Hertfordshire · London and the South East
Pre-purchase roof survey in Gustard Wood, Hertfordshire
Find out what’s going on with the roof before you spend money on it. Pre-purchase roof surveys in Gustard Wood, with photographs and a clear written report.
- Flashings that have lifted or split
- Slates or tiles that have slipped or gone
- Bitumen or mortar used in place of proper repairs
How it works
Safety comes first on every visit. We inspect what can safely be seen, and anything we cannot see is noted in the report. The survey usually takes roughly 1–2 hours at the house you’re buying, depending on its size and how much of the roof can be seen. Around Gustard Wood, older homes can have small or awkward roof spaces, so let us know about the loft hatch and any ladder. We only go where it is safe.
- You choose a Basic, Standard or Premium Survey to suit the home you’re buying.
- We agree a visit, including weekends if that helps.
- We inspect and photograph every part of the roof we can safely see.
- 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.
Before the survey
- Jot down any questions you want answered
- Let us know about parking near the property
- Check pets are kept safely away
How to book
Our price is from £150, including VAT. The exact figure depends on the roof and the package, and you can phone 07833 053749 or email us to find out.
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About our pre-purchase roof survey in Gustard Wood
A roof report gives you something solid to take back to the seller or the agent. You might ask about past repairs, ask for work to be done before completion or think again about your offer. We cannot say how a seller will respond, but you will be negotiating from a clear picture rather than a hunch. It also helps you decide whether to go ahead at all. If you are worried about slipped or missing slates and tiles and gutters that overflow or drip at the joints, a survey will tell you what’s going on, whatever the roof.
Being in a small place like Gustard Wood makes no difference to the inspection itself: the journey, parking and access are simply agreed ahead of time. If there are outbuildings with roofs you want checked, mention them when you book, so the visit can be planned around them. Whether you’re buying or checking new work, the same care goes into it. Visits can be booked on weekdays and at weekends.
The report is yours to share with whoever needs it: a seller or estate agent, an insurer, a roofer, a builder or a managing agent.
- Place
- Gustard Wood (AL4)
- Region
- Hertfordshire
- Prices
- From £150 inc. VAT
- Your report
- Written, with photos, emailed to you
- When we survey
- Monday to Sunday, daytime
- Insured
- Professional indemnity and public liability
- Call
- 07833 053749
- Page updated
- 27 October 2026
Gustard Wood homes and their roofs
Slate and clay tile are the usual coverings on older South East houses, with concrete tiles on many later estates, with flat-roofed extensions, dormers and garages common everywhere. Each material has its own typical faults, which is what a buyer or the owner of a new roof needs to know about. Gustard Wood is about 2 miles from the edge of the flight restriction zone around Luton Airport. If the drone is used for your survey, the exact boundary is checked for the address first.
If you own a rental within reach of Harpenden station, a roof report gives you a clear picture before you buy or settle up with a roofer. With Shaw's Corner about 1.2 miles north-east, the area around Gustard Wood has a long history. Buying a period property here means asking about the roof’s age and repairs, and about any listing or conservation area.
Gustard Wood is about 3 miles east of Harpenden, in Hertfordshire. Anywhere in Gustard Wood, we can carry out pre-purchase roof surveys at your property, on a weekday, Saturday or Sunday. Across Hertfordshire, we cover Gustard Wood. For surveys nearby, see our London page.
We work across AL4 for pre-purchase roof surveys and the streets around it. Close by, we survey roofs in Wheathampstead (1 mile south), Ayot St Lawrence (1 mile north-east), Kimpton (2 miles north), Ayot St Peter (2 miles east) and Codicote Bottom (2 miles north-east). Within a short drive, we also cover Watford (12 miles south), Hemel Hempstead (9 miles south-west), Stevenage (7 miles north-east), St Albans (5 miles south), Welwyn Garden City (5 miles south-east) and Harpenden (3 miles west).
Landmarks near Gustard Wood
Locally, jobs take us to homes and businesses close to Sir John Lawes School and The Old Plough Public House and the streets around them. For rail, the closest station is Harpenden station, about 2.7 miles west of the centre. Well-known places in the area include St Albans City Hospital (5.1 miles south-west) and Harpenden Museum (2.9 miles west). Green spaces nearby include Wheathampstead Local Nature Reserve.
