Greater London · London and the South East
Chimney survey in St Luke's, Greater London
A survey of chimney stacks, pots, flashings and flaunching in St Luke's, using drones and thermal imaging where applicable. Call or email for a price.
- Lifted or split lead flashings
- Disused chimneys trapping moisture
- Loose, cracked or missing pots
How a chimney survey works in St Luke's
Each stack is looked at from the safest viewpoints available: from the ground, from windows and vantage points, and from the loft where there is access. With our Premium Survey, a drone inspection is included where applicable. Where part of a stack cannot be seen, the report says so. Each defect is recorded with a photo and a plain description. We survey chimney breasts, lead flashings and brick chimney stacks, and people most frequently book us about mortar washing out of the joints and frost-damaged brickwork on the stack.
London has Victorian and Edwardian terraces in almost every borough, many with Welsh slate roofs, shared chimney stacks and parapet or valley gutters. Slates can last a century or more, but the nails holding them corrode, and slates slip. Homes in St Luke's are no exception. Shared chimney stacks and the lead around them are just as important to check.
Where we can’t see part of the chimney stack, the report says so. You will know exactly what was inspected and what wasn’t.
- Location
- St Luke's (N1, EC1V, EC2A)
- Wider area
- Greater London
- Prices
- 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
- Telephone
- 07833 053749
- Page updated
- 27 October 2026
St Luke's: your questions answered
Is parking a problem for a survey in St Luke's?
Sometimes, yes. Where there are permit zones, a visitor permit or nearby pay-and-display bay works well.
Can a landlord with a rental near Old Street station book a roof survey?
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.
Is a chimney survey the same as a flue inspection?
No. It isn’t a flue, sweep or gas safety inspection. We check the structure and weathering of the stack and any damp and flag anything that suggests the flue needs a look.
Do you need to get into the loft?
If there is a loft and safe access to it, yes. From inside, the underside of the roof often shows damp, staining or daylight that cannot be seen from outside.
Can you survey a chimney stack we share with next door?
Yes. Many houses share stacks with a neighbour. We record the stack as far as we can see it and flag anything on the neighbour’s side.
Can you survey at the weekend?
We survey on any day from Monday to Sunday, during the day, which suits people who work during the week. Let us know your preferred days as you book.
My chimney looks like it’s leaning. What should I do?
It’s worth having a leaning stack checked. We record the lean, the brickwork and the pointing, and recommend a structural engineer where it may be a structural concern.
Nearby places to St Luke's
More services for St Luke's
Different roofs, different checks
Chimney pots and cowls
Pots sit in the flaunching on top of the stack, and cowls or caps sit on the pots. The survey looks for cracked, loose or missing pots and cowls.
Lead flashings
Lead flashings seal the joint between the stack and the roof. We check for lifting, splits and gaps in the joints.
Tips that help
From years of surveys, a few habits stand out as worth the effort:
- Check fixings on the stack are secure
- Book a sweep for flues that are in use
- Check with the council before altering a stack in a conservation area or on a listed building
- Keep the report to compare against at the next survey
The report is emailed to you, ready to share with a roofer or builder. We use plain English and a photo for each defect so anyone reading it can see what we saw.
Look at your chimneys from ground level now and then, especially after strong winds. With binoculars, you can frequently see cracked flaunching or lifted lead.
How it works
Every visit follows the same pattern: we listen to what’s been worrying you, inspect the roof from every safe viewpoint, photograph what we find and make notes for the report. It usually takes an hour or two at most homes, and more on a big or complicated roof. In a London conversion, the way into the roof space is often from a communal landing or the top flat. Where that is the case, access needs agreeing with whoever controls that landing. Everything else is planned around the building, not the postcode.
- You let us know whether any stacks are shared, unused or leaning.
- The flashings and the roof around each chimney are inspected.
- We check the flaunching and pots on every stack.
- Any lean, spalling or worn pointing is recorded.
- The report explains the condition and which work is most urgent.
