Hertfordshire · London and the South East
Chimney Survey in Marshalswick
Not sure what state the chimney stack is in? We carry out chimney surveys in Marshalswick and across Hertfordshire, with plain-English findings.
- Frost-damaged brickwork on the stack
- Gaps where the stack meets the roof
- Redundant stacks capped without ventilation
How a chimney survey works in Marshalswick
On terraced and semi-detached houses, a chimney stack is often shared with next door. We check whatever is safely visible and what the owner gives us access to. Where a problem seems to involve a neighbour’s side, the report records it and you can then discuss it with them. You get a written report with photos and our recommendations. If you’ve noticed spalled or crumbling bricks and a stack that appears to lean, a survey will tell you what’s going on.
Trees around homes in smaller places like Marshalswick drop leaves, twigs and moss onto roofs and into gutters. Blocked gutters overflow and soak the walls below. It is the kind of slow problem a roof report picks up early. Moss on the roof and weeds in the gutter are both easy to spot from ground level.
The report is written in plain words, so you do not need to be a roofer to follow it. Photos show what each point refers to, and recommendations are put by urgency where it matters.
- Where
- Marshalswick (AL4, AL1, AL3)
- Region
- Hertfordshire
- Cost
- From £150 inc. VAT
- Reports
- Emailed report with photos and recommendations
- Survey days
- Weekdays, Saturdays and Sundays
- Insurance
- Professional indemnity and public liability
- Phone
- 07833 053749
- Page updated
- 27 October 2026
Roof by roof
Lead flashings
Some older stacks have mortar fillets instead of lead. They tend to crack, so we check them closely.
Rendered stacks
We can’t see the bricks behind render without it being opened up, so the report explains what we could and couldn’t assess.
Questions from Marshalswick
I let a flat near St Albans station. Can you check the roof?
Of course. Let us know whether a tenant or an agent will let us in, and the report can go straight to you or your agent.
Will you come out to Marshalswick?
We do. A small place gets exactly the same survey as a big one, with the route planned beforehand.
Can you give me structural calculations?
No. We’re experienced roof surveyors, and visible signs like sagging are noted, but calculations and an engineer’s opinion are outside what we do. If one is needed, the report says so.
Can you inspect my roof with a drone?
Where it helps and it is safe, yes. Flights depend on the weather on the day and airspace rules, including flight restriction zones near airports. We are a CAA-registered drone operator.
What do you check on a chimney?
We check the pots, cowls, flaunching, pointing, brickwork and flashings. We also check chimney breasts and the stack in the loft space where we can reach. You get a written report with photos.
Do you survey roofs on blocks of flats?
Yes, as long as access is agreed. Roofs over flats are often shared, so we need permission from the building owner or managing agent. We inspect only the parts we are allowed to reach.
Do you inspect the flue?
No. It is not a flue, sweep or gas safety inspection. We check the stack, pots, flaunching, pointing and flashings, and damp inside and flag anything that suggests the flue needs a look.
Can I check my roof myself?
You can learn a lot from ground level. With binoculars, look for slipped or missing slates and tiles, gaps along the ridge and leaning chimneys. Please do not climb up for a closer look.
Watch the gutters in a downpour, from a window or the ground. Water spilling over the edge can be a sign of a blockage or a gutter that has dropped.
When you need someone else
Some things cannot be seen without opening up the roof, so a survey has limits:
- Whether a stack needs rebuilding on structural grounds
- Checks on boilers, fires or their flues
- The inside of the flue, which needs a sweep or flue specialist
Not sure which survey suits your roof? You can call 07833 053749 or email us and we’ll tell you. The full list of what we check.
What this survey covers
- Flaunching
- Chimney pots and cowls
- Shared and party-wall stacks
- Chimney breasts
- Brick chimney stacks
- Lead flashings
How we price chimney surveys
What a survey costs depends on the time and equipment it needs. The main factors are:
- How big the roof is
- Height and safe access
- Extra roofs, like extensions, dormers or garages
- Chimneys, valleys, parapets and other details
Bigger, taller and commercial roofs take more time to survey, so they’re priced to match. The price is confirmed before booking.
