Hertfordshire · London and the South East
Chimney Survey in Holwell
A survey of chimney stacks, pots, flashings and flaunching across Holwell, with drones and thermal imaging where they help. Get in touch for a price.
- Spalled or crumbling bricks
- Flashings pulling away from the stack
- Pots or cowls that look unsafe
Tips from our surveys
Over many surveys, some simple habits stand out as worth the effort:
- Have brackets on the chimney checked
- Check with the council before altering a stack in a conservation area or on a listed building
- Don’t use a ladder to reach the stack yourself
- Photograph damp patches with the date
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.
Get small mortar repairs done while they’re small. Small repairs now can save bigger work later.
About our chimney survey in Holwell
If you are buying a home with chimneys, it is worth knowing their condition before you exchange. On older stacks, we often find cracked flaunching, loose flashings and worn pointing. You get photographs and findings you can take back to the seller or agent. It works alongside a RICS home survey, not instead of one. We survey brick chimney stacks, chimney pots and cowls and shared and party-wall stacks, and people most often book us about damaged chimney pots and cowls and mortar washing out of the joints.
In a small place like Holwell, many roofs stand in the open, 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. Lead flashings and old chimney stacks are frequently where weather gets in first.
With the Standard Survey, you also get moisture detection, a structural check and a follow-up consultation. The Premium Survey goes further, with thermal imaging, drone inspection where applicable, structural analysis and an in-person consultation.
- Place
- Holwell (SG5)
- Region
- Hertfordshire
- Cost
- From £150 inc. VAT
- Report
- Written, with photos, emailed to you
- Survey days
- Monday to Sunday, daytime
- Insured
- Professional indemnity and public liability
- Telephone
- 07833 053749
- Updated
- 27 October 2026
Also near Holwell
Other services in Holwell
How the survey works
We photograph the roof as we go, so you can see in the report what we found and where. Close-ups come from the safest viewpoint available, including by drone where it’s applicable and the weather allows. A typical visit takes about one to two hours at most homes, though large, tall or awkward roofs take more time. Somewhere like Holwell needs a little journey planning: let us know 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.
- Pots, cowls, flaunching, pointing and flashings are checked and photographed.
- We look for damp on chimney breasts and in the roof space.
- The report, with photos and recommendations, is emailed to you.
Before the survey
- Keep pets in another room
- Jot down any questions you want answered
- If the roof is shared, arrange access with whoever manages the building
Getting a price
If you have photos of the roof, send them over. Take them safely from ground level or a window, and please do not climb up for a closer look. To send them or to book, call 07833 053749 or send us an email.
Read more
What we look for on each type of roof
Flaunching
Sitting at the very top, flaunching is fully exposed. The survey checks for cracking and gaps around each pot.
Chimney breasts and the loft
In the loft, staining around the stack frequently shows where water is getting in. We record what we see with photos.
Chimney surveys around Holwell
Older buildings may be listed or sit in a conservation area. Historic England’s list shows listed buildings, and the council can say whether a street is in a conservation area. In either case, a change of roofing material may need consent. Slate and clay tile are the usual coverings on older South East houses, with concrete tiles on many later estates. On roofs like these, good slates or tiles can outlast the nails, battens, lead and mortar around them.
For site and facilities teams at buildings such as The Priory School, large buildings have long gutter runs and big roofs that need checking like any other. For an older house near a landmark such as Church of St Peter (C of E) at Corner with Holwell Road, its roof may have old fixings, lead flashings and chimneys that need a closer look.
Holwell is about 3 miles north-west of Hitchin, in Hertfordshire. We carry out chimney surveys for homeowners, landlords and businesses in Holwell. Our area takes in places right across Hertfordshire, large and small. We also survey roofs in Milton Keynes.
Postcode districts we cover here for chimney surveys: SG5. If you need a chimney survey at a property on Gurney's Lane, Pirton Road and Rand's Meadow or a nearby road, we can survey it. Close by, we survey roofs in Pirton (2 miles south-west), Shillington (3 miles west), Apsley End (3 miles west), Hanscombe End (3 miles west) and Pegsdon (3 miles south-west). Within a short drive, we also cover Stevenage (7 miles south-east), Welwyn Garden City (14 miles south), Harpenden (12 miles south), Hitchin (3 miles south-east), Letchworth (3 miles east) and Letchworth Garden City (3 miles east).
Near you in Holwell
Holwell’s nearest station is Hitchin station, about 2.8 miles south-east of the centre. Other landmarks nearby include Wymondley Castle (4.3 miles south-east) and Fairfield Hospital (2.7 miles north-east). The countryside around Holwell includes Markham's Hill and Oughtonhead Nature Reserve.
Do you need a chimney survey in Holwell?
The flaunching on top of a stack holds the pots in place and sheds water. Once it cracks, water gets in and frost makes the cracks bigger. Loose pots can follow.
Common reasons to book include:
- Eroded joints in the brickwork
- Pots or cowls that look unsafe
- Flashings pulling away from the stack
- Redundant stacks capped without ventilation
Landlords with a home close to Hitchin station may find that a dated record of the roof is useful when planning maintenance across a let.
Choosing a roof surveyor
- Their report turnaround times
- What they won’t be able to tell you
- If they fly a drone, whether they hold a CAA Flyer ID and Operator ID
- What the report includes, and whether it has photos
Questions from Holwell
Do you cover smaller places like Holwell?
Yes, smaller places are covered as well as towns. Our area covers London and the South East. Let us know about access, parking and anything unusual about getting there when you book.
Do you survey roofs for landlords with property near Hitchin station?
Yes, landlords and letting agents book with us as well as owners. You can ring 07833 053749 or drop us an email with the address and a few details.
What happens after the survey?
The report comes by email, and what you do next is up to you: use it with a seller, an insurer, a roofer or a managing agent.
Should I worry about a leaning stack?
Have it checked rather than leaving it. Leaning often comes from mortar breaking down unevenly. We record its condition with photos, and a structural engineer can assess whether it needs work.
Will you walk on the roof?
Only when it is safe. Some roofs are too steep or fragile to walk on safely. We use safe viewpoints, the loft space and a drone where applicable, and the report records anything we couldn’t see.
Do you take photos of the roof?
Yes. The report includes photographs of what we found.
Our stack is shared. Can you still survey it?
Yes. Shared stacks are common on terraced and semi-detached houses. We survey what we can see safely, and note anything that seems to involve next door.
Prices for chimney surveys in Holwell
Every roof is different, so prices are confirmed before you book. This is what makes a difference:
- How many separate roofs there are, such as extensions, dormers and garages
- Basic, Standard or Premium
- Commercial roofs and larger buildings
- The use of thermal imaging or a drone
Our price is from £150, including VAT. What you pay 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 get in touch
If you can, have these to hand when you contact us:
- Pictures of the roof from a safe spot, if you have them
- Where the property is, with the postcode
- The type of building and roof, like pitched or flat
- Dates you are working to, like exchange
For a price for chimney surveys in Holwell, ring 07833 053749 or email us. The address, the type of property and what you want to find out help us price the survey accurately.
Why act early in Holwell
A small amount of repointing or new flaunching is normally a modest job. Left for a few winters, frost and water can loosen pots and bricks, and the work grows. Older and listed buildings around Holwell may need consent and matching materials for repairs, so a defect found early gives time to plan the work properly.
Simple, low roofs take less time to survey than tall or complicated ones, and the package matters as well. We’ll give you the figure before anything is booked.
Why book us in Holwell
- Thermal imaging and drone inspection where they help
- Visits on any day of the week
- Package prices that include VAT
- More than 5,000 surveys completed