Hertfordshire · London and the South East
Chimney survey in Loudwater, Hertfordshire
A survey of chimney stacks, pots, flashings and flaunching across Loudwater, using drones and thermal imaging where applicable. Call or email for a price.
- Eroded joints in the brickwork
- Gaps in the mortar around the pots
- Damp on a chimney breast inside
How a chimney survey works in Loudwater
A chimney survey looks at the stack and everything around it: pots, cowls, flaunching, pointing, bricks and the flashings at the roof line. Inside, we check chimney breasts and the stack in the loft where it’s safe to reach. The findings come in a written report with photos and recommendations. It suits a single stack on a house as well as several on a larger building. If you’re worried about eroded joints in the brickwork and bricks with flaking faces, a survey will tell you what’s going on, whatever the roof.
Some older homes in villages like Loudwater are 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. Knowing the roof’s condition helps you plan ahead with that in mind. Where a building is listed, matching the existing roof materials is frequently expected.
Most points in the report come with a picture, because a photo of a cracked flashing says more than a paragraph. Anything out of sight on the day is listed as such.
- Place
- Loudwater (WD3)
- Wider area
- Hertfordshire
- Cost
- From £150 inc. VAT
- Reports
- Written, with photos, emailed to you
- When we survey
- Weekdays and weekends
- Cover
- Professional indemnity and public liability
- Phone
- 07833 053749
- Page updated
- 27 October 2026
Loudwater 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. Whatever the covering, it’s often the fixings, flashings, valleys and gutters that give out first. Chenies Manor House, about 2.5 miles north-west, is one of the historic houses in the wider area around Loudwater. 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.
Landlords with a home close to Rickmansworth station may find that the gap between tenancies is a good time to have the roof looked at. If you look after a building such as Christ Church Chorleywood CofE School, large buildings have long gutter runs and big roofs that need checking like any other.
Loudwater is about 1 mile north-east of Chorleywood, in Hertfordshire. Houses, flats, blocks and commercial buildings in Loudwater can all book chimney surveys. Across Hertfordshire, we cover Loudwater and the places around it. For surveys nearby, see our London page.
We cover every part of WD3 for chimney surveys. We cover properties on Chess Lane, Bridle Lane and Sarratt Lane and the roads around them. Neighbouring places we cover for chimney surveys include Chorleywood West (1 mile south), Micklefield Green (1 mile north), Rickmansworth (1 mile south-east), Mill End (2 miles south) and Chandler's Cross (2 miles north-east). Larger places within reach include Watford (4 miles east), Hemel Hempstead (7 miles north), St Albans (9 miles north-east), Harpenden (12 miles north-east), Hatfield (13 miles north-east) and Borehamwood (9 miles east).
Landmarks near Loudwater
Locally, jobs take us to homes and businesses close to Saint Joan of Arc Catholic School, Rickmansworth Park and York House School, among other places. The closest station to Loudwater is Rickmansworth station, about 1.2 miles south. Nearby you will also find Bishops Wood Hospital (3.2 miles south-east) and Chiltern Open Air Museum (3 miles south-west). Not far away are Tumbling Bay and Chorleywood Common.
Can I check my roof myself?
Watch the gutters in a downpour, from a window or the ground. Overflowing water can be a sign of a blockage or a gutter that has dropped.
A DIY look is useful, but it is not a survey. From the ground, valleys, flashings and the backs of chimneys are often out of sight, and those are details a survey looks at closely.
The survey, step by step
There is not much for you to do on the day. Point out anything you’ve noticed, such as stains, drips or loose pieces, and we will take it from there. The survey itself takes an hour or two at most homes, rising to roughly 3–4 hours on a commercial building. Rural addresses near Loudwater can be hard to find from a postcode alone, so a few directions are welcome. After that, the survey runs as it would anywhere.
- You tell us whether any stacks are shared, unused or leaning.
- The flashings and the roof around each chimney are inspected.
- We check the flaunching and pots on every stack.
- Any lean, spalling or worn pointing is recorded.
- You receive a written report setting out what needs attention first.
Preparing for the visit
- If the roof is shared, arrange access with whoever manages the building
- Make a note of anything you’d like us to look at
- Note where any stains or damp appear
How to book
Buyers should book once an offer has been accepted, so you have the findings in time to act on them before you exchange. For any other survey, just call 07833 053749 or use the contact form when you are ready.
Advice
Landlords, agents and block managers in Loudwater
A roof problem in a let property affects your tenants as well as the building. A survey shows what needs attention, so you can plan the work with less disruption.
Landlords, agents and building managers in Loudwater and across Hertfordshire can book any of our surveys. To discuss a property or a block, ring 07833 053749 or use the contact form.
Why get it checked now?
A small amount of repointing or new flaunching is usually a modest job. Left for a few winters, frost and water can loosen pots and bricks and the job gets bigger. Where a roof is exposed, as many are in small places like Loudwater, driving rain gets into any weakness, and older walls, once damp, take a long time to dry.
Prices quoted always include VAT, and the written report is part of the package. Our price is from £150, including VAT. Where your roof sits in the range depends on its size, height and access.
Why choose Independent Roof Survey in Loudwater
- Every finding written up with photos
- An independent view of the roof
- A sub-250g drone, flown with a CAA Flyer ID and Operator ID
- More than 5,000 surveys completed
See our cost guide or our case studies.
How the survey changes by roof type
Flaunching
Cracked flaunching is one of the most common chimney defects we record. It is typically a modest repair when it’s caught early.
Lead flashings
Some older stacks have mortar fillets instead of lead. They crack with age, and we check them too.
Also near Loudwater
Also in Loudwater
When to book a survey in Loudwater
TV aerials, satellite dishes and their brackets are often fixed to chimneys. Their weight and the wind on them can loosen bricks and pointing. Any fixings on the stack are checked and recorded.
We are often asked to look at:
- Worn or missing pointing
- Loose, cracked or missing pots
- A chimney out of line
- Flashings pulling away from the stack
The streets around a church like Christ Church are often among the oldest in a place, and if your home is one of the older ones nearby, corroded nails, tired lead and weathered chimney pointing are the things to watch on older roofs.
Before booking anyone
- Will the report include photos?
- Whether the inside of the roof is included
- What experience they bring
- What follow-up you get after the report
Questions from Loudwater
Can a landlord with a rental near Rickmansworth station book a roof survey?
Yes. We survey roofs for landlords, letting agents and managing agents as well as owners. Just phone 07833 053749 or send us an email with the details, and we’ll talk through which survey suits.
How do I find out if my home in Loudwater is listed?
The council and Historic England’s list are the places to check. It is worth checking before planning roof work, as both can affect what’s allowed.
Will you walk on the roof?
Only when it is safe. Most of what we need can be seen from safe viewpoints, the loft and, where applicable, a drone, and the report notes anything we couldn’t see.
What happens next?
We email you the written report with photographs and recommendations. It’s yours to share with a seller, insurer, roofer or managing agent, whichever applies.
Is this a RICS survey?
No. It’s 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.
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.
What does a chimney survey cover?
The survey covers the pots and cowls, the flaunching, the pointing, the bricks and the flashings. Inside, we look for damp on chimney breasts and in the loft where there’s safe access. You get a written report with photos.