Hertfordshire · London and the South East
Graveley Chimney Survey
A survey of chimney stacks, pots, flashings and flaunching across Graveley, with drones and thermal imaging where they help. Get in touch for a price.
- Spalled or crumbling bricks
- Damaged chimney pots and cowls
- Damp on a chimney breast inside
Questions from Graveley
Is Graveley within the area you cover?
Yes, Graveley is on our map. Villages and rural addresses get the same survey as a town house, with the route planned beforehand.
Is my home in Graveley listed or in a conservation area?
The council and Historic England’s list are the places to check. It’s worth checking before planning roof work, as both can affect what’s allowed.
Is it a structural engineer’s report?
No. Visible signs like deflection or sagging are recorded, but calculations and an engineer’s opinion are outside what we do. If one is needed, the report says so.
Will I get photos?
Yes. We photograph the roof as we go, and they go into the written report alongside our recommendations.
How long will you be at the property?
Time on site depends on the roof; most visits take between one and two hours at most homes, rising to roughly 3–4 hours on a commercial building. The report is sent afterwards by email.
Our stack is shared. Can you still survey it?
Yes. We look at the parts we can see safely and the parts you can give us access to. If a defect seems to be on your neighbour’s side, the report records it and you can raise it with them.
Do you test for asbestos?
No. We do not carry out asbestos surveys or testing. If we see materials that could contain asbestos, like cement roof sheets or soffits on buildings from before 2000, we flag them, and recommend a specialist asbestos surveyor checks them before they’re disturbed.
Chimney survey in Graveley
If you’re buying a home with chimneys, it is worth knowing their condition before you exchange. Cracked flaunching, failed flashings and worn pointing are common findings on older stacks. You get photos and findings you can take back to the seller or agent. It works alongside a RICS home survey, not instead of one. We are frequently asked to look into a chimney out of line and spalled or crumbling bricks, on brick chimney stacks, flaunching and lead flashings.
Village roofs frequently face open fields and take the full force of wind and rain, so ridges, chimney stacks, flashings and gutters work hard. Damp in old walls is slow to dry, so a small leak can do a lot of harm. A roof report shows what needs attention first. On exposed older roofs, chimneys and lead flashings are often the first to give way.
The report doesn’t just list problems. It explains what we found, why it matters and what we recommend.
- Where
- Graveley (SG4)
- Region
- Hertfordshire
- Prices
- From £150 inc. VAT
- Reports
- Emailed report with photos and recommendations
- When we survey
- Weekdays and weekends
- Insured
- Professional indemnity and public liability
- Call
- 07833 053749
- Page updated
- 27 October 2026
Towns and villages near Graveley
What else we do in Graveley
How the survey changes by roof type
Flaunching
The sloping mortar around the pots is called flaunching. Once it cracks, water can get straight into the brickwork.
Brick stacks
Spalled bricks, where the face has flaked off, are a sign of water and frost. We record any we can see.
Practical tips
A little preparation and a few simple habits help, both for the survey and for the roof itself. Our tips:
- Keep the report to compare against at the next survey
- Look at the chimneys with binoculars after a storm
- Ask about consent before removing a chimney on an older property
- Book a sweep for flues that are in use
You get the report by email and can pass it to whoever does the work. We use plain English and a photo for each defect, so it is easy to follow.
Make sure fixings on the stack are sound and taken off if they’re no longer needed. Removing unused fixings takes strain off the brickwork.
What happens on the day
Safety comes first on every visit. We inspect everything that’s safely in view, and if part of the roof cannot be seen, the report says so. Most visits take roughly 1–2 hours at most homes, and longer for a large or complex roof. For a village or hamlet like Graveley, the journey is planned beforehand: tell us about narrow lanes, gates, long drives and where we can park. On the day, we inspect whatever is safely visible, inside and out.
- We go through the chimneys, any damp and any work done on them.
- Each stack is inspected from safe positions outside.
- We photograph and record the pots, flaunching, pointing and flashings.
