Hertfordshire · London and the South East
Chimney survey in St Leonards, Hertfordshire
Chimney surveys across St Leonards, backed by more than 20 years’ experience. Every survey ends with a written report and photos.
- Flaunching that has broken away
- Flashings pulling away from the stack
- Damp on a chimney breast inside
What a chimney survey doesn’t cover
We only report whatever is safely visible on the day, so some things are outside what a survey can do:
- Checks on boilers, fires or their flues
- Areas we can’t view from safe positions
- What’s inside the brickwork or behind render, without opening up
Not sure which survey suits your roof? You can ring 07833 053749 or drop us an email and we will tell you before you book. What our survey covers.
Roofs we survey in St Leonards
- Flaunching
- Shared and party-wall stacks
- Chimney pots and cowls
- Lead flashings
- Chimney breasts
- Brick chimney stacks
Chimney surveys for homes and businesses in St Leonards
A leaning chimney stack is worth having looked at. A stack may lean because the mortar on one side has weakened, which can happen over many years of use. We record the lean and the condition of the brickwork and pointing. If the stack looks like a structural issue, the report recommends a structural engineer. Common reasons to book are spalled or crumbling bricks and signs that a stack is leaning, on brick chimney stacks, shared and party-wall stacks and lead flashings.
In a village or hamlet like St Leonards, older cottages and farmhouses often sit alongside barns, outbuildings and a few newer houses. Roofs there can be clay tile, slate, stone or thatch, and chimney stacks are often old. Each needs checking in its own way, and thatch is a specialist material we report on as far as it can be seen. On older roofs, it’s typically the chimneys and lead flashings that need work first.
We keep jargon out of it: where something needs attention, it says so plainly, along with how urgent it is.
- Location
- St Leonards (HP23)
- Wider area
- Hertfordshire
- Price
- From £150 inc. VAT
- Reports
- Written, with photos, emailed to you
- When we survey
- Monday to Sunday, daytime
- Insurance
- PI and public liability insurance
- Phone
- 07833 053749
- Page updated
- 27 October 2026
Checking the roof from the ground
The one thing to avoid is getting up close. Slates, tiles, flat roofs and rooflights can give way, and a fall can be serious. That part is for a survey.
If you have a loft with safe access, take a look inside. Take a torch and only step on boards or joists, and look for staining, damp timber or daylight coming through.
Towns and villages near St Leonards
Also in St Leonards
Different roofs, different checks
Flaunching
Sitting at the very top, flaunching is fully exposed. We look for cracks, gaps around the pots and missing pieces.
Brick stacks
Frost can damage bricks that have soaked up water, making the faces flake away. We record any we can see.
What happens if roof problems are left?
If a stack seems to lean, don’t leave it. We record its condition and recommend a structural engineer where needed, so you know where you stand. For an older or listed building in a place like St Leonards, repairs may need matching materials and consent, so leaving a defect until it’s urgent leaves less time to plan.
Prices start from £150, with VAT included, for a Basic Survey. The Standard Survey starts from £250 and the Premium Survey from £400, both with VAT included. You’ll know the price for your survey before booking.
What you get with us
- Independent findings on the roof’s condition
- 5,000+ roofs surveyed
- Drone and thermal imaging surveys available
- Professional indemnity and public liability insurance
Take a look at our cost guide and two real surveys.
St Leonards questions
Do you cover smaller places like St Leonards?
Yes, we do. We survey roofs across London and the South East, and smaller places are part of that. The journey is planned ahead, so it helps to know about access.
Does a conservation area affect roof work in St Leonards?
Start with Historic England’s list for listing and your council for conservation areas. Either can affect what roof work is allowed, so it is worth checking before planning any.
What does a chimney survey cover?
The survey covers the pots and cowls, the flaunching, the pointing, the bricks and the flashings. We also check chimney breasts and the stack in the loft space where we can reach. You get a written report with photos.
How much does a chimney survey cost in St Leonards?
Chimney survey starts from £150, including VAT. What you pay for your roof depends on its size, height, access and the package, confirmed before anything is booked.
How experienced are you?
We’ve been surveying roofs for over 20 years and have carried out more than 5,000 surveys.
Do you survey roofs on blocks of flats?
Yes, once whoever controls the roof agrees access. We check the parts we’re given access to.
Do you carry professional indemnity insurance?
Our surveys are covered by professional indemnity and public liability insurance. If you need details for a managing agent or a building owner, just ask.
How it works
Every visit follows the same pattern: we hear what you’ve seen, look at the roof from every safe viewpoint, photograph what we find and make notes for the report. Most visits take between one and two hours for most homes, a little longer where there are several stacks. Somewhere as small as St Leonards, access is frequently the only tricky part. Mention any outbuildings, barns or garages you want included, and anything about the roof you already know. Visits can be on weekdays, Saturdays or Sundays.
- You tell us how many stacks there are and any damp or problems you’ve noticed.
- Each chimney is viewed from wherever it can safely be seen.
- Every part we can see is checked: pots, cowls, flaunching, pointing, bricks and flashings.
- We check the chimney breasts and the stack in the roof space where we can reach them.
- The findings are written up with photos and recommendations and emailed to you.
Before the survey
- Move anything stored under the loft hatch
- Unlock side gates and any roof access doors
- Keep pets in another room
How to book
If you have photos of the roof, send them over. Take them safely from ground level or a window, and please don’t climb up for a closer look. To get started, ring 07833 053749 or send us an email.
Read more
St Leonards homes and their roofs
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 is often the fixings, flashings, valleys and gutters that give out first. The wider area around St Leonards has a long history of building, with Cholesbury Manor House about 1.1 miles east. Period homes nearby can have lead valleys, tall chimneys and a patchwork of past repairs.
If your home is one of the older ones in the streets near Church of St Leonard, corroded nails, tired lead and weathered chimney pointing are the things to watch on older roofs.
St Leonards is about 4 miles north-west of Chesham, in Hertfordshire. We carry out chimney surveys in St Leonards for houses, flats, blocks and commercial buildings, with a written report and photographs every time. Across Hertfordshire, we cover St Leonards. Our Milton Keynes page covers surveys nearby.
Every address in HP23 is within our area for chimney surveys. Streets in the area include Bottom Road, Gilbert's Hill and Jenkins Lane. We also cover Buckland Common (1 mile east), Cholesbury (1 mile east), Hastoe (1 mile north), Swan Bottom (1 mile south-west) and Lee Common (2 miles south). Within a short drive, we also cover Watford (14 miles south-east), Hemel Hempstead (9 miles east), St Albans (15 miles east), Harpenden (15 miles east), Berkhamsted (5 miles east) and Rickmansworth (12 miles south-east).
What’s near St Leonards
Typical jobs here are in homes near White Lion Public House. The closest station to St Leonards is Wendover station, about 2.9 miles west. Nearby you will also find Trenchard Museum (2.2 miles north-west) and Hawridge Court (2.5 miles south-east). The countryside around St Leonards includes Dancersend Nature Reserve and Pavis Wood.
Signs you need a chimney survey in St Leonards
Flaunching is the mortar bed that holds the pots and throws water off the top. Once it cracks, water gets in and frost makes the cracks bigger. In time, the pots can become loose.
Problems we come across often include:
- Unused flues sealed without airflow
- Worn or missing pointing
- Damp on a chimney breast inside
- Pots or cowls that look unsafe
If you let a flat or house near Wendover station, a dated record of the roof is useful when planning maintenance across a let.
Before you book anyone
- Their insurance cover
- How they’ll see the roof: from ground level, the loft, the roof or by drone
- Whether you get a written report with photos
- Whether the loft space is looked at, where there is one