Essex · London and the South East
Wix Pre-Purchase Roof Survey
A careful look at the roof at your property in Wix, with photographs and a written report.
- Lead that has worked loose at a wall or chimney
- Quick fixes on flashings and valleys
- Gutters choked with leaves and moss
About our pre-purchase roof survey in Wix
Many older houses carry decades of roof repairs. Slates slip when their nails corrode, lead valleys and flashings wear, and chimney pointing crumbles. Most of it can’t be seen from the street. We look closely and record what we see, with photographs that show you exactly where. Each finding is explained in plain words, so you know what it means for the house you are buying. Typical surveys look at lead that has worked loose at a wall or chimney and damp timbers or stains in the loft, on flat-roofed extensions and dormers, chimney stacks and the roof space.
Older buildings in small places like Wix may be listed or in a conservation area. That can affect what materials a new roof may use, so check with the council and Historic England’s list. Whether you’re buying or signing off new roofing, it’s worth knowing where you stand. England has around 10,000 conservation areas and about 500,000 listed buildings.
The written findings come by email, easy to pass on to a roofer, an agent or an insurer. Turnaround is within 48 hours for Basic, 24–48 hours for Standard and same day for Premium.
- Place
- Wix (CO11)
- Wider area
- Essex
- Cost
- From £150 inc. VAT
- Report
- Written, with photos, emailed to you
- Appointments
- Weekdays and weekends
- Insured
- Professional indemnity and public liability
- Call
- 07833 053749
- Last updated
- 27 October 2026
How it works
Time on site depends on the size and shape of the roof; as a rough guide, the survey takes an hour or two at a typical house, with time for the loft where it can be reached. You are welcome to ask questions while we’re there. Somewhere like Wix needs a little journey planning: let us know about lanes, gates and parking. The roof is looked at from ground level, from windows, from the loft where there’s safe access and from the roof where it’s safe.
- Once your offer is accepted, you tell us the address and when you hope to exchange.
- Access to the house and the loft space is agreed beforehand.
- We start outside, looking at the roof from ground level and from vantage points.
- We then look from upstairs windows and inside the loft where it’s safe.
- You get a photo-illustrated written report and recommendations before you exchange.
Getting ready for the survey
- Clear the way to the loft hatch
- Find any records of previous roof work
- Keep pets in another room
Book a survey
Not sure which survey you need? The easiest way is to call 07833 053749 or email us and describe the roof and why you want it surveyed. We’ll talk you through the options and what they cost.
Related advice
Places near Wix
More services for Wix
Wix homes and their roofs
Wix is within about 3 miles of the coast, and wind near the sea can be strong. The weather on the day decides whether a flight goes ahead, as a small drone can’t fly safely in high wind or heavy rain. Clay tiles and timber weatherboarding mark out many of the older buildings in Essex, and plenty of post-war and modern estates besides. The covering on a house you are buying, or on a roof just finished, tells us where to look hardest.
The streets around a church such as Church of St Mary are frequently among the oldest in a place, and if your house is among the older ones nearby, older patch repairs can hide behind a tidy front slope, and the survey looks past them. Landlords with a home close to Wrabness station may find that the roof is worth checking before you add another property to a portfolio or pay a roofer in full. Thorpe Hall, about 4.3 miles south, is one of the historic houses in the wider area around Wix. Older homes in the area can come with listed status or conservation area rules, which affect re-roofing, so check with the council before you buy.
Wix is about 5 miles west of Harwich, in Essex. Bookings from Wix are handled just like any other: get in touch, agree the price and pick a day. Wix is one of the towns and villages in Essex where we work. Chelmsford is in our area too.
All of CO11 is within our area for pre-purchase roof surveys, from the main roads to the quietest streets. Streets in the area include Hunters Court, Colchester Road and Harwich Road, and we cover them all. Close by, we survey roofs in Wix Green (1 mile east), Bradfield (2 miles north-west), Bradfield Heath (2 miles north-west), Great Oakley (2 miles east) and Wrabness (2 miles north-east). We also work in nearby towns such as Colchester (10 miles west), Clacton-on-Sea (8 miles south), Harwich (5 miles east), Camulodunum (12 miles west), Greenstead (9 miles west) and Wivenhoe (8 miles south-west).
What’s near Wix
Locally, jobs take us to homes and businesses close to The White Hart Inn, among other places. For rail, the closest station is Wrabness station, roughly 2.3 miles north-east. Green spaces nearby include Oakfield Wood and Alton Water.
FAQs for Wix
Do you cover smaller places like Wix?
Yes, we do. Our area covers London and the South East, from towns to the smallest villages. The journey is planned ahead, so it helps to know about access.
How do I find out if my home in Wix is listed?
Check Historic England’s online list first, then ask the council about conservation areas and any Article 4 direction. It matters most if you are planning to re-roof in a different material.
Can you inspect my roof with a drone?
Where it helps and the rules allow, yes. Our sub-250g drone is flown by a CAA-registered operator with a Flyer ID and Operator ID, and every flight depends on the airspace and the weather.
Does someone need to be in?
Someone needs to let us in if we’re looking inside or in the loft. We will talk about access as you book.
What’s the best way to book?
It’s easiest to phone 07833 053749 or email us. Let us know the address and a little about the roof, and we’ll point you to the right survey. We survey on any day of the week.
Can I use the report to negotiate on price?
Yes. Buyers use the findings to ask questions, ask for repairs before completion or ask for a price change. The outcome is between you and the seller.
Is this an asbestos survey?
No. Our report may flag materials that could contain asbestos, but confirming it is a job for a specialist asbestos surveyor. It may be present in buildings built or refurbished before 2000.
What a pre-purchase roof survey doesn’t cover
No survey can tell you everything, and it’s better to know them up front. Keep these in mind:
- Anything beyond the roof, which a full home survey covers
- Structural calculations (that’s a structural engineer’s job)
- Whether the price should change, which is between you and the seller
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.
Roofs we survey in Wix
- Natural slate
- Flat-roofed extensions and dormers
- Gutters and downpipes
- Chimney stacks
- Clay and concrete tiles
- Lead flashings and valleys
- The roof space
Landlords, agents and block managers in Wix
For a freeholder or residents’ company, a roof report is a sound basis for a maintenance plan, with the most urgent items set out first.
For blocks of flats, a roof survey helps managing agents and residents’ management companies plan ahead. Recommendations are set out by urgency where it matters, which helps with budgets and planning.
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
Many older homes in London and South East England have slate roofs. We check for slipped, cracked and missing slates, plus the metal clips that show earlier patching.
DIY checks: what’s safe
Watch the gutters in a downpour, from a window or the ground. Water spilling over the edge can point to a blockage or a sagging run.
After heavy rain, check ceilings and the tops of walls for new stains. Photograph them and note the date, as it helps a surveyor trace the cause.
Tips that help
You don’t need to be a roofer to help. What helps most:
- Ask when the roof was last worked on
- Notice patches of new decoration in top-floor rooms
- Share the report with your solicitor
- Ask whether there are papers for past roof work
The report gives any roofer you ask to quote a clear brief. The photos show the defects and where they are, so each quote covers the same ground.
Don’t block the vents at the eaves. Condensation in a roof space can look like a leak and can damage timbers over time. Avoid packing insulation into the eaves so tightly that air can’t flow.