Hertfordshire · London and the South East
Kemprow Chimney Survey
A survey of chimney stacks, pots, flashings and flaunching in Kemprow, carried out by an experienced roof surveyor. Every survey comes with a written report and photos.
- Mortar washing out of the joints
- Redundant stacks capped without ventilation
- Bricks with flaking faces
What a chimney survey does not cover
A survey is a proper look at the chimney stack, but it cannot do everything. Its limits include:
- Flue inspections or sweeping
- A structural engineer’s assessment
- Hidden sides of a shared stack
If in doubt, phone 07833 053749 or send us an email and we will point you to the right survey. The full list of what we check.
What we look at
- Flaunching
- Shared and party-wall stacks
- Chimney pots and cowls
- Chimney breasts
- Brick chimney stacks
- Lead flashings
Chimney survey in Kemprow
Chimney stacks take more weather than almost any other part of a house. Over the years, the flaunching cracks, the pointing wears and flashings lift. Water then gets into the stack and can show as damp on a chimney breast or a stain in the loft. A survey finds these problems and records them with photographs. Typical surveys look at flaunching that has broken away and a chimney out of line, on chimney breasts, chimney pots and cowls and lead flashings.
Older buildings in small places like Kemprow may be listed or in a conservation area. If yours is, re-roofing in different materials may need consent, so the council is the place to check. A roof report helps you plan work with that in mind. Older materials such as clay tiles, slate and stone are often matched when work is done.
The written findings come by email, easy to pass on to a roofer, an agent or an insurer. Turnaround is within 48 hours for Basic, 24–48 hours for Standard and same day for Premium.
- Place
- Kemprow (WD25)
- Wider area
- Hertfordshire
- Prices
- From £150 inc. VAT
- Your report
- A written report with photos, by email
- Appointments
- Weekdays and weekends
- Cover
- PI and public liability insurance
- Phone
- 07833 053749
- Updated
- 27 October 2026
The survey, step by step
We work from the outside in: first the slopes, edges and gutters from every safe viewpoint, then the loft space where it can be reached. All told, expect about one to two hours at a typical home, and more on a big or complicated roof. Older rural homes like those around Kemprow can have a main roof, lower lean-to roofs and outbuildings all joined together. We work round each section in turn, from the safest viewpoints, and anything we cannot see is noted.
- First we talk through the stacks, their history and any problems.
- We check every stack from wherever it can safely be seen.
- We photograph and record the pots, flaunching, pointing and flashings.
- 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.
Before the survey
- Find any records of previous roof work
- Keep pets out of the way during the survey
- Jot down any questions you want answered
How to book
To arrange a survey, phone 07833 053749 or use the contact form and tell us the address and what’s prompted the survey. We will confirm the price before you book.
Related advice
Different roofs, different checks
Chimney pots and cowls
On redundant flues, we look at how the pots are capped. Poor capping can lead to damp inside the stack.
Rendered stacks
Cracked render can let water in and trap it behind. Cracks are photographed and noted.
Chimney surveys around Kemprow
With High Elms Manor about 2.7 miles north-west, Kemprow sits in an area with a long building history. Older roofs in the wider area can hide decades of patch repairs, so the detail matters, and the council can say whether a home is in a conservation area. Older houses in the South East often have slate or clay tile roofs, while many later estates have concrete tiles, and flat-roofed additions turn up almost everywhere. Whichever you have, the details that tend to fail before the covering itself get the closest look.
Landlords with a home close to Radlett station may find that a dated record of the roof is useful when planning maintenance across a let. Living close to Garston Park is pleasant, but mature trees mean leaves in gutters and valleys each autumn, and an overflowing gutter soon means a wet wall.
Kemprow is about 3 miles north of Bushey, in Hertfordshire. Kemprow is part of the area we cover and the surrounding area across London and South East England. Our area takes in places right across Hertfordshire, large and small. For surveys nearby, see our London page.
