Reading · London and the South East
Sonning Common Roof Survey
A roof condition survey for homes and buildings for Sonning Common and the rest of Reading. We survey on weekdays, Saturdays and Sundays.
- Blocked, sagging or leaking gutters
- Ponding, splits or blisters on flat roofs
- Gaps in the roof where coverings have gone
How we price roof surveys
What a survey costs depends on the time and equipment it needs. The main factors are:
- Which survey package you book
- The roof’s overall size
- The height of the building and how the roof can be seen safely
- How many separate roofs there are, such as extensions, dormers and garages
Price depends partly on the package: Basic from £150, Standard from £250 or Premium from £400, all inc. VAT. The roof’s size, height and access matter as well.
What we need to know
If you can, have these to hand when you get in touch:
- Any photos you have, taken from the ground or a window
- When you need the report by
- What’s prompted the survey
- The kind of building and roof involved
Every survey is priced before it’s booked, so you know the cost up front. Prices start from £150, including VAT. For a price for your roof, ring 07833 053749 or use the contact form.
How a roof survey works in Sonning Common
Everything we check, we check safely: from ground level, from windows, from the loft space and from the roof where conditions allow. Premium adds thermal imaging, plus a drone inspection where applicable, which helps with tall or steep roofs. All we need from you is access to the property and the loft. Everything we see is photographed for the report. Common reasons to book are worn lead at chimneys and abutments and gaps in the roof where coverings have gone, on ridges, hips and valleys, chimney stacks and flat roofs.
Trees around homes in smaller places like Sonning Common drop leaves, twigs and moss onto roofs and into gutters. Once gutters and outlets block, water spills over and soaks the walls, and moss holds water against tiles. It’s the kind of slow problem a roof report picks up early. Moss on the roof and weeds in the gutter are both easy to spot from ground level.
Every survey ends with a written report, with photos, emailed to you. It explains the condition of the roof, the defects we found and what we recommend.
- Where
- Sonning Common (RG4, RG9)
- Wider area
- Reading
- Price
- From £150 inc. VAT
- Report
- A written report with photos, by email
- When we survey
- Monday to Sunday, daytime
- Insurance
- Professional indemnity and public liability
- Call
- 07833 053749
- Updated
- 27 October 2026
Do you need a roof survey in Sonning Common?
The underlay under the coverings matters too. Breathable membranes only appeared in the UK in the late 1990s, so many older roofs have bitumen felt underlay, and some very old roofs have no underlay at all. Felt that has torn or perished stops doing its job.
Things that often lead to a survey include:
- Lifted, split or missing lead flashings
- Condensation or damp timbers in the loft
- Valley linings that have cracked or split
- Cracked or blistered flat roof coverings
If you own a rental within reach of Henley-On-Thames station, a roof report between tenancies helps plan work before a small defect becomes a tenant’s leak.
Questions to ask before you book
- Do they have a CAA Flyer ID and Operator ID for drone work?
- Whether the loft is part of the inspection
- What they won’t be able to tell you
- Their report turnaround times
Useful tips for Sonning Common property owners
There’s plenty you can do without going near the roof. Here’s what helps most:
- Check the roof from the ground after storms
- Mention any damp patches as you book
- Take photos of any leaks as they happen
- Include dormers, porches and garages when you book
Your report arrives by email, with photos of what we found. Basic reports come within 48 hours, Standard within 24 to 48 hours and Premium the same day. Each finding is set out in plain English, with recommendations.
Do not block the vents at the eaves. Condensation builds up when air can’t move, which can dampen timbers and insulation over time. Make sure insulation doesn’t block the airflow at the eaves.
Nearby places to Sonning Common
Other services in Sonning Common
Questions from Sonning Common
Does a conservation area affect roof work in Sonning Common?
We can’t confirm that for you, but Historic England’s list and your council can. Both listing and conservation areas can limit changes of roofing material, and councils can also use Article 4 directions.
Will you come out to Sonning Common?
Yes, Sonning Common is covered. We cover the whole of London and South East England, from towns to the smallest villages. The journey is planned ahead, so it’s useful to know about access.
Do you test for asbestos?
No. Buildings built or refurbished before 2000 may contain asbestos. We flag materials that could contain it, and a specialist asbestos surveyor should check them.
Can you look at a roof that’s joined to next door?
Yes, the part you own or can give access to. We can only look at neighbouring roofs as far as access allows. Shared chimneys and party-wall upstands are looked at from your side.
How much is a survey?
