Essex · London and the South East
Chimney Survey in Netteswell
A survey of chimney stacks, pots, flashings and flaunching in Netteswell, using drones and thermal imaging where it applies. Call or email for a price.
- Loose, cracked or missing pots
- Damp on a chimney breast inside
- Unused flues sealed without airflow
Chimney surveys for homes and businesses in Netteswell
If you are buying a home with chimneys, it is worth knowing their condition before you exchange. On older stacks, we often find cracked flaunching, loose flashings and worn pointing. Our report gives you specific points to raise with the seller or agent. It works alongside a RICS home survey, not instead of one. If you are worried about mortar washing out of the joints and a stack that appears to lean, a survey will tell you what’s going on.
Trees around homes in smaller places like Netteswell drop leaves, twigs and moss onto roofs and into gutters. Once gutters and outlets block, water spills over and soaks the walls. A report spots that kind of slow problem before it becomes damp inside. Moss on the roof and weeds in the gutter are both easy to spot from the ground.
The report is written in plain words, so it makes sense without any roofing background. Each point is backed by a photo where possible, and recommendations are put with the most urgent first where relevant.
- Location
- Netteswell (CM20, CM18, CM19)
- Wider area
- Essex
- Cost
- From £150 inc. VAT
- Report
- A written report with photos, by email
- When we survey
- Monday to Sunday, daytime
- Insurance
- Professional indemnity and public liability
- Phone
- 07833 053749
- Last updated
- 27 October 2026
When you need someone else
Without opening up the roof, some things stay hidden, so a survey has limits:
- A structural engineer’s assessment
- Hidden damage within the stack
- Checks on boilers, fires or their flues
If in doubt, phone 07833 053749 or send us an email and we’ll point you to the right survey before you book. The full list of what we check.
What we check
- Brick chimney stacks
- Lead flashings
- Shared and party-wall stacks
- Flaunching
- Chimney breasts
- Chimney pots and cowls
Questions from Netteswell
My home in Netteswell has a flat-roofed garage or porch. Is it worth having that looked at?
Frequently, yes, so mention it when you book. Flat-roofed garages and porches are common in new towns like Harlow, and older felt coverings may be near the end of their life.
Do you cover smaller places like Netteswell?
Yes, Netteswell is on our map. Villages and rural addresses get the same survey as a town house, with the route planned beforehand.
Does this replace a RICS home survey?
No. Our survey looks at the roof, not the whole building. For the rest of the building, a RICS home survey is a separate job.
Is a leaning chimney dangerous?
A leaning stack should be looked at. We record the lean, the brickwork and the pointing, and recommend a structural engineer where it may be a structural concern.
Do you survey on Saturdays and Sundays?
Surveys run on any day of the week. To find a day that suits you, phone 07833 053749 or send us an email.
How much is a survey?
Our price is from £150, including VAT. We confirm the exact price before booking, and it depends on the roof’s size, access and the package you choose. For a price, phone 07833 053749 or use the contact form.
When does the report arrive?
Basic reports arrive within 48 hours, Standard reports in 24–48 hours and Premium reports on the same day. All of them come by email, ready to forward.
Places near Netteswell
Other services in Netteswell
What we look for on each type of roof
Flaunching
The sloping mortar around the pots is called flaunching. Cracks in it let water into the stack.
Lead flashings
Where the chimney meets the roof slopes, lead flashings keep water out. The survey looks at whether the lead is tight, sound and well fixed.
What we’re asked to look at in Netteswell
Flashings seal the gap where a stack passes through the roof. 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 flashings can also be stolen.
Common reasons to book include:
- Loose, cracked or missing pots
- Eroded joints in the brickwork
- Damp on a chimney breast inside
- Flaunching that has broken away
If you own a rental within reach of Harlow Town station, a roof report between tenancies helps plan work before a small defect becomes a tenant’s leak.
Choosing a roof surveyor
- Whether any drone flown is registered with the CAA
- Will they check the loft as well as the outside?
- How they’ll see the roof: from ground level, the loft, the roof or by drone
- What follow-up you get after the report
What happens on the day
We photograph the roof as we go, so you can see in the report what we found and where. Close-ups come from the safest viewpoint available. A typical visit takes between one and two hours at most homes, rising to roughly 3–4 hours on a commercial building. Homes around Netteswell often have gardens on more than one side, which gives us room to step back and see the roof. Mention any side of the property we can’t get to. The loft, where there’s safe access, completes the picture.