Postcode districts we cover here for chimney surveys: WD25. We offer chimney surveys to properties on Kemprow and High Cross and the roads around them. Neighbouring places we cover for chimney surveys include Round Bush (1 mile south), Aldenham (1 mile south-west), Radlett (1 mile east), Letchmore Heath (1 mile south) and Patchetts Green (1 mile south-west). We also work in nearby towns such as Watford (3 miles south-west), Hemel Hempstead (7 miles north-west), St Albans (5 miles north), Welwyn Garden City (10 miles north-east), Harpenden (9 miles north) and Hoddesdon (15 miles east).
What’s near Kemprow
Around Kemprow, our work takes us to homes and buildings near Garston Park, Three Horseshoes Public House and Queens' School, among other places. The nearest railway station is Radlett station, roughly 1.1 miles east. Other landmarks nearby include Radlett and District Museum (1.1 miles east) and Harlequin Centre (2.9 miles south-west). For a walk, there’s Broad Colney Lakes and Verulamium Lake.
Also near Kemprow
Other services in Kemprow
Why act early in Kemprow
Damp in a chimney breast normally gets worse while the cause is left. It can stain walls and damage plaster. Finding the cause means the right work can be planned. For older village homes like those around Kemprow, the right replacement materials aren’t always easy to find quickly. That’s one more reason to find defects before they become urgent.
A small, low roof with good viewpoints takes less time than a tall, complicated one, and the package matters as well. We will give you the figure before anything is booked.
What you get with us
- Surveys seven days a week
- Packages from £150, including VAT
- Insured for professional indemnity and public liability
- Drone flown under a CAA Flyer ID and Operator ID
Read our cost guide and our case studies.
Questions from Kemprow
Do you cover smaller places like Kemprow?
Yes, Kemprow is on our map. A small place gets exactly the same survey as a big one.
I let a flat near Radlett station. Can you check the roof?
Yes. We survey roofs for landlords, letting agents and managing agents as well as owners. You can phone 07833 053749 or email us with the address and what you need, and we’ll talk through which survey suits.
Does this replace a RICS home survey?
No. This is a survey of the roof only, and it is not a RICS Level 2 or Level 3 survey. Many buyers have both.
Does the weather affect the survey?
Light rain is typically fine; heavy rain and wind are different. In strong wind or heavy rain, a drone can’t fly and access may not be safe, so we’d move the date with you.
Can you survey a chimney stack we share with next door?
Yes. Many houses share stacks with a neighbour. We record the stack as far as we can see it and flag anything on the neighbour’s side.
Why is my chimney breast damp?
It can come from several places: water getting in at the top, through the brickwork or at the flashings, or moisture trapped in a stack with no ventilation. We look at each one and note the most likely cause.
Will you go up on the roof?
Not unless it’s safe. Most of what we need can be seen from safe viewpoints, the loft and, where it applies, a drone, and anything out of sight is recorded in the report.
Tips that help
Nothing here needs a ladder. Our suggestions:
- Photograph damp patches with the date
- File photos of the stacks with your home records
- Ask about consent before removing a chimney on an older property
- Glance at the stacks from the street now and then
Many people use the report to get quotes for the work. Because everyone is pricing the same findings, the quotes are easier to compare.
Unused stacks should be capped in a way that still lets air through. That helps stop damp building up inside.
Do you need a chimney survey in Kemprow?
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 can make a stack lean.
We are often asked to look at:
- Mortar washing out of the joints
- Damp on a chimney breast inside
- Pots or cowls that look unsafe
- Signs that a stack is leaning
If you own one of the older houses in the streets near St John, old fixings, lead flashings and tall chimneys are typical of older roofs.
Choosing a roof surveyor
- How long they’ve been surveying roofs
- Whether VAT is in the quoted price
- Are they insured for the work?
- How they’ll see the roof: from the ground, the loft, the roof or by drone