Isle of Wight · London and the South East
Steephill Pre-Purchase Roof Survey
A roof survey before you buy a house or flat for Steephill, from an experienced roof surveyor. You get a clear written report with photographs.
- Gutters that overflow or drip at the joints
- Slipped or missing slates and tiles
- Worn or lifted lead flashings
Can I check my roof myself?
You can learn a lot from ground level. Binoculars help you spot slipped slates or tiles, gaps along the ridge and a leaning stack. Never climb onto the roof to look.
Your own check is a good start, but it isn’t a survey. From ground level, valleys, flashings and the backs of chimneys are often out of sight, and those are details a survey looks at closely.
Pre-purchase roof survey in Steephill
We survey roofs for buyers in Steephill and across London and South East England. Whether it’s a terrace, a semi, a detached house or a flat, we follow the same careful process. We tell you what’s sound, what needs attention and how urgent it is. We’re insured for professional indemnity and public liability, with more than 20 years’ experience behind us. To book, ring 07833 053749 or send us an email. We survey the roof space, gutters and downpipes and clay and concrete tiles, and common reasons people get in touch are patch repairs that may hide an ongoing problem and old water stains in the roof space.
In a village or hamlet like Steephill, homes are frequently older cottages and farmhouses alongside a few newer houses. Village roofs can be clay tile, slate, stone or even thatch on some older buildings. Each covering has its own weak points, whether the roof is old or newly laid. What’s under the coverings, from old felt to the battens and nails, matters too.
Most points in the report come with a picture, so you can see each defect rather than just read about it. If something couldn’t be seen safely, the report is clear about it.
- Where
- Steephill (PO38)
- Region
- Isle of Wight
- Prices
- From £150 inc. VAT
- Reports
- A written report with photos, by email
- When we survey
- Weekdays, Saturdays and Sundays
- Cover
- Professional indemnity and public liability
- Phone
- 07833 053749
- Last updated
- 27 October 2026
What a pre-purchase roof survey looks like in Steephill
Steephill lies within about 1 mile of the sea, where sea air brings more salt and stronger wind than inland. Corroded clips and nails and lifted ridge pieces are typical of exposed roofs near the sea, which is worth knowing before you buy or pay for new work. A number of the island’s villages keep thatched roofs on older buildings, and sea air and wind reach every part of the island. The covering on a house you are buying, or on a roof just finished, tells us where to look hardest.
With Rylstone Manor about 3.2 miles north-east, the area around Steephill has a long history. If you’re buying an older home nearby, it’s worth knowing whether it is listed or in a conservation area before you plan any re-roofing. Take an older house close to Church of St. Alban-the-martyr: older patch repairs can hide behind a tidy front slope, and the survey looks past them. Landlords with a home close to Shanklin station may find that it’s worth knowing a roof’s condition before you buy it, or before you sign off new roofing work on it.
Steephill is about 3 miles south-west of Shanklin, in the Isle of Wight. Whether the building in Steephill is a house, a flat or a commercial unit, we can survey the roof on a weekday or at the weekend. Steephill is one of the places in the Isle of Wight we cover. For surveys nearby, see our Portsmouth page.
Every address in PO38 is covered for pre-purchase roof surveys. That includes homes and businesses on Love Lane, Steephill Road and Castle Court and the roads around them. Main roads around Steephill include the A3055, so getting to you is simple. If you are just outside Steephill, we cover Ventnor (1 mile north-east), St Lawrence (1 mile west), Nettlecombe (2 miles north-west), Wroxall (2 miles north) and Bonchurch (2 miles east). Larger places within reach include Newport (8 miles north-west), Ryde (10 miles north), Cowes (12 miles north), Sandown (5 miles north-east), Shanklin (3 miles north-east) and East Cowes (12 miles north). Harder-to-reach addresses take a little more planning, so please mention your location when you ring 07833 053749 or drop us an email.
Landmarks near Steephill
Around Steephill, our work takes us to homes and buildings near The Rose Inn and St Catherine's School, among other places. The nearest railway station is Shanklin station, about 3.5 miles north-east. Well-known places in the area include Longshoremans Museum (0.6 miles east) and Arthur Webster Memorial Hospital for Children (3.6 miles north-east). Open spaces near Steephill include St Boniface Down.