Getting in touch
Getting the details right at the start saves time. Please include:
- Pictures from the garden or a window, if you have them
- What’s prompted the survey
- Where water is showing inside, if it is
- Your postcode, so we can check access and travel
We confirm the price for your survey before you book, so you know where you stand. Chimney survey starts from £150, including VAT. To book, ring 07833 053749 or email us.
For landlords and managing agents
Businesses and commercial landlords can book us too. Larger roofs take longer, so they’re priced to suit.
Where a roof is shared: access has to be agreed with whoever owns or manages the building. Mention it when you get in touch and we will plan the survey around it.
How it works
We photograph the roof as we go, so the report shows exactly what we saw. Close-ups come from the safest viewpoint available. A typical visit takes between one and two hours on an ordinary house, rising to roughly 3–4 hours on a commercial building. With a bit of garden around a house, as there frequently is around Marshalswick, the roof can be viewed from several angles. Let us know if any side is fenced off or hard to reach. Inside, the loft is checked where it can be reached safely.
- First you let us know about the chimneys, any damp on the chimney breasts and any worries.
- The stacks are looked at from ground level, from windows and from other safe vantage points.
- We check and photograph the pots, cowls, flaunching, pointing and flashings.
- Inside, we look for damp on chimney breasts and in the loft where there is safe access.
- The findings are written up with photos and recommendations and emailed to you.
Preparing for the visit
- Leave side gates unlocked
- Tell us about any leaks, stains or damp patches you know of
- Buyers: confirm access with the estate agent or seller
Getting a price
To arrange a survey, phone 07833 053749 or send us an email and let us know the address and what’s prompted the survey. We will confirm the price before you book.
Related advice
Also near Marshalswick
Also in Marshalswick
Local roofs in Marshalswick
With Batchwood Hall about 2 miles west, Marshalswick sits in an area with a long building history. Older homes in the wider area frequently have features worth a closer look, like lead valleys, tall stacks and roofs that have been patched over the years, and the council can say whether a home is in a conservation area. 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. Whichever you have, the details that tend to fail before the covering itself get the closest look.
Trees in and around Clarence Park shed leaves that can end up in nearby gutters, and an overflowing gutter soon means a wet wall. For site and facilities teams at buildings such as St John Fisher Roman Catholic Primary School, large buildings have long gutter runs and big roofs that need checking like any other. For landlords with property near St Albans station, a roof report between tenancies helps plan work before a small defect becomes a tenant’s leak.
Marshalswick is about 1 mile north-east of St Albans, in Hertfordshire. Marshalswick is part of the area we cover across London and South East England. Across Hertfordshire, we cover Marshalswick and the places around it. For surveys nearby, see our London page.
Surveys in AL4, AL1 and AL3 work the same way as everywhere else we cover. Streets in the area include Milvus Road, Jersey Lane and Sandpit Lane. If you are just outside Marshalswick, we cover Sandridge (1 mile north), Bernards Heath (1 mile west), St Albans (1 mile south-west), Childwick Green (2 miles north-west) and Sopwell (2 miles south-west). Within a short drive, we also cover Watford (8 miles south-west), Hemel Hempstead (7 miles west), Stevenage (11 miles north-east), Welwyn Garden City (5 miles north-east), Harpenden (4 miles north-west) and Hitchin (13 miles north).
Around Marshalswick
We work in homes and buildings around The Baton pub, Sandringham School and Clarence Park, among other places. The nearest railway station is St Albans station, roughly 1.3 miles south-west. A little further out are St Albans Musical Museum (0.8 miles south-west) and The Maltings (1.6 miles south-west). Not far away are The Wick Local Nature Reserve and Verulamium Lake.