Essex · London and the South East
Little Wigborough Pre-Purchase Roof Survey
Independent pre-purchase roof surveys in Little Wigborough. We have completed more than 5,000 surveys across London and South East England.
- Patch repairs that may hide an ongoing problem
- Ponding, blisters or splits on a flat roof
- Roof slopes that look uneven or sagging
Checking the roof from ground level
Look up at the roof after a storm, from ground level: 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.
You can learn a lot from the ground. Binoculars help you spot slipped slates or tiles, gaps along the ridge and a leaning stack. Please do not climb up for a closer look.
About our pre-purchase roof survey in Little Wigborough
A Basic Survey starts from £150, while Standard starts from £250 and Premium from £400, including VAT. The Standard Survey adds moisture detection and a structural check. Premium adds thermal imaging, a drone inspection where applicable and an in-person consultation. Pick the one that fits the property. All three include a photo-illustrated written report and recommendations. If you’re worried about roof slopes that look uneven or sagging and standing water on a flat extension roof, a survey will tell you what’s going on, whatever the roof.
Being in a small place like Little Wigborough makes no difference to the inspection itself: the journey, parking and access are simply agreed beforehand. Mention any outbuildings, barns or garages with roofs you’d like looked at when booking, so the visit can be planned around them. Whether you’re buying or checking new work, the same care goes into it. Weekday and weekend visits are both available.
Pictures do a lot of the work in our reports, so you can see each defect rather than just read about it. Anything out of sight on the day is listed as such.
- Where
- Little Wigborough (CO5)
- Wider area
- Essex
- Price
- From £150 inc. VAT
- Reports
- A written report with photos, by email
- Appointments
- Weekdays and weekends
- Insured
- PI and public liability insurance
- Phone
- 07833 053749
- Page updated
- 27 October 2026
What a pre-purchase roof survey doesn’t cover
No survey can tell you everything, and we’d rather be clear about that before booking. Bear these in mind:
- Whether timbers meet design loads
- What’s under the slates, tiles or felt
- Whether the price should change, which is between you and the seller
If you’re not sure which survey you need, ring 07833 053749 or email us and we will give you a straight answer before you book. What a survey covers and does not.
What we check
- Lead flashings and valleys
- Clay and concrete tiles
- Chimney stacks
- The roof space
- Gutters and downpipes
- Natural slate
- Flat-roofed extensions and dormers
What we do, step by step
We work from the outside in: outside views come first, then the loft space if there’s safe access. In total, it takes about 1–2 hours at a typical house, with time for the loft where it can be reached. Rural addresses near Little Wigborough can be hard to find from a postcode alone, so a few directions are welcome. The visit itself is the same as anywhere else.
- After your offer is agreed, you book and share your timetable.
- Access to the house and the loft space is agreed in advance.
- 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.
- You get a written report with photos and recommendations before you exchange.
Preparing for the visit
- Move anything stored under the loft hatch
- If you are buying, check with the agent that we can get in
- Note where any stains or damp appear
Booking a survey
To arrange a survey, phone 07833 053749 or email us with the address and what you’d like to know about the roof. We’ll confirm the price before you book.
Related advice
Landlord and commercial surveys in Little Wigborough
Businesses and commercial landlords can book us too, including offices, shops and units. Bigger roofs take more time, so they’re priced to suit.
Surveys can also be booked by buyers’ agents acting for a client. The report is emailed, so it can go straight to your client.
What we are asked to look at in Little Wigborough
Rear extensions, dormers and garages frequently have flat roofs. Felt flat roofs frequently last around 15 to 20 years, and ponding, blisters and splits are common signs of age. They’re easy to overlook on a viewing, because many can only be seen from an upstairs window.
A survey can pick up problems like:
- Slates or tiles that have slipped or gone
- Gutters choked with leaves and moss
- Patch repairs that may hide an ongoing problem
- Signs of past leaks inside the loft
Take an older house close to Church of St Stephen: ask the seller about past roof repairs, because older roofs often have patched valleys, replaced slates and reset ridges.
Before booking anyone
- What the survey won’t cover
- When you will get the report
- What insurance they carry
- Whether VAT is in the quoted price
What happens if roof problems are left?
Small roof defects let water in slowly. By the time a stain shows, timber or plaster may already be damp. Spotting it before you buy means you know about it from day one. Where a roof is exposed, as many are in small places like Little Wigborough, driving rain gets into any weakness, and older walls, once damp, take a long time to dry.
There are three survey packages: Basic from £150, Standard from £250 and Premium from £400, all with VAT included. The price for your roof depends on its size, access and what you want to find out.
Why book with us
- More than 20 years surveying roofs
- An independent view of the roof
- A sub-250g drone, flown with a CAA Flyer ID and Operator ID
- Weekday and weekend surveys
See how roof surveys are priced and what we found on two real jobs.
Little Wigborough: your questions answered
Is the coastal weather around Little Wigborough hard on roofs?
Generally, yes: wind and salt air take more of a toll near the sea. Exposed details like ridges, verges, flashings and metal fixings are the ones to watch, and Little Wigborough is within about 2 miles of the coast.
Is Little Wigborough within the area you cover?
Yes, we do. We cover the whole of London and South East England, from towns to the smallest villages. The journey is planned ahead, so it helps to know about access.
Does your survey replace a RICS home survey?
No. It is a roof survey by an experienced roof surveyor, with a written report and photographs. It is not a RICS survey and does not cover the rest of the house.
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.
Do I need to be at home?
Someone needs to let us in if we’re looking inside or in the loft. We will talk about access when you book.
Do I need a roof survey if I’m having a RICS survey?
They do different things. A home survey looks at the whole property, while ours looks only at the roof, in more detail. Our survey complements a RICS survey and does not replace one.
Can you tell me if my roof has 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.
Also near Little Wigborough
Also in Little Wigborough
Local roofs and buyers in Little Wigborough
Little Wigborough lies within about 2 miles of the sea, where sea air brings more salt and stronger wind than inland. Salt corrodes metal fixings and flashings, and wind lifts loose slates, tiles and ridge pieces, which is worth knowing before you buy or pay for new work. With Layer Marney Tower about 3.2 miles north-west, Little Wigborough sits in an area with a long building history. Period homes nearby can have lead valleys, tall chimneys and a patchwork of past repairs, and any change of roofing material on a listed home needs checking with the council first.
Little Wigborough is about 6 miles south of Colchester, in Essex. If you are in Little Wigborough, booking works exactly as it does anywhere else: a call or an email, a price, then a date. We cover towns and villages across Essex, from the larger towns to small villages. You can also see our page for Chelmsford.
We survey roofs across the CO5 postcode area for pre-purchase roof surveys and the streets around it. Neighbouring places we cover for pre-purchase roof surveys include Great Wigborough (1 mile west), Peldon (1 mile north-east), Layer Breton (3 miles north-west), Layer-de-la-Haye (3 miles north) and Malting Green (3 miles north). We also work in nearby towns like Colchester (6 miles north), Braintree (14 miles north-west), Clacton-on-Sea (12 miles east), Maldon (9 miles south-west), Witham (10 miles west) and Camulodunum (6 miles north).
Around Little Wigborough
Well-known places in the area include Essex County Hospital (5.9 miles north) and Birch Castle (3.4 miles north-west). Not far away are Abbotts Hall Farm.