Hertfordshire · London and the South East
Chimney Survey in Piccotts End
Find out the condition of the chimney stack at your property in Piccotts End. Visits run on weekdays and weekends, in the daytime.
- Redundant stacks capped without ventilation
- Pots or cowls that look unsafe
- Bricks with flaking faces
How a chimney survey works in Piccotts End
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. You get photos and findings you can take back to the seller or agent. It works alongside a RICS home survey, not instead of one. Common reasons to book are flashings pulling away from the stack and damp patches on chimney breasts, across chimney breasts, chimney pots and cowls and lead flashings.
In a small place like Piccotts End, many roofs stand in the open, which is hard on ridges, chimneys, flashings and gutters. Damp in old walls is slow to dry, so a small leak can do a lot of harm. A written report sets out what to deal with and in what order. On exposed older roofs, chimneys and lead flashings are frequently the first to give way.
If any part of the chimney stack couldn’t be seen safely, we say so in the report. That way, it’s clear what was covered and what wasn’t, and what we’d suggest next.
- Location
- Piccotts End (HP1, HP2)
- Region
- Hertfordshire
- Prices
- From £150 inc. VAT
- Report
- Emailed report with photos and recommendations
- Survey days
- Weekdays and weekends
- Cover
- Professional indemnity and public liability
- Call
- 07833 053749
- Page updated
- 27 October 2026
Checking the roof from ground level
Inside, the loft is a good place to look, with care. Take a torch and only step on boards or joists, and look for staining, damp timber or daylight coming through.
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.
What we can’t see
In fairness, there are limits to any roof survey:
- Whether the flue is safe to use
- Parts of the stack that cannot be seen safely or belong to a neighbour we cannot access
- Whether a gas appliance or its flue is safe
If you’re not sure which survey you need, call 07833 053749 or drop us an email and we’ll give you a straight answer. What a survey covers and doesn’t.
Roof types and parts we check
- Brick chimney stacks
- Flaunching
- Chimney pots and cowls
- Shared and party-wall stacks
- Lead flashings
- Chimney breasts
Piccotts End questions
I let a flat near Hemel Hempstead station. Can you check the roof?
Of course. We just need to know who will give access, and the report can go straight to you or your agent.
Are flat-roofed garages and porches in Piccotts End worth including?
Usually, yes: let us know about it as you book so the visit can include it. Many homes in new towns like Hemel Hempstead have flat-roofed garages and porches, and felt roofs frequently last around 15–20 years.
Will you go up on the roof?
Only when it is safe. Safety comes first, and fragile or steep roofs cannot always be walked on. We use safe viewpoints, the loft space and a drone where it applies, and the report records anything we couldn’t see.
What do I do with the report?
We email you the written report with photos and recommendations. You can use it to talk to a seller, an insurer, a roofer or a managing agent, whichever applies.
How long will you be at the property?
Most surveys take about 1–2 hours on an ordinary house, though large, tall or awkward roofs take more time. The report follows by email.
Does someone need to be in?
Someone needs to let us in if we’re looking inside or in the loft. We will talk about access as you book.
Should I worry about a leaning stack?
It’s worth having a leaning stack checked. We record the lean, the brickwork and the pointing, and if it may be a structural issue, we recommend a structural engineer.
Landlord and commercial surveys in Piccotts End
For blocks of flats, a roof survey helps managing agents and residents’ management companies plan ahead. The report sets out what needs attention now and what can wait, which helps with budgets and planning.
Any of our surveys can be booked by landlords, agents and building managers in Piccotts End. To discuss a property or a block, call 07833 053749 or use the contact form.
How we price chimney surveys
Survey packages start from £150, with VAT included. The price for your roof depends on:
- The roof’s overall size
- How complicated the roof is, with its valleys, chimneys and parapets
- Whether you choose the Basic, Standard or Premium Survey
- How tall the building is and how easy the roof is to see
Prices quoted always include VAT, and the report is not charged as an extra. Chimney survey starts from £150, including VAT. Size, height and access decide where your roof falls.
