Isle of Wight · London and the South East
Roof leak investigation in Plaish, Isle of Wight
Roof leak investigations in Plaish, with over 20 years’ experience behind it. Every survey ends with a written report and photos.
- Staining around the chimney inside
- Stains around a skylight
- Drips from nail tips in a cold loft
Practical tips
A few practical points come up again and again on our surveys. They apply to most roofs:
- Keep a photo record of the damp patch
- Leave roof access to professionals
- Protect furniture and flooring under the leak
- Don’t touch fittings that water is reaching
If there are several possible sources, we list them in order of likelihood. We say which items need prompt attention, so you know what to deal with first.
After a downpour, look in the loft space with a torch, keeping to boarded areas. Look for drips, damp patches and stains on timbers. Photograph anything new.
How a roof leak investigation works in Plaish
Moisture readings and thermal imaging are used where they’re useful. Moisture readings show which materials are wet. Thermal imaging shows temperature differences that can point to wet areas, not water itself, so its findings are checked with moisture readings. Moisture detection is included in the Standard Survey, and thermal imaging in Premium. The best thermal results come after a sunny day, with a dry roof and little wind. We are frequently asked to look into ceiling stains that grow after rain and staining around the chimney inside, across flat roof details, rooflights and dormers and lead flashings.
In a village or hamlet like Plaish, older cottages and farmhouses often have roofs that have been patched over many years. That makes it hard to tell new damage from old wear, which matters if you’re thinking of an insurance claim. We check everything that’s safely in view and set out what we find. Damp in old walls and timbers is slow to dry, so the sooner the cause is found the better.
After the visit, you get a report with photos, emailed to you. It sets out the condition of the leaking roof, any defects and our written recommendations.
- Where
- Plaish (PO30)
- Wider area
- Isle of Wight
- Cost
- From £150 inc. VAT
- Report
- Emailed report with photos and recommendations
- Survey days
- Monday to Sunday, daytime
- Cover
- PI and public liability insurance
- Phone
- 07833 053749
- Updated
- 27 October 2026
Plaish questions
Do roofs near the sea, like those around Plaish, take more of a battering?
Frequently, yes. Within about 5 miles of the sea, as Plaish is, metal fixings wear faster and gales find any loose ridge or slate.
Is my home in Plaish listed or in a conservation area?
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.
Which days do you carry out surveys?
Surveys can be booked for any day of the week: Monday to Friday, Saturdays and Sundays. Tell us which days suit you as you book.
Can you inspect my roof with a drone?
Where it helps and the rules allow, yes. We hold a CAA Flyer ID and Operator ID and fly a drone under 250g, and every flight depends on the airspace and the weather.
Do I need to be at home?
Not always. An outside-only look can be arranged beforehand, but the loft and any rooms with damp need someone to let us in.
Will you definitely find the leak?
We can’t promise to find every leak on one visit. Most leave clues we can follow, but some only appear in certain weather. The report sets out what we found and the most likely routes.
Is it the same as a RICS Level 2 or Level 3 survey?
No. It is a specialist roof survey, not a RICS Level 2 or Level 3 building survey. It focuses on the roof and can sit alongside a RICS survey.
Checking the roof from the ground
It helps to keep a record: dates of leaks, photos from ground level and any work done on the roof. Share it with us when you book.
What you can’t do safely is get up close. Slates, tiles, flat roofs and rooflights can give way, and a fall can be serious. That part is for a survey, using safe viewpoints and a drone where it applies.
Roof by roof
Flat roof upstands and outlets
Upstands seal the edge of a flat roof where it meets a wall. If it is too low, cracked or poorly dressed, water gets behind it.
Lead flashings
Mortar fillets are sometimes used instead of lead. Fillets crack and pull away over time, letting rain run behind the joint.
What affects the cost of roof leak investigations
The price reflects the time and kit the roof needs. That comes down to:
- If the survey needs thermal imaging or a drone
- Features like valleys, chimneys, dormers and parapets
- House, block, shop or office
- Extra roofs, like extensions, dormers or garages
All our prices include VAT. Our price is from £150, including VAT. We confirm the price for the job before booking.
