Oxfordshire · London and the South East
Roof Survey in Dorchester
Roof surveys in Dorchester, with over 20 years’ experience behind it. You get a clear report with photographs.
- Debris building up in roof valleys
- Crumbling chimney pointing or cracked flaunching
- Leaking gutter joints and downpipes
How a roof survey works in Dorchester
Roof coverings last a long time, but not for ever. Slate often lasts a century or more, and tiles commonly half a century, yet nails, battens and underlay often fail first. A survey shows which parts of your roof are wearing. That lets you plan work in good time rather than after a leak. We survey ridges, hips and valleys, the roof space and natural slate, and the problems we are asked to look at most are standing water on a flat roof and slipped, cracked or missing slates and tiles.
In a small place like Dorchester, many roofs stand in the open, so ridges, chimney stacks, flashings and gutters work hard. Older walls take a long time to dry once water gets in. A written report sets out what to deal with and in what order. On exposed older roofs, chimneys and lead flashings are frequently the first to give way.
Where we can’t see part of the roof, the report says so. That way, it’s clear what was covered and what wasn’t.
- Location
- Dorchester (OX10)
- Region
- Oxfordshire
- Prices
- From £150 inc. VAT
- Reports
- Emailed report with photos and recommendations
- Survey days
- Monday to Sunday, daytime
- Cover
- PI and public liability insurance
- Telephone
- 07833 053749
- Last updated
- 27 October 2026
Questions from Dorchester
Do you survey roofs for landlords with property near Culham station?
Yes, rented property is part of what we cover. Just ring 07833 053749 or send us an email and let us know about the building, including who will give access on the day.
Will you come out to Dorchester?
Yes, Dorchester is on our map. Villages and rural addresses get the same survey as a town house.
Do you test for asbestos?
No. Asbestos was banned in UK construction in 1999, so older buildings may have it. We flag materials that could contain it, and a specialist asbestos surveyor should check them.
Will you climb onto the roof?
Where it is safe, yes. Much of the survey is done from ground level, upper windows and the roof space. On Premium, a drone is used where it applies.
How much does a roof survey cost in Dorchester?
Prices start from £150, including VAT. What you pay for your roof depends on its size, height, access and the package, and it is agreed before booking.
What insurance do you have?
Every survey is covered by professional indemnity and public liability insurance, and we can provide details if a managing agent needs them.
Can you survey a shared roof?
Yes, if whoever owns or manages the building agrees access. On a shared roof we can only inspect the parts we’re allowed to reach.
Places near Dorchester
What else we do in Dorchester
What you can safely check yourself
Look up at the roof after a storm, from the ground: pieces of tile or slate on the ground, a gap in the ridge or a lifted flashing are all worth noting. Do not go up yourself.
Watch the gutters in a downpour, from a window or the ground. Overflowing water can be a sign of a blockage or a gutter that has dropped.
What a survey costs
We confirm the price for your roof before you book. These are the things that affect it:
- The type of building, from a house to a block or an office
- Roof area
- Features like valleys, chimneys, dormers and parapets
- Building height and the viewpoints available
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.
What to tell us when you get in touch
A little information up front helps. Please include:
- Photos of the roof, taken safely from ground level or a window
- The kind of building and roof involved
- The address and postcode of the property
- What made you get in touch
Our phone lines are open seven days a week. For a price or to book, call 07833 053749 or use the contact form.
Useful tips for Dorchester property owners
Nothing here needs a ladder. A few suggestions:
- Let us know about past leaks
- Clear the loft hatch area before we arrive
- Take photos of any leaks as they happen
- Have details of recent roof work to hand
Keep the report with your property records. It gives you something to compare against later, and it can help when you sell.
Look at your roof from ground level after strong winds. Slipped slates, lifted ridge tiles or pieces in the garden are signs something has moved. Getting small faults fixed quickly keeps water out.