Booking your survey
You don’t need to know any roofing terms. Just let us know:
- Anything about access we should know
- The reason for the survey, such as buying, a leak or storm damage
- Where any leaks, stains or damp patches show inside
- When you need the report by
Most bookings start with a short call: call 07833 053749 or use the contact form and we will ask a few questions about the roof. The price is agreed before a date is set.
Chimney surveys in Piccotts End: local notes
If your home is older, it is worth knowing whether it’s listed or in a conservation area before planning roof work. Changes that affect a listed building’s special interest need listed building consent, and councils can also use Article 4 directions to control changes in conservation areas. Older houses in the South East often have slate or clay tile roofs, while many later estates have concrete tiles, and flat-roofed additions turn up almost everywhere. Whichever you have, the details that tend to fail before the covering itself get the closest look.
The streets around a church such as St Mary's 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. Landlords with a home close to Hemel Hempstead station may find that a roof report helps you deal with small faults before they turn into a call from a tenant. Homes near green spaces such as Gadebridge Park can get more leaves in their gutters in autumn, and an overflowing gutter soon means a wet wall.
Piccotts End is about 1 mile north-west of Hemel Hempstead, in Hertfordshire. We carry out chimney surveys in Piccotts End for houses, flats, blocks and commercial buildings, with a written report and photographs every time. Piccotts End is one of the places in Hertfordshire we cover. You can also see our page for Milton Keynes.
Chimney surveys in HP1 and HP2 are booked the same way as anywhere else. You will find streets such as Piccotts End Road, Leighton Buzzard Road and Riverbank, and we cover them all. Neighbouring places we cover for chimney surveys include Gadebridge (1 mile south-west), Highfield (1 mile south-east), Warner's End (1 mile south-west), Grovehill (1 mile south) and Woodhall Farm (1 mile south). Further out, we also cover Watford (8 miles south-east), St Albans (6 miles east), Welwyn Garden City (12 miles east), Harpenden (6 miles north-east), Hitchin (15 miles north-east) and Hatfield (11 miles east).
Around Piccotts End
In Piccotts End, that means homes and buildings near The Old Bell pub, Laureate Academy and Gadebridge Park. For rail, the closest station is Hemel Hempstead station, about 2 miles south of the centre. Nearby you will also find Redbourn Museum (3.8 miles north-east) and Hemel Hempstead Hospital (1.4 miles south). The countryside around Piccotts End includes Long Deans.
How it works
The visit typically starts outside and finishes in the loft: first the slopes, edges and gutters from every safe viewpoint, then the roof space where it can be reached. In total, it takes about 1–2 hours at a typical home, and more on a big or complicated roof. Cottages and farmhouses around Piccotts End often have roofs at several levels, with lean-tos and outbuildings attached. Each part is looked at from wherever it can be seen safely.
- You tell us whether any stacks are shared, unused or leaning.
- We check the roof around each stack, including the flashings.
- The top of each stack is checked for cracked flaunching and loose pots.
- Any lean, spalling or worn pointing is recorded.
- You receive a written report setting out what needs attention first.
Getting ready for the survey
- Move anything stored under the loft hatch
- Jot down any questions you want answered
- Keep pets inside or away from the areas we’re looking at
Arrange a survey
You can call us seven days a week. For a price or to book, call 07833 053749 or send us an email.
Related advice
Tips that help
These tips come from what we see on roofs every week:
- Check fixings on the stack are secure
- Photograph damp patches with the date
- Find out whether changes to a stack need permission
- Check unused flues are capped with ventilation
Many people use the report to get quotes for the work. With the same list in front of each contractor, comparing quotes is simpler.
Check fixings on the stack are sound, and moved if they’re working it loose. Less load on the stack means less strain in wind.