Buckinghamshire · London and the South East
Chimney survey in Harefield, Buckinghamshire
A survey of chimney stacks, pots, flashings and flaunching in Harefield, with drones and thermal imaging where they help. Call or email for a price.
- Signs that a stack is leaning
- Damaged chimney pots and cowls
- Disused chimneys trapping moisture
Prices for chimney surveys in Harefield
A few things affect what a survey costs:
- The package you choose: Basic, Standard or Premium
- The number of roofs, including extensions and garages
- House, block, shop or office
- The roof’s overall size
There are three survey packages: Basic from £150, Standard from £250 and Premium from £400, all with VAT included. The price for your roof depends on its size, access and what you want to find out.
Helping us price your survey
A little information up front helps. It is useful to include:
- How the loft is reached, if there is one
- Your postcode, so we can check access and travel
- What kind of property and roof it is
- Photos of the roof, taken safely from ground level or a window
We confirm the price for your survey before booking, so you know where you stand. Chimney survey starts from £150, including VAT. For a price for your roof, ring 07833 053749 or drop us an email.
How a chimney survey works in Harefield
A chimney survey is about the outside of the stack and the roof around it. It’s not a flue inspection, a chimney sweep or a gas safety inspection. 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. If something we see points to the flue, we will say so. If you’re worried about bricks with flaking faces and signs that a stack is leaning, a survey will tell you what’s going on, whatever the roof.
Houses in smaller places like Harefield can face open ground, where wind and driving rain hit the roof harder. That weather tells first on ridges, verges, chimneys and flashings. 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.
The report doesn’t just list problems. It explains what we found, why it matters and what we recommend, so you can plan your next steps.
- Where
- Harefield (UB9)
- Region
- Buckinghamshire
- Prices
- From £150 inc. VAT
- Your report
- Written, with photos, emailed to you
- When we survey
- Weekdays and weekends
- Insured
- Professional indemnity and public liability
- Call
- 07833 053749
- Updated
- 27 October 2026
Towns and villages near Harefield
What else we do in Harefield
DIY checks: what’s safe
A DIY look is useful, but it is not a survey. You will not see flashings, valleys or the backs of chimneys properly from ground level, and those are details a survey looks at closely.
If you have a loft with safe access, take a look inside. Take a torch and only step on boards or joists, checking for stains, damp wood or chinks of daylight.
Harefield: your questions answered
Is Harefield within the area you cover?
Yes, Harefield is covered. We survey roofs across London and the South East, from towns to the smallest villages. Longer journeys are simply planned ahead of time.
Can a landlord with a rental near Denham station book a roof survey?
Of course. Let us know whether a tenant or an agent will let us in, and the report can go straight to you or your agent.
Do you survey on Saturdays and Sundays?
Visits run seven days a week in the daytime, which suits people who work during the week. Just say which days work for you.
Do you use drones?
Yes, where it is applicable. Whether we can fly on the day depends on the weather and the airspace rules. We hold a CAA Flyer ID and Operator ID.
Why is my chimney breast damp?
Damp on a chimney breast typically means water is getting into the stack, or moisture is trapped inside it. The survey looks at the stack, the flashings and the capping, and record what we find.
Will you walk on the roof?
Only when it’s safe. Safe viewpoints, the roof space and a drone where it applies cover most of what’s needed.
Do I have to be there for the survey?
If the survey includes the loft or the inside of the building, someone needs to let us in. We’ll talk about access when you book.
Honest limits
Without opening up the roof, some things stay hidden, and that sets some limits:
- What’s inside the brickwork or behind render, without opening up
- A structural engineer’s assessment
- Flue inspections or sweeping
If you’re not sure which survey you need, phone 07833 053749 or send 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
- Chimney pots and cowls
- Brick chimney stacks
- Shared and party-wall stacks
When to book a survey in Harefield
Stacks that were used for open fires for many years can weaken from the inside. 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.
