Hertfordshire · London and the South East
Chimney survey in Haultwick, Hertfordshire
An experienced roof surveyor for chimney surveys in Haultwick. More than 20 years and over 5,000 surveys.
- Spalled or crumbling bricks
- Cracked or missing flaunching
- Damp patches on chimney breasts
Chimney survey in Haultwick: what you get
For buyers, a chimney survey before exchange can flag work you may want to raise. On older stacks, we often find cracked flaunching, loose flashings and worn pointing. Our report gives you specific points to raise with the seller or agent. It complements a RICS home survey rather than replacing it. We are often asked to look into pots or cowls that look unsafe and gaps in the mortar around the pots, across shared and party-wall stacks, chimney breasts and flaunching.
Village roofs often face open fields and take the full force of wind and rain, so ridges, chimney stacks, flashings and gutters work hard. Older walls take a long time to dry once water gets in. A written report sets out what to deal with and in what order. Lead flashings and old chimney stacks are often where weather gets in first.
Pictures do a lot of the work in our reports, so you can see each defect rather than just read about it. If something couldn’t be seen safely, the report is clear about it.
- Location
- Haultwick (SG11)
- Wider area
- Hertfordshire
- Price
- From £150 inc. VAT
- Your report
- Written, with photos, emailed to you
- Survey days
- Weekdays and weekends
- Cover
- Professional indemnity and public liability
- Call
- 07833 053749
- Page updated
- 27 October 2026
What we do, step by step
Where it’s relevant and can be reached safely, the roof space is checked as well as the outside. In the loft, the signs we look for are staining, damp, daylight and sagging. The whole visit normally takes an hour or two for most houses, and more on a big or complicated roof. Rural addresses near Haultwick can be hard to find from a postcode alone, so a few directions are welcome. After that, the survey runs as it would anywhere.
- We go through the chimneys, any damp and any work done on them.
- We check every stack from wherever it can safely be seen.
- Pots, cowls, flaunching, pointing and flashings are checked and photographed.
- Inside, the chimney breasts and the loft are checked for damp where there’s access.
- You get a written report with photos and recommendations by email.
How to prepare
- Have any paperwork from past roof work to hand
- Have any questions written down, so nothing gets missed
- If you are buying, check with the agent that we can get in
How to book
Not sure which survey you need? The easiest way is to call 07833 053749 or email us and describe the roof and what’s worrying you. We’ll explain the options and the price.
Advice
What you can safely check yourself
It is useful to keep a record: dates of leaks, photos from ground level and any work done on the roof. Share it with us when you book, as it helps us focus the survey.
After heavy rain, check ceilings and the tops of walls for new stains. Photograph them and note the date, which helps when we check the roof.
Do you need a chimney survey in Haultwick?
The flaunching on top of a stack holds the pots in place and sheds water. Cracked flaunching lets water in, and each winter makes it worse. Loose pots can follow.
Common reasons to book include:
- Bricks with flaking faces
- A stack that appears to lean
- Cracked or missing flaunching
- Damaged chimney pots and cowls
If you live in an older home near Parish Church of All Saints, the nails, lead and mortar on the roof may be wearing out even where the slates or tiles look fine.
Questions to ask before booking
- Whether any drone flown is registered with the CAA
- How long the report takes to arrive
- How much experience they have with roofs like yours
- How they plan to inspect the roof safely
FAQs for Haultwick
Is my home in Haultwick listed or in a conservation area?
Start with Historic England’s list for listing and your council for conservation areas. It’s worth checking before planning roof work, as both can affect what’s allowed.
Do you cover smaller places like Haultwick?
Yes, Haultwick is covered. Our area covers London and South East England, from towns to the smallest villages. The journey is planned ahead, so it helps to know about access.
Do you look in the loft space?
If there is a loft and safe access to it, yes. The loft space can show things the outside cannot, such as damp timbers, staining or daylight.
What causes damp on a chimney breast?
Damp on a chimney breast usually means water is getting into the stack, or moisture is trapped inside it. We check the stack, the flashings and how unused flues are capped and records the likely cause.
