Essex · London and the South East
Thermal imaging roof survey in Great Holland, Essex
Thermal roof surveys in Great Holland from an independent, experienced roof surveyor. More than 20 years and over 5,000 surveys.
- Damp around chimneys and parapets
- Damp patches with no obvious cause
- Leaks far from where the stain appears
Should I look at the roof myself first?
You can learn a lot from the ground. Binoculars help you spot slipped slates or tiles, gaps along the ridge and a leaning stack. Never climb onto the roof to look.
What you can’t do safely is get up close. Slates, tiles, flat roofs and rooflights can give way, and falls from height are serious. That is where a survey comes in, using safe viewpoints and a drone where it applies.
How a thermal roof survey works in Great Holland
Thermal imaging is useful when a damp patch has no clear cause. Leaks often run along a roof before they appear on a ceiling, and temperature patterns can help us trace where it may have come from. The images are used alongside a visual inspection and moisture readings, so the findings do not rely on the camera alone. We survey insulated roof spaces, flat roofs and ceilings below the roof, and people most frequently book us about stains that keep coming back and damp around roof outlets and upstands.
In a small place like Great Holland, open ground can mean strong wind. A small drone can’t fly safely in high wind or heavy rain, and thermal imaging works best with little wind. The visit is planned around the forecast, along with the journey and access. A change in the forecast can mean moving the visit to another day.
The report is written in plain words, so you don’t need to be a roofer to follow it. Each point is backed by a photo where possible, with the urgent items made clear.
- Where
- Great Holland (CO13)
- Region
- Essex
- Prices
- From £400 inc. VAT
- Reports
- A written report with photos, by email
- Survey days
- Monday to Sunday, daytime
- Insurance
- PI and public liability insurance
- Phone
- 07833 053749
- Last updated
- 27 October 2026
What affects the price in Great Holland
When we price a survey, we consider:
- Whether thermal imaging or a drone is needed
- Extra roofs, like extensions, dormers or garages
- Chimneys, valleys, parapets and other details
- Building height and the viewpoints available
What a survey costs comes down to the roof itself: its size, its height, how many sections it has and how safely it can be seen. Prices start from £400, including VAT.
Getting in touch
To price your survey accurately, we’ll ask about:
- When you need the report by
- The type of building and roof, like pitched or flat
- Any photos you have, taken from ground level or a window
- Where any leaks, stains or damp patches show inside
To book a survey, ring 07833 053749 or email us and let us know the address and what’s prompted the survey. We will confirm the price before you book.
Questions from Great Holland
Does a conservation area affect roof work in Great Holland?
Historic England’s list shows listed buildings, and the local council can tell you about conservation areas. Listed building consent is needed for changes that affect a listed building’s special interest, and conservation areas can limit changes of roofing material.
Do you cover smaller places like Great Holland?
Yes. Great Holland is within the area we cover, which takes in towns, villages and rural addresses. We survey roofs across London and South East England. Just mention lanes, gates or anything else about the route when booking.
Do you survey roofs on blocks of flats?
Yes. Shared roofs just need a little more planning, with whoever owns or manages the building. Let us know about it as you book and we will explain what’s needed.
Will the camera show exactly where the water is?
The camera doesn’t see water itself. Wet insulation holds heat longer than dry, so it can stand out, and moisture readings are used to check it.
Is it the same as a RICS Level 2 or Level 3 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, so it sits alongside a building survey rather than replacing it.
How long does the survey take?
Most surveys take an hour or two for most homes, plus time to check any thermal findings with moisture readings. We will confirm the timing as you book.
What can thermal imaging tell me about my roof?
The images show how warm or cool each part of the surface is. Differences can suggest wet areas, missing insulation or heat loss, and we check them with moisture readings.
Also near Great Holland
Other services in Great Holland
What this survey can’t tell you
This is not a RICS building survey, a structural engineer’s report or an asbestos survey. It also has these limits:
- Insulation values or heat loss calculations
- The condition of timbers we cannot see
- A structural engineer’s assessment
Not sure which survey suits your roof? You can call 07833 053749 or email us and we’ll tell you. The full list of what we check.