Signs worth acting on include:
- Worn or missing pointing
- Unused flues sealed without airflow
- Gaps where the stack meets the roof
- Loose, cracked or missing pots
For site and facilities teams at buildings such as Harefield Infant School, a written record of a large roof helps plan work for the holidays rather than in term time.
What to check before booking
- Are they insured for the work?
- Which limits apply to the survey
- Is there a chance to talk the report through?
- Their drone registration, if they fly one
Chimney surveys in Harefield: local notes
Historic houses such as Ickenham Hall, about 3.4 miles south-east, show how far back building in the area around Harefield goes. Older homes in the wider area often have features worth a closer look, such as lead valleys, tall stacks and roofs that have been patched over the years, and any change of roofing material on a listed home needs checking with the council first. Some villages in Buckinghamshire still have thatched roofs. Slate and clay tile are the usual coverings on older South East houses, with concrete tiles on many later estates. Whatever the covering, it is often the fixings, flashings, valleys and gutters that give out first.
Landlords with a home close to Denham station may find that a roof report between tenancies helps plan work before a small defect becomes a tenant’s leak. Trees in and around The Green shed leaves that can end up in nearby gutters.
Harefield is about 3 miles south of Rickmansworth, in Buckinghamshire. We cover Harefield and the rest of Buckinghamshire. Our area takes in places right across Buckinghamshire. For surveys nearby, see our London page.
Chimney surveys in UB9 are booked the same way as anywhere else. Streets in the area include High Street, Vernon Drive and New Park Road. Other places close to Harefield include Hill End (1 mile north), Woodcock Hill (1 mile north-east), Batchworth Heath (2 miles north-east), Batchworth (2 miles north-east) and Mill End (2 miles north). Larger places within reach include High Wycombe (12 miles west), Chesham (9 miles north-west), Marlow (13 miles west), Amersham (7 miles north-west), Beaconsfield (7 miles west) and Chalfont St Peter (3 miles west).
Near you in Harefield
Typical jobs here are in homes near The Green, The King's Arms Public House and The Harefield Academy and the streets around them. The closest station to Harefield is Denham station, roughly 2 miles south. Nearby you’ll also find Harefield Hospital (less than half a mile north-west) and Chiltern Open Air Museum (3.4 miles north-west). Green spaces nearby include Horse Shoe Bay and Dews Farm Sand Pits.
What happens on the day
We work from the outside in: first the slopes, edges and gutters from every safe viewpoint, then the roof space where it can be reached. In total, it takes an hour or two at a house, as part of a look at the roof around the stack. Homes around Harefield often have gardens on more than one side, which gives us room to step back and see the roof. Let us know if any side is fenced off or hard to reach. The loft, where there is safe access, completes the picture.
- You tell us how many stacks there are and any damp or problems you’ve noticed.
- We inspect each stack from safe viewpoints outside.
- The pots, cowls, flaunching, pointing, brickwork and flashings are checked and photographed.
- We check the chimney breasts and the stack in the roof space where we can reach them.
- We send a written report with photos, the defects found and what we recommend.
How to prepare
- Note where any stains or damp appear
- If you’re buying, check with the agent that we can get in
- Leave side gates unlocked
Arrange a survey
Chimney survey starts from £150, including VAT. The exact figure depends on the roof and the package, and you can phone 07833 053749 or drop us an email to find out.
Related advice
What happens if roof problems are left?
Most people never get a proper look at their chimney stacks. Defects tend to go unseen until there’s a stain. A survey gives you a clear picture before that happens. Homes in smaller places like Harefield can face more weather, so a loose ridge or verge soon lets rain in. Wind gets under it and lifts more, and water follows.
Price depends partly on the package: from £150 for Basic, £250 for Standard and £400 for Premium, inc. VAT. The roof’s size, height and access matter as well.
Why us?
- Photographs and a written report every time
- Over 20 years’ experience
- Package prices that include VAT
- Thermal imaging and drone inspection where they help
Take a look at what a roof survey costs or what we found on two real jobs.