West Berkshire · London and the South East
Flat roof survey in Great Lea Common, West Berkshire
Surveys of flat roofs on homes, extensions and commercial buildings for Great Lea Common, from an experienced roof surveyor. You get a clear written report with photos.
- Ponding water that does not drain away
- Signs of deflection in the roof deck
- Edge trims that have lifted or split
Flat roof survey in Great Lea Common
Our Basic Survey, from £150, gives you a visual inspection with photos and written recommendations. For moisture detection and a structural check, the Standard Survey starts from £250. Moisture readings are useful on flat roofs, where water can spread under the covering before it shows inside. Larger commercial roofs are quoted for their size. If you are worried about gaps at upstands and abutments and pools of water lying on the roof, a survey will tell you what’s going on, on GRP fibreglass, EPDM rubber and single-ply membranes alike.
In a village or hamlet like Great Lea Common, flat roofs are usually on extensions, garages, outbuildings or barn conversions. The checks are the same as anywhere: the covering, the edges, the upstands and where water drains away. We simply plan the journey and access beforehand. If there are outbuildings or garages with flat roofs, mention them when you book.
You can share the report with anyone who needs it: a seller or estate agent, an insurer, a roofer, a builder or a managing agent.
- Where
- Great Lea Common (RG7)
- Region
- West Berkshire
- Price
- From £150 inc. VAT
- Report
- A written report with photos, by email
- When we survey
- Weekdays, Saturdays and Sundays
- Insurance
- Professional indemnity and public liability
- Call
- 07833 053749
- Updated
- 27 October 2026
What we cannot see
Our findings are based on what we can see safely on the day, so there are some things a survey cannot cover:
- Testing older roof sheets for asbestos
- An exact number of years the roof has left
- What’s under the membrane without opening it up
If in doubt, ring 07833 053749 or send us an email and we’ll suggest the right survey. The full list of what we check.
Roofs we survey in Great Lea Common
- GRP fibreglass
- Mastic asphalt
- Felt flat roofs
- Single-ply membranes
- EPDM rubber
- Upstands and outlets
Flat roof surveys around Great Lea Common
Stratfield Saye House, about 4.3 miles south, is one of the historic houses in the wider area around Great Lea Common. If your home is one of the older ones, expect a mix of original materials and later repairs on the roof, and a listed home or one in a conservation area may need consent for changes of material. Across the South East, older homes tend to have slate or clay tiles, and many later ones concrete tiles. Mixed in with those pitched roofs are lots of flat ones, over rear extensions, dormers, garages and shops.
If you look after a shop, office or commercial unit, for instance near The Oracle, flat roofs over shops and units are easy to forget until water comes through a ceiling. Take an older house close to St Paul's Church: the flat roofs on later extensions tend to wear out long before the main roof.
Great Lea Common is about 3 miles south of Reading, in West Berkshire. Anywhere in Great Lea Common, we can come and survey your property, on a weekday, Saturday or Sunday. Great Lea Common is one of the towns and villages in West Berkshire where we work for flat roof surveys.
We survey roofs across the RG7 postcode area for flat roof surveys. Neighbouring places we cover for flat roof surveys include Three Mile Cross (1 mile south-east), Whitley Wood (1 mile north-east), Ryeish Green (1 mile south-east), Green Park (1 mile north-west) and Shinfield (1 mile east). Within a short drive, we also cover Newbury (15 miles west), Thatcham (12 miles west), Burghfield Common (4 miles west), Speenhamland (15 miles west), Calcot (4 miles north-west) and Shaw (14 miles west).
Local landmarks in Great Lea Common
In Great Lea Common, that means homes and buildings near Geoffrey Field Junior School, Ryeish Green School and Pearman's Copse. For rail, the closest station is Reading Green Park station, about 1.5 miles north-west. Nearby you will also find Berkshire Medical Heritage Centre Museum (3 miles north) and Royal Berkshire Hospital (2.9 miles north). The countryside around Great Lea Common includes Fobney Island Wetland Reserve and Longwater.
How the survey works
There is not much for you to do on the day. Show us any stains, drips or problem areas you know about, and we’ll take it from there. The survey itself takes about one to two hours for most houses, with bigger or more complicated roofs taking longer. Around Great Lea Common, older homes can have small or awkward roof spaces, so it is useful to know whether there’s a loft hatch and how easy it is to reach. Only areas that can be reached safely are inspected.
- 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.
- Each defect is photographed and its likely cause noted.
- You get a report setting out the condition and our recommendations, in order of urgency.
Preparing for the visit
- Let us know about parking before the day
- For flats, check roof access has been agreed
- Make a note of anything you’d like us to look at
Arrange a survey
Our price is from £150, including VAT. The exact figure depends on the roof and the package, so call 07833 053749 or email us with the details.
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What we are asked to look at in Great Lea Common
A flat roof lies open to sun, rain and frost, and water drains off it slowly. Over the years, coverings harden, crack and start to come away at the edges. People usually call us when a leak appears, before a purchase, or when the roof may be near the end of its life.
Problems we come across often include:
- Splits, cracks and crazing
- Blisters and bubbles in the covering
- Failed upstands where the roof meets a wall
- Pools of water lying on the roof
For landlords with property near Reading Green Park station, flat roofs over rear additions and dormers in rented property are worth checking between tenancies.
What to check before booking
- Whether VAT is added on top
- Their report turnaround times
- Whether you get a written report with photos
- Their insurance cover
Places near Great Lea Common
What else we do in Great Lea Common
Great Lea Common: your questions answered
Is Great Lea Common within the area you cover?
Yes, smaller places are covered as well as towns. We work right across London and the South East. Just mention lanes, gates or anything else about the route when booking.
How do I find out if my home in Great Lea Common is listed?
Check Historic England’s online list first, then ask the council about conservation areas and any Article 4 direction. The answer matters most when a change of material is on the cards.
Will this cover the whole house?
No. It’s a closer look at the flat roof, not a survey of the whole property. It complements a RICS home survey rather than replacing it, and it isn’t a structural engineer’s report.
Are you structural engineers?
No. We note visible signs such as sagging or deflection, but we’re not structural engineers and don’t carry out calculations. Where an engineer is needed, we say so in the report.
Are you insured?
Our surveys are covered by professional indemnity and public liability insurance. If you need details for a managing agent or a building owner, just ask.
Can you survey any kind of flat roof?
Felt, asphalt, EPDM, GRP and single-ply roofs are all covered. If you don’t know what your roof is, we’ll identify it on the day.
Do you look in the roof space?
Where it is relevant to the survey and there’s safe access, yes. A clear path to the hatch helps.
Tips from our surveys
These tips come from what we see on roofs every week, before and after a survey:
- Check ceilings under the roof for damp patches
- Limit foot traffic on the covering
- Keep clear of rooflights and fragile roof sheets
- Make sure new fixings through the roof are properly sealed
Buyers can take the findings back to the seller or the agent. It can support a request for work before completion or a conversation about price, depending on what we found.
After heavy rain, look at the roof from an upstairs window if you can. If water is still there a day or two later, have it checked.
What you can safely check yourself
It’s useful to keep a record: dates of leaks, photos from the ground and any work done on the roof. Share it with us when you book and it will help the survey.
Fresh stains on ceilings or walls after rain are worth noting. Take a photo and write down when you saw it, as it helps a surveyor trace the cause.
Different roofs, different checks
GRP fibreglass
GRP roofs can last up to about 30 years when they’re laid well. Hairline cracks over board joints are an early warning we look out for.
EPDM rubber
Lifting at the edges and loose areas of membrane are common EPDM problems. We record any we can see, with photographs.