Before the survey
- Leave side gates unlocked
- Move anything stored under the loft hatch
- If you’re buying, check with the agent that we can get in
Book a survey
You can call us seven days a week, including Saturdays and Sundays. For a price or to book, ring 07833 053749 or send us an email.
Advice
What a chimney survey looks like in St Luke's
Welsh slate on Victorian and Edwardian terraces is a familiar sight across inner London. A butterfly roof with a central valley gutter, tucked behind a parapet wall, is common on these houses. In a house like that, shared stacks, party-wall upstands and lead flashings all need looking at as far as they can be seen. Whatever the covering, it is often the fixings, flashings, valleys and gutters that give out first. With Mansion House about 0.8 miles south, St Luke's sits in an area with a long building history. Older roofs in the wider area can hide decades of patch repairs, so the detail matters, and any change of roofing material on a listed home needs checking with the council first.
Take an older house close to Jewin Welsh Presbyterian Chapel: its roof may have old fixings, lead flashings and chimneys that need a closer look. Living close to Artillery Ground is pleasant, but mature trees mean leaves in gutters and valleys each autumn, so outlets and downpipes are worth watching. Take a building like St Luke's CofE Primary School: long gutter runs and wide roofs on a building that size are worth checking on a regular cycle.
St Luke's is about 2 miles north of London, in Greater London. St Luke's is one of many places we visit across Greater London. St Luke's is one of the places in Greater London we cover for chimney surveys.
Chimney surveys in N1, EC1V and EC2A work the same way as everywhere else we cover. Streets in the area include Long Lane, City Road and Moor Lane, all of which we cover. St Luke's sits on or near the A1 and A501, which makes travel easy. Nearby, we also carry out chimney surveys in Finsbury (1 mile south), Barbican Estate (1 mile south), Shoreditch (1 mile east), Hoxton (1 mile north-east) and City of London (1 mile south). We also work in nearby towns like City of Westminster (3 miles west), Kensington (5 miles west), Walthamstow (5 miles north-east), Hampstead (4 miles north-west), Ruislip (14 miles west) and Brompton (4 miles south-west).
What’s near St Luke's
We work in homes and buildings around Barts Health Archives, Charterhouse Square School and The Masque Haunt pub and the streets around them. You’ll also find St Mary-at-Hill (1.1 miles south), Central Foundation Boys' School (under half a mile east) and Artillery Ground (within half a mile south-east). There is a railway station in St Luke's itself: Old Street station. Nearby you’ll also find Gabriel's Wharf (1.3 miles south-west) and Montfichet's Tower (0.9 miles south-west). Not far away are St. James's Park Lake and Barnsbury Wood.
What you can safely check yourself
Fresh stains on ceilings or walls after rain are worth noting. Take a photo and write down when you saw it, which helps when we check the roof.
A DIY look is useful, but it isn’t a survey. From the ground, valleys, flashings and the backs of chimneys are often out of sight.
What affects the cost of chimney surveys
What a survey costs depends on the time and equipment it needs. That comes down to:
- The size of the roof
- How many separate roofs there are, like extensions, dormers and garages
- Chimneys, valleys, parapets and other details
- The package you choose: Basic, Standard or Premium
To find out what your survey will cost, phone 07833 053749 or send us an email with the address and a few details. The price is agreed before a date is set.
What we need to know
If you can, have these to hand when you get in touch:
- Access details, such as a loft hatch or a shared roof
- What’s prompted the survey
- Any marks or damp showing indoors
- Any deadline, such as an exchange date
Most bookings start with a short call: phone 07833 053749 or send us an email, and we will ask about the building and what you need. The price is agreed before a date is set.
For landlords and managing agents
Landlords, agents and building managers in St Luke's and across Greater London can book any of our surveys. To discuss a property or a block, phone 07833 053749 or use the contact form.
A roof problem in a let property affects your tenants as well as the building. A survey helps you spot issues early and plan the work with less disruption.