Essex · London and the South East
Great Horkesley Pre-Purchase Roof Survey
Find out what’s going on with the roof before you decide what to do next. Pre-purchase roof surveys in Great Horkesley.
- Gutters choked with leaves and moss
- Quick fixes on flashings and valleys
- Gaps where slates or tiles have come loose
How the survey works
We don’t take risks to get a closer look. Everything that can safely be seen is inspected, and anything we cannot see is noted in the report. The survey typically takes about one to two hours at the house you’re buying, depending on its size and how much of the roof can be seen. In a smaller place like Great Horkesley, parking is seldom the issue; lanes, gates and long drives are worth mentioning. Low roofs on bungalows can frequently be seen well from ground level, and the loft shows the rest, while taller roofs may need other vantage points or the drone where applicable.
- You choose a Basic, Standard or Premium Survey to suit the home you are buying.
- A date is booked on a weekday, Saturday or Sunday.
- We inspect and photograph every part of the roof we can safely see.
- Standard and Premium surveys add the extra checks they include.
- We send the report with recommendations ranked by urgency, ready for you to discuss with the seller or agent.
Preparing for the visit
- If the roof is shared, arrange access with whoever manages the building
- Have any paperwork from past roof work to hand
- Leave a clear route to the loft
Book a survey
Once you know what you need, ring 07833 053749 or use the contact form. From there it is a case of choosing a package, agreeing the price and fixing a day.
Read more
Pre-purchase roof survey in Great Horkesley
A full home survey looks at the whole property, and the roof is only one part of it. Our survey isn’t a RICS survey, and it does not replace one. It adds a focused look at the roof on its own, with photographs of what we find and written recommendations. You can have both if you want the fullest picture. We are frequently asked to look into roof slopes that look uneven or sagging and old water stains in the roof space, across flat-roofed extensions and dormers, gutters and downpipes and natural slate.
Bungalows, chalet bungalows and older cottages are common in smaller places like Great Horkesley, many of them extended or given dormers over the years. Low roofs are easier to see from the ground, but dormer cheeks, valleys and flat-roofed additions still need close attention. The same goes for a purchase or a new roof around Great Horkesley. Lead around a dormer and the edges of a flat roof are common places for snags and wear alike.
We write the report in plain English, so it makes sense without any roofing background. Photographs show what each point refers to, and recommendations are put in order of urgency where relevant.
- Location
- Great Horkesley (CO6)
- Region
- Essex
- Cost
- From £150 inc. VAT
- Reports
- A written report with photos, by email
- Appointments
- Weekdays, Saturdays and Sundays
- Cover
- PI and public liability insurance
- Telephone
- 07833 053749
- Page updated
- 27 October 2026
DIY checks: what’s safe
You can learn a lot from the ground. With binoculars, look for slipped or missing slates and tiles, gaps along the ridge and leaning chimneys. Please don’t climb up for a closer look.
Fresh stains on ceilings or walls after rain are worth noting. Take a photo and write down when you saw it, which helps when we check the roof.
Nearby places to Great Horkesley
What else we do in Great Horkesley
Your questions about pre-purchase roof surveys in Great Horkesley
Do you cover Great Horkesley?
Yes, Great Horkesley is one of the places we work. The survey and report are the same in Great Horkesley as anywhere else.
Is Great Horkesley 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.
Do you use drones?
Where it helps and the rules allow, yes. Our sub-250g drone is flown by a CAA-registered operator with a Flyer ID and Operator ID, and the airspace and weather are checked before every flight.
At what stage of buying should I get the roof surveyed?
Book as soon as your offer is agreed. You need the report before you exchange, because after that the roof is yours to deal with.
Can you survey in bad weather?
Light rain is typically fine; heavy rain and wind are different. Strong wind or a downpour can make access unsafe and ground a drone, and we’d agree another day.
Can you survey a shared roof?
Yes, as long as access is agreed. The roof of a block or converted house is often shared, so we need permission from whoever owns or manages the building. We inspect only the parts we’re allowed to reach.
How long does the survey visit take?
It usually takes an hour or two at the house you’re buying, depending on its size and how much of the roof can be seen. Report times depend on the package, from the same day for Premium to within 48 hours for Basic.
What happens if roof problems are left?
