West Sussex · London and the South East
Thermal Roof Survey in Abbotsford
Find out what’s going on with the roof before you decide what to do next. We carry out thermal roof surveys in Abbotsford.
- Leaks far from where the stain appears
- Possible trapped moisture under a flat roof covering
- Areas losing heat at the eaves and junctions
What happens if roof problems are left?
Trapped water can harm decks, timbers and ceilings the longer it stays. Surveying sooner gives you more choice about what to do. For older village homes like those around Abbotsford, the right replacement materials aren’t always easy to find quickly. That’s one more reason to find defects before they become urgent.
There are three survey packages: Basic from £150, Standard from £250 and Premium from £400, with VAT included. What your roof costs depends on its size, access and what you want to find out.
Why book with us
- Covered by professional indemnity and public liability insurance
- Package prices that include VAT
- Over 20 years’ experience
- 98% customer satisfaction
Read what a roof survey costs and our case studies.
How a thermal roof survey works in Abbotsford
Your report sets out the thermal images alongside ordinary photographs, so it’s easy to see which part of the roof each one shows. We explain what each pattern may mean, what the moisture readings found and what we recommend. With a Premium Survey, the report reaches you the same day. You can talk the findings through with us at the in-person consultation. There’s a 12-month follow-up as well. We survey commercial roofs, ceilings below the roof and flat roofs, and common reasons people get in touch are gaps in loft insulation and cold areas below the roof.
In a village or hamlet like Abbotsford, roofs can be steep, old and hard to see from the lane. A drone and a thermal camera each give a view you cannot get from ground level. Weather and airspace are checked before the visit, and the journey is planned beforehand. Older roofs with steep slopes and tall chimneys are where the extra view helps most.
The report is yours to share with whoever needs it: a seller or estate agent, an insurer, a roofer, a builder or a managing agent.
- Where
- Abbotsford (RH15)
- Wider area
- West Sussex
- Cost
- From £400 inc. VAT
- Your report
- Emailed report with photos and recommendations
- When we survey
- Monday to Sunday, daytime
- Insurance
- Professional indemnity and public liability
- Telephone
- 07833 053749
- Last updated
- 27 October 2026
DIY checks: what’s safe
Your own check is a good start, but it isn’t a survey. From the ground, valleys, flashings and the backs of chimneys are often out of sight, and those are details a survey looks at closely.
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 is where a survey comes in.
What we do, step by step
You do not need to do much on the day. Show us any stains, drips or problem areas you know about, and we will take it from there. A typical survey takes about one to two hours at most homes; commercial roofs usually need 3–4 hours. Around Abbotsford, older homes can have small or awkward roof spaces, so it helps to know whether there’s a loft hatch and how easy it is to reach. Only areas that can be reached safely are inspected.
- You let us know about the roof and any damp, leaks or cold rooms.
- We check the conditions and note how they may affect the images.
- A full inspection and thermal imaging are carried out together.
- Moisture readings are used to check what the camera shows.
- You get the report the same day, with an in-person consultation to follow.
Before the survey
- If it isn’t your property yet, arrange access through the agent
- Find any records of previous roof work
- Agree roof access with the managing agent if it’s shared
Arrange a survey
To get a price for thermal roof surveys in Abbotsford, ring 07833 053749 or email us. A few details about the property and the roof help us price the survey accurately.
Read more
What we cannot see
No survey can tell you everything, and we’d rather be clear about that before booking. Bear these in mind:
- Seeing water directly, as the camera shows temperature, not moisture
- What’s inside walls or under coverings, without opening up
- Whether the deck or roof structure is strong enough
If in doubt, ring 07833 053749 or use the contact form and we will point you to the right survey. The full list of what we check.