- You tell us how many stacks there are and any damp or problems you’ve noticed.
- Each chimney is viewed from wherever it can be seen safely.
- The pots, cowls, flaunching, pointing, brickwork and flashings are checked and photographed.
- We check the chimney breasts and the stack in the roof space where we can reach them.
- We send a written report with photos, the defects found and what we recommend.
How to prepare
- For a flat or shared roof, check access with the building owner or managing agent
- If you’re buying, check with the agent that we can get in
- Mention any parking restrictions on your street
Booking a survey
Surveys can be booked for weekdays, Saturdays or Sundays. To arrange a day that suits you, ring 07833 053749 or email us with the address and the days you’d prefer.
Related advice
Netteswell homes and their roofs
Harlow, which Netteswell is part of, is one of England’s post-war new towns. Many homes in the new towns date from the post-war decades, with concrete interlocking tiles, low-pitched roofs and flat-roofed garages and porches. On homes of that age, felt underlay, flat roofs, gutters and fixings may all be due attention. Listing and conservation areas can both shape what roof work is allowed on an older home. The council is the place to check, along with Historic England’s list, before anyone quotes for re-roofing.
Living close to Harlow Marsh is pleasant, but mature trees mean leaves in gutters and valleys each autumn, so outlets and downpipes are worth watching. The streets around a church such as St Andrew's Methodist Church are frequently among the oldest in a place, and if you own one of the older houses nearby, old fixings, lead flashings and tall chimneys are typical of older roofs.
Netteswell is about 1 mile west of Harlow, in Essex. Bookings from Netteswell are handled just like any other: get in touch, agree the price and pick a day. Netteswell is one of the places in Essex where we work. For surveys nearby, see our Chelmsford page.
Surveys in CM20, CM18 and CM19 work the same way as everywhere else we cover. Whether your property is on Park Lane, School Lane and Maddox Road or anywhere close by, we can help. Being close to the A1019, Netteswell is simple for us to get to for chimney surveys. Other places close to Netteswell include Harlow (1 mile east), Mark Hall South (1 mile east), Mark Hall North (1 mile north-east), Latton (1 mile south-east) and Bush Fair (1 mile south). Larger places within reach include Brentwood (13 miles south-east), Loughton (9 miles south), Waltham Abbey (7 miles south-west), Great Dunmow (13 miles north-east), Epping (5 miles south) and Stansted Mountfitchet (10 miles north-east).
Near you in Netteswell
Around Netteswell, our work takes us to homes and buildings near Brays Grove, BMAT STEM Academy and Garden Tiger pub, among other places. The closest station to Netteswell is Harlow Town station, roughly 0.8 miles north-west of the centre. Well-known places in the area include Harlow Mill (1.6 miles north-east) and Princess Alexandra Hospital (0.8 miles west). Not far away are Hunsdon Mead.
Tips that help
Most of what helps is simple and safe from the ground. A few suggestions:
- Photograph damp patches with the date
- Never climb onto the roof to look at a chimney
- Use a Gas Safe registered engineer for gas appliances
- Find out whether changes to a stack need permission
You can send the report to roofers or builders for quotes. Because everyone is pricing the same findings, the quotes are easier to compare.
Have worn pointing and cracked flaunching dealt with early. It’s far simpler than rebuilding a stack later.
How we price chimney surveys
Not every roof costs the same to survey, for these reasons:
- The shape of the roof and its details
- Extra roofs, like extensions, dormers or garages
- The package you choose: Basic, Standard or Premium
- The roof’s overall size
Our price is from £150, including VAT. Packages run from Basic at £150 through Standard at £250 to Premium at £400, inc. VAT.
What we need to know
What helps most when you contact us:
- Photos of the roof, taken safely from ground level or a window
- What’s prompted the survey
- The style of property, from a terrace to a block
- Where any leaks, stains or damp patches show inside
Buyers should book once an offer has been accepted, so you have the findings in time to act on them before you exchange. Otherwise, simply call 07833 053749 or drop us an email whenever suits you.