Hertfordshire · London and the South East
Chimney survey in Lower Sheering, Hertfordshire
Chimney surveys across Lower Sheering, with over 20 years’ experience behind it. You get a clear report with photos.
- Worn or missing pointing
- Cracked or missing flaunching
- Redundant stacks capped without ventilation
How a chimney survey works in Lower Sheering
A chimney survey is about the outside of the stack and the roof around it. It isn’t a flue inspection, a sweep or a gas safety check. For the flue itself, you will need a sweep or, for gas appliances, a Gas Safe registered engineer. We’ll tell you if we see anything that suggests they should take a look. If you are worried about worn or missing pointing and flaunching that has broken away, a survey will tell you what’s going on, whatever the roof.
Somewhere as small as Lower Sheering, homes are often older cottages and farmhouses, with outbuildings and some newer houses. Older roofs may be clay tile, slate, stone or thatch, often with chimneys that have stood a long time. Each needs checking in its own way, and thatch is a specialist material we report on as far as it can be seen. Chimneys and lead flashings on old roofs often need the most attention.
You can share the report with anyone who needs it: your solicitor, the seller, your insurer, a roofer or the building’s managing agent, whichever applies.
- Place
- Lower Sheering (CM21, CM22)
- Region
- Hertfordshire
- Cost
- From £150 inc. VAT
- Report
- Written, with photos, emailed to you
- Survey days
- Monday to Sunday, daytime
- Cover
- Professional indemnity and public liability
- Telephone
- 07833 053749
- Page updated
- 27 October 2026
Useful tips for Lower Sheering property owners
From years of surveys, a few habits stand out as worth the effort:
- Never climb onto the roof to look at a chimney
- Remove aerials or dishes from the stack if they’re no longer needed
- Use the report as a baseline for future checks
- Have the flue swept and checked if you use the fire
You get the report by email and can pass it to whoever does the work. We use plain English and a photo for each defect so anyone reading it can see what we saw.
Look at your chimneys from ground level now and then, especially after strong winds. With binoculars, you can often see cracked flaunching or lifted lead.
Honest limits
Without opening up the roof, some things stay hidden, so a survey has limits:
- Checks on boilers, fires or their flues
- Parts of the stack that cannot be seen safely or belong to a neighbour we can’t access
- Structural calculations for a leaning stack
Not sure which survey suits your roof? You can ring 07833 053749 or use the contact form and we’ll tell you before booking. What a survey covers and doesn’t.
Roof types and parts we check
- Flaunching
- Brick chimney stacks
- Lead flashings
- Chimney pots and cowls
- Shared and party-wall stacks
- Chimney breasts
Should I look at the roof myself first?
If you have a loft with safe access, take a look inside. Use a torch and stay on the joists or boards, and look for staining, damp timber or daylight coming through.
Watch the gutters in a downpour, from a window or the ground. Overflowing water can point to a blockage or a sagging run.
Lower Sheering: your questions answered
I let a flat near Sawbridgeworth station. Can you check the roof?
Yes, letting agents and landlords book with us as well as owners. Just ring 07833 053749 or email us and tell us about the building.
Will you come out to Lower Sheering?
Yes, we do. We survey roofs across London and South East England, and smaller places are part of that. The journey is planned ahead, so it helps to know about access.
What does the report include?
It sets out what we found, why it matters and what we recommend, with photos throughout. Anything we couldn’t see safely is noted too, so you know exactly what was covered.
Is this an asbestos survey?
No. Our report may flag materials that could contain asbestos, but only a specialist asbestos surveyor can confirm it. Buildings built or refurbished before 2000 may contain it.
Can you find out why my chimney breast is 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.
Do you carry out surveys on Saturdays and Sundays?
Visits run seven days a week in the daytime, which suits people who work during the week. Let us know your preferred days as you book.
I live in a flat. Can you survey the roof?
Yes, as long as access is agreed. The roof of a block or converted house is frequently shared, so we need permission from the building owner or managing agent. We inspect only the parts we’re allowed to reach.
