Essex · London and the South East
Bures Electronic Leak Detection
A careful look at the flat roof membrane at your property in Bures, with photographs and a written report.
- Leaks through a covered membrane
- Failed seams and laps
- New membranes needing a check before handover
How electronic leak detection works in Bures
Roofs covered with paving, ballast or planting need more thought. The layers on top can limit the methods we can use, and some may need lifting. We talk this through before we quote. Drawings or details of the roof’s layers are useful, as they show what lies beneath the surface. If testing is not possible, we will say so. If you’ve noticed repairs that haven’t stopped the leak and damp inside with no sign on the roof, a survey will tell you what’s going on, whatever the roof.
Flat roofs on exposed homes in small places like Bures take more wind and rain, so edges, upstands and laps take a beating. Felt roofs, which frequently last around 15–20 years, normally show it first. Rubber and GRP last longer, though trims and joints still need a look. Exposed edges are typically the first part of a flat roof to go.
What you get is a clear record of the flat roof membrane on the day we saw it. That makes it useful now and a handy reference later, such as when you want to compare after future work.
- Place
- Bures (CO8)
- Region
- Essex
- Prices
- Quoted for your roof
- Reports
- Emailed report with photos and recommendations
- When we survey
- Monday to Sunday, daytime
- Insurance
- PI and public liability insurance
- Call
- 07833 053749
- Updated
- 27 October 2026
What affects the cost of electronic leak detection
The price reflects the time and kit the roof needs. The main factors are:
- Commercial roofs and larger buildings
- Roof area
- The height of the building and how the roof can be seen safely
- The shape of the roof and its details
To find out what your survey will cost, ring 07833 053749 or send us an email and tell us about the roof. We’ll confirm the figure before booking.
Getting in touch
There is no need for technical words. It is enough to tell us:
- Photos of the roof, taken safely from the ground or a window
- Whether there is a loft hatch, a shared roof or tricky access
- The address and postcode of the property
- Why you want a survey: buying, a leak, a storm or new work
Photos help, if you have them. Pictures from ground level or a window are fine, and please don’t climb up for a closer look. To send them or to book, phone 07833 053749 or use the contact form.
What electronic leak detection looks like in Bures
Older buildings in Essex often have clay tiles and weatherboarding, while many towns grew with post-war and newer estates. Next to the main roofs there is normally a flat roof somewhere, whether on an extension, a garage or a commercial unit. With Gainsborough's House about 5 miles north-west, Bures sits in an area with a long building history. Period homes nearby can have lead valleys, tall chimneys and a patchwork of past repairs, and the council can say whether a home is in a conservation area.
Take an older house close to Church of St Mary the Virgin: the joins between later flat roofs and the old walls are where problems typically start. If you look after a building such as Bures Church of England Voluntary Controlled Primary School, ponding and blocked outlets on a wide flat roof are worth catching before the next wet season.
Bures is in Essex. We carry out electronic leak detection for householders, landlords and businesses in Bures. We cover towns and villages across Essex, large and small. Chelmsford is in our area too.
Every address in CO8 is within our area for electronic leak detection. That includes homes and businesses on Church Square, High Street and Bridge Street. Close by, we survey roofs in Bures Green (1 mile north-east), Mount Bures (1 mile south), Lamarsh (1 mile north-west), Alphamstone (2 miles north-west) and Cross End (3 miles west). Within a short drive, we also cover Colchester (8 miles south-east), Braintree (11 miles south-west), Witham (13 miles south-west), Camulodunum (7 miles south-east), Halstead (6 miles west) and Greenstead (9 miles south-east).
Landmarks near Bures
We work in homes and buildings around Tiger Hill and Three Horseshoes Inn and the streets around them. There is a railway station in Bures itself: Bures station. Nearby you will also find Mount Bures (0.9 miles south). Open spaces near Bures include Sergeants Orchard.
Also near Bures
Other services in Bures
What electronic leak detection does not cover
Without opening up the roof, some things stay hidden, and that sets some limits:
- How wet the insulation is
- Parts of the roof covered by fixed equipment
- Water entering through details rather than the membrane
Not sure which survey suits your roof? You can call 07833 053749 or send us an email and we will tell you before you book. The full list of what we check.
What we look at
- Roof terraces and balconies
- Flat roof membranes
- Commercial flat roofs
- Liquid-applied waterproofing
- Green roofs
- Single-ply roofs
FAQs for Bures
Do you cover Bures?
Yes, Bures is one of the places we work. The survey and report are the same in Bures as anywhere else.
Is Bures within the area you cover?
Yes, we do. We work right across London and the South East, and smaller places are part of that. Longer journeys are simply planned beforehand.
Is my roof suitable for ELD?
ELD does not suit every roof. Certain membranes are conductive and some roofs lack the layer the test needs. If your roof won’t work, we will say so before testing.
How long have you been surveying roofs?
We have completed more than 5,000 surveys, over more than 20 years, with 98% customer satisfaction.
Do I have to be there for the survey?
Someone needs to let us in if we are looking inside or in the loft. We’ll talk about access when booking.
Can you survey at the weekend?
Surveys run seven days a week. To arrange a date, call 07833 053749 or drop us an email.
Do you use low-voltage or high-voltage testing?
The roof decides the method. You’ll know which method we plan to use before we start.
How the survey works
Once we have finished looking, we write up our findings as a photo-illustrated written report, sent to you by email. As for time on site, most surveys take a time that depends on the size of the roof and how it’s built, which we’ll explain when we quote. For a village or hamlet like Bures, the journey is planned ahead of time: tell us about narrow lanes, gates, long drives and where we can park. On the day, we inspect everything that’s safely in view, inside and out.
- We start with what you know about the roof and the leak.
- The roof is assessed for suitability first.
- The test method is chosen to suit the roof.
- We test the roof and locate any breaches.
- A report with photographs shows where each breach is.
How to prepare
- If you’re buying, let the agent know when we are coming
- Make a note of anything you’d like us to look at
- Let us know about parking near the property
Book a survey
To book a survey, call 07833 053749 or send us an email and let us know the address and what’s prompted the survey. You’ll know the price before anything is booked.
Advice
Checking the roof from the ground
You can learn a lot from ground level. Binoculars help you spot slipped slates or tiles, gaps along the ridge and a leaning stack. Never climb onto the roof to look.
During heavy rain, look at the gutters from the ground or a window. Overflowing water can be a sign of a blockage or a gutter that has dropped.
When to book a survey in Bures
New membranes can have defects from installation. ELD on a new roof can show holes before they cause leaks.
Look out for signs like these:
- Leaking laps in the waterproofing
- Patched roofs that still leak
- Leaks through a flat roof with no obvious cause
- New membranes needing a check before handover
For landlords with property near Bures station, the flat roof over a let home is worth a look before it becomes a tenant complaint.
Before you book anyone
- Will the report include photos?
- What the survey won’t cover
- How soon the report will arrive
- Which parts of the roof they’ll actually see
Before and after the survey
Most of what helps is simple and safe from ground level. A few suggestions:
- Keep outlets clear of debris
- Note where leaks show inside and when
- Consider ELD before paving or planting goes on
- Share any drawings of the roof
Wet insulation may need attention after a leak. Your roofer can advise on that and other checks can help judge it.
Keep people off the flat roof unless they need to be there. Many breaches come from foot traffic.