West Berkshire · London and the South East
Pre-purchase roof survey in Heads Hill, West Berkshire
A roof survey before you buy a house or flat around Heads Hill, with a written report you can act on. Book a weekday or weekend visit.
- Slates or tiles that have slipped or gone
- Loose pots and cracked flaunching
- Gutters choked with leaves and moss
Pre-purchase roof survey in Heads Hill
We survey roofs for buyers in Heads Hill and across London and the South East. From terraced and semi-detached homes to detached houses and flats, we follow the same careful process. We tell you what’s sound, what needs attention and how urgent it is. We hold professional indemnity and public liability insurance, and have 20+ years’ experience. To arrange a survey, phone 07833 053749 or email us. Typical surveys look at flashings that have lifted or split and blocked or leaking gutters, across gutters and downpipes, lead flashings and valleys and clay and concrete tiles.
Some older homes in villages like Heads Hill 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. For a buyer or someone with a newly finished roof, it’s worth knowing which applies, as well as what condition the roof is in. There are about 500,000 listed buildings and around 10,000 conservation areas in England.
It isn’t only a list of defects. It explains what we found, why it matters and what we recommend, so you can plan your next steps.
- Place
- Heads Hill (RG19, RG20)
- Wider area
- West Berkshire
- Price
- 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
Leave it or get it looked at?
Even if you go ahead regardless, knowing the roof’s condition helps you plan. The report shows what needs doing first, and you can line up a roofer before small faults grow. Where a roof is exposed, as many are in small places like Heads Hill, driving rain gets into any weakness, and damp in older walls is slow to dry out.
Thermal imaging and drone inspection (where applicable) come with the Premium Survey, from £400 including VAT. We can help you choose the package that fits what you’d like to know.
Why book with us
- Thermal imaging and drones used where they help
- Insured for professional indemnity and public liability
- Independent findings on the roof’s condition
- Surveys seven days a week
Take a look at what a roof survey costs and what we found on two real jobs.
Useful tips for Heads Hill property owners
Small things make a difference, both for the survey and for the roof itself. Our tips:
- 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
- Ask whether there are papers for past roof work
If the report shows work is needed, you can raise it with the seller or agent. Some buyers ask for repairs before completion, others ask for a change to the price. What happens next is your decision and the seller’s, and we can’t promise any result.
Every so frequently, check the loft with a torch, keeping to boarded areas. Watch for stains, damp timbers and chinks of daylight. Photos help if you later need a roofer or another survey.
How the survey changes by roof type
Clay and concrete tiles
Tiled roofs frequently last half a century or longer. Cracked, slipped or missing tiles are noted, along with odd replacement tiles that hint at earlier leaks.
Natural slate
Good slate is one of the longest-lasting roof coverings, but the nails holding it corrode long before that. When slates start to slip, corroded nails are often the reason, and we note how widespread it looks.
Pre-purchase roof surveys in Heads Hill: local notes
Historic houses such as Shaw House, about 3.3 miles north-west, show how far back building in the area around Heads Hill goes. Period homes nearby can have lead valleys, tall chimneys and a patchwork of past repairs, and a listed home or one in a conservation area may need consent for changes of material. Across the South East, older homes tend to have slate or clay tiles, and many later ones concrete tiles. Each material has its own typical faults, which is what a buyer or the owner of a new roof needs to know about.
Landlords with a home close to Thatcham station may find that a roof report gives you a clear picture before you buy or settle up with a roofer.
Heads Hill is about 2 miles south of Thatcham, in West Berkshire. We carry out pre-purchase roof surveys for householders, landlords and businesses in Heads Hill and nearby. Across West Berkshire, we cover Heads Hill. There is also a page for Reading.
We survey roofs across the RG19 and RG20 postcode area for pre-purchase roof surveys and the streets around it. If you need a pre-purchase roof survey at a property on Main Street, Thornford Road and Second Street East or a nearby road, we can help. We also cover the places around Heads Hill: Bishop's Green (1 mile south-west), Headley (1 mile south-east), Bury's Bank (1 mile north-west), Mill Green (1 mile south-east) and Goose Hill (2 miles south-east). Larger places within reach include Newbury (3 miles north-west), Burghfield Common (9 miles east), Speenhamland (3 miles north-west), Hungerford (11 miles west), Spencers Wood (13 miles east) and Calcot (11 miles north-east).
