Kent · London and the South East
Thermal imaging roof survey in Cowden, Kent
We carry out thermal roof surveys in Cowden and the rest of Kent. We survey on weekdays and at weekends.
- Missing or slipped insulation
- Damp that repairs haven’t cured
- Cold spots on ceilings under the roof
Why get it checked now?
Without thermal imaging, the only way to see how far water has spread is often to open up the roof. That helps you and your roofer decide what really needs replacing. Older and listed buildings around Cowden may need consent and matching materials for repairs, so leaving a defect until it is urgent leaves less time to plan.
Prices start from £150, including VAT, for a Basic Survey. The Standard Survey starts from £250 and the Premium Survey from £400. You’ll know the price for your roof before booking.
Why choose Independent Roof Survey in Cowden
- Surveys seven days a week
- Covered by professional indemnity and public liability insurance
- Thermal imaging and drones used where they help
- 5,000+ surveys completed
Thermal roof surveys for homes and businesses in Cowden
Thermal imaging is part of our Premium Survey, which starts from £400. You also get a drone inspection where it applies, structural analysis and a report on the same day. An in-person consultation and a 12-month follow-up are included too. You can ring 07833 053749 or send us an email with the address and a note of what you’ve noticed. For big commercial roofs, we quote on size and access. We survey insulated roof spaces, flat roofs and loft conversions, and the problems we are asked to look at most are damp patches with no obvious cause and cold areas below the roof.
Somewhere as small as Cowden, older roofs are often steep and partly hidden by trees or outbuildings. A drone and a thermal camera each give a view you cannot get from ground level. Both the forecast and the airspace are checked first. Steep slopes and tall chimney stacks are where a close-up view adds the most.
It is not only a list of defects. It explains what we found, why it matters and what we recommend, so you can plan your next steps.
- Where
- Cowden (TN8)
- Wider area
- Kent
- Prices
- From £400 inc. VAT
- Reports
- Written, with photos, emailed to you
- When we survey
- Monday to Sunday, daytime
- Insurance
- PI and public liability insurance
- Phone
- 07833 053749
- Page updated
- 27 October 2026
Other services in Cowden
What a thermal roof survey looks like in Cowden
If the drone is used for your survey, we check the Drone Safety Map for restrictions before flying. Many older homes in Kent have handmade clay tiles, including Kent peg tiles held by pegs through two holes, and tile-hanging on their upper walls. Oast houses and timber-framed Wealden hall houses are part of the county’s older buildings too. Older coverings on steep or tall roofs are hard to judge from below, so close-up close-up aerial shots and thermal images help.
Bassetts Manor lies about 1.7 miles south, so building around Cowden goes back a long way. For older roofs nearby, a look by drone or thermal camera is a hands-off way to check condition. Take an older house close to Church of St Mary Magdalene: tall stacks and steep slopes are easier to judge with close-up aerial photos than from the pavement.
Cowden is about 5 miles east of East Grinstead, in Kent. Houses, flats, blocks and commercial buildings in Cowden can all book thermal roof surveys, with a written report and photographs every time. Cowden is one of the towns and villages in Kent where we work for thermal roof surveys. Crawley is in our area too.
We work across the TN8 postcode area for thermal roof surveys and the streets around it. We cover properties on High Street, Church Street and Chantlers Mead and the roads around them. We also cover the places around Cowden: Stick Hill (2 miles north), Hammerwood (2 miles west), Marsh Green (3 miles north-west), Ashurst Wood (4 miles south-west) and Dormansland (4 miles west). We also work in nearby towns such as Sevenoaks (10 miles north-east), Royal Tunbridge Wells (8 miles east), Tonbridge (9 miles north-east), Paddock Wood (13 miles east), Southborough (7 miles east) and Edenbridge (4 miles north).
Local landmarks in Cowden
Typical jobs here are in homes near The Crown Inn, among other places. For rail, the closest station is Cowden station, about 1 mile north-east. A little further out are Queen Victoria Hospital (4 miles west) and Bolebroke Castle (1.8 miles south).
