Essex · London and the South East
Fordham Drone Roof Survey
Close-up drone photographs of roofs that are hard to reach across Fordham, with drones and thermal imaging where they help. Call or email for a price.
- Worn lead at chimneys and walls
- Moss building up on slopes and in gutters
- Gaps where slates or tiles have gone
How a drone roof survey works in Fordham
Drone surveys suit tall houses, blocks of flats, steep roofs and large commercial roofs. They’re useful where walking on the roof could damage it or isn’t safe, such as old slate, clay tiles or cement sheets. The roof is photographed without being disturbed. We check the airspace for your address ahead of the visit. We will tell you if another approach would work better. If you are worried about plant growth and moss on the roof and gaps where slates or tiles have gone, we can find out what’s behind it.
In a village or hamlet like Fordham, roofs can be steep, old and hard to see from the lane. Close-up drone photos and thermal images help show what cannot be reached safely. Both the forecast and the airspace are checked first. Steep slopes and tall chimney stacks are where a close-up view adds the most.
How fast the report arrives depends on the package: the Basic Survey within 48 hours, the Standard Survey in 24 to 48 hours and the Premium Survey on the same day.
- Where
- Fordham (CO6)
- Region
- Essex
- Price
- From £400 inc. VAT
- Reports
- A written report with photos, by email
- When we survey
- Monday to Sunday, daytime
- Cover
- Professional indemnity and public liability
- Telephone
- 07833 053749
- Last updated
- 27 October 2026
Do you need a drone roof survey in Fordham?
Steep and tall roofs are hard to inspect safely. Tall townhouses, blocks of flats and offices are typical. We fly from the ground and bring the camera close to the roof.
We’re often asked to look at:
- Storm damage on steep or tall roofs
- Worn lead at chimneys and walls
- Moss building up on slopes and in gutters
- Debris building up in hidden gutters
The streets around a church such as Church of All Saints are often among the oldest in a place, and if your house is among the older ones nearby, tall stacks and steep slopes are easier to judge with close-up aerial photos than from the pavement.
Before booking anyone
- What insurance they carry
- What’s outside the scope of the survey
- What exactly goes into their report
- What follow-up you get after the report
Landlords, agents and block managers in Fordham
Letting agents frequently book on a landlord’s behalf. Access is agreed with the tenant in advance.
If you own several properties, surveys can be booked for more than one address. To discuss a number of properties, call 07833 053749 or use the contact form.
What we do, step by step
A survey visit follows a simple order: we listen to what’s been worrying you, inspect the roof from every safe viewpoint, photograph what we find and make notes for the report. Most visits take about one to two hours on an ordinary house, while a commercial roof takes nearer three to four hours. Somewhere like Fordham needs a little journey planning: let us know about lanes, gates and parking. The roof is looked at from ground level, from windows, from the loft where there’s safe access and from the roof where it is safe.
- You give us the address so we can check the airspace.
- If permission is needed, we ask for it ahead of the visit.
- On the day, we check the weather and the site before flying.
- We fly the drone close to the roof to photograph it in detail, always in sight.
- Your report arrives by email, with close-up photos and recommendations.
Before the survey
- If you are buying, check with the agent that we can get in
- Have any questions written down, so nothing gets missed
- Keep pets out of the way during the survey
How to book
Our phone lines are open seven days a week, including Saturdays and Sundays. For a price or to book, phone 07833 053749 or email us.
Related advice
Drones, thermal imaging and Fordham roofs
Weatherboarded walls and clay tile roofs are typical of older Essex buildings, alongside lots of post-war and newer estates. Where a roof is steep, tall or hard to see from the ground, drone photos and thermal images add detail. Listing and conservation areas can both shape what roof work is allowed on an older home. Your council and Historic England’s list will tell you where you stand.
In and around Fordham, as anywhere, a roof is easiest to deal with when its problems are found early.
Fordham is about 5 miles north-west of Colchester, in Essex. In Fordham, as across Essex, every roof gets the same careful survey. Across Essex, we cover Fordham. We also survey roofs in Chelmsford.
Every address in CO6 is within our area for drone roof surveys, from the main roads to the quietest streets. You will find streets such as Church Road, Herring's Way and Sunnyside Road, all of which we cover. Close by, we survey roofs in Fordham Heath (1 mile south), Gallows Green (1 mile south), Wormingford (2 miles north), West Bergholt (2 miles east) and Little Horkesley (3 miles north-east). Larger places within reach include Colchester (5 miles south-east), Braintree (11 miles west), Maldon (14 miles south), Witham (11 miles south-west), Camulodunum (4 miles south-east) and Halstead (7 miles west).
What’s near Fordham
Typical jobs here are in homes near The Three Horseshoes Public House and the streets around them. For rail, the closest station is Chappel & Wakes Colne station, roughly 1.9 miles west. A little further out are Severalls Hospital (3.9 miles east) and Mount Bures (2.9 miles north-west). Green spaces nearby include Sergeants Orchard.
DIY checks: what’s safe
Keep a simple record: dates of leaks, photos from ground level and any work done on the roof. Send it with your enquiry.
A DIY look is useful, but it isn’t a survey. From the ground, valleys, flashings and the backs of chimneys are often out of sight, and those are details a survey looks at closely.
Roof by roof
Ridges and hips
Ridges and hips are the most exposed parts of a pitched roof. From above, we can see loose ridges and missing mortar.
Steep slate and tile slopes
On slate roofs, slipped slates frequently point to corroded nails. We can see the extent of it from above.
Your questions about drone roof surveys in Fordham
Can you fly a drone over a roof in Fordham?
Usually it comes down to two things: the airspace at the address and the weather. Before any flight, we check the Drone Safety Map for airspace restrictions. A small drone can’t fly safely in strong wind or heavy rain.
Do you cover smaller places like Fordham?
We do. Villages and rural addresses get the same survey as a town house, with the route planned beforehand.
Are you structural engineers?
No. Our survey is not a structural engineer’s report, and it does not include calculations. If we see signs that need an engineer’s opinion, we will recommend one.
Which days do you carry out surveys?
Visits run seven days a week in the daytime. Just say which days work for you.
Do you test for asbestos?
No. We do not carry out asbestos surveys or testing. We flag materials that could contain asbestos, such as cement sheets or soffits on pre-2000 buildings and suggest a specialist asbestos surveyor checks them before any work.
Does this replace a RICS home survey?
No. Our survey is a roof survey, not a RICS Level 2 or Level 3 survey of the whole building. It focuses on the roof and can sit alongside a RICS survey.
Will you walk on the roof?
Only where it is safe to do so. We check everything that can be seen safely: from the ground, from windows and vantage points, from the loft space, from the roof itself where safe and by drone where applicable. The report says if anything couldn’t be seen.
Prices for drone roof surveys in Fordham
Several things affect the price of a survey:
- How big the roof is
- Height and safe access
- Extra roofs, like extensions, dormers or garages
- The package you choose: Basic, Standard or Premium
What a survey costs comes down to the roof itself: how big it is, how high it is, the number of separate roofs and how safely it can be seen. Drone roof survey starts from £400, including VAT.
Getting in touch
The more you tell us, the easier it is to price the survey. When you contact us, it is useful to mention:
- What kind of property and roof it is
- Dates you are working to, such as exchange
- What’s prompted the survey
- Whether there’s a loft hatch, a shared roof or tricky access
A quick phone call is normally the easiest start: phone 07833 053749 or send us an email, and we will ask about the building and what you need. The price is agreed before a date is set.