Buckinghamshire · London and the South East
Pre-purchase roof survey in Butler's Cross, Buckinghamshire
Find out the condition of the roof at your property in Butler's Cross from an independent roof surveyor. Visits run on weekdays and weekends, in the daytime.
- Flashings that have lifted or split
- Slates or tiles that have slipped or gone
- Old water stains in the roof space
Pre-purchase roof survey in Butler's Cross: what you get
A full home survey looks at the whole property, so the roof is one item among many. Our survey is not a RICS survey, and it does not replace one. It adds a focused look at the roof on its own, with photos of what we find and written recommendations. You can have both if you want the fullest picture. If you’re worried about blocked or leaking gutters and roof slopes that look uneven or sagging, a survey will tell you what’s going on.
In a village or hamlet like Butler's Cross, homes are often older cottages and farmhouses alongside a few newer houses. Village roofs can be clay tile, slate, stone or even thatch on some older buildings. Whether you are buying or have just had a roof replaced, each material has its own checks, and thatch is a specialist material, so we report on what can be seen. Older roofs may also have old felt underlay or none, and fixings that have done a long stint.
If any part of the roof couldn’t be seen safely, we say so in the report. That way, it’s clear what was covered and what wasn’t.
- Where
- Butler's Cross (HP17)
- Wider area
- Buckinghamshire
- Cost
- From £150 inc. VAT
- Reports
- A written report with photos, by email
- Survey days
- Weekdays, Saturdays and Sundays
- Cover
- Professional indemnity and public liability
- Phone
- 07833 053749
- Updated
- 27 October 2026
Checking the roof from ground level
Watch the gutters in a downpour, from a window or the ground. Overflowing water can point to a blockage or a sagging run.
What you cannot do safely is get up close. Roofs are fragile and slippery, and a fall can be serious. That part is for a survey.
Your questions about pre-purchase roof surveys in Butler's Cross
Do you cover smaller places like Butler's Cross?
Yes, Butler's Cross is covered. We cover the whole of London and South East England, and smaller places are part of that. The journey is planned ahead, so it is useful to know about access.
How do I find out if my home in Butler's Cross is listed?
Historic England’s list shows listed buildings, and the local council can tell you about conservation areas. Listed building consent is needed for changes that affect a listed building’s special interest, and conservation areas can limit changes of roofing material.
Can you survey at the weekend?
Visits run seven days a week in the daytime, which suits people who work during the week. Just say which days work for you.
At what stage of buying should I get the roof surveyed?
After your offer is accepted and before you exchange contracts. That way you can still act on what we find.
Do you test for asbestos?
No. We don’t carry out asbestos surveys or testing. If we see materials that could contain asbestos, like cement roof sheets or soffits on buildings from before 2000, we flag them.
Do you go up on the roof?
Where it’s safe, yes. We inspect from the ground, from windows and vantage points, from the loft and from the roof itself where safe. On Premium, a drone is used where it applies.
I live in a flat. Can you survey the roof?
Yes, once whoever controls the roof agrees access. On a shared roof we can only inspect the parts we are allowed to reach.
How it works
We check the roof from outside and, where it is relevant and there’s safe access, from inside the roof space too. In the loft, the signs we look for are staining, damp, daylight and sagging. All in, the survey typically takes an hour or two at a typical home, and longer for a large or complex roof. In a hamlet or village like Butler's Cross, a postcode doesn’t always lead to the right gate, so a few directions, or a note of a nearby landmark, help us arrive on time. The visit itself is the same as anywhere else.
- Once your offer has been accepted, you book and give us the address and your timescale.
- We agree a time and how we’ll get in, including the loft.
- The roof is inspected from every safe vantage point, inside and out.
- Coverings, ridges, valleys, flashings, chimneys and gutters are checked and photographed.
- We email a written report with photographs and recommendations, ready for you to use before exchange.
Before we arrive
- Agree roof access with the managing agent if it’s shared
- Tell us about any leaks, stains or damp patches you know of
- Dig out any old roof reports or invoices
Booking a survey
Not sure which survey you need? The easiest way is to phone 07833 053749 or drop us an email and describe the roof and why you want it surveyed. We will talk you through the options and what they cost.