What this survey covers
- Loft conversions
- Pitched roof slopes
- Flat roofs
- Commercial roofs
- Insulated roof spaces
- Ceilings below the roof
Tips that help
Over many surveys, some simple habits stand out:
- Ask us about the forecast if rain is expected
- Clear leaves from outlets and gutters each autumn
- Note where damp appears and after what weather
- Check from ground level or a window, never by climbing
Many people send the report to roofers, who can then quote for the areas shown. Because the images are paired with photos, it is easy to find each area on the roof.
Check that loft insulation is laid evenly and hasn’t been pushed aside. Insulation is often moved when people work in the roof space.
Different roofs, different checks
Single-ply and EPDM roofs
Single-ply PVC, TPO and EPDM roofs are frequently laid over insulation boards. If water gets under them, thermal imaging can suggest which boards are wet.
GRP fibreglass roofs
Cracks in GRP can let water into the boards beneath. We look at cracks by eye and use the images to see whether there’s a pattern around them.
Abbotsford questions
Is my home in Abbotsford listed or in a conservation area?
Your council is the best source, with Historic England’s list for listed buildings. Both listing and conservation areas can limit changes of roofing material, and councils can also use Article 4 directions.
Is Abbotsford within the area you cover?
Yes, Abbotsford is on our map. A small place gets exactly the same survey as a big one.
Do you carry out surveys on Saturdays and Sundays?
Surveys run on any day of the week. To find a day that suits you, ring 07833 053749 or use the contact form.
Can a thermal camera see water?
The camera does not see water itself. Wet insulation holds heat longer than dry, so it can stand out, and moisture readings are used to check it.
Can you give me structural calculations?
No. Visible signs like deflection or sagging are recorded, but calculations and an engineer’s opinion are outside what we do. If one is needed, the report says so.
Will you photograph what you find?
Yes. The report includes photographs of what we found, so you can see exactly what each finding refers to.
Does this replace a RICS home survey?
No. It’s 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.
Also near Abbotsford
What else we do in Abbotsford
Airspace, weather and Abbotsford roofs
Handmade clay tiles and tile-hung upper walls are typical of older Sussex houses. A few old Sussex buildings still carry heavy Horsham stone slabs. Steep or complicated roofs are often hard to see from the ground, which is where close-up aerial shots and thermal images help. The wider area around Abbotsford has a long history of building, with Ockenden Manor about 2.3 miles north. On older houses around here, roofs often carry the marks of earlier repairs, from replaced slates to new lead, and any change of roofing material on a listed home needs checking with the council first.
If you look after a building like St Paul's Catholic College, a drone or thermal camera can show a large roof in a single visit. The streets around a church such as St Edward the Confessor are frequently among the oldest in a place, and if you own one of the older houses nearby, steep roofs, tall chimneys and hidden valleys can be hard to see from the ground, and that’s where a view from the air or with a thermal camera helps.
Abbotsford is about 1 mile north-west of Burgess Hill, in West Sussex. We cover Abbotsford and the rest of West Sussex, as part of our work across London and the South East. Our area takes in places right across West Sussex, large and small. For surveys nearby, see our Brighton page.
All of RH15 is covered for thermal roof surveys. Nearby, we also carry out thermal roof surveys in Jacob's Post (1 mile south), World's End (1 mile south-east), Burgess Hill (1 mile south-east), Goddards Green (1 mile west) and Ansty (2 miles north-west). We also work in nearby towns such as Crawley (10 miles north), Horsham (10 miles north-west), Worthing (15 miles south-west), Haywards Heath (3 miles north-east), East Grinstead (12 miles north-east) and Shoreham-by-Sea (11 miles south-west).
Landmarks near Abbotsford
Locally, jobs take us to homes and businesses close to The Woolpack Public House and Sheddingdean Community Primary School. Abbotsford’s nearest station is Wivelsfield station, about 1.2 miles south-east. Nearby you’ll also find Burgess Hill Museum (1.3 miles south-east) and Clayton Castle (4.4 miles south). Green spaces nearby include Bedelands Farm Nature Reserve and Wolstonbury Hill.