- We look for damp on chimney breasts and in the loft space.
- You get a written report with photos and recommendations by email.
Before the survey
- Mention any parking restrictions on your street
- Check pets are kept safely away
- Have any paperwork from past roof work to hand
Arrange a survey
To arrange a survey, phone 07833 053749 or drop us an email and let us know the address and what’s prompted the survey. We will confirm the price before booking.
Read more
Rented homes, blocks and businesses
With a portfolio of properties, you can book surveys for several addresses. To discuss a number of properties, ring 07833 053749 or email us with the addresses.
Businesses and commercial landlords can book us too. Bigger roofs take more time, so they’re priced to suit.
Roofs, chimneys and gutters in Graveley
Historic houses such as Knebworth House, about 4.4 miles south, show how far back building in the area around Graveley goes. Period homes nearby can have lead valleys, tall chimneys and a patchwork of past repairs, and a listed home or one in a conservation area may need consent for changes of material. 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. Each of these coverings has its own weak points, from fixings and valleys to flashings, chimneys and gutters.
Take a building like Graveley Primary School: large buildings have long gutter runs and big roofs that need checking like any other. For landlords with property near Stevenage station, the gap between tenancies is a good time to have the roof looked at.
Graveley is about 2 miles north-west of Stevenage, in Hertfordshire. We survey roofs in Graveley and the rest of Hertfordshire, as part of our work across London and the South East. We cover towns and villages across Hertfordshire. We also survey roofs in Milton Keynes.
All of SG4 is covered for chimney surveys, from the main roads to the quietest streets. Whether your property is on High Street, Oak Lane and Ashwell Close or a nearby road, we can survey it. Neighbouring places we cover for chimney surveys include Todd's Green (1 mile south-west), Great Wymondley (1 mile north-west), Little Wymondley (1 mile west), Titmore Green (1 mile south-west) and Lower Titmore Green (1 mile south-west). Within a short drive, we also cover St Albans (14 miles south), Welwyn Garden City (10 miles south), Harpenden (10 miles south-west), Hitchin (3 miles west), Hoddesdon (15 miles south-east) and Hatfield (12 miles south).
Around Graveley
Around Graveley, our work takes us to homes and buildings near Waggon And Horses Public House, Church of Saint Nicholas and The John Henry Newman School and the streets around them. The nearest railway station is Stevenage station, roughly 2.4 miles south. A little further out are Wymondley Castle (1.1 miles west) and Stevenage Museum (2.4 miles south). The countryside around Graveley includes Purwell Ninesprings.
Common roof problems in Graveley
Flaunching is the mortar bed that holds the pots and throws water off the top. Cracked flaunching lets water in, and each winter makes it worse. In time, the pots can become loose.
A survey can pick up problems such as:
- Flashings pulling away from the stack
- Damp patches on chimney breasts
- Redundant stacks capped without ventilation
- Pots or cowls that look unsafe
If you live in an older home near Church of St Mary, the nails, lead and mortar on the roof may be wearing out even where the slates or tiles look fine.
Before you book any roof surveyor
- What the survey will not cover
- What follow-up you get after the report
- Whether the loft space is looked at, where there is one
- If they fly a drone, whether they hold a CAA Flyer ID and Operator ID
What affects the price in Graveley
Several things affect the price of a survey:
- The shape of the roof and its details
- How tall the building is and how easy the roof is to see
- How big the roof is
- Whether it’s a home or a commercial building
Our price is from £150, including VAT. Packages run from Basic at £150 through Standard at £250 to Premium at £400, with VAT included.
Booking your survey
You don’t need to know any roofing terms. Just let us know:
- Where any leaks, stains or damp patches show inside
- Dates you are working to, like exchange
- What kind of property and roof it is
- Your postcode, so we can check access and travel
Unsure which package suits your roof? It’s easiest to call 07833 053749 or drop us an email and describe the roof and why you want it surveyed. We will talk you through the options and what they cost.