Essex · London and the South East
Roof survey in Howe Street, Essex
Roof surveys in Howe Street from an independent, experienced roof surveyor. Over 5,000 surveys and 20+ years behind us.
- Valley linings that have cracked or split
- Loose chimney pots
- Torn or sagging underlay
Tips from our surveys
Here are a few things we’d tell any owner, before and after a survey:
- Move stored items away from the loft hatch
- File the report with your home documents
- Keep a record of damp patches and dates
- Tell us about any leaks or stains you’ve seen
Standard includes a follow-up consultation to talk the findings through, and the Premium Survey includes an in-person consultation. It’s a chance to ask questions about anything in the report.
Have the roof surveyed every few years, and after major storms. Routine surveys pick up wear before it leaks. Each report gives a record to compare against.
How a roof survey works in Howe Street
A roof survey tells you what condition your roof is in, before small faults become big ones. We check the coverings, the ridges and hips, the valleys and flashings, the chimneys and the gutters, and the loft space where there’s safe access. You get a photo-illustrated written report and recommendations. Where it’s relevant, the recommendations are prioritised by urgency. We are frequently asked to look into slipped, cracked or missing slates and tiles and lifted, split or missing lead flashings, on natural slate, ridges, hips and valleys and chimney stacks.
Somewhere as small as Howe Street, homes are often older cottages and farmhouses, with outbuildings and some newer houses. Older roofs may be clay tile, slate, stone or thatch, frequently with chimneys that have stood a long time. 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 usually the chimneys and lead flashings that need work first.
If any part of the roof couldn’t be seen safely, we say so in the report. That way, it is clear what was covered and what wasn’t.
- Where
- Howe Street (CM3)
- Region
- Essex
- Price
- From £150 inc. VAT
- Report
- Emailed report with photos and recommendations
- When we survey
- Monday to Sunday, daytime
- Cover
- PI and public liability insurance
- Telephone
- 07833 053749
- Page updated
- 27 October 2026
Places near Howe Street
More services for Howe Street
Howe Street homes and their roofs
England has around 10,000 conservation areas and about 500,000 listed buildings. If your home is listed, changes that affect its special interest need listed building consent, and in a conservation area re-roofing in different materials may need permission, so the council is the place to ask. Clay tiles and timber weatherboarding mark out many of the older buildings in Essex, and a good many post-war and modern estates besides. On roofs like these, good slates or tiles can outlast the nails, battens, lead and mortar around them.
If you look after a building such as Chelmer Valley High School, its roofs, gutters and any chimneys need the same checks as a house’s, just on a bigger scale. Landlords with a home close to Beaulieu Park station may find that knowing the condition of the roof, chimneys and gutters helps you plan work rather than react to complaints.
Howe Street is about 5 miles north of Chelmsford, in Essex. Surveys in Howe Street work the same way as everywhere we cover: a careful inspection, photos and a written report. Our Essex coverage includes Howe Street.
Here we cover the CM3 postcode area for roof surveys. We offer roof surveys to properties on Parsonage Lane and Bridge Croft. Nearby, we also carry out roof surveys in Chatham Green (1 mile north-east), Hartford End (2 miles north), Little Leighs (2 miles north-east), Ford End (2 miles north-west) and Pleshey (2 miles west). We also work in nearby towns such as Chelmsford (5 miles south), Braintree (7 miles north-east), Harlow (15 miles west), Brentwood (14 miles south-west), Maldon (11 miles south-east) and Billericay (12 miles south).
Landmarks near Howe Street
Typical jobs here are in homes near The Green Man Inn and the streets around them. For rail, the closest station is Beaulieu Park station, roughly 4 miles south-east. Well-known places in the area include Broomfield Hospital (2.1 miles south). Open spaces near Howe Street include Little Waltham Meadows.
Signs you need a roof survey in Howe Street
Slates and tiles frequently outlast the fixings that hold them. ‘Nail fatigue’ is common on slate roofs: the nails rust and the slates slide. On tiled roofs, battens and pegs can rot.