Can you survey a chimney stack we share with next door?
Yes. We inspect what can safely be seen and what you 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.
Does this replace a RICS home survey?
No. It is a specialist roof survey, not a RICS Level 2 or Level 3 building survey. It focuses on the roof and can sit alongside a RICS survey.
Will you check the chimney is safe to use with a fire?
No. It isn’t a flue, sweep or gas safety inspection. We check the structure and weathering of the stack and any damp and flag anything that suggests the flue needs a look.
Also near Haultwick
What else we do in Haultwick
What this survey cannot tell you
In fairness, a roof survey has limits:
- Whether a stack needs rebuilding on structural grounds
- Gas safety checks, which need a Gas Safe registered engineer
- Areas we cannot view from safe positions
If you’re not sure which survey you need, call 07833 053749 or email us and we’ll give you a straight answer. The full list of what we check.
What we look at
- Chimney pots and cowls
- Chimney breasts
- Lead flashings
- Flaunching
- Brick chimney stacks
- Shared and party-wall stacks
What affects the cost of chimney surveys
Our packages start from £150, with VAT included. What you pay for your roof depends on:
- Commercial roofs and larger buildings
- The package you choose: Basic, Standard or Premium
- Building height and the viewpoints available
- Chimneys, valleys, parapets and other details
Price depends partly on the package: Basic from £150, Standard from £250 or Premium from £400, all with VAT included. Size, height and access can affect the price too.
Getting in touch
If you can, have these to hand when you get in touch:
- The style of property, from a terrace to a block
- Whether there’s a loft hatch, a shared roof or tricky access
- Where the property is, with the postcode
- Why you want a survey: buying, a leak, a storm or new work
Chimney survey starts from £150, including VAT. What you pay depends on the roof’s size, access and the package, so ring 07833 053749 or send us an email with the details.
Practical tips
Nothing here needs a ladder. A few suggestions:
- Check that disused chimneys can still breathe
- Use the report as a baseline for future checks
- Remove aerials or dishes from the stack if they’re no longer needed
- Glance at the stacks from the street now and then
If anything in the report is not clear, just ask us. Standard Surveys come with a follow-up consultation, and Premium Surveys with an in-person one.
Watch for damp or staining on chimney breasts. Early signs are easier to trace.
Haultwick homes and their roofs
In this part of the South East, older roofs are mostly slate or clay tile and many newer ones concrete tile, with flat-roofed extensions, dormers and garages common everywhere. Whichever you have, the details that tend to fail before the covering itself get the closest look. The wider area around Haultwick has a long history of building, with Aston Bury about 3.9 miles west. 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.
Take a building like Munden Church of England Voluntary Controlled Primary School: large buildings have long gutter runs and big roofs that need checking like any other. If you let a flat or house near Watton-At-Stone station, knowing the condition of the roof, chimneys and gutters helps you plan work rather than react to complaints.
Haultwick is about 5 miles east of Stevenage, in Hertfordshire. Houses, flats, blocks and commercial buildings in Haultwick can all book chimney surveys. Haultwick is one of the towns and villages in Hertfordshire we cover. There is also a page for Chelmsford.
Surveys in SG11 work the same way as everywhere else we cover. If you need a chimney survey at a property on The Street, Frogs Hall Lane and Gifford's Lane or anywhere close by, we can survey it. We also cover the places around Haultwick: Dane End (1 mile south), Whempstead (2 miles south-west), Burn's Green (2 miles west), Sacombe Green (2 miles south) and Sacombe (2 miles south). We also work in nearby towns such as Stevenage (5 miles west), St Albans (15 miles south-west), Bishop's Stortford (9 miles east), Welwyn Garden City (9 miles south-west), Harpenden (13 miles west) and Hitchin (10 miles north-west).
Landmarks near Haultwick
In Haultwick, that means homes and buildings near Rest And Welcome Public House and Ralph Sadleir Middle School. For rail, the closest station is Watton-At-Stone station, about 3.6 miles south-west. Nearby you will also find Benington Castle (2.6 miles west). Not far away are Astonbury Wood.