Isle of Wight · London and the South East
Flat roof survey in St Lawrence, Isle of Wight
Surveys of flat roofs on homes, extensions and commercial buildings in St Lawrence, using drones and thermal imaging where applicable. Call or email for a price.
- Gaps at upstands and abutments
- Water getting in at rooflights
- Cracked or split membrane
What affects the price in St Lawrence
To price your survey, we look at:
- Extra roofs, like extensions, dormers or garages
- How complicated the roof is, with its valleys, chimneys and parapets
- Whether thermal imaging or a drone is needed
- Basic, Standard or Premium
Our price is from £150, including VAT. Basic starts from £150, Standard from £250 and Premium from £400, VAT included.
What we need to know
If you can, have these to hand when you get in touch:
- The property’s address and postcode
- Any stains, drips or damp patches you’ve seen indoors
- The reason for the survey, like buying, a leak or storm damage
- Access details, such as a loft hatch or a shared roof
If you’re buying, it helps to book soon after your offer is accepted, so there is time to use the report before exchange. For any other survey, just call 07833 053749 or use the contact form when you’re ready.
About our flat roof survey in St Lawrence
Many commercial buildings and blocks of flats have big flat roofs. On a roof like this, a survey shows where the covering is wearing, where water is ponding and which outlets need attention. The photographed record helps you plan and budget for work. We quote commercial roofs on their size and how they’re reached, so please call 07833 053749 or drop us an email with the address and an idea of the roof’s size. Typical surveys look at loose or cracked edge trims and cracked or split membrane, across felt flat roofs, GRP fibreglass and mastic asphalt.
Some older homes in villages like St Lawrence are listed or in a conservation area, and that can affect how an extension roof or dormer is re-covered. If you’re planning work, check with the council first. Finding out what state the roof is in gives you the facts to plan with. Listed building consent is needed for changes that affect a listed building’s special interest.
With the Standard Survey, you also get moisture detection, a structural check and a follow-up consultation. The Premium Survey adds thermal imaging, drone inspection where applicable, structural analysis and an in-person consultation.
- Location
- St Lawrence (PO38)
- Region
- Isle of Wight
- Price
- From £150 inc. VAT
- Reports
- Written, with photos, emailed to you
- Appointments
- Monday to Sunday, daytime
- Cover
- Professional indemnity and public liability
- Call
- 07833 053749
- Page updated
- 27 October 2026
Before and after the survey
A few practical points come up again and again on our surveys. They apply to most roofs:
- Ask whoever fits equipment on the roof to make good the covering
- File the paperwork for the roof and any repairs
- Ask contractors to protect the roof if they work on it
- Keep outlets clear of leaves and moss
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 the findings.
After heavy rain, look at the roof from an upstairs window if you can. Water still lying a day or two later is worth getting looked at.
Common roof problems in St Lawrence
Water that doesn’t drain sits on the roof and speeds up wear. Blocked outlets, poor falls and a sagging deck are the usual causes. Where trees are close by, leaves and silt can block an outlet within a single autumn.
People usually book a survey after spotting one of these:
- Water getting in at rooflights
- Splits and cracks in the covering
- Blistering in felt or asphalt
- Failed upstands where the roof meets a wall
Take an older house close to St Lawrence's Church: the joins between later flat roofs and the old walls are where problems normally start.
Choosing a roof surveyor
- Whether you get a written report with photos
- Whether they hold professional indemnity and public liability insurance
- How they’ll see the roof: from the ground, the loft, the roof or by drone
- What happens after the report arrives
How it works
Photos are taken throughout the visit, so you can see in the report what we found and where. We take close-ups from wherever is safe, including by drone where it is applicable and the weather allows. A typical visit takes about 1–2 hours for a house, while a commercial roof takes nearer three to four hours. Older rural homes like those around St Lawrence can have a main roof, lower lean-to roofs and outbuildings all joined together. We work round each section in turn, from the safest viewpoints.
- We start with the details: the address, the roof’s use and any leaks or stains.
- We check the roof from wherever it can safely be seen.
- The covering, falls, upstands, outlets, edge trims and rooflights are checked and photographed.
- Where there’s safe access, we look at the ceilings and spaces below for signs of water.