Local landmarks in Heads Hill
In Heads Hill, that means homes and buildings near New Greenham Park and Kennet School and the streets around them. The nearest railway station is Thatcham station, roughly 1.9 miles north-east of the centre. Nearby you will also find Donnington Castle (4.3 miles north-west) and West Berkshire Community Hospital (2.4 miles north). For a walk, there’s Thatcham Reed Beds and Ladle Hill.
Heads Hill: your questions answered
Is Heads Hill in the area you cover?
We do. The survey and report are the same in Heads Hill as anywhere else.
Is my home in Heads Hill listed or in a conservation area?
Check Historic England’s online list first, then ask the council about conservation areas and any Article 4 direction. The answer matters most when a change of material is on the cards.
Can you inspect my roof with a drone?
Where it is applicable and safe, yes. We’re a CAA-registered drone operator (Flyer ID and Operator ID), flying a sub-250g drone. It’s included in the Drone Roof Survey and, where it applies, the Premium Survey.
What if it rains on the day?
It depends on the weather and the survey. In strong wind or a downpour, a drone can’t fly and access may not be safe, and we’d agree another day.
Should I get a roof survey as well as a RICS home survey?
It’s your choice, but the two do different jobs. A RICS home survey covers the whole building, while ours looks only at the roof, in more detail. Ours sits alongside a RICS survey rather than replacing it.
Do you survey roofs on blocks of flats?
Yes, as long as access is agreed. Roofs over flats are frequently shared, so whoever owns or manages the building needs to agree access. We can only inspect what we are given access to.
Do you test for asbestos?
No. We don’t carry out asbestos surveys or testing. We flag materials that could contain asbestos, like cement sheets or soffits on pre-2000 buildings and suggest a specialist asbestos surveyor checks them before any work.
Also near Heads Hill
What else we do in Heads Hill
Honest limits
It is a careful look at the roof, not the whole story. Its limits include:
- Structural calculations (that is a structural engineer’s job)
- Confirmation of asbestos in cement sheets or soffits
- How a seller will respond, or what the house is worth
If you’re not sure which survey you need, phone 07833 053749 or use the contact form and we will give you a straight answer before you book. What our survey covers.
Roof types and parts we check
- Clay and concrete tiles
- Natural slate
- Chimney stacks
- Gutters and downpipes
- Flat-roofed extensions and dormers
- Lead flashings and valleys
- The roof space
What we’re asked to look at in Heads Hill
Buildings put up or refurbished before 2000 may contain asbestos. It’s frequently found in cement sheets, soffits and flue pipes. We don’t carry out asbestos surveys, but our report flags materials that could contain it and suggest a specialist asbestos surveyor checks them before work starts.
Look out for signs like these:
- Worn or lifted lead flashings
- Patch repairs that may hide an ongoing problem
- Sagging ridge lines or uneven roof slopes
- Old water stains in the loft space
If you live in an older home near Church of St Peter, the roof may have had decades of patch repairs, and the survey shows where they are.
Before booking any roof surveyor
- What they won’t be able to tell you
- What the report includes, and whether it has photographs
- What happens after the report arrives
- Will they check the loft as well as the outside?
How it works
The visit typically starts outside and finishes in the loft: first the slopes, edges and gutters from every safe viewpoint, then the roof space where it can be reached. In total, it takes an hour or two on an ordinary house, and longer for a large or complex roof. Somewhere as small as Heads Hill, access is frequently the only tricky part. Let us know about outbuildings, past repairs and any leaks you’ve noticed. Visits can be on weekdays, Saturdays or Sundays.
- Once your offer is accepted, you let us know the address and when you hope to exchange.
- We arrange access with you, the agent or the seller, including the loft.
- The visit begins outside, from ground level and any safe vantage points.
- Inside, we check the loft space and look at the roof from windows.
- The report is emailed with photos and recommendations, ready to use before exchange.
Before the survey
- Dig out any old roof reports or invoices
- Move anything stored under the loft hatch
- If it is not your property yet, arrange access through the agent
Getting a price
To book a survey, ring 07833 053749 or send us an email with the address and what you’d like to know about the roof. You’ll know the price before anything is booked.