Places near Steephill
Other services in Steephill
The survey, step by step
When we arrive, we begin with a quick chat about the roof and anything that is worrying you. After that, we look at everything we can see safely, using the ground, windows, the loft and a drone where it applies. Most surveys take about one to two hours at a typical house, with time for the loft where it can be reached. In a small place like Steephill, access is usually the main thing to plan. Let us know about outbuildings, past repairs and any leaks you’ve noticed. Weekday and weekend visits are available.
- 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.
- We then look from upstairs windows and inside the loft where it’s safe.
- The report is emailed with photos and recommendations, ready to use before exchange.
Getting ready for the survey
- Keep pets in another room
- Note where any stains or damp appear
- If the roof is shared, arrange access with whoever manages the building
Book a survey
If you have photos of the roof, send them over. Take them safely from ground level or a window, and please don’t climb up for a closer look. To send them or to book, call 07833 053749 or use the contact form.
Related advice
Questions from Steephill
How do I find out if my home in Steephill is listed?
We cannot confirm that for you, but Historic England’s list and your council can. Both listing and conservation areas can limit changes of roofing material.
Is Steephill within the area you cover?
We do. A small place gets exactly the same survey as a big one, with the route planned beforehand.
Do you inspect the roof from on top?
Where it’s safe, yes. Much of the inspection is done from ground level, from windows and from the loft space. The Premium Survey adds a drone inspection where applicable.
Do you need to go inside the property?
If it can be arranged, yes. Inside, the loft shows leaks, damp timbers and the underlay. If access is not possible, we note it in the report.
Do you carry professional indemnity insurance?
Our cover is professional indemnity plus public liability, and we can provide details if a managing agent needs them.
Which days do you carry out surveys?
We survey on any day from Monday to Sunday, during the day, which suits people who work during the week. Just say which days work for you.
Do I need to be at home?
Not necessarily. If we only need the outside, we can agree that ahead of time, but anything inside needs someone there to give access.
Honest limits
No survey can tell you everything, and we’d rather be clear about that before booking. Keep these in mind:
- Anything beyond the roof, which a full home survey covers
- Whether materials contain asbestos (that needs a specialist asbestos surveyor)
- Faults hidden behind ceilings, boards or coverings
Not sure which survey suits your roof? You can phone 07833 053749 or send us an email and we will tell you. The full list of what we check.
What this survey covers
- Natural slate
- Chimney stacks
- Gutters and downpipes
- The roof space
- Lead flashings and valleys
- Clay and concrete tiles
- Flat-roofed extensions and dormers
What affects the cost of pre-purchase roof surveys
Survey packages start from £150, including VAT. What you pay for your roof depends on:
- How many separate roofs there are, such as extensions, dormers and garages
- How tall the building is and how easy the roof is to see
- If the survey needs thermal imaging or a drone
- The roof’s overall size
One thing that affects the price is the package: Basic from £150, Standard from £250 or Premium from £400, all with VAT included. Size, height and access can affect the price too.
Getting in touch
Here’s what helps us most when you contact us:
- The kind of building and roof involved
- Anything about access we should know
- What’s prompted the survey
- Photos of the roof, taken safely from the ground or a window
Buyers should book once an offer has been accepted, so there is time to use the report before exchange. Otherwise, simply ring 07833 053749 or use the contact form whenever suits you.
Why get it checked now?
It is tempting to skip the roof to keep a sale moving. Weekend visits are available as well as weekdays, and a Premium report comes the same day, so it can fit around a tight timetable. Older cottages and farmhouses around Steephill can have roof timbers that have been there a very long time, where water from a failed roof can cause rot if it is left.
What a survey costs comes down to the roof itself: how big it is, how high it is, the number of separate roofs and how safely it can be seen. Our price is from £150, including VAT.
Why us?
- Photographs and a written report every time
- Thermal imaging and drones used where they help
- Covered by professional indemnity and public liability insurance
- Package prices that include VAT
Read what a roof survey costs or two real surveys.
How the survey changes by roof type
Gutters and parapets
A butterfly roof drains to a central valley gutter, normally to the back of the house. If yours does, we check that gutter and where it drains.
Lead flashings and valleys
Many older houses have lead in their valleys and hidden gutters. Splits in a lead valley send water inside, and missing lead is not unknown, as it’s a target for thieves.