Essex · London and the South East
Pre-purchase roof survey in Great Maplestead, Essex
A roof survey before you buy a house or flat around Great Maplestead, with findings in writing and pictures to back them up. Weekday and weekend visits available.
- Cracked flaunching or crumbling chimney pointing
- Blocked or leaking gutters
- Slates or tiles that have slipped or gone
Pre-purchase roof surveys in Great Maplestead: local notes
If the drone is used for your survey, the flight is checked against the Drone Safety Map first. With Hedingham Castle about 1.6 miles north-west, Great Maplestead sits in an area with a long building history. Older homes in the wider area frequently have features worth a closer look, such as lead valleys, tall stacks and roofs that have been patched over the years, and a listed home or one in a conservation area may need consent for changes of material.
Take an older house close to Church of St Giles: ask the seller about past roof repairs, because older roofs often have patched valleys, replaced slates and reset ridges.
Great Maplestead is about 3 miles north of Halstead, in Essex. We carry out pre-purchase roof surveys for homes and businesses in Great Maplestead and the surrounding area. Our area takes in places right across Essex, from the larger towns to small villages. We also survey roofs in Chelmsford.
Surveys in CO9 are booked the same way as anywhere else. If you need a pre-purchase roof survey at a property on Monks Lodge Road and Church Street or anywhere close by, we can help. We also cover Little Maplestead (1 mile east), Wickham St Paul (2 miles north-east), Halstead (3 miles south), Pebmarsh (3 miles east) and Colne Engaine (4 miles south-east). Larger places within reach include Colchester (13 miles south-east), Braintree (7 miles south-west), Witham (12 miles south), Camulodunum (12 miles south-east), Great Dunmow (14 miles south-west) and Greenstead (14 miles south-east).
Near you in Great Maplestead
Typical jobs here are in homes near Hedingham School and Sixth Form and the streets around them. A little further out are Halstead Hospital (2.2 miles south) and Hedingham Castle (1.6 miles north-west). Open spaces near Great Maplestead include Belcher's and Broadfield Woods.
Pre-purchase roof surveys for homes and businesses in Great Maplestead
Buying a flat brings its own roof questions. Depending on the lease, roof repairs may fall to the building owner or a management company. We look at as much of the roof as access safely allows, and the report gives you clear points to raise with your solicitor or the managing agent. Where the building has a flat roof, it is checked as far as access allows. We are often asked to look into lead that has worked loose at a wall or chimney and gutters that overflow or drip at the joints, across flat-roofed extensions and dormers, lead flashings and valleys and the roof space.
Older buildings in small places like Great Maplestead may be listed or in a conservation area. If so, re-roofing in different materials may need consent, so check with the council before work starts. Whether you are buying or signing off new roofing, it’s worth knowing where you stand. There are about 500,000 listed buildings and around 10,000 conservation areas in England.
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 Maplestead (CO9)
- Region
- Essex
- Price
- From £150 inc. VAT
- Your report
- A written report with photos, by email
- When we survey
- Weekdays and weekends
- Insurance
- Professional indemnity and public liability
- Call
- 07833 053749
- Page updated
- 27 October 2026
What we look for on each type of roof
Gutters and parapets
Parapet and box gutters are hidden behind walls and can overflow inside. Where we can see them safely, we check the linings and outlets.
Chimney stacks
Chimney stacks take the brunt of the weather. The pots, flaunching, pointing and flashings are all checked, as far as we can see them safely.
Useful tips for Great Maplestead property owners
Nothing here needs a ladder. Our suggestions:
- Give your solicitor a copy of the report
- Arrange the survey as soon as your offer is agreed
- Ask when the roof was last worked on
- Watch for stains or fresh paint on ceilings below the roof
Once the home is yours, the report becomes a maintenance list. Deal with the urgent items first, and keep the photos to compare against later. Premium comes with a follow-up after 12 months.
Once you’ve moved in, keep gutters, valleys and outlets clear, ideally once the leaves have dropped. Overflowing water is behind a lot of damp. Get a professional in rather than climbing up yourself.
Surveys for landlords and agents in Great Maplestead
An agent can book and manage the survey for a landlord, and the report can go to both. Access is agreed with the tenant beforehand.
If you own several properties, you can book surveys for several addresses. To arrange surveys for several addresses, phone 07833 053749 or use the contact form with the addresses.
How it works
After the inspection, everything we found is written up as a report with photographs, emailed to you. As for time on site, it usually takes between one and two hours at a typical house, with time for the loft where it can be reached. Cottages and farmhouses around Great Maplestead often have roofs at several levels, with lean-tos and outbuildings attached. We work round each section in turn, from the safest viewpoints, and anything we can’t see is noted.
- 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.
- The coverings, ridges, valleys, flashings, chimneys and gutters are inspected and photographed.
- Moisture detection, structural checks, thermal imaging or a drone are added where your package includes them.
- You receive the report, with findings prioritised by urgency, so you can raise them with the seller.
Preparing for the visit
- Leave a clear route to the loft
- Buyers: confirm access with the estate agent or seller
- Gather any invoices or paperwork from past roof work
Arrange a survey
We survey roofs on any day of the week. To arrange a day that suits you, ring 07833 053749 or send us an email.
Read more
Should I look at the roof myself first?
If you have a loft with safe access, take a look inside. Take a torch and only step on boards or joists, and look for staining, damp timber or daylight coming through.
A DIY look is useful, but it is not a survey. From ground level, valleys, flashings and the backs of chimneys are frequently out of sight.
Also near Great Maplestead
Also in Great Maplestead
How we price pre-purchase roof surveys
A few things affect what a survey costs:
- How tall the building is and how easy the roof is to see
- Basic, Standard or Premium
- How many separate roofs there are, such as extensions, dormers and garages
- If the survey needs thermal imaging or a drone
Larger roofs, taller buildings and commercial roofs take longer, so the price reflects that. The price is confirmed before you book.
What we need to know
What helps most when you contact us:
- The type of building and roof, like pitched or flat
- Where the property is, with the postcode
- Anything about access we should know
- Any marks or damp showing indoors
Buyers should book once an offer has been accepted, so there’s time to use the report before exchange. For any other survey, just phone 07833 053749 or drop us an email when you’re ready.
Great Maplestead questions
How do I find out if my home in Great Maplestead 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.
Is Great Maplestead in the area you cover?
Yes, Great Maplestead is one of the places we work. Every survey there gets the same written report with photos.
How many surveys have you done?
We have been surveying roofs for over 20 years and have carried out more than 5,000 surveys.
Is your roof survey a RICS survey?
No. It’s a dedicated roof survey, and you get a written report with photos. It does not cover the rest of the property, which a RICS survey does.
Will you climb onto the roof?
Where it is safe, yes. We inspect from ground level, from windows and vantage points, from the loft and from the roof itself where safe. On Premium, a drone is used where applicable.
Do you survey on Saturdays and Sundays?
Visits run seven days a week in the daytime. Just say which days work for you.
Can you inspect my roof with a drone?
Yes, where it is applicable. 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.