Read more
What a pre-purchase roof survey does not cover
Some things can’t be seen without opening up the roof, so a survey has limits:
- Whether the price should change, which is between you and the seller
- Walls, floors, services and rooms below the roof
- A structural engineer’s report
Not sure which survey suits your roof? You can call 07833 053749 or send us an email and we will tell you before booking. What a survey covers and doesn’t.
Roof types and parts we check
- Chimney stacks
- Gutters and downpipes
- Natural slate
- Clay and concrete tiles
- The roof space
- Flat-roofed extensions and dormers
- Lead flashings and valleys
Why get it checked now?
When a chain is moving fast, a roof survey can feel like one more delay. We visit on weekdays and at weekends, and a Premium report comes the same day, which helps it fit around your exchange date. For an older or listed building in a place like Butler's Cross, repairs may need matching materials and consent, so a defect found early gives time to plan the work properly.
Prices start from £150, including VAT. The final price depends on the size and height of the roof, how it can safely be seen and which survey you book.
Why book us in Butler's Cross
- More than 20 years surveying roofs
- 5,000+ surveys completed
- Drones and thermal imaging where applicable
- A sub-250g drone, flown with a CAA Flyer ID and Operator ID
See what a roof survey costs and what we found on two real jobs.
Before and after the survey
Here are a few things we’d tell any owner, before and after a survey:
- Do not leave it until just before exchange
- Tell us your exchange date as you book
- Check we’ll be able to get into the roof space
- Share the report with your solicitor
After you move in, keep the report somewhere safe. Deal with the urgent items first, and use the photos as a record of how the roof looked when you bought. The Premium Survey includes a 12-month follow-up to see how things have changed.
Check the roof from the garden and the street after a storm. Pieces of slate or tile in the garden mean something has moved. Dealing with them early keeps water out.
Places near Butler's Cross
Also in Butler's Cross
Local roofs and buyers in Butler's Cross
Older buildings may be listed or sit in a conservation area. To find out, check Historic England’s list and ask the council about conservation areas. Re-roofing in different materials may need permission there. Some villages in Buckinghamshire still have thatched roofs. Across the South East, older homes tend to have slate or clay tiles, and many later ones concrete tiles. Whether you are buying or checking new roofing work, knowing the materials helps make sense of what the inspection finds.
Landlords with a home close to Little Kimble station may find that a roof report gives you a clear picture before you buy or settle up with a roofer. The streets around a church such as Church of St Peter and St Paul are frequently among the oldest in a place, and if your house is among the older ones nearby, ask the seller about past roof repairs, because older roofs frequently have patched valleys, replaced slates and reset ridges.
Butler's Cross is about 4 miles south of Aylesbury, in Buckinghamshire. Butler's Cross is part of the area we cover as part of our work across London and South East England. Our area takes in places right across Buckinghamshire, from the larger towns to small villages. Oxford is in our area too.
Pre-purchase roof surveys in HP17 work the same way as everywhere else we cover. That includes homes and businesses on Ellesborough Road, Chalkshire Road and Wendover Road and the roads around them. If you are just outside Butler's Cross, we cover Chalkshire (1 mile north), Ellesborough (1 mile west), Coombe (1 mile south), Terrick (1 mile north) and Nash Lee (1 mile north). Larger places within reach include Aylesbury (4 miles north), High Wycombe (9 miles south), Chesham (8 miles south-east), Marlow (13 miles south), Amersham (9 miles south-east) and Beaconsfield (12 miles south-east).
Landmarks near Butler's Cross
Around Butler's Cross, our work takes us to homes and buildings near The Russell Arms. Butler's Cross’s nearest station is Little Kimble station, about 1.2 miles west. Nearby you’ll also find Stoke Mandeville Hospital (3.1 miles north) and Little Kimble Motte (1 mile south-west). Not far away are Coombe Hill and Brush Hill Local Nature Reserve.
Rented homes, blocks and businesses
Freeholders and residents’ companies use a roof report to plan and budget, with the most urgent items set out first.
Roof problems in a rented home affect tenants as well as the building. A survey helps you spot issues early and plan the work.