Roof types and parts we check
- Loft conversions
- Commercial roofs
- Flat roofs
- Ceilings below the roof
- Insulated roof spaces
- Pitched roof slopes
Drones, thermal imaging and Great Holland roofs
The coast is about 2 miles or less from Great Holland, and coastal wind can be strong. Clear thermal results need a dry roof and little wind after a sunny day, so the date depends on the forecast. If the drone is used for your survey, we check the Drone Safety Map for restrictions before flying.
Take a building like Kirby Primary Academy: thermal images can show where wet insulation sits under a big flat roof. Thorpe Hall lies about 2.2 miles north-west, so building around Great Holland goes back a long way. A drone or thermal survey doesn’t involve any work on the roof, which suits older buildings.
Great Holland is about 3 miles north-east of Clacton-on-Sea, in Essex. Roofs in Great Holland get the same thorough look as anywhere else in Essex. We cover towns and villages across Essex, large and small. Chelmsford is in our area too.
Here we cover the CO13 postcode area for thermal roof surveys. Streets in the area include Rosery Mews, Orchard Drive and Laxton Grove, and we cover them all. Nearby, we also carry out thermal roof surveys in Kirby Cross (1 mile north-east), Kirby-le-Soken (1 mile north-east), Thorpe Cross (2 miles north-west), Lane End (2 miles north) and Frinton-on-Sea (2 miles east). Larger places within reach include Colchester (14 miles west), Clacton-on-Sea (3 miles south-west), Harwich (7 miles north), Camulodunum (15 miles west), Greenstead (12 miles west) and Wivenhoe (11 miles west).
Near you in Great Holland
We work in homes and buildings around Tendring Technology College, The Ship Inn and Greensward, among other places. Great Holland’s nearest station is Kirby Cross station, about 0.6 miles north. Not far away are Great Holland Pits.
Tips from our surveys
Nothing here needs a ladder. A few suggestions:
- File the images with your roof records
- Heat the home normally on the days before
- Don’t climb onto the roof to look for leaks yourself
- Tell us where and when you’ve seen damp or stains
Once we’ve been, the thermal images, photos and readings go into a single report. Each image is explained in plain words, alongside what we recommend. With a Premium Survey, you get the report the same day.
Consider a repeat survey after major work on the roof, when the conditions are suitable.
The survey, step by step
Safety comes first on every visit. Everything that can be seen safely is inspected, and if part of the roof cannot be seen, the report says so. Most visits take roughly 1–2 hours for most homes, plus time to check any thermal findings with moisture readings. Somewhere like Great Holland needs a little journey planning: let us know about lanes, gates and parking. On the day, we inspect everything that’s safely in view, inside and out.
- We start with the roof, its history and any signs of damp or heat loss.
- We check the conditions and note how they may affect the images.
- A full inspection and thermal imaging are carried out together.
- We back up the thermal patterns with moisture readings.
- You get the report the same day, with an in-person consultation to follow.
Before the survey
- Buyers: confirm access with the estate agent or seller
- Show us where any leaks or stains appear
- Leave a clear route to the loft
How to book
Photos help, if you have them. Pictures from ground level or a window are fine, and please don’t climb up for a closer look. To send them or to book, ring 07833 053749 or drop us an email.
Read more
Common roof problems in Great Holland
Not every roof problem shows on the surface. Trapped moisture, missing insulation and hidden heat loss are three examples. Thermal imaging gives us another way to look for them.
Most people get in touch after spotting one of these:
- Heat escaping through the roof
- Stains that keep coming back
- Leaks that are hard to trace
- Thin or uneven insulation in the roof
If yours is one of the older homes in the streets near Church of All Saints, tall stacks and steep slopes are easier to judge with close-up aerial photos than from the pavement.
Before booking anyone
- What the survey won’t cover
- How soon the report will arrive
- If they fly a drone, whether they hold a CAA Flyer ID and Operator ID
- Are they insured for the work?