West Berkshire · London and the South East
Roof Leak Investigation in Shaw
Tracing where water is getting into your roof in Shaw, carried out by an experienced roof surveyor. Every survey comes with a written report and photographs.
- Water dripping from rafters or underlay
- Leaks that appear only in driving rain
- Damp on a chimney breast
Shaw: your questions answered
How do I find out if my home in Shaw 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.
Will you come out to Shaw?
Yes, Shaw is on our map. A small place gets exactly the same survey as a big one, with the route planned beforehand.
What happens next?
You will receive the report by email, and you decide the next step: raise it with a seller, send it to an insurer, brief a roofer or share it with a managing agent.
Can a leak be traced on a dry day?
Typically, yes. Moisture detection shows where materials are damp even on a dry day. For leaks that only happen in certain storms, we report the most likely routes.
Do you use thermal imaging to find leaks?
It can, when the conditions are right. It works best after a sunny day, with a dry roof surface and little wind. Damp areas can hold heat differently from dry ones. We always check what it shows with moisture readings.
How experienced are you?
Over 20 years and more than 5,000 surveys.
Do you use drones?
Where it’s applicable and safe, yes. We fly a sub-250g drone and we are a CAA-registered drone operator (Flyer ID and Operator ID). Drone inspection is part of the Drone Roof Survey and the Premium Survey, where it applies.
About our roof leak investigation in Shaw
A leak that comes and goes can be the hardest to pin down. Driving rain from one direction, melting snow or a gutter that overflows in a downpour can all set it off. Telling us when it happens helps a lot and so do photos. We look for the clues it leaves behind, like tide marks, stained timbers and damp underlay. Moisture detection shows which materials are still damp. We survey flat roof details, slate and tile slopes and chimney stacks, and common reasons people get in touch are stains around a skylight and water that shows only in certain storms.
Around Shaw, chimneys on older homes are a common source of leaks, through worn flaunching, failed pointing or lifted flashings. Damp on a chimney breast is not always rain from above, which is why it’s worth tracing properly. The stack, its flashings and the loft space beside it are all worth checking.
If any part of the leaking roof couldn’t be seen safely, we say so in the report. That way, it’s clear what was covered and what wasn’t.
- Place
- Shaw (RG14, RG18)
- Wider area
- West Berkshire
- Price
- From £150 inc. VAT
- Your report
- Written, with photos, emailed to you
- Survey days
- Weekdays and weekends
- Insurance
- PI and public liability insurance
- Call
- 07833 053749
- Updated
- 27 October 2026
Surveys for landlords and agents in Shaw
Landlords, agents and building managers in Shaw and across West Berkshire can book any of our surveys. To discuss a property or a block, call 07833 053749 or send us an email.
If you own several properties, you can book surveys for several addresses. To discuss a number of properties, phone 07833 053749 or drop us an email.
What affects the price in Shaw
Not every roof costs the same to survey, and it comes down to:
- The roof’s overall size
- Height and safe access
- How many separate roofs there are, like extensions, dormers and garages
- The use of thermal imaging or a drone
We offer three survey packages: the Basic Survey from £150, the Standard Survey from £250 and the Premium Survey from £400, all including VAT. What your roof costs depends on its size, access and what you want to find out.
Getting in touch
Here’s what helps us most when you contact us:
- The style of property, from a terrace to a block
- Pictures of the roof from a safe spot, if you have them
- Any stains, drips or damp patches you’ve seen indoors
- What’s prompted the survey
Our phone lines are open seven days a week, including Saturdays and Sundays. To book or ask a question, call 07833 053749 or send us an email.
What a roof leak investigation looks like in Shaw
Across the South East, older homes tend to have slate or clay tiles, and many later ones concrete tiles, and flat-roofed additions turn up almost everywhere. The covering and its details give the first clues when tracing where water is coming from. Shaw House, about 0.3 miles north-west, is one of the historic houses in the wider area around Shaw. Period homes nearby can have lead valleys, tall chimneys and a patchwork of past repairs.
