Essex · London and the South East
Flat Roof Survey in Ardleigh
Not sure what state the flat roof is in? We carry out flat roof surveys in Ardleigh and across Essex, with plain-English findings.
- Pools of water lying on the roof
- Leaks around rooflights
- Damaged trims at the roof edge
What a survey costs
Prices vary from roof to roof, and it comes down to:
- Basic, Standard or Premium
- Whether it is a home or a commercial building
- The roof’s overall size
- How many separate roofs there are, such as extensions, dormers and garages
Price depends partly on the package: Basic from £150, Standard from £250 or Premium from £400, all with VAT included. Size, height and access can affect the price too.
Helping us price your survey
To price your survey accurately, we’ll ask about:
- Photos of the roof, taken safely from ground level or a window
- Where water is showing inside, if it is
- Your timetable, such as an exchange date
- What kind of property and roof it is
Getting a price is simple: just phone 07833 053749 or email us, let us know about the property and we’ll explain which survey suits. The price is agreed up front.
Flat roof survey in Ardleigh: what you get
Ponding is often the first sign that something on a flat roof isn’t right. It can mean the falls were never right, an outlet is blocked or the deck has started to sag. We record where water sits, check the outlets and look for dips that suggest deflection. If the deck itself looks like a structural concern, we’ll recommend a structural engineer. We survey upstands and outlets, EPDM rubber and mastic asphalt, and common reasons people get in touch are blisters and bubbles in the covering and ponding water that doesn’t drain away.
Older buildings in small places like Ardleigh may be listed or in a conservation area, and that can affect how an extension roof or dormer is re-covered. If you are planning work, check with the council first. Knowing the roof’s condition is the starting point. Changes that affect a listed building’s special interest need listed building consent.
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.
- Place
- Ardleigh (CO7)
- Wider area
- Essex
- Prices
- From £150 inc. VAT
- Report
- Written, with photos, emailed to you
- Survey days
- Weekdays and weekends
- Cover
- Professional indemnity and public liability
- Telephone
- 07833 053749
- Updated
- 27 October 2026
Also near Ardleigh
Also in Ardleigh
Roof by roof
Single-ply membranes
Plant, fixings and foot traffic can all damage a single-ply roof. Any tears, punctures or loose membrane are recorded with photos.
Felt and built-up roofs
Felt roofs often last around 15 to 20 years, depending on how they were laid and looked after. We record how yours is doing and where it’s weakest.
Checking the roof from ground level
Your own check is a good start, but it isn’t a survey. You won’t see flashings, valleys or the backs of chimneys properly from the ground, and those are details a survey looks at closely.
A lot can be seen 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.
The survey, step by step
We do not take risks to get a closer look. Everything that can be seen safely is inspected, and if part of the roof can’t be seen, the report says so. Most visits take about 1–2 hours for a small flat roof at home, and longer for a large commercial one. Older rural homes like those around Ardleigh can have a main roof, lower lean-to roofs and outbuildings all joined together. Each part is looked at from wherever it can safely be seen, and anything we can’t see is noted.
- You send us the address and, for commercial roofs, an idea of the roof’s size.
- Inside, we look for signs of water under the roof where we can reach.
- The roof is inspected from every safe viewpoint, without walking on fragile surfaces.
- We record every defect with a photo and its likely cause.
- You get a report setting out the condition and our recommendations, in order of urgency.
Preparing for the visit
- Keep pets in another room
- Show us where any leaks or stains appear
- Agree roof access with the managing agent if it’s shared
Getting a price
Prices start from £150, including VAT. The exact figure depends on the roof and the package, and you can ring 07833 053749 or send us an email to find out.
Related advice
Tips that help
Nothing here needs a ladder. Our suggestions:
- Clear roof outlets and gutters each autumn
- Check ceilings under the roof for damp patches
- Check from a window for ponding after heavy rain
- Keep people off the roof unless they need to be there
After the visit, we write up the report with photographs of what we found. It explains the covering, its condition and every defect, and what we recommend. Basic reports arrive within 48 hours, Standard reports in 24 to 48 hours and Premium reports the same day.
Check the roof from a window after a downpour. If water is still there a day or two later, have it checked.
Local flat roofs in Ardleigh
Ardleigh is within about 5 miles of the coast, so there is more wind and more salt in the air than further inland. Wind can catch loose edges and trims on a flat roof, and salt air is hard on metal trims, flashings and fixings. Weatherboarded walls and clay tile roofs are typical of older Essex buildings, while many towns grew with post-war and newer estates. Next to the main roofs there is typically a flat roof somewhere, whether on an extension, a garage or a commercial unit.
Castle House lies about 1.8 miles north, so building around Ardleigh goes back a long way. If your home is older, its flat-roofed extension or dormer may be on its second or third covering. Landlords with a home close to Manningtree station may find that flat roofs over rear additions and dormers in rented property are worth checking between tenancies. Take an older house close to Church of St Mary: the joins between later flat roofs and the old walls are where problems usually start.
Ardleigh is about 4 miles north-east of Colchester, in Essex. We survey roofs in Ardleigh and the rest of Essex. Our Essex coverage includes Ardleigh. Chelmsford is in our area too.
Postcode districts we cover here for flat roof surveys: CO7. Local streets include Station Road, The Street and Mary Warner Road, and we cover them all. Close by, we survey roofs in Ardleigh Heath (1 mile north), Dedham Heath (1 mile north), Lamb Corner (2 miles north), Fox Street (2 miles south-west) and Dedham (2 miles north). We also work in nearby towns like Colchester (4 miles south-west), Clacton-on-Sea (11 miles south-east), Harwich (12 miles east), Camulodunum (6 miles south-west), Halstead (15 miles west) and Greenstead (3 miles south-west).
Local landmarks in Ardleigh
Around Ardleigh, our work takes us to homes and buildings near Ardleigh Park and The Lion Inn. The nearest railway station is Manningtree station, roughly 3.1 miles north-east of the centre. A little further out are Colchester Hospital (3.8 miles west) and The Munnings Museum (1.8 miles north). The countryside around Ardleigh includes Cattawade Marshes.
Landlords, agents and block managers in Ardleigh
Landlords and letting agents in Ardleigh book surveys as well as householders. The report gives you a dated record of the flat roof, with photos.
For a freeholder or residents’ company, a roof report is a sound basis for a maintenance plan, with the most urgent items set out first.
Common questions in Ardleigh
Is my home in Ardleigh listed or in a conservation area?
Start with Historic England’s list for listing and your council for conservation areas. It’s worth checking before planning roof work, as both can affect what’s allowed.
Will you come out to Ardleigh?
Yes, smaller places are covered as well as towns. Our area covers London and the South East. Let us know about access, parking and anything unusual about getting there when booking.
Do you look in the roof space?
Normally, if there’s one and it can be reached safely. From inside, the underside of the roof frequently shows damp, staining or daylight that cannot be seen from outside.
Do you check flat roofs for asbestos?
Asbestos testing isn’t part of our survey. Where a roof has materials that might contain asbestos, such as old cement sheeting, the report flags them so a specialist asbestos surveyor can check them.
What happens next?
You receive the written report by email, with photographs and recommendations. You can use it to talk to a seller, an insurer, a roofer or a managing agent, whichever applies.
Do you use drones?
Where it helps and the rules allow, yes. We hold a CAA Flyer ID and Operator ID and fly a drone under 250g, and the airspace and weather are checked before every flight.
Will you walk on the flat roof?
It depends on what’s safe: on the roof where it’s safe, and from windows, nearby vantage points and inside. Fragile rooflights and fragile sheets are never walked on.