West Sussex · London and the South East
Shopwyke Drone Roof Survey
Wondering about the roof at a property in Shopwyke? You can book a drone roof survey in Shopwyke and across West Sussex.
- Ponding and splits on a high flat roof
- Cracked flaunching or loose chimney pots
- Worn lead at chimneys and walls
Drone roof surveys for homes and businesses in Shopwyke
Before any flight, we check the airspace. Near protected airports such as Heathrow, Gatwick, Stansted and Luton, flight restriction zones mean permission is needed first. Parts of central London have restricted areas too, where NATS permission is needed. If we can’t fly, we use other safe vantage points instead and tell you. Prison sites also have drone restriction zones. We’re frequently asked to look into ridge pieces that have lifted and storm damage on steep or tall roofs, across fragile roofs, large and complex roofs and valleys and parapet gutters.
Villages like Shopwyke often stand in open country, where wind can be strong. Strong wind or a downpour stops a small drone flying, and calm conditions also suit thermal imaging best. The visit is planned around the forecast, along with the journey and access. A change in the forecast can mean moving the visit to another day.
Pictures do a lot of the work in our reports, because a photo of a cracked flashing says more than a paragraph. Anything out of sight on the day is listed as such.
- Place
- Shopwyke (PO20)
- Region
- West Sussex
- Price
- From £400 inc. VAT
- Report
- A written report with photos, by email
- Appointments
- Monday to Sunday, daytime
- Insurance
- Professional indemnity and public liability
- Call
- 07833 053749
- Page updated
- 27 October 2026
Landlord and commercial surveys in Shopwyke
If the property is let, the agent or a tenant can let us in. We survey on any day of the week, which can make access easier.
Surveys can also be booked by buyers’ agents acting for a client. Reports are emailed, so they’re easy to pass on.
Roof by roof
Large commercial roofs
Large commercial roofs cover a lot of ground. A drone photographs the whole surface methodically.
Valleys and parapet gutters
A butterfly roof drains to a central valley gutter. You cannot see it from the street at all, but a drone shows it clearly.
What we are asked to look at in Shopwyke
After storms, owners want to know what has moved. It is hard to tell from below what has shifted. A drone shows what has slipped, lifted or gone.
Here are some of the things we see often:
- Moss and weeds taking hold up top
- Damage after a storm that cannot be seen from below
- Flat roofs on upper floors that hold water
- Ridge pieces that have lifted
If you look after a building like Westbourne House School, big roofs are where aerial photos and thermal images show the most at once.
Before booking any roof surveyor
- How they plan to inspect the roof safely
- Whether any drone flown is registered with the CAA
- What follow-up you get after the report
- Whether the loft space is looked at, where there is one
Tips from our surveys
These tips come from what we see on roofs every week:
- Check the loft can be reached
- Book early if you’re near an airport
- Tell us about any leaks or concerns
- Shut pets inside while we fly
The report gives any roofer you ask to quote a clear brief. They’ll see exactly where each defect is, so their quotes cover the same ground.
After a storm, check from the garden and the street. Pieces of slate or tile on the ground mean something has moved. A drone can show exactly what has moved.
Places near Shopwyke
Also in Shopwyke
What a drone roof survey looks like in Shopwyke
Shopwyke is within about 5 miles of the coast, where wind off the sea can be strong. The weather on the day decides whether a flight goes ahead, as a small drone can’t fly safely in high wind or heavy rain. Goodwood Aerodrome is about 2 miles away, so we check the Drone Safety Map for restrictions before any flight.
Goodwood House lies about 2.1 miles north, so building around Shopwyke goes back a long way. Close-up aerial shots and thermal images let an old roof be checked without anyone disturbing it. The streets around a church like The Parish Church of St Peter are often among the oldest in a place, and if your home is one of the older ones nearby, 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.
Shopwyke is about 2 miles east of Chichester, in West Sussex. Surveys in Shopwyke work the same way as everywhere we cover: a close look at what can safely be seen, photographs and a clear written report. Shopwyke is one of the places in West Sussex where we work. You can also see our page for Portsmouth.
We survey roofs across PO20 for drone roof surveys and the streets around it. That includes homes and businesses on Coach Road and Drayton Lane. We also cover the places around Shopwyke: Maudlin (1 mile north), Westhampnett (1 mile north-west), Oving (1 mile east), Portfield (1 mile west) and Strettington (1 mile north). We also work in nearby towns such as Worthing (15 miles east), Bognor Regis (4 miles south-east), Selsey (8 miles south), Littlehampton (9 miles east), Emsworth (9 miles west) and Rustington (10 miles east).
Near you in Shopwyke
Typical jobs here are in homes near The Coach And Horses Public House, The March CofE Primary School and Chichester High School For Girls and the streets around them. For rail, the closest station is Chichester station, roughly 1.9 miles west. Well-known places in the area include Chichester Castle (1.5 miles west) and St Richard's Hospital (1.3 miles west). Not far away are Stoke Down.
DIY checks: what’s safe
The one thing to avoid is getting up close. Roofs are fragile and slippery, and a fall can be serious. That part is for a survey, using safe viewpoints and a drone where applicable.
You can learn a lot from the ground. Binoculars help you spot slipped slates or tiles, gaps along the ridge and a leaning stack. Never climb onto the roof to look.
Shopwyke questions
How do I find out if my home in Shopwyke is listed?
You can check whether a building is listed on Historic England’s list, and your council can tell you if it’s in a conservation area. Listed building consent is needed for changes that affect a listed building’s special interest, and conservation areas can limit changes of roofing material.
Is Shopwyke within the area you cover?
Yes, we do. Our area covers London and South East England, from towns to the smallest villages. The journey is planned ahead, so it’s useful to know about access.
Do drone rules differ in central London?
Central London has restricted areas where NATS permission is needed. Where we can’t fly, we use other safe vantage points and explain what we could see.
What happens if the weather is bad?
Strong wind or heavy rain stops a flight. The weather on the day decides whether the drone goes up. If we cannot fly, we will arrange another day or inspect by other means.
Are you registered with the CAA?
Yes. We’re a CAA-registered drone operator, with a Flyer ID and an Operator ID. We fly a sub-250g drone and follow the drone code.
Do I have to be there for the survey?
That depends on the survey. Inside the building and in the loft, we need someone to let us in.
How do I arrange a drone roof survey in Shopwyke?
It’s easiest to phone 07833 053749 or use the contact form. Let us know the address and a little about the roof, and we will take it from there. We survey seven days a week.
What happens on the day
Every roof is different, but as a rough guide the survey takes roughly 1–2 hours at a house, including the airspace and weather checks before take-off. You’re welcome to ask questions while we’re there. Older roofs in small places like Shopwyke can have low, tight loft spaces, so it helps to know whether there is a loft hatch and how easy it is to reach. We only go where it’s safe.
- First, we check whether a drone is the right tool.
- A date is fixed, with a fallback in case the weather turns.
- Aerial photos are taken of your roof only, not the neighbours’.
- Where there’s safe access, we check the loft as well.
- The report sets out what we found, with photos and recommendations.
Before we arrive
- If you’re buying, check with the agent that we can get in
- Make sure pets are kept safely away
- Jot down any questions you want answered
Getting a price
We survey roofs seven days a week. To find a date that works for you, ring 07833 053749 or send us an email with the address and the days you’d prefer.