work first.
Anyone responsible for a site like Wheatcroft Primary School will know that long gutter runs and wide roofs on a building that size are worth checking on a regular cycle. If yours is one of the older homes in the streets near Church of the Holy Trinity, corroded nails, tired lead and weathered chimney pointing are the things to watch on older roofs.
Foxholes is about 1 mile east of Hertford, in Hertfordshire. Whether the building in Foxholes is a house, a flat or a commercial unit, the roof can be surveyed on a weekday or at the weekend. Across Hertfordshire, we cover Foxholes and the places around it. You can also see our page for London.
Surveys in SG13 work the same way as everywhere else we cover. We offer chimney surveys to properties on Ware Road, London Road and Fairfax Road. We also cover Rush Green (1 mile north-east), Hertford Heath (1 mile south-east), Hertford (1 mile west), Little Amwell (1 mile south-east) and Horns Mill (1 mile south-west). Further out, we also cover Stevenage (10 miles north-west), St Albans (12 miles west), Bishop's Stortford (10 miles north-east), Welwyn Garden City (6 miles west), Harpenden (13 miles west) and Hitchin (14 miles north-west).
Local landmarks in Foxholes
Typical jobs here are in homes near Simon Balle All-Through School, The Saracens Head Public House and Hertford Regional College and the streets around them. The nearest railway station is Hertford East station, about 0.8 miles north-west of the centre. Other landmarks nearby include Hertford County Hospital (1.5 miles west) and Mcmullen & Sons Brewery Museum (1.2 miles west). Not far away are King's Meads.
For landlords and managing agents
Shared roofs need a little more planning: access has to be agreed with whoever owns or manages the building. Let us know about it when booking and we will plan the survey around it.
Landlords and agents in Foxholes book surveys as well as householders. The report gives you a dated record of the chimney stack, with photos, useful for planning maintenance.