If you let a flat or house near Newbury Racecourse station, tracing a leak quickly matters when a tenant is living with it. If you live in an older home near Parish Church of St Mary, water on an older roof tends to find its way in at the lead, the valleys or the chimney. Hotels and guest houses near Shaw can’t easily close rooms for a leak, so it pays to find faults before guests do.
Shaw is about 1 mile north-east of Newbury, in West Berkshire. We carry out roof leak investigations for householders, landlords and businesses in Shaw. We cover towns and villages across West Berkshire. We also survey roofs in Reading.
Every address in RG14 and RG18 is covered for roof leak investigations, from the main roads to the quietest streets. That includes homes and businesses on Park Lane, Shaw Road and Kiln Road and the roads around them. Shaw sits on or near the A4. If you’re just outside Shaw, we cover Speenhamland (1 mile west), Donnington (1 mile north-west), Speen (1 mile west), Bagnor (2 miles west) and Stockcross (3 miles west). We also work in nearby towns such as Burghfield Common (11 miles east), Hungerford (9 miles west), Spencers Wood (15 miles east), Calcot (12 miles east), Lambourn (12 miles north-west) and Burghfield Hill (11 miles east). Being one of West Berkshire’s larger places, Shaw has homes, rented property and businesses of every kind.
What’s near Shaw
In Shaw, that means homes and buildings near Victoria Park, Trinity School and Trinity School, among other places. The closest station to Shaw is Newbury Racecourse station, roughly 0.8 miles south-east of the centre. Nearby you’ll also find Donnington Castle (1.3 miles north-west) and West Berkshire Community Hospital (1 mile east). Not far away are Audrey's Meadow.
Towns and villages near Shaw
What else we do in Shaw
The survey, step by step
Safety comes first on every visit. We inspect whatever is safely visible, and anything we can’t see is noted in the report. Most visits take between one and two hours for a house, and about three to four hours for a commercial roof. Parking around Shaw is normally easier than in a town centre, but mention lanes, gates or long drives. On bungalows and lower roofs, much can be seen from ground level, with the loft showing the underside, while taller roofs may need other vantage points or the drone where it applies.
- We start with your notes and photos of the leak.
- Inside, we check the stain and the ceiling around it.
- In the loft, we follow any signs of water back towards the roof.
- Outside, we check flashings, valleys, chimneys, gutters and flat roof details from each safe vantage point.
- You receive a report with the likely source, photos and recommendations.
Preparing for the visit
- Keep pets in another room
- Check the loft hatch can be reached
- Let us know about parking near the property
Booking a survey
To get a price for roof leak investigations in Shaw, phone 07833 053749 or use the contact form. Some details about the property and the roof help us price the survey accurately.
Advice
Useful tips for Shaw property owners
You don’t need to be a roofer to help. Here’s what helps most:
- Let us know if there are tanks or pipes in the loft
- Stay off ladders and the roof
- Have an electrician check any wet fittings
- Clear the loft hatch so we can get in
If there are several possible sources, we list them in order of likelihood. We say which items need prompt attention.
Have flashings and flat roofs looked at every few years. They’re where most leaks start, and catching wear early keeps water out.
Why get it checked now?
Patching the spot above the stain often does not work. Because water travels, the real entry point may be somewhere else. An investigation finds the likely cause first. With lower homes, common in places like Shaw, there is little between a roof defect and the ceiling, so water can show inside quickly once it gets past the covering. Finding the cause first saves a second job inside.
One thing that affects the price is the package: from £150 for Basic, £250 for Standard and £400 for Premium, including VAT. The roof’s size, height and access matter as well.
What you get with us
- Package prices that include VAT
- Professional indemnity and public liability insurance
- Customer satisfaction of 98%
- CAA-registered drone operator (Flyer ID and Operator ID)
Take a look at how roof surveys are priced or two real surveys.
How the survey changes by roof type
Chimney stacks
A stack has several possible ways in for rain. Each is checked from every safe vantage point, and look for damp on the breast inside.
Slate and tile slopes
Slipped, cracked or missing slates and tiles let rain onto the underlay. Ageing felt eventually lets water through.