Prices start from £150, including VAT. You’ll know the price for the job before booking, and it depends on the roof’s size, access and the package you choose. For a price, phone 07833 053749 or email us.
What does a roof survey include?
We check the coverings, ridges, hips, valleys, flashings, chimneys and gutters, plus the roof space where there is safe access. You get a written report with photos and recommendations.
How long have you been surveying roofs?
Over 20 years and more than 5,000 surveys.
When you need someone else
Before booking, it’s worth knowing what a survey won’t do:
- A promise that the roof won’t leak in future
- What’s under the slates, tiles or felt
- A structural engineer’s report
If you’re not sure which survey you need, ring 07833 053749 or use the contact form and we’ll give you a straight answer. What our survey covers.
What we check
- Lead flashings
- Natural slate
- The roof space
- Chimney stacks
- Flat roofs
- Clay and concrete tiles
- Ridges, hips and valleys
Roof surveys around Sonning Common
Greys Court, about 2.2 miles north-east, is one of the historic houses in the wider area around Sonning Common. Period homes nearby can have lead valleys, tall chimneys and a patchwork of past repairs, and a listed home or one in a conservation area may need consent for changes of material. If the drone is used for your survey, we check the Drone Safety Map for restrictions before flying.
The streets around a church like The Church of Christ the King are often among the oldest in a place, and if yours is one of the older homes nearby, its chimney, valleys and lead work are likely to be the parts that need attention first. Take a building like Sonning Common Primary School: large buildings have long gutter runs and big roofs that need checking like any other.
Sonning Common is about 3 miles north of Caversham, in Reading. We cover Sonning Common and the rest of Reading. Across Reading, we cover Sonning Common and the places around it.
We survey roofs across RG4 and RG9 for roof surveys. If you need a roof survey at a property on Wood Lane, Green Lane and Woodbury Close or anywhere close by, we can help. We also cover Peppard Hill (1 mile north-west), Rotherfield Peppard (1 mile north), Kidmore End (1 mile south-west), Kingwood Common (1 mile north-west) and Shepherd's Green (2 miles north). Within a short drive, we also cover Caversham (3 miles south), Norcot (4 miles south-west), West Reading (4 miles south), Tilehurst Within (5 miles south-west), Shinfield (8 miles south) and Arborfield Garrison (10 miles south). Being one of Reading’s larger places, Sonning Common has homes, rented property and businesses of every kind.
What’s near Sonning Common
Typical jobs here are in homes near Maiden Erlegh Chiltern Edge, The Warwick School and Hare & Hounds pub and the streets around them. The nearest railway station is Henley-On-Thames station, roughly 3.7 miles east. Well-known places in the area include Frazer Nash Archives (3.8 miles east) and Battle Hospital (4.1 miles south). For a walk, there is Sonning Hill and Warburg Nature Reserve.
Leave it or get it looked at?
Leaving it means relying on what you can see from ground level. You might pay for work that does not fix the real problem, or miss the fault that matters. We tell you what’s really needed. Blocked gutters on homes around Sonning Common overflow and soak walls. It’s easy to sort the cause early and slow to dry a damp wall.
Thermal imaging and drone inspection (where it applies) come with the Premium Survey, from £400 with VAT included. We can help you choose the package that fits what you want to find out.
Why book us in Sonning Common
- Thermal imaging and drones used where they help
- Every finding written up with photos
- Over 20 years’ experience
- Visits on any day of the week
Take a look at our cost guide or two real surveys.
What happens on the day
We look at the roof from outside and, where it’s relevant and there is safe access, from inside the loft space too. Inside, we look for staining, damp, gaps and signs of movement. All in, the survey normally takes about 1–2 hours for most homes, depending on how many separate roofs there are. Homes around Sonning Common often have gardens on more than one side, which gives us room to step back and see the roof. Mention any side of the property we can’t get to. The loft, where there is safe access, completes the picture.
- You get in touch with the address and anything you’ve noticed.
- We agree a date, on a weekday, Saturday or Sunday.
- We look at the roof from each safe vantage point, inside and out.
- We check the coverings, ridges, hips, valleys, flashings, chimneys and gutters, and photograph what we find.
- You receive a written report with photos and recommendations.
Before the survey
- Dig out any old roof reports or invoices
- Let us know about any leaks, stains or damp patches you know of
- Jot down any questions you want answered
How to book
A quick phone call is typically the easiest start: call 07833 053749 or drop us an email. You will have a price before anything is arranged.