What affects the cost of thermal roof surveys
All our prices include VAT. What changes the price is:
- Features like valleys, chimneys, dormers and parapets
- Which survey package you book
- The size of the roof
- The type of building, from a house to a block or an office
All our prices include VAT. Our price is from £400, including VAT. We confirm the exact price before booking.
What to tell us when you get in touch
Before you get in touch, it helps to have:
- Your timetable, such as an exchange date
- What made you get in touch
- Any photos you have, taken from the ground or a window
- The property’s address and postcode
Surveys can be booked for weekdays, Saturdays or Sundays. To find a date that works for you, call 07833 053749 or use the contact form with the address and the days you’d prefer.
What happens on the day
We’ll ask a few questions first, about the roof’s history, any leaks and past repairs. Then the inspection itself takes about 1–2 hours at a house, including the thermal images, and around 3–4 hours for a commercial roof. For a village or hamlet like Cowden, the journey is planned in advance: let us know about lanes, gates and parking. The roof is looked at from ground level, from windows, from the loft where there is safe access and from the roof where it is safe.
- We start with the roof, its history and any signs of damp or heat loss.
- The weather and surface conditions are recorded.
- We inspect the roof and take thermal images during the same visit.
- 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
- Find any records of previous roof work
- For a flat or shared roof, check access with whoever owns or manages the building
- Have any questions written down, so nothing gets missed
Arrange a survey
A quick phone call is usually the easiest start: call 07833 053749 or email us, and we’ll ask about the building and what you need. The price is agreed before a date is set.
Read more
Practical tips
Some practical points come up on survey after survey. They apply to most roofs:
- Check from the ground or a window, never by climbing
- Talk to us about the weather when booking
- Use the report as a baseline for later checks
- Keep the heating on as usual before a heat loss survey
If you’re buying, the report gives you specific points to raise with the seller or agent. It’s your decision how to use it, whether that’s asking for work or discussing the price.
After repairs or a new covering, a later survey can confirm things are dry in suitable weather.
DIY checks: what’s safe
After heavy rain, check ceilings and the tops of walls for new stains. Photograph them and note the date, as it helps a surveyor trace the cause.
Keep a simple record: when leaks happen, ground-level photos and any past roof work. Share it with us as you book and it will help the survey.
Different roofs, different checks
GRP fibreglass roofs
GRP roofs are laid over timber boards, so trapped moisture can affect the deck. Thermal imaging can suggest where that may be happening.
Single-ply and EPDM roofs
Because these membranes are thin, patterns from below often show. Reflections from shiny surfaces can affect readings, which we allow for.
Cowden: your questions answered
Is Cowden within the area you cover?
Yes, Cowden is on our map. Villages and rural addresses get the same survey as a town house, with the route planned beforehand.
Do you carry out roof surveys in Cowden?
Yes. We work right across London and the South East, and Cowden is part of that. Just phone 07833 053749 or send us an email and let us know about the property.
What will the report tell me?
A written report with photographs, explaining the condition of the roof, any defects and our recommendations, by urgency where it matters. The Standard Survey adds moisture detection and a structural check, and the Premium Survey adds thermal imaging, drone inspection where it applies and structural analysis.
Will you go up on the roof?
Not always. Safety comes first, and fragile or steep roofs can’t always be walked on. We use safe viewpoints, the loft space and a drone where applicable, and the report records anything we couldn’t see.
Do you use drones?
Yes, where it is applicable. Whether we can fly on the day depends on the weather and the airspace rules, and we check for restrictions near airports before flying. We’re a CAA-registered drone operator.
Does this replace a RICS home survey?
No. Our survey is a roof survey, not a RICS Level 2 or Level 3 survey of the whole building. It focuses on the roof and can sit alongside a RICS survey.
Can you tell me if my roof has asbestos?
No. We do not carry out asbestos surveys or testing. We flag materials that could contain asbestos, such as cement sheets or soffits on pre-2000 buildings, and recommend a specialist asbestos surveyor checks them before they’re disturbed.