Getting in touch
Before you get in touch, it helps to have:
- Pictures from the garden or a window, if you have them
- Where the property is, with the postcode
- Where water is showing inside, if it is
- The kind of building and roof involved
Buyers should book once an offer has been accepted, so there is time to use the report before exchange. For any other survey, just ring 07833 053749 or send us an email when you are ready.
Plaish roofs and the weather
Plaish is within about 5 miles of the coast, and being near the sea means more wind and salt than a roof inland would face. Strong wind lifts anything already loose, and driving rain gets in wherever it can, and salt air slowly wears metal fixings. With Carisbrooke Castle about 0.8 miles north-east, Plaish sits in an area with a long building history. On older houses around here, roofs frequently carry the marks of earlier repairs, from replaced slates to new lead.
The streets around a church such as Church of St. Nicholas in Castro are often among the oldest in a place, and if yours is one of the older homes nearby, lead flashings, valleys and old chimneys are typical places for water to get in. Take a building like St Thomas of Canterbury Catholic Primary School: tracing a leak on a big roof starts with where the water appears and works back.
Plaish is about 2 miles south-west of Newport, in the Isle of Wight. Houses, flats, blocks and commercial buildings in Plaish can all book roof leak investigations, with a written report and photographs every time. Our the Isle of Wight coverage includes Plaish. We also survey roofs in Portsmouth.
Postcode districts we cover here for roof leak investigations: PO30. If you are just outside Plaish, we cover Bowcombe (1 mile south-west), Clatterford (1 mile north-east), Carisbrooke (1 mile north-east), Gunville (1 mile north) and Gatcombe (2 miles south-east). Further out, we also cover Ryde (8 miles east), Cowes (5 miles north), Sandown (8 miles east), Shanklin (8 miles south-east), Ventnor (8 miles south-east) and East Cowes (5 miles north-east). Remote addresses need a little more planning, so tell us where you are as you book.
Local landmarks in Plaish
Around Plaish, our work takes us to homes and buildings near The Blacksmiths Arms and Christ The King College, among other places. Other landmarks nearby include Carisbrooke Castle (0.8 miles north-east) and Whitecroft Hospital (1.4 miles south-east). Green spaces nearby include Brighstone Down and Briddlesford Nature Reserve.
Why get it checked now?
Damp loft insulation loses much of its value. A slow leak can soak it for months before a stain appears. Catching it early limits what has to be replaced. For an older or listed building in a place like Plaish, repairs may need matching materials and consent, so a defect found early gives time to plan the work properly.
Every price we give includes VAT, and the report isn’t charged as an extra. Prices start from £150, including VAT. Size, height and access decide where your roof falls.
Why book us in Plaish
- CAA-registered drone operator (Flyer ID and Operator ID)
- Drones and thermal imaging where applicable
- An independent look at the roof
- 20+ years’ experience
Read what a roof survey costs or what we found on two real jobs.
The survey, step by step
You don’t need to do much on the day. Point out anything you’ve noticed, such as stains, drips or loose pieces, and we’ll take it from there. A typical survey takes about one to two hours on an ordinary house, and about three to four hours for a commercial roof. Somewhere like Plaish needs a little journey planning: let us know about lanes, gates and parking. On the day, we inspect what can be seen safely, inside and out.
- You pick a Basic, Standard or Premium Survey.
- We agree a date, including weekends.
- We inspect inside and out, starting from the stain.
- Where it’s useful and included, we take moisture readings and use thermal imaging.
- The report explains the likely entry point and what needs attention.
How to prepare
- Show us where any leaks or stains appear
- Make sure we can get to the back of the property
- If you are buying, let the agent know when we’re coming
How to book
Surveys can be booked for weekdays, Saturdays or Sundays. To find a date that works for you, ring 07833 053749 or use the contact form.