What happens on the day
It is useful to start with what’s prompted the survey: buying, a leak, storm damage, new work or just wanting to know where things stand. It helps us focus on what matters most to you. The visit normally takes between one and two hours for most homes, a little longer where there are several stacks. Older roofs in small places like Lower Sheering can have low, tight loft spaces, so tell us about the loft hatch and any ladder. Only areas that can be reached safely are inspected.
- First you let us know about the chimneys, any damp on the chimney breasts and any worries.
- We inspect each stack from safe viewpoints outside.
- The pots, cowls, flaunching, pointing, brickwork and flashings are checked and photographed.
- Inside, we look for damp on chimney breasts and in the loft where there is safe access.
- You get a written report with photos and our recommendations.
Before the survey
- Check pets are kept safely away
- Point out any leaks or damp patches
- Clear the way to the loft hatch
How to book
When you are ready to go ahead, phone 07833 053749 or email us. We will suggest a package, agree the price and find a date.
Advice
Chimney surveys around Lower Sheering
The wider area around Lower Sheering has a long history of building, with Barrington Hall about 4.2 miles north-east. Older roofs in the wider area can hide decades of patch repairs, so the detail matters, and a listed home or one in a conservation area may need consent for changes of material. Slate and clay tile are the usual coverings on older South East houses, with concrete tiles on many later estates, with flat-roofed extensions, dormers and garages common everywhere. Whatever the covering, it’s frequently the fixings, flashings, valleys and gutters that give out first.
If you look after a building such as Fawbert and Barnard Infants' School, large buildings have long gutter runs and big roofs that need checking like any other. If yours is one of the older homes in the streets near Parish Church of Great St Mary's, its roof may have old fixings, lead flashings and chimneys that need a closer look.
Lower Sheering is about 3 miles north-east of Harlow, in Hertfordshire. We provide chimney surveys for householders, landlords and businesses in Lower Sheering. Lower Sheering is one of the towns and villages in Hertfordshire we cover for chimney surveys. There is also a page for Chelmsford.
Surveys in CM21 and CM22 work the same way as everywhere else we cover. We offer chimney surveys to properties on Back Lane, Vantorts Road and Forebury Avenue and the roads around them. Other places close to Lower Sheering include Sawbridgeworth (1 mile west), Sheering (1 mile east), High Wych (2 miles west), Gaston Green (2 miles north) and Spellbrook (2 miles north). Further out, we also cover Bishop's Stortford (4 miles north), Welwyn Garden City (15 miles west), Hoddesdon (8 miles south-west), Cheshunt (11 miles south-west), Hertford (10 miles west) and Ware (8 miles west).
Near you in Lower Sheering
In Lower Sheering, that means homes and buildings near Leventhorpe, Gibberd Garden and King William IV Public House, among other places. There is a railway station in Lower Sheering itself: Sawbridgeworth station. Nearby you’ll also find Harlow Mill (1.9 miles south-west) and Mark Hall Cycle Museum (2.6 miles south-west). Green spaces nearby include Portingbury Hills and Sawbridgeworth Marsh.
Signs you need a chimney survey in Lower Sheering
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.
Here are some of the things we see often:
- Spalled or crumbling bricks
- Damp on a chimney breast inside
- Cracked or missing flaunching
- Unused flues sealed without airflow
For landlords with property near Sawbridgeworth station, a roof report helps you deal with small faults before they turn into a call from a tenant.
Questions to ask before booking
- What follow-up you get after the report
- How much experience they have with roofs like yours
- Whether the inside of the roof is included
- Whether the price includes VAT
What a survey costs
Our packages start from £150, inc. VAT. What you pay for your roof depends on:
- The number of roofs, including extensions and garages
- How big the roof is
- The shape of the roof and its details
- Whether thermal imaging or a drone is needed
Every price we give includes VAT, and the report isn’t charged as an extra. Our price is from £150, including VAT. Size, height and access decide where your roof falls.
What to tell us when you contact us
Here’s what helps us most when you get in touch:
- Where the property is, with the postcode
- Anything about access we should know
- Where any leaks, stains or damp patches show inside
- Any deadline, like an exchange date
Getting a price is simple: just ring 07833 053749 or drop us an email, let us know about the property and we will suggest the right survey. The price is agreed up front.