It is tempting to skip the roof to keep a sale moving. Weekend visits are available as well as weekdays, and the Premium Survey report arrives the same day, so it can fit around a tight timetable. On a bungalow or cottage around Great Horkesley, the roof sits close to the rooms below, so water can show inside quickly once it gets past the covering. Finding the cause first saves a second job inside.
Prices quoted always include VAT, and the written report is part of the package. Pre-purchase roof survey starts from £150, including VAT. Size, height and access decide where your roof falls.
Why book us in Great Horkesley
- An independent view of the roof
- Two decades and more of roof surveys
- Customer satisfaction of 98%
- Insured for professional indemnity and public liability
See what a roof survey costs and two real surveys.
Prices for pre-purchase roof surveys in Great Horkesley
Prices vary from roof to roof, and it comes down to:
- The shape of the roof and its details
- Extensions, dormers and garages with roofs of their own
- Which survey package you book
- How tall the building is and how easy the roof is to see
There are three survey packages: the Basic Survey from £150, the Standard Survey from £250 and the Premium Survey from £400, all inc. VAT. The price for your roof depends on its size, access and what you need to know.
Getting in touch
To price your survey accurately, we will ask about:
- The style of property, from a terrace to a block
- The property’s address and postcode
- What made you get in touch
- Any deadline, such as an exchange date
Unsure which package suits your roof? It is easiest to phone 07833 053749 or use the contact form and describe the roof and why you want it surveyed. We will explain the options and the price.
Do you need a pre-purchase roof survey in Great Horkesley?
Buildings put up or refurbished before 2000 may contain asbestos. It is frequently found in cement sheets, soffits and flue pipes. We do not carry out asbestos surveys, but we flag materials that might so a specialist asbestos surveyor can check before anything is disturbed.
Most people get in touch after spotting one of these:
- Worn or lifted lead flashings
- Slates or tiles that have slipped or gone
- Sagging ridge lines or uneven roof slopes
- Signs of past leaks inside the loft
If you let a flat or house near Colchester station, a roof report gives you a clear picture before you buy or settle up with a roofer.
Questions to ask before booking
- Their insurance cover
- Whether the inside of the roof is included
- What they won’t be able to tell you
- Which viewpoints they use to see the roof
Local roofs and buyers in Great Horkesley
What can be done to an older roof may depend on listing or a conservation area. The council is the place to check, along with Historic England’s list, before anyone quotes for re-roofing. Where the drone is part of the survey, we check the Drone Safety Map for restrictions before flying.
The streets around a church such as Church of St John are often among the oldest in a place, and if your house is among the older ones nearby, the roof may have had decades of patch repairs, and the survey shows where they are.
Great Horkesley is about 3 miles north of Colchester, in Essex. We visit Great Horkesley as part of our work across Essex, for houses, flats and commercial buildings. Great Horkesley is one of the places in Essex where we work for pre-purchase roof surveys. Chelmsford is in our area too.
Surveys in CO6 work the same way as everywhere else we cover. You’ll find streets like Exeter Close, Malvern Way and Keelers Way, all of which we cover. Neighbouring places we cover for pre-purchase roof surveys include Mile End (1 mile south-east), West Bergholt (1 mile south-west), Little Horkesley (2 miles north-west), Wissington (3 miles north-west) and Fordham Heath (3 miles south-west). We also work in nearby towns such as Colchester (3 miles south), Braintree (14 miles west), Clacton-on-Sea (15 miles south-east), Witham (13 miles south-west), Camulodunum (3 miles south) and Halstead (10 miles west).
Around Great Horkesley
We work in homes and buildings around The Half Butt Inn and Gilberd School, among other places. Great Horkesley’s nearest station is Colchester station, roughly 1.9 miles south. Nearby you will also find Lion Walk (2.8 miles south) and Colchester Castle (2.8 miles south-east). Not far away are Westhouse Wood.
Tips from our surveys
Small things make a difference. Some pointers:
- Mention any deadline when you contact us
- Pass the findings to your conveyancer
- Watch for stains or fresh paint on ceilings below the roof
- Arrange the survey as soon as your offer is agreed
The Standard Survey includes a follow-up consultation to talk the findings through, while Premium includes a consultation in person. If anything in the report isn’t clear, ask us.
Keep the loft ventilated. Condensation in a roof space can look like a leak and can damage timbers over time. Keep insulation clear of eaves vents so air can move.