Hertfordshire · London and the South East
Wadesmill Chimney Survey
A survey of chimney stacks, pots, flashings and flaunching for Wadesmill, from an experienced roof surveyor. You get a clear written report with photographs.
- Redundant stacks capped without ventilation
- Flashings pulling away from the stack
- A chimney out of line
Chimney survey in Wadesmill: what you get
Damp on a chimney breast can have several causes. It might come in at the top, through worn pointing or porous bricks, or where the flashings meet the roof. Condensation inside an unventilated stack is another common cause. Our survey checks each of these and records the likely cause. You then know where to start. If you’ve noticed signs that a stack is leaning and unused flues sealed without airflow, a survey will tell you what’s going on, whatever the roof.
Somewhere as small as Wadesmill, homes are frequently older cottages and farmhouses, with outbuildings and some 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.
The report is written in plain words, so it makes sense without any roofing background. Each point is backed by a photo where possible, and recommendations are put in order of urgency where relevant.
- Place
- Wadesmill (SG12)
- Wider area
- Hertfordshire
- Cost
- From £150 inc. VAT
- Report
- A written report with photos, by email
- When we survey
- Weekdays and weekends
- Cover
- Professional indemnity and public liability
- Phone
- 07833 053749
- Page updated
- 27 October 2026
Honest limits
Every survey has limits, and it is better to know them up front. Keep these in mind:
- What’s inside the brickwork or behind render, without opening up
- Hidden sides of a shared stack
- Structural calculations for a leaning stack
If you’re not sure which survey you need, phone 07833 053749 or use the contact form and we’ll give you a straight answer. What a survey covers and doesn’t.
What we check
- Brick chimney stacks
- Lead flashings
- Chimney pots and cowls
- Chimney breasts
- Shared and party-wall stacks
- Flaunching
How the survey works
We work from the outside in: outside views come first, then the roof space if there is safe access. In total, it takes about 1–2 hours for a house; commercial roofs usually need 3–4 hours. Cottages and farmhouses around Wadesmill often have roofs at several levels, with lean-tos and outbuildings attached. We work round each section in turn, from the safest viewpoints, and anything we cannot see is noted.
- We start by noting which stacks are in use, shared or causing concern.
- We check the roof around each stack, including the flashings.
- The top of each stack is checked for cracked flaunching and loose pots.
- We note the brickwork, pointing and any sign of leaning.
- You receive a written report setting out what needs attention first.
Before the survey
- Have any paperwork from past roof work to hand
- Point out any leaks or damp patches
- Make a note of anything you’d like us to look at
How to book
Prices start from £150, including VAT. What you pay depends on the roof’s size, access and the package, so call 07833 053749 or email us with the details.
Related advice
Common questions in Wadesmill
How do I find out if my home in Wadesmill is listed?
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.
Do you cover smaller places like Wadesmill?
Yes, smaller places are covered as well as towns. We cover the whole of London and South East England. Let us know about access, parking and anything unusual about getting there when booking.
How much does a chimney survey cost in Wadesmill?
Chimney survey starts from £150, including VAT. Our Basic Survey starts from £150, the Standard Survey from £250 and the Premium Survey from £400, all with VAT included.
What does a chimney survey cover?
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.
Can you survey at the weekend?
Surveys can be booked for any day of the week: weekdays, Saturdays and Sundays. Just tell us the days that suit you.
Is a leaning chimney dangerous?
Don’t ignore it. Leaning often comes from mortar breaking down unevenly. We record its condition with photographs, and a structural engineer can assess whether it needs work.
Is it a structural engineer’s report?
No. We’re roof surveyors, not structural engineers, and it doesn’t include calculations. If we see signs that need an engineer’s opinion, we will recommend one.
What we look for on each type of roof
Brick stacks
Older brick stacks often have soft lime mortar. We note where repairs should match the original mortar.
Lead flashings
Flashings can lift in wind or pull out of their mortar joints. We photograph any we find that look loose or damaged.
Chimney surveys in Wadesmill: local notes
Slate and clay tile are the usual coverings on older South East houses, with concrete tiles on many later estates, and flat-roofed additions turn up almost everywhere. On roofs like these, good slates or tiles can outlast the nails, battens, lead and mortar around them. About 4.6 miles east lies Much Hadham Palace, a reminder of how long the area around Wadesmill has been built on. Older homes in the wider area often have features worth a closer look, such as lead valleys, tall stacks and roofs that have been patched over the years, and any change of roofing material on a listed home needs checking with the council first.
Anyone responsible for a site like Thundridge Church of England Primary School will know that its roofs, gutters and any chimneys need the same checks as a house’s, just on a bigger scale. If you own a rental within reach of Ware station, the gap between tenancies is a good time to have the roof looked at. If you live in an older home near Parish Church of St Mary, the nails, lead and mortar on the roof may be wearing out even where the slates or tiles look fine.
Wadesmill is about 2 miles north of Ware, in Hertfordshire. We visit Wadesmill as part of our work across Hertfordshire, for houses, flats and commercial buildings. Wadesmill is one of the towns and villages in Hertfordshire we cover for chimney surveys. For surveys nearby, see our Chelmsford page.
Chimney surveys in SG12 work the same way as everywhere else we cover. We offer chimney surveys to properties on Youngsbury Lane, Millfield and Dellfield and the roads around them. We also cover Thundridge (1 mile south), High Cross (1 mile north-east), Cold Christmas (1 mile south-east), Standon Green End (2 miles north) and Tonwell (2 miles west). We also work in nearby towns like Stevenage (8 miles north-west), St Albans (14 miles south-west), Bishop's Stortford (8 miles east), Welwyn Garden City (8 miles west), Harpenden (14 miles west) and Hitchin (13 miles north-west).
Near you in Wadesmill
We work in homes and buildings around The Chauncy School and The Anchor Public House. The nearest railway station is Ware station, roughly 2.2 miles south of the centre. Well-known places in the area include Barrowfield (2.9 miles south) and Hertford County Hospital (4 miles south-west). The countryside around Wadesmill includes King's Meads.
Prices for chimney surveys in Wadesmill
All our prices include VAT. The things that change the price are:
- Building height and the viewpoints available
- Roof area
- The number of roofs, including extensions and garages
- Whether thermal imaging or a drone is needed
We offer three survey packages: the Basic Survey from £150, the Standard Survey from £250 and the Premium Survey from £400, with VAT included. The price for your roof depends on its size, access and what you need to know.
What we need to know
You do not need to know any roofing terms. Just let us know:
- How the loft is reached, if there is one
- What made you get in touch
- When you need the report by
- What kind of property and roof it is
To arrange a survey, phone 07833 053749 or drop us an email and tell us the address and what’s prompted the survey. We will confirm the price before you book.
Places near Wadesmill
More services for Wadesmill
For landlords and managing agents
Surveys can also be booked by buyers’ agents acting for a client. Reports are emailed, so they’re easy to pass on.
Roof problems in a rented home affect tenants as well as the building. A survey shows what needs attention, so you can plan the work around your tenants.
Tips that help
Over many surveys, some simple habits stand out as worth the effort:
- Remove aerials or dishes from the stack if they’re no longer needed
- Check your stacks from ground level after strong winds
- Ask about consent before removing a chimney on an older property
- Keep the report to compare against at the next survey
After the visit, we write up the report with photographs of each stack. It explains the condition of each part of the stack and any damp inside. Basic reports arrive within 48 hours, Standard reports in 24 to 48 hours and Premium reports the same day.
Get small mortar repairs done while they’re small. It’s far simpler than rebuilding a stack later.