Oxfordshire · London and the South East
Drone roof survey in Crawley, Oxfordshire
Close-up drone photographs of roofs that are hard to reach across Crawley, with drones and thermal imaging where they help. Call or email for a price.
- Lifted or split lead flashings
- Chimney tops in poor condition
- Blistered or cracked flat roof coverings
About our drone roof survey in Crawley
We fly a sub-250g drone, and we hold a CAA Flyer ID and Operator ID. We keep it in sight throughout, and well below the 120-metre height limit. Each flight is planned with the site and its surroundings in mind. Before every flight, we check the airspace and the weather. Safety comes first on every visit. Typical surveys look at ponding and splits on a high flat roof and slipped or missing slates on a high roof, on tall and steep roofs, chimney stacks and valleys and parapet gutters.
Villages like Crawley frequently stand in open country, where wind can be strong. Strong wind or heavy rain stops a small drone flying, and calm conditions also suit thermal imaging best. We plan the journey, access and timing around the weather. If the day turns windy or wet, the visit can be moved.
Report times depend on the survey you book: the Basic Survey within 48 hours, the Standard Survey in 24 to 48 hours and the Premium Survey on the same day.
- Where
- Crawley (OX29)
- Region
- Oxfordshire
- Prices
- From £400 inc. VAT
- Reports
- Emailed report with photos and recommendations
- Appointments
- Monday to Sunday, daytime
- Insurance
- PI and public liability insurance
- Phone
- 07833 053749
- Updated
- 27 October 2026
Do you need a drone roof survey in Crawley?
Height and steep pitches make close inspection risky. Three-storey houses, blocks of flats and tall commercial buildings are common examples. A drone gets close-up views from a safe position on the ground.
We are often asked to look at:
- Chimney tops in poor condition
- Plant growth and moss on the roof
- Lead work pulling away at abutments
- Debris building up in hidden gutters
Take a building like Hailey Church of England Primary School: a drone or thermal camera can show a large roof in a single visit.
Questions to ask before you book
- Will the report include photos?
- Whether the inside of the roof is included
- What experience they bring
- Whether you can ask questions once you have the report
Questions from Crawley
Will you come out to Crawley?
Yes, Crawley is on our map. Villages and rural addresses get the same survey as a town house.
Can you fly a drone over a roof in Crawley?
It depends on the exact address and the weather on the day. Every flight is checked against the Drone Safety Map first. The flight also waits for calm, dry weather.
Does the report include photos?
Yes. Photographs are part of every report, so you can see exactly what each finding refers to.
How long is the visit?
Most surveys take between one and two hours at a house, including the airspace and weather checks before take-off. We will confirm the timing as you book.
What happens next?
You’ll get the report by email, with photos and clear recommendations. With Standard there’s a follow-up consultation; with Premium, an in-person consultation, so you can talk the findings through.
Does the weather affect the survey?
It depends on the weather and the survey. High wind or heavy rain can make access unsafe and ground a drone, and we’d agree another day.
What’s in the report?
Written findings with photographs, explaining the condition of the roof, any defects and our recommendations, with the most urgent first where relevant. The Standard Survey adds moisture detection and a structural check, and the Premium Survey adds thermal imaging, drone inspection where it applies and structural analysis.
Landlords, agents and block managers in Crawley
We survey roofs for landlords and agents as well as householders. The report gives you a dated record of the roof, with photographs.
Letting agents often book on a landlord’s behalf, and the report can go to both. Access is agreed with the tenant ahead of time.
Drones, thermal imaging and Crawley roofs
Older buildings in west Oxfordshire often have Cotswold stone slate roofs, and some Oxfordshire villages still have thatch. Older houses in the South East often have slate or clay tile roofs, while many later estates have concrete tiles. Steep or complicated roofs are frequently hard to see from the ground, which is where photos from the air and thermal images help. Historic houses such as Minster Lovell Hall, about 1.1 miles west, show how far back building in the area around Crawley goes. On older houses around here, roofs often carry the marks of earlier repairs, from replaced slates to new lead, and a listed home or one in a conservation area may need consent for changes of material.
Take an older house close to Church of St John the Evangelist: steep roofs, tall chimneys and hidden valleys can be hard to see from the ground, and that is where a view from above or with a thermal imager helps.
Crawley is about 1 mile north-west of Witney, in Oxfordshire. We cover Crawley and the rest of Oxfordshire. Across Oxfordshire, we cover Crawley and the places around it. For surveys nearby, see our Oxford page.
All of OX29 is covered for drone roof surveys. You will find streets like Witney Hill, Farm Lane and Foxburrow Lane, and we cover them all. Other places close to Crawley include Leafield (2 miles north-west), Swinbrook (4 miles west), Ascott d'Oyley (4 miles north-west), Ascott-under-Wychwood (5 miles north-west) and Ascott Earl (5 miles north-west). We also work in nearby towns such as Oxford (12 miles east), Abingdon-on-Thames (13 miles south-east), Carterton (5 miles south-west), Wantage (15 miles south), Grove (14 miles south) and Faringdon (11 miles south).
Landmarks near Crawley
Typical jobs here are in homes near Wood Green School and The Lamb Inn. The nearest railway station is Finstock station, roughly 3.6 miles north-east of the centre. Well-known places in the area include Cogges Manor Farm Museum (1.9 miles south-east). For a walk, there’s Blenheim Farm.
How the survey changes by roof type
Valleys and parapet gutters
Hidden gutters and valleys sit out of sight. A drone shows linings, joints and build-ups of debris.
Ridges and hips
The ridge takes wind from both sides. From above, we can see loose ridges and missing mortar.
The survey, step by step
Every roof is different, but as a rough guide the survey takes about one to two hours for most homes, with the pre-flight checks included, and longer for big commercial roofs. If you have questions on the day, just ask. Somewhere as small as Crawley, 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.
- First comes the address, plus a note of what worries you about the roof.
- Any flight restriction at the address is looked at, with permission requested if required.
- On the day, we check the wind, weather and site before flying.
- Close-up photos are taken of each slope, chimney, valley and gutter, with the drone always in view.
- We email the report with close-up photos and recommendations.
Before the survey
- Show us where any leaks or stains appear
- Dig out any old roof reports or invoices
- Make sure the loft hatch can be reached
Arrange a survey
Photos help, if you have them. Pictures from ground level or a window are fine. To send them or to book, call 07833 053749 or use the contact form.
Related advice
Tips that help
Getting the most from a drone roof survey starts before we arrive and carries on afterwards. Tips:
- Expect us to rearrange if it is too windy or wet
- Keep dogs indoors during the visit
- Move stored items away from the hatch
- Tell next door if the drone will be near their property
We email the report to you, with close-up photos from the flight. Findings are set out in plain English, with recommendations prioritised by urgency where relevant.
Have high or hard-to-reach roofs surveyed every few years. Regular photos make changes easy to spot, so small faults are dealt with early.
Honest limits
Some things cannot be seen without opening up the roof, so a survey has limits:
- Flying in a flight restriction zone without the airport’s permission
- Anything inside the loft or under the coverings
- Whether the roof structure meets design loads
If you’re not sure which survey you need, call 07833 053749 or use the contact form and we will give you a straight answer before booking. The full list of what we check.
Roof types and parts we check
- Valleys and parapet gutters
- Chimney stacks
- Tall and steep roofs
- Fragile roofs
- Flat roofs on upper floors
- Large and complex roofs