Essex · London and the South East
Newhall Chimney Survey
We take a careful look at the chimney stack at your property in Newhall, with photographs and a written report.
- Staining on walls around the chimney
- Flashings pulling away from the stack
- Pots or cowls that look unsafe
About our chimney survey in Newhall
If you are buying a home with chimneys, it’s 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’re worried about redundant stacks capped without ventilation and flashings pulling away from the stack, we can find out what’s behind it, whatever the roof.
In a smaller place like Newhall, homes range from older cottages to bungalows and newer houses. Older roofs can have slate, clay tiles or other traditional coverings, while many later ones have concrete tiles. Chimneys, valleys and gutters on older homes frequently need the most attention, and the fixings under the coverings matter too. Nails and battens under older coverings frequently give out before the slates or tiles themselves.
Where we can’t see part of the chimney stack, the report says so. You’ll know exactly what was inspected and what wasn’t.
- Where
- Newhall (CM17, CM20)
- Region
- Essex
- Price
- From £150 inc. VAT
- Your report
- Emailed report with photos and recommendations
- When we survey
- Weekdays, Saturdays and Sundays
- Insured
- PI and public liability insurance
- Call
- 07833 053749
- Page updated
- 27 October 2026
What a chimney survey looks like in Newhall
Harlow, which Newhall 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. Low-pitched roofs shed water more slowly, and older concrete tiles, felt and gutters on these homes may be nearing the end of their life. In Essex, older buildings are frequently clay-tiled, many with weatherboarding, alongside a good many post-war and newer estates. Each of these coverings has its own weak points, from fixings and valleys to flashings, chimneys and gutters.
If you look after a building such as Newhall Primary Academy, long gutter runs and wide roofs on a building that size are worth checking on a regular cycle. The streets around a church like Church of St Mary the Virgin are frequently among the oldest in a place, and if your house is among the older ones nearby, its roof may have old fixings, lead flashings and chimneys that need a closer look.
Newhall is about 1 mile east of Harlow, in Essex. We cover Newhall and the rest of Essex, as part of our work across London and South East England. Across Essex, we cover Newhall. We also survey roofs in Chelmsford.
Here we cover the CM17 and CM20 postcode area for chimney surveys. Whether your property is on Moss Lane, Petal Lane and Robin Lane or anywhere close by, we can help. Newhall sits on or near the A414 and A1025, which makes travel easy. Neighbouring places we cover for chimney surveys include Latton (1 mile south-west), Mark Hall South (1 mile west), Harlow (1 mile west), Mark Hall North (1 mile north-west) and Foster Street (1 mile south-east). Within a short drive, we also cover Chelmsford (15 miles east), Brentwood (12 miles south-east), Loughton (9 miles south), Waltham Abbey (8 miles south-west), Great Dunmow (12 miles north-east) and Epping (5 miles south).
Local landmarks in Newhall
Around Newhall, our work takes us to homes and buildings near Mark Hall School, The Small Copper pub and Gibberd Garden, among other places. For rail, the closest station is Harlow Mill station, roughly 1.3 miles north of the centre. Well-known places in the area include Mark Hall Cycle Museum (0.7 miles north-west) and Princess Alexandra Hospital (2.1 miles west). Green spaces nearby include Hunsdon Mead.
Landlords, agents and block managers in Newhall
Freeholders and residents’ companies use a roof report to plan and budget.
Where a roof is shared: we need access agreed with whoever owns or manages the building. Mention it when you contact us and we’ll plan the visit with that in mind.
What a survey costs
Prices vary from roof to roof, for these reasons:
- Height and safe access
- The number of roofs, including extensions and garages
- The use of thermal imaging or a drone
- Basic, Standard or Premium
A small, low roof with good viewpoints takes less time than a tall, complicated one, and the package you pick makes a difference too. The price is always agreed first.
Helping us price your survey
Getting the details right at the start saves time. Please include:
- Pictures from the garden or a window, if you have them
- Anything about access we should know
- Where any leaks, stains or damp patches show inside
- The kind of building and roof involved
We survey roofs on weekdays and at weekends. To arrange a day that suits you, ring 07833 053749 or send us an email with the address and the days you’d prefer.
What we’re asked to look at in Newhall
Chimney stacks stand above the roof, exposed to wind, rain and frost on every side. Frost opens up cracks in the mortar, and rain gets into worn bricks and joints. People normally call us when they notice damp or a problem with the stack, or before a purchase.
Here are some of the things we see often:
- Lifted or split lead flashings
- Mortar washing out of the joints
- Redundant stacks capped without ventilation
- Loose, cracked or missing pots
Homes near green spaces such as Gibberd Garden can get more leaves in their gutters in autumn, and an overflowing gutter soon means a wet wall.
Questions to ask before you book
- If they fly a drone, whether they hold a CAA Flyer ID and Operator ID
- What happens after the report arrives
- Whether the inside of the roof is included
- Their insurance cover
What happens on the day
We work from the outside in: outside views come first, then the loft space if there is safe access. In total, it takes about 1–2 hours for most houses, and more on a big or complicated roof. Homes around Newhall 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.
- 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’s safe access.
- You get a photo-illustrated written report and our recommendations.
Preparing for the visit
- Find any records of previous roof work
- Agree roof access with the managing agent if it’s shared
- Unlock side gates and any roof access doors
Arrange a survey
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 phone 07833 053749 or drop us an email when you’re ready.
Read more
Towns and villages near Newhall
What else we do in Newhall
Tips from our surveys
A few practical points come up again and again on our surveys. They apply to most roofs:
- Find out whether changes to a stack need permission
- Have brackets on the chimney checked
- Never climb onto the roof to look at a chimney
- Check that disused chimneys can still breathe
If the report recommends a structural engineer, a sweep or a Gas Safe registered engineer, it will say why. That helps you brief them.
Watch for damp or staining on chimney breasts. Early signs are easier to trace.
Honest limits
To be straight with you, a roof survey has limits:
- The inside of the flue, which needs a sweep or flue specialist
- Parts of the stack that can’t be seen safely or belong to a neighbour we can’t access
- Hidden damage within the stack
If in doubt, call 07833 053749 or send us an email and we’ll suggest the right survey. What our survey covers.
What we look at
- Shared and party-wall stacks
- Flaunching
- Brick chimney stacks
- Lead flashings
- Chimney breasts
- Chimney pots and cowls
Common questions in Newhall
Are flat-roofed garages and porches in Newhall worth including?
Yes, if you’d like it included, mention it as you book. Cement sheet roofs on buildings from before 2000 may contain asbestos, so a specialist asbestos surveyor should check before they’re disturbed.
How do I find out if my home in Newhall 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.
Do you cover Newhall for chimney surveys?
Yes. We survey roofs across London and South East England, Newhall included.
Which parts of the chimney do you look at?
The whole stack, as far as it can safely be seen: pots, cowls, flaunching, pointing, bricks and flashings. We also note leaning, redundant stacks and damp inside.
Will you fly a drone over my roof?
Where it’s applicable and safe, yes. We fly a sub-250g drone and we are a CAA-registered drone operator (Flyer ID and Operator ID). It is included in the Drone Roof Survey and, where it applies, the Premium Survey.
Do you climb onto every roof?
Only when it’s safe. Most of what we need can be seen from safe viewpoints, the loft and, where applicable, a drone.
Does this replace a RICS home survey?
No. We check the roof, not the whole building, so it’s not a RICS Level 2 or Level 3 survey. It can sit alongside a RICS survey if you want both.