Hertfordshire · London and the South East
Chimney survey in St Nicholas, Hertfordshire
Know where you stand with the chimney stack before you decide what to do next. We carry out chimney surveys in St Nicholas.
- Gaps in the mortar around the pots
- Frost-damaged brickwork on the stack
- Damaged chimney pots and cowls
St Nicholas: your questions answered
I let a flat near Stevenage station. Can you check the roof?
Yes, landlords and agents are among the people we work for. Just ring 07833 053749 or send us an email with the details, and we’ll talk through which survey suits.
My home in St Nicholas has a flat-roofed garage or porch. Is it worth having that looked at?
Frequently, yes, so mention it as you book. Many homes in new towns like Stevenage have flat-roofed garages and porches, and felt roofs often last around 15–20 years.
What’s the best way to book?
The quickest way is to ring 07833 053749 or email us. Give us the address and some details about the roof, and we will take it from there. Surveys run on weekdays, Saturdays and Sundays.
What do you check on a chimney?
Every part of the stack we can see from safe positions: pots, cowls, flaunching, pointing, bricks and flashings. Leaning, unused stacks and damp on chimney breasts are recorded too.
What insurance do you have?
We hold professional indemnity and public liability insurance, for every survey we carry out.
Do you survey roofs on blocks of flats?
Yes, as long as access is agreed. Roofs over flats are often shared, so we need permission from whoever owns or manages the building. We can only inspect what we are given access to.
Does the report include photos?
Yes, every report has them. Pictures sit next to the findings they show.
Chimney surveys for homes and businesses in St Nicholas
Our survey covers the structure of the stack and its weathering details. It is not a flue inspection, a chimney sweep or a gas safety inspection. For the flue itself, you’ll need a sweep or, for gas appliances, a Gas Safe registered engineer. We will tell you if we see anything that suggests they should take a look. We survey brick chimney stacks, shared and party-wall stacks and chimney pots and cowls, and common reasons people get in touch are mortar washing out of the joints and staining on walls around the chimney.
In a smaller place like St Nicholas, 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 often need the most attention. Nails and battens under older coverings often give out before the slates or tiles themselves.
Findings are set out part by part, from the coverings down to the gutters, each with a short note and a photo. You’ll see the good as well as the bad.
- Place
- St Nicholas (SG1, SG2)
- Region
- Hertfordshire
- Prices
- From £150 inc. VAT
- Your report
- Emailed report with photos and recommendations
- Appointments
- Monday to Sunday, daytime
- Insurance
- Professional indemnity and public liability
- Telephone
- 07833 053749
- Updated
- 27 October 2026
Also in St Nicholas
Common roof problems in St Nicholas
A stack takes the weather from every direction. Frost opens up cracks in the mortar, and rain gets into worn bricks and joints. Most people book after spotting damp or a loose pot, or before buying.
A survey can pick up problems such as:
- Spalled or crumbling bricks
- Damaged chimney pots and cowls
- Cracked or missing flaunching
- Damp patches on chimney breasts
For an older house near a landmark such as All Saints Church, the nails, lead and mortar on the roof may be wearing out even where the slates or tiles look fine.
Choosing a roof surveyor
- Their report turnaround times
- Whether the roof space is looked at, where there is one
- If they fly a drone, whether they hold a CAA Flyer ID and Operator ID
- How they’ll see the roof: from ground level, the loft, the roof or by drone
What a chimney survey doesn’t cover
We only report everything that’s safely in view on the day, so there are some things a survey cannot cover:
- Whether a gas appliance or its flue is safe
- Areas we cannot view from safe positions
- A structural engineer’s assessment
Not sure which survey suits your roof? You can phone 07833 053749 or use the contact form and we’ll tell you. What a survey covers and does not.
What we look at
- Brick chimney stacks
- Chimney breasts
- Lead flashings
- Flaunching
- Shared and party-wall stacks
- Chimney pots and cowls
Rented homes, blocks and businesses
Letting agents can arrange access with tenants, at a time agreed ahead of time. Surveys run on weekdays, Saturdays and Sundays, which helps when tenants work during the week.
We also survey roofs for businesses and commercial landlords, from shops and offices to industrial units. Larger roofs take longer, and they’re priced for the size.
Local roofs in St Nicholas
In this part of the South East, older roofs are mostly slate or clay tile and many newer ones concrete tile, 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. St Nicholas is part of Stevenage, one of the 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.
If you look after a building such as The Leys Primary and Nursery School, large buildings have long gutter runs and big roofs that need checking like any other. For landlords with property near Stevenage station, a dated record of the roof is useful when planning maintenance across a let.
St Nicholas is about 1 mile north of Stevenage, in Hertfordshire. St Nicholas gets the same service as everywhere else we work: a careful inspection, photographs and a written report. Our Hertfordshire coverage includes St Nicholas and the places around it. Milton Keynes is in our area too.
All of SG1 and SG2 is covered for chimney surveys, from the main roads to the quietest streets. Whether your property is on York Road, Ripon Road and Drury Lane or anywhere close by, we can help. Close by, we survey roofs in Rooks Nest (1 mile west), Pin Green (1 mile south-west), Chells (1 mile south-east), Stevenage (1 mile south) and Bedwell (1 mile south-west). We also work in nearby towns such as St Albans (14 miles south-west), Bishop's Stortford (15 miles east), Welwyn Garden City (9 miles south), Harpenden (10 miles south-west), Hitchin (4 miles north-west) and Hoddesdon (14 miles south-east).
Local landmarks in St Nicholas
In St Nicholas, that means homes and buildings near Church of Saint Nicholas and The Nobel School. St Nicholas’s nearest station is Stevenage station, roughly 2 miles south-west. A little further out are Wymondley Castle (2.7 miles north-west) and Stevenage Museum (1.8 miles south-west). For a walk, there’s Pryor's Wood.
How the survey works
On the day, we begin with a quick chat about the roof and anything that’s worrying you. After that, we check everything we can see safely. Most surveys take between one and two hours for a house, with bigger or more complicated roofs taking longer. Some parts of a survey depend on the weather, so a visit to St Nicholas is booked with the forecast in mind: drone flights and thermal imaging need the right conditions, while a look from ground level and the loft can go ahead in most weather.
- First we talk through the stacks, their history and any problems.
- We check every stack from wherever it can safely be seen.
- We photograph and record the pots, flaunching, pointing and flashings.
- We look for damp on chimney breasts and in the loft space.
- The report, with photographs and recommendations, is emailed to you.
Getting ready for the survey
- Jot down any questions you want answered
- For a flat or shared roof, check access with the building owner or managing agent
- If it isn’t your property yet, arrange access through the agent
Booking a survey
Not sure which survey you need? It’s easiest to phone 07833 053749 or drop us an email and describe the roof and why you want it surveyed. We will explain the options and the price.
Advice
Before and after the survey
Most of what helps is simple and safe from ground level. A few suggestions:
- Keep track of stains on chimney breasts
- Find out whether changes to a stack need permission
- Remove aerials or dishes from the stack if they’re no longer needed
- Look at the chimneys with binoculars after a storm
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 it’s easy to follow.
Make sure redundant flues are capped with ventilation. Ventilation helps keep the stack dry.
What you can safely check yourself
After strong wind, take a look from the pavement or garden: broken slates or tiles in the garden, gaps along the ridge or loose lead are signs to note. Leave anything above ground level to a survey.
What you can’t do safely is get up close. Slates, tiles, flat roofs and rooflights can give way, and falls from height are serious. That’s where a survey comes in.