Isle of Wight · London and the South East
Pre-Purchase Roof Survey in Great Thorness
A roof survey before you buy a house or flat across Great Thorness, using drones and thermal imaging where it applies. Get in touch for a price.
- Slates or tiles that have slipped or gone
- Worn or lifted lead flashings
- Sagging ridge lines or uneven roof slopes
Pre-purchase roof survey in Great Thorness
The roof is one of the most expensive parts of a home to repair, and one of the hardest for a buyer to see. Our pre-purchase roof survey gives you a proper look at it before you are committed. We check the coverings, ridges, valleys, flashings, chimneys and gutters, plus the loft where there is safe access. The findings come in a written report with photos. If you’re worried about quick fixes on flashings and valleys and flashings that have lifted or split, a survey will tell you what’s going on.
Some older homes in villages like Great Thorness are listed or sit in a conservation area. If so, re-roofing in different materials may need consent, so check with the council before work starts. Whether you’re buying or signing off new roofing, it is worth knowing where you stand, as well as what condition the roof is in. There are about 500,000 listed buildings and around 10,000 conservation areas in England.
The report does not just list problems. It explains what we found, why it matters and what we recommend.
- Place
- Great Thorness (PO31)
- Region
- Isle of Wight
- Price
- From £150 inc. VAT
- Reports
- Written, with photos, emailed to you
- Survey days
- Weekdays, Saturdays and Sundays
- Cover
- Professional indemnity and public liability
- Telephone
- 07833 053749
- Last updated
- 27 October 2026
Pre-purchase roof surveys in Great Thorness: local notes
Great Thorness lies within about 1 mile of the sea, and being near the sea means more wind and salt than a roof inland would face. Salt is hard on nails, clips and metal flashings, and strong wind lifts anything already loose on a roof. The wider area around Great Thorness has a long history of building, with Swainston Manor about 3 miles south. If your house is among the older ones, expect a mix of original materials and later repairs on the roof.
For any home in Great Thorness, it is the small, early fault that is cheapest to put right.
Great Thorness is about 3 miles south-west of Cowes, in the Isle of Wight. From houses to flats and shops in Great Thorness, the roof can be surveyed on a weekday or at the weekend. Great Thorness is one of the towns and villages in the Isle of Wight we cover. You can also see our page for Southampton.
Pre-purchase roof surveys in PO31 are booked the same way as anywhere else. Neighbouring places we cover for pre-purchase roof surveys include Porchfield (1 mile south-west), Locksgreen (1 mile south-west), Rew Street (2 miles north-east), Newtown (2 miles south-west) and Northwood (2 miles north-east). Further out, we also cover Newport (3 miles south-east), Ryde (9 miles east), Cowes (3 miles north-east), Sandown (10 miles south-east), Shanklin (10 miles south-east) and Ventnor (11 miles south-east). If you are somewhere remote, the survey takes a little more planning, so let us know when you contact us.
What’s near Great Thorness
Locally, jobs take us to homes and businesses close to Sportsman's Rest pub and the streets around them. Other landmarks nearby include Carisbrooke Castle (3.5 miles south-east) and St Mary's Hospital (2.8 miles south-east). Green spaces nearby include Mill Hill.
FAQs for Great Thorness
Is Great Thorness within the area you cover?
Yes, Great Thorness 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 helps to know about access.
Is my home in Great Thorness listed or in a conservation area?
We can’t confirm that for you, but Historic England’s list and your council can. Both listing and conservation areas can limit changes of roofing material, and councils can also use Article 4 directions.
Do you need access inside the house?
Where possible, yes. The loft tells us a lot about the roof, and views from upper windows help too. Access is typically arranged through the agent or seller.
What if it rains on the day?
Light rain doesn’t usually stop a survey, and it can even help show where water is getting in. Heavy rain or strong wind can ground a drone and make the roof unsafe, so if conditions are not right we’ll arrange another day with you.
Will you climb onto the roof?
When conditions and the roof make it safe, yes. Many roofs can be seen well from windows, vantage points and the loft, and a drone is part of the Premium Survey where applicable.
Is this an asbestos survey?
No. We can flag materials that might contain asbestos, but confirming it is a job for a specialist asbestos surveyor. It may be present in buildings built or refurbished before 2000.
Can I use the report to negotiate on price?
Yes, you can. You will have photos and a written description of each defect, which you can share with the seller or agent. How the seller responds is up to them.
Towns and villages near Great Thorness
Also in Great Thorness
Surveys for landlords and agents in Great Thorness
Buyers’ agents can book surveys on behalf of their clients. Reports are emailed, so they’re easy to pass on.
Where a roof is shared: access has to be agreed with whoever owns or manages the building. Tell us about it as you book and we’ll plan the visit with that in mind.
Roof by roof
Clay and concrete tiles
Clay and concrete tiles commonly last 50 years or more. Cracked, slipped or missing tiles are noted, along with odd replacement tiles that hint at earlier leaks.
Flat roofs
Ponding, blistering, splits and worn upstands are the usual warning signs. Blocked outlets are checked as well.
Checking the roof from the ground
Fresh stains on ceilings or walls after rain are worth noting. Take a photo and write down when you saw it.
Look up at the roof after a storm, from the ground: broken slates or tiles in the garden, gaps along the ridge or loose lead are signs to note. Leave anything above ground level to a survey.
What happens on the day
On the day, we start by asking what you’ve noticed and what you need to know. After that, we check everything we can see safely. Most surveys take an hour or two on an ordinary house; commercial roofs usually need 3–4 hours. Older roofs in small places like Great Thorness can have low, tight loft spaces, so it is useful to know whether there’s a loft hatch and how easy it is to reach. We only go where it’s safe.
- Once your offer is accepted, you let us know the address and when you hope to exchange.
- Access to the house and the roof space is agreed ahead of time.
- We start outside, looking at the roof from the ground and from vantage points.
- Inside, we check the roof space and look at the roof from windows.
- The report is emailed with photos and recommendations, ready to use before exchange.
How to prepare
- Unlock side gates and any roof access doors
- Note where any stains or damp appear
- Leave a clear route to the loft
Getting a price
Once you know what you need, call 07833 053749 or drop us an email. From there it’s a case of choosing a package, agreeing the price and fixing a day.
Related advice
Why get it checked now?
Leaving it means judging the roof from the street. That will not show slipped slates on the rear slope, a worn valley or cracked flaunching. A survey fills that gap before you commit. For an older or listed building in a place like Great Thorness, repairs may need matching materials and consent, so leaving a defect until it is urgent leaves less time to plan.
Pre-purchase roof survey starts from £150, including VAT. The final price depends on how big and how high the roof is, how it can be seen safely and which survey you book.
Why us?
- Clear package prices, inc. VAT
- 98% customer satisfaction
- We hold a CAA Flyer ID and Operator ID
- Photos and a written report every time
See what a roof survey costs and two real surveys.
When you need someone else
Without opening up the roof, some things stay hidden, so a survey has limits:
- What’s under the slates, tiles or felt
- Structural calculations (that is a structural engineer’s job)
- The condition of the rest of the house (that is a RICS home survey)
Not sure which survey suits your roof? You can call 07833 053749 or drop us an email and we will tell you. What a survey covers and does not.
Roofs we survey in Great Thorness
- Natural slate
- Lead flashings and valleys
- Chimney stacks
- The roof space
- Flat-roofed extensions and dormers
- Gutters and downpipes
- Clay and concrete tiles