Essex · London and the South East
New roof snagging in Smith's Green, Essex
Checking a new or replacement roof for snags in Smith's Green, using drones and thermal imaging where it applies. Get in touch for a price.
- Cracked lower roofs or marked walls after the work
- Loose flashings at walls or chimneys
- Underlay at the eaves left exposed
About our new roof snagging in Smith's Green
Building work can leave a mess behind. Offcuts, broken tiles and debris left in gutters or on lower roofs are noted along with any damage to other parts of the property. It’s all recorded with photos. Gutters full of offcuts can overflow in the next heavy rain, and cracked lower roofs can leak. It is easier to raise them while the job is fresh. We’re often asked to look into debris left in gutters or valleys and ridge and hip tiles not properly fixed, on ridges and verges, new-build homes and loft conversions and dormers.
Older buildings in small places like Smith's Green may be listed or in a conservation area. If so, re-roofing in different materials may need consent, so check with the council before work starts. For a buyer or someone with a newly finished roof, it’s worth knowing which applies, as well as what condition the roof is in. England has around 10,000 conservation areas and about 500,000 listed buildings.
The report records the new roof as we found it on the day. It’s useful straight away, and a good reference for later, like when you want to compare after future work.
- Place
- Smith's Green (CM6, CM22)
- Wider area
- Essex
- Cost
- From £150 inc. VAT
- Reports
- A written report with photos, by email
- Appointments
- Weekdays, Saturdays and Sundays
- Insured
- PI and public liability insurance
- Phone
- 07833 053749
- Page updated
- 27 October 2026
Practical tips
Some practical points come up on survey after survey. They apply to most roofs:
- Keep warranty papers safe
- Watch for gutters overflowing in rain
- Let your roofer know an inspection is planned
- Check before your warranty period ends
How quickly the report arrives depends on the package: Basic within 48 hours, Standard in 24–48 hours and Premium the same day. If a payment is due soon, choose the package that fits.
Watch for leaks, damp or loose pieces in the first months. Early signs are easier to raise while the work is recent.
Common roof problems in Smith's Green
Scaffolding and materials can damage other parts of a building. A snagging check looks around the property as well as at the roof.
Things that often lead to a survey include:
- Vents that weren’t fitted or are covered
- Gaps at new flashings
- Tiles or slates sitting out of line
- Damage to other parts of the building
If you live in an older home near Church of the Holy Trinity, older patch repairs can hide behind a tidy front slope, and the survey looks past them.
What to check before booking
- Whether they hold professional indemnity and public liability insurance
- Whether the loft is part of the inspection
- Whether you get a written report with photos
- What they won’t be able to tell you
New roof snagging around Smith's Green
Barrington Hall, about 2.6 miles south-west, is one of the historic houses in the wider area around Smith's Green. If yours is one of the older homes, expect a mix of original materials and later repairs on the roof, and any change of roofing material on a listed home needs checking with the council first. In Essex, older buildings are often clay-tiled, many with weatherboarding, and a good many post-war and modern estates besides. The covering on a house you’re buying, or on a roof just finished, tells us where to look hardest.
If you own a rental within reach of Stansted Airport station, it’s worth knowing a roof’s condition before you buy it, or before you sign off new roofing work on it.
Smith's Green is about 5 miles east of Bishop's Stortford, in Essex. Whether the building in Smith's Green is a house, a flat or a commercial unit, the roof can be surveyed. Our Essex coverage includes Smith's Green and the places around it. Chelmsford is in our area too.
All of CM6 and CM22 is within our area for new roof snagging. We cover properties on Broadfield Road, The Oaks and Fleming Road. We also cover the places around Smith's Green: Little Canfield (1 mile east), Hope End Green (1 mile south), Takeley (1 mile west), Puttock's End (1 mile south) and Takeley Street (1 mile west). We also work in nearby towns such as Chelmsford (13 miles south-east), Braintree (12 miles east), Harlow (10 miles south-west), Saffron Walden (11 miles north), Great Dunmow (3 miles east) and Epping (14 miles south-west).
Landmarks near Smith's Green
We work in homes and buildings around Lion And Lamb Public House, among other places. The nearest railway station is Stansted Airport station, about 1.6 miles north-west of the centre. Well-known places in the area include Little Easton Moat (2.6 miles north-east) and Herts and Essex Hospital (4.4 miles west). Not far away are Portingbury Hills and Aubrey Buxton Nature Reserve.
What we look for on each type of roof
Flashings
Flashings seal the roof to walls and chimneys. We look at how they’re dressed, fixed and pointed.
Ridges, hips and verges
Loose ridge or hip tiles are a common snag. They’re recorded with photos.
DIY checks: what’s safe
Your own check is a good start, but it isn’t a survey. You will not see flashings, valleys or the backs of chimneys properly from ground level.
The one thing to avoid is getting up close. Slates, tiles, flat roofs and rooflights can give way. That part is for a survey, using safe viewpoints and a drone where applicable.
Places near Smith's Green
What else we do in Smith's Green
Common questions in Smith's Green
Do you cover Smith's Green?
We do. Every survey there gets the same written report with photographs, and visits run on weekdays and weekends.
Is my home in Smith's Green listed or in a conservation area?
The council and Historic England’s list are the places to check. Either can affect what roof work is allowed, so it is worth checking before planning any.
Can you survey a shared roof?
Yes, if the building owner or managing agent agrees access. We look at the parts we are given access to, and the report makes that clear.
What do you check on a new roof?
All the parts of the roof we can see safely, from the ridge and verges down to the eaves and gutters. The loft space is looked at where there is safe access and check for damage left by the job.
Can you see the fixings under the tiles?
No. We don’t open up the new roof so hidden fixings are not visible to us. We note what couldn’t be seen.
Can you survey at the weekend?
Surveys can be booked for any day of the week: weekdays, Saturdays and Sundays. Let us know which days suit you when you book.
Do you test for asbestos?
No. Asbestos surveys and sampling aren’t something we do. Where a material might contain it, like old cement sheets on a building from before 2000, the report flags it.
The survey, step by step
After the inspection, everything we found is written up as a photo-illustrated written report, sent to you by email. On timing, it usually takes between one and two hours for a house, though large, tall or awkward roofs take more time. Somewhere as small as Smith's Green, access is often the only tricky part. Let us know about outbuildings, past repairs and any leaks you’ve noticed. Visits can be on weekdays, Saturdays or Sundays.
- You let us know what work was done and when.
- The new coverings and roof edges are inspected as far as can safely be seen.
- We look at valleys, flashings, gutters and the underlay at the eaves.
- The loft space and the rest of the property are checked for problems.
- You get a photo report of each snag.
Before we arrive
- Agree roof access with the managing agent if it’s shared
- If it is not your property yet, arrange access through the agent
- Leave a clear route to the loft
Book a survey
Not sure which survey you need? The easiest way is to call 07833 053749 or use the contact form and describe the roof and why you want it surveyed. We will explain the options and the price.
Related advice
What new roof snagging does not cover
Our findings are based on what we can see safely on the day, so some things are outside what a survey can do:
- Areas out of view from each safe vantage point
- Fixings and underlay hidden under the coverings
- A promise that the roof will not leak
If you are not sure which survey you need, call 07833 053749 or use the contact form and we will give you a straight answer before you book. What our survey covers.
Roof types and parts we check
- Replacement roofs
- Ridges and verges
- New-build homes
- Flashings and valleys
- New flat roofs
- Loft conversions and dormers