Should I look at the roof myself first?
Inside, the loft is a good place to look, with care. Use a torch and stay on the joists or boards, and look for staining, damp timber or daylight coming through.
A lot can be seen from ground level. 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.
FAQs for Gustard Wood
Will you come out to Gustard Wood?
Yes, we do. Our area covers London and the South East, and smaller places are part of that. The journey is planned ahead, so it’s useful to know about access.
Is drone flying allowed in Gustard Wood?
That depends on where the roof is and on the weather. The flight restriction zone around Luton Airport comes within about 2 miles of Gustard Wood. The exact boundary is checked for each address before any flight, and a roof inside it needs permission before we fly. A small drone cannot fly safely in high wind or heavy rain, though the rest of the survey goes ahead either way.
How long does the survey visit take?
It normally takes between one and two hours at the house you’re buying, depending on its size and how much of the roof can be seen. The report follows within 48 hours for Basic, 24 to 48 hours for Standard and the same day for Premium.
Is your roof survey a RICS survey?
No. Our survey looks at the roof only, and it is not a RICS home survey. It complements one rather than replacing it.
Is this an asbestos survey?
No. Asbestos surveys and sampling aren’t something we do. The report may flag materials that could contain asbestos on buildings built or refurbished before 2000.
Do you inspect the roof from on top?
Where it is safe, yes. Much of the inspection is done from ground level, from windows and from the loft space. On Premium, a drone is used where it applies.
How experienced are you?
We’ve completed more than 5,000 surveys, over more than 20 years, and 98% of customers are satisfied.
Why get it checked now?
Without a survey, you’re relying on a glance from the pavement. That won’t show slipped slates on the rear slope, a worn valley or cracked flaunching. We fill that gap before you are tied in. For an older or listed building in a place like Gustard Wood, repairs may need matching materials and consent, so leaving a defect until it’s urgent leaves less time to plan.
To find out what your survey will cost, ring 07833 053749 or use the contact form and tell us about the roof. The price is agreed before a date is set.
Why book us in Gustard Wood
- Photos and a written report every time
- Insured for professional indemnity and public liability
- Surveys seven days a week
- Prices that include VAT
Take a look at our cost guide or what we found on two real jobs.
Tips that help
Small things make a difference, both for the survey and for the roof itself. Our tips:
- Ask for any paperwork for recent roof work
- Check we will be able to get into the roof space
- Book once your offer is accepted
- Ask who repairs the roof under the lease
The report gives any roofer you ask to quote a clear brief. They’ll see exactly what we found, and where, which makes quotes easier to compare.
After you move in, have leaves and moss cleared from gutters and valleys, ideally once the leaves have dropped. Blocked gutters cause much of the damp we see. Use a gutter contractor rather than going up a ladder yourself.
What we can’t see
It helps to know what a survey will not do before booking:
- Faults hidden behind ceilings, boards or coverings
- How a seller will respond, or what the house is worth
- Anything beyond the roof, which a full home survey covers
If you are not sure which survey you need, ring 07833 053749 or drop us an email and we’ll give you a straight answer before you book. What a survey covers and doesn’t.
Roofs we survey in Gustard Wood
- Flat-roofed extensions and dormers
- Gutters and downpipes
- Natural slate
- Lead flashings and valleys
- The roof space
- Clay and concrete tiles
- Chimney stacks
Towns and villages near Gustard Wood
What else we do in Gustard Wood
When to book a survey in Gustard Wood
Chimneys take the worst of the weather and they’re frequently the least maintained part of a roof. Pointing crumbles, flaunching cracks and flashings lift. On terraced and semi-detached homes, a stack may be shared with next door, which matters if work is needed.
These are some of the problems a survey can pick up:
- Slipped or missing slates and tiles
- Loose pots and cracked flaunching
- Quick fixes on flashings and valleys
- Ponding, blisters or splits on a flat roof
The streets around a church such as St Peter are frequently among the oldest in a place, and if you own one of the older houses nearby, the roof’s history matters as much as its looks, and a survey brings the past repairs to light.
Before you book any roof surveyor
- If they fly a drone, whether they hold a CAA Flyer ID and Operator ID
- Whether the roof space is looked at, where there is one
- How they’ll see the roof: from the ground, the loft, the roof or by drone
- What the report includes, and whether it has photos