- The findings are written up with photographs and recommendations and emailed to you.
Getting ready for the survey
- Leave side gates unlocked
- Have any paperwork from past roof work to hand
- Clear the way to the loft hatch
Arrange a survey
Photos help, if you have them. Pictures from ground level or a window are fine; never climb up to get a better view. To send them or to book, phone 07833 053749 or send us an email.
Advice
Flat roof surveys around St Lawrence
St Lawrence lies within about 1 mile of the sea, where sea air brings more salt and stronger wind than inland. Wind can catch loose edges and trims on a flat roof, and salt air is hard on metal trims, flashings and fixings. Thatch survives on some older Isle of Wight buildings, and the whole island is open to sea air and wind. Alongside them, flat-roofed extensions, dormers, garages and commercial units are common almost everywhere.
Rylstone Manor lies about 3.8 miles north-east, so building around St Lawrence goes back a long way. On a period home nearby, any flat roof is likely to be a later addition with its own lifespan. A roof leak in a hotel or guest house around St Lawrence means lost rooms as well as repairs, so it pays to find faults before guests do.
St Lawrence is about 4 miles south-west of Shanklin, in the Isle of Wight. Roofs in St Lawrence get the same thorough look as anywhere else in the Isle of Wight. St Lawrence is one of the towns and villages in the Isle of Wight where we work for flat roof surveys. Our Portsmouth page covers surveys nearby.
Postcode districts we cover here for flat roof surveys: PO38. Local streets include Twining Road, Whitwell Road and Woolverton Road, and we cover them all. Other places close to St Lawrence include Steephill (1 mile east), Nettlecombe (1 mile north-west), Whitwell (1 mile north-west), Ventnor (1 mile east) and Bierley (2 miles north-west). We also work in nearby towns such as Newport (8 miles north), Ryde (10 miles north), Cowes (12 miles north), Sandown (6 miles north-east), Shanklin (4 miles north-east) and East Cowes (12 miles north). Remote addresses need a little more planning, so please mention your location when you call 07833 053749 or email us.
Landmarks near St Lawrence
We work in homes and buildings around St Catherine's School. For rail, the closest station is Shanklin station, roughly 4.1 miles north-east of the centre. Other landmarks nearby include Arthur Webster Memorial Hospital for Children (4.1 miles north-east) and Longshoremans Museum (1.3 miles east). Not far away are Stenbury Down.
Your questions about flat roof surveys in St Lawrence
Does a conservation area affect roof work in St Lawrence?
You can check whether a building is listed on Historic England’s list, and your council can tell you if it is 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.
Does being near the coast affect roofs in St Lawrence?
Places near the sea get more wind and more salt in the air than inland, and both are hard on roofs. Salt is hard on nails, clips and metal flashings, while strong wind lifts anything already loose.
What happens next?
You’ll get the report by email, with photos and clear recommendations. The Standard Survey includes a follow-up consultation, and the Premium Survey an in-person consultation.
What does ponding on a flat roof mean?
Standing water on a flat roof deserves a closer look. It can point to blocked outlets, poor falls or a deck that is sagging, and it wears the covering faster. Our survey notes the ponding and what seems to be causing it.
Do I need to be at home?
It depends on what we need to see. For inside areas and the roof space, someone has to give us access.
How long does the survey take?
It normally takes an hour or two for a small flat roof at home, and longer for a large commercial one. The report follows by email.
Is it a structural engineer’s report?
No. We’re experienced roof surveyors, and visible signs such as sagging are noted, but we do not provide calculations or an engineer’s opinion. If one is needed, the report says so.
Also in St Lawrence
Landlord and commercial surveys in St Lawrence
Buyers’ agents can book surveys on behalf of their clients. Reports are emailed, so they’re easy to pass on.
We survey roofs for letting agents and landlords as well as homeowners. The report gives you a dated record of the flat roof, with photos.
Roof by roof
EPDM rubber
EPDM is a synthetic rubber membrane, frequently laid in a single sheet on smaller roofs. The survey looks at laps, edge trims, corners and signs of puncture.
Felt and built-up roofs
The edges and upstands of a felt roof are usually where trouble starts. Every upstand and edge is looked at, with photos of any that have lifted or cracked.