What we do, step by step
A survey visit follows a simple order: we listen to what’s been worrying you, look at the roof from every safe viewpoint, photograph what we find and make notes for the report. It typically takes about 1–2 hours for most homes, depending on how many separate roofs there are. In a small place like Dorchester, access is typically the main thing to plan. Let us know about outbuildings, past repairs and any leaks you’ve noticed. Weekday and weekend visits are available.
- We start with the property details and any concerns.
- We agree a date, including weekends if that suits you.
- Outside, we inspect from the ground, windows and other safe vantage points, and from the roof where safe.
- We then look in the loft for damp, staining and the condition of the underlay.
- You receive the report with photos and recommendations, prioritised by urgency.
How to prepare
- If you are buying, check with the agent that we can get in
- For a flat or shared roof, check access with whoever owns or manages the building
- Have keys ready for side gates, garages or roof access doors
Getting a price
To book a survey, call 07833 053749 or drop us an email and let us know the address and what’s prompted the survey. We’ll confirm the price before booking.
Read more
Do you need a roof survey in Dorchester?
Chimneys stand exposed above the roof. Mortar crumbles, the flaunching around the pots cracks and stacks can lean. Water that gets into a stack can show up as damp in the rooms below.
People usually book a survey when they’ve noticed one of these:
- Loose ridge or hip tiles
- Loose chimney pots
- Blocked, sagging or leaking gutters
- Cracked or blistered flat roof coverings
If yours is one of the older homes in the streets near Dorchester Abbey, its roof may have old fixings, lead flashings and chimneys that need a closer look.
Choosing a roof surveyor
- What the survey won’t cover
- What the report includes, and whether it has photographs
- Whether VAT is added on top
- What insurance they carry
What we look for on each type of roof
Concrete interlocking tiles
Many post-war houses have concrete interlocking tiles. They’re heavy and hard-wearing, but their surfaces weather over the years.
Clay plain and peg tiles
Older homes in the Weald and across the South East often have clay plain tiles, and some have Kent peg tiles held by pegs. Rotten pegs and battens let tiles move, leaving gaps along the courses.
Roofs, chimneys and gutters in Dorchester
Older buildings in west Oxfordshire often have Cotswold stone slate roofs, and some Oxfordshire villages still have thatch. In this part of the South East, older roofs are mostly slate or clay tile and many newer ones concrete tile. On roofs like these, good slates or tiles can outlast the nails, battens, lead and mortar around them. If your survey includes the drone, the flight is checked against the Drone Safety Map first.
For site and facilities teams at buildings such as Dorchester St Birinus Church of England School, a written record of a large roof helps plan work for the holidays rather than in term time. Clifton Hampden Manor lies about 2 miles west, so building around Dorchester goes back a long way. On a period home nearby, the survey separates sound original work from tired later repairs.
Dorchester is about 4 miles north-east of Didcot, in Oxfordshire. We survey roofs in Dorchester and the rest of Oxfordshire. Our area takes in places right across Oxfordshire. Oxford is in our area too.
Postcode districts we cover here for roof surveys: OX10. Whether your property is on High Street, Queen Street and Queens Close or a nearby road, we can help. Close by, we survey roofs in Burcot (1 mile north-west), Little Wittenham (1 mile south-west), Berinsfield (1 mile north), Warborough (1 mile east) and Shillingford (1 mile south-east). Within a short drive, we also cover Oxford (8 miles north), Didcot (4 miles south-west), Abingdon-on-Thames (5 miles north-west), Thame (11 miles north-east), Wantage (12 miles west) and Henley-on-Thames (14 miles south-east).
What’s near Dorchester
In Dorchester, that means homes and buildings near The White Hart Hotel Bar and the streets around them. For rail, the closest station is Culham station, about 3.1 miles west of the centre. Nearby you will also find Brightwell Castle (2.3 miles south) and Littlemore Hospital (5.6 miles north-west). For a walk, there’s Ewelme Watercress Beds and Wittenham Clumps.