Hertfordshire · London and the South East
Chimney survey in Little Almshoe, Hertfordshire
We take a careful look at the chimney stack at your property in Little Almshoe, with photographs and a written report.
- Frost-damaged brickwork on the stack
- Mortar washing out of the joints
- A stack that appears to lean
How a chimney survey works in Little Almshoe
A chimney stands up above the roof, exposed to wind, rain and frost on every side. In time, flaunching cracks, mortar washes out and flashings come loose. That lets water into the brickwork, which can show up as damp on a chimney breast or in the loft space. We record what we find with photographs and recommendations. We’re often asked to look into pots or cowls that look unsafe and gaps in the mortar around the pots, across chimney pots and cowls, flaunching and brick chimney stacks.
Somewhere as small as Little Almshoe, homes are often older cottages and farmhouses, with outbuildings and some newer houses. Roofs there can be clay tile, slate, stone or thatch, and chimney stacks are often old. Each needs checking in its own way, and thatch is a specialist material we report on as far as it can be seen. On older roofs, it is typically the chimneys and lead flashings that need work first.
Pictures do a lot of the work in our reports, because a photo of a cracked flashing says more than a paragraph. Anything out of sight on the day is listed as such.
- Location
- Little Almshoe (SG4)
- Wider area
- Hertfordshire
- Price
- From £150 inc. VAT
- Your report
- A written report with photos, by email
- When we survey
- Weekdays and weekends
- Insurance
- Professional indemnity and public liability
- Call
- 07833 053749
- Last updated
- 27 October 2026
Practical tips
There’s plenty you can do without going near the roof. Here’s what helps most:
- Look at the chimneys with binoculars after a storm
- Note any damp on chimney breasts and when it appears
- Remove aerials or dishes from the stack if they’re no longer needed
- Find out whether changes to a stack need permission
The report is emailed to you, ready to share with a roofer or builder. Each defect is described in plain words and shown in a photo, so it’s easy to follow.
Have aerial and dish brackets on the stack checked, and moved if they’re working it loose. Less load on the stack means less strain in wind.
Little Almshoe: your questions answered
Will you come out to Little Almshoe?
We do. Villages and rural addresses get the same survey as a town house.
Can a landlord with a rental near Hitchin station book a roof survey?
Yes, landlords and agents are among the people we work for. Just phone 07833 053749 or email us with the details.
Is it a structural engineer’s report?
No. We’re roof surveyors, not structural engineers, and it does not include calculations. We will recommend an engineer if we see signs that call for one.
Will I get photos?
Yes. Photos are taken throughout the survey, and they go into the written report alongside our recommendations.
Why is my chimney breast damp?
It can come from several places: cracked flaunching, worn pointing, failed flashings, uncapped pots, or damp trapped in an unventilated stack. We look at each one and note the most likely cause.
What if it rains on the day?
It depends on the weather and the survey. In strong wind or a downpour, a drone cannot fly and access may not be safe, and we’d agree another day.
Will you walk on the roof?
Not always. Some roofs are too steep or fragile to walk on safely. We use safe viewpoints, the roof space and a drone where applicable.
Checking the roof from the ground
Your own check is a good start, but it isn’t a survey. From ground level, valleys, flashings and the backs of chimneys are often out of sight, and those are details a survey looks at closely.
You can learn a lot from the ground. Binoculars help you spot slipped slates or tiles, gaps along the ridge and a leaning stack. Please don’t climb up for a closer look.
Also near Little Almshoe
What else we do in Little Almshoe
Chimney surveys around Little Almshoe
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. Knowing the covering helps explain which parts of a roof are likely to need work first. Knebworth House, about 3.8 miles south-east, is one of the historic houses in the wider area around Little Almshoe. If your home is one of the older ones, expect a mix of original materials and later repairs on the roof.
If you own a rental within reach of Hitchin station, the gap between tenancies is a good time to have the roof looked at. If you live in an older home near Church of St Ippolyts (church of England), old fixings, lead flashings and tall chimneys are typical of older roofs.
Little Almshoe is about 2 miles south of Hitchin, in Hertfordshire. Wherever you are in Little Almshoe, we can come and survey your property, on a weekday, Saturday or Sunday. Our area takes in places right across Hertfordshire, from the larger towns to small villages. For surveys nearby, see our Milton Keynes page.
Every address in SG4 is within our area for chimney surveys, from the main roads to the quietest streets. Other places close to Little Almshoe include St Ibbs (1 mile north), Sperberry Hill (1 mile north), St Ippolyts (1 mile north), Gosmore (1 mile north-west) and Poynders End (1 mile south-west). Further out, we also cover Hemel Hempstead (14 miles south-west), Stevenage (3 miles east), St Albans (12 miles south), Welwyn Garden City (9 miles south), Harpenden (8 miles south-west) and Hoddesdon (15 miles south-east).
What’s near Little Almshoe
We work in homes and buildings around The Rusty Gun pub, Hitchin Girls' School and Kingshott School, among other places. Little Almshoe’s nearest station is Hitchin station, about 2.2 miles north of the centre. Nearby you’ll also find Lister Hospital (2.1 miles east) and Wymondley Castle (1.9 miles north-east). The countryside around Little Almshoe includes Purwell Ninesprings and Markham's Hill.
Do you need a chimney survey in Little Almshoe?
Where a chimney meets the roof, lead flashings keep water out. They can lift in wind, crack with age or pull out of the mortar joints. When flashings fail, water frequently shows up in the loft or on the chimney breast. Lead is also a target for theft.
Problems we come across often include:
- Flaunching that has broken away
- A stack that appears to lean
- Gaps where the stack meets the roof
- Pots or cowls that look unsafe
If you look after a building such as St Ippolyts Church of England Aided Primary School, a written record of a large roof helps plan work for the holidays rather than in term time.
Before booking any roof surveyor
- Will the report include photos?
- What they will not be able to tell you
- Will they check the loft as well as the outside?
- Their insurance cover
What we cannot see
Every survey has limits, and we’d rather be clear about that before booking. Keep these in mind:
- Checks on boilers, fires or their flues
- Flue inspections or sweeping
- Hidden sides of a shared stack
Not sure which survey suits your roof? You can ring 07833 053749 or email us and we’ll tell you before booking. What a survey covers and does not.
What we look at
- Chimney pots and cowls
- Flaunching
- Shared and party-wall stacks
- Chimney breasts
- Brick chimney stacks
- Lead flashings
How the survey works
On the day, we begin with a quick chat about the roof and anything that is worrying you. After that, we look at everything we can see safely, from ground level, from windows, in the loft space and by drone where applicable. The survey typically takes between one and two hours for most homes, a little longer where there are several stacks. Somewhere as small as Little Almshoe, access is frequently the only tricky part. Mention any outbuildings, barns or garages you want included, and anything about the roof you already know. Visits can be on weekdays, Saturdays or Sundays.
- 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 photographs and recommendations, is emailed to you.
Getting ready for the survey
- If it isn’t your property yet, arrange access through the agent
- Let us know about parking near the property
- Note where any stains or damp appear
Booking a survey
Buyers should book once an offer has been accepted, so there is time to use the report before exchange. Otherwise, simply phone 07833 053749 or drop us an email whenever suits you.
Advice
What we look for on each type of roof
Lead flashings
Lead flashings seal the joint between the stack and the roof. The survey looks at whether the lead is tight, sound and well fixed.
Chimney breasts and the loft
In the loft, staining around the stack frequently shows where water is getting in. What we find is photographed and described.