It is worth booking a survey if you’ve seen:
- Loose ridge or hip tiles
- Flashings that have come away from the wall
- Ponding, splits or blisters on flat roofs
- Leaning or weathered chimney stacks
If your house is among the older ones in the streets near Church of SS Mary and Laurence, the nails, lead and mortar on the roof may be wearing out even where the slates or tiles look fine.
Before you book anyone
- What insurance they carry
- What follow-up you get after the report
- What exactly goes into their report
- Whether the loft is part of the inspection
Should I look at the roof myself first?
Inside, the loft is a good place to look, with care. Use a torch and stay on the joists or boards, and look for staining, damp timber or daylight coming through.
A lot can be seen from the ground. With binoculars, look for slipped or missing slates and tiles, gaps along the ridge and leaning chimneys. Never climb onto the roof to look.
What we look for on each type of roof
Concrete interlocking tiles
Ridge and verge mortar on concrete tile roofs can crack and fall away. We check for loose ridge tiles and missing mortar.
Chimney stacks
Each chimney’s pots, flaunching, pointing and flashings are looked at. We note any lean or loose pots.
What we do, step by step
The visit has one job: to see as much of the roof as can be seen safely and record it clearly. Notes and photographs go into the written report. The visit usually takes about one to two hours for most homes, depending on how many separate roofs there are. For a village or hamlet like Howe Street, the journey is planned beforehand: let us know about lanes, gates and parking. The roof is looked at from ground level, from windows, from the loft where there is safe access and from the roof where it is safe.
- We help you choose a Basic, Standard or Premium Survey.
- On the day, we start by hearing what you’ve noticed.
- We inspect and photograph every part of the roof we can safely see.
- Extra checks are carried out where your package includes them.
- The report is emailed with findings and recommendations.
Getting ready for the survey
- Note where any stains or damp appear
- Have keys ready for side gates, garages or roof access doors
- Move anything stored under the loft hatch
Arrange a survey
Photos help, if you have them. Take them safely from the ground or a window, and please do not climb up for a closer look. To get started, call 07833 053749 or drop us an email.
Related advice
Why it is worth a survey now in Howe Street
Leaks rarely show up right away. Damp spreads through insulation and timber before anything shows below. From inside the roof space, we can frequently spot it sooner. Older cottages and farmhouses around Howe Street can have roof timbers that have been there a very long time, where water from a failed roof can cause rot if it is left.
Prices start from £150, including VAT. Packages run from Basic at £150 through Standard at £250 to Premium at £400, with VAT included, and we can help you choose.
What you get with us
- 5,000+ roofs surveyed
- Professional indemnity and public liability insurance
- Drones and thermal imaging where applicable
- Two decades and more of roof surveys
Take a look at how roof surveys are priced and two real surveys.
Common questions in Howe Street
Will you come out to Howe Street?
We do. A small place gets exactly the same survey as a big one, with the route planned beforehand.
I let a flat near Beaulieu Park station. Can you check the roof?
Yes, landlords and agents are among the people we work for. You can phone 07833 053749 or send us an email with the address and what you need.
Can you survey a shared roof?
Yes, once whoever controls the roof agrees access. We look at the parts we are given access to.
How long does a roof survey take?
Allow an hour or two at most homes, rising to roughly 3–4 hours on a commercial building. We’ll give you an idea of timing when booking.
Does a roof survey replace a structural engineer?
No. If we see signs that need an engineer, like serious sagging, we will say so. We do not provide structural calculations.
Will the report say how many years my roof has left?
Not as a figure. We describe the condition of each part of the roof and how it’s wearing, with recommendations ranked by urgency.
What’s covered in a roof inspection?
Every part of the roof we can safely see: the slates or tiles, ridges, valleys, flashings, chimneys, gutters and roof space. Standard adds moisture detection and a structural check, and Premium adds thermal imaging and a drone where it applies.