Brighton and Hove · London and the South East
Prestonville Thermal Roof Survey
Get a clear view of the roof at a property in Prestonville from an independent roof surveyor. Visits run on weekdays and weekends, in the daytime.
- Damp where roofs meet walls and chimneys
- Water that travels before it shows
- Missing or slipped insulation
What happens on the day
The visit has one job: to see as much of the roof as can be seen safely and record it clearly. Notes and photos go into the written report. The visit normally takes an hour or two at a house, including the thermal images, and around 3–4 hours for a commercial roof. Some parts of a survey depend on the weather, so a visit to Prestonville is booked with the forecast in mind: the parts that need calm, dry weather are planned around it.
- We go through the roof, the problem and the weather expected on the day.
- The roof is inspected visually from safe positions.
- Thermal images are taken across the roof and, where there’s safe access, in the loft.
- We take moisture readings where the images suggest a problem.
- Each image is set beside a normal photo and explained in the report.
Preparing for the visit
- Move anything stored under the loft hatch
- Keep pets in another room
- If you are buying, check with the agent that we can get in
Arrange a survey
For a price for thermal roof surveys in Prestonville, phone 07833 053749 or use the contact form. The address, the type of property and what you’d like to know help us price the survey accurately.
Related advice
Thermal roof survey in Prestonville: what you get
What a thermal camera can show depends a lot on the weather. A sunny day before the survey, a dry roof surface and little wind all help. Rain, wind and cloud can all make the patterns weaker. We will discuss the weather with you when booking, and the report explains how the conditions on the day affected the results. Common reasons to book are heat escaping through the roof and wet insulation beneath the membrane, across pitched roof slopes, flat roofs and insulated roof spaces.
Around Prestonville, older homes can have thin loft insulation and later additions with roofs of their own. Thermal patterns and close-up photos together give a fuller picture of the roof. Findings are checked with moisture readings where needed. Results depend on the weather, so the visit is planned around the forecast.
The report is written in plain words, so you do not need to be a roofer to follow it. Photos show what each point refers to.
- Place
- Prestonville (BN1, BN3, BN88)
- Wider area
- Brighton and Hove
- Cost
- From £400 inc. VAT
- Report
- A written report with photos, by email
- Survey days
- Weekdays, Saturdays and Sundays
- Insured
- PI and public liability insurance
- Phone
- 07833 053749
- Last updated
- 27 October 2026
What this survey cannot tell you
Before you book, it is worth knowing what a survey won’t do:
- Structural calculations, which need a structural engineer
- Proving moisture from the images alone
- Clear results when the conditions on the day are poor
If in doubt, phone 07833 053749 or drop us an email and we’ll suggest the right survey. The full list of what we check.
Roof types and parts we check
- Ceilings below the roof
- Commercial roofs
- Loft conversions
- Flat roofs
- Pitched roof slopes
- Insulated roof spaces
What happens if roof problems are left?
Without thermal imaging, the only way to see how far water has spread is frequently to open up the roof. It helps when deciding whether to patch an area or replace the roof. In an older home around Prestonville, water from a roof defect can get into timber and plaster, which is far harder to put right than the roof fault itself.
To find out what your survey will cost, call 07833 053749 or use the contact form with the address and a few details. The price is agreed before a date is set.
What you get with us
- 20+ years’ experience
- We hold a CAA Flyer ID and Operator ID
- Thermal imaging and drone inspection where they help
- Visits on any day of the week
See what a roof survey costs and what we found on two real jobs.
Different roofs, different checks
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.
Pitched slate and tile roofs
Inside the loft space, thermal images can help with damp around stacks, valleys and roof windows. Findings are checked with moisture readings.
Do you need a thermal roof survey in Prestonville?
On big commercial and residential flat roofs, thermal imaging helps owners plan. It can suggest which areas may be wet and which seem dry, so we know where to take moisture readings.
Here are some of the things we see frequently:
- Wet areas near outlets and upstands
- Areas losing heat at the eaves and junctions
- Possible trapped moisture under a flat roof covering
- Leaks far from where the stain appears
If you look after a building such as Stanford Infant School, a drone or thermal camera can show a large roof in a single visit.
Before booking any roof surveyor
- Whether the loft is part of the inspection
- What the report includes, and whether it has photos
- Their track record with similar roofs
- What’s outside the scope of the survey
Thermal roof surveys in Prestonville: local notes
Prestonville lies within about 1 mile of the sea, and wind off the sea can be strong. Calm, dry conditions after a sunny day suit thermal imaging best, so the visit is planned around the forecast. Older houses across Sussex often have handmade clay tiles, and many have tile-hanging on their upper walls. A few old Sussex buildings still carry heavy Horsham stone slabs. Steep or complicated roofs are frequently hard to see from the ground, which is where photos from the air and thermal images help.
A roof leak in a hotel or guest house around Prestonville means lost rooms as well as repairs. Preston Manor & Gardens lies about 0.4 miles north, so building around Prestonville goes back a long way. A drone or thermal survey doesn’t involve any work on the roof, which suits older buildings.
Prestonville is about 1 mile west of Brighton, in Brighton and Hove. Prestonville is one of many places we visit across Brighton and Hove, for houses, flats and commercial buildings. We cover towns and villages across Brighton and Hove, large and small.
We cover every part of BN1, BN3 and BN88 for thermal roof surveys. You’ll find streets such as Dyke Road, Home Road and Lloyd Road. Prestonville is on the A23, which makes it simple to reach. If you are just outside Prestonville, we cover Seven Dials (1 mile south), Preston (1 mile north), West Hill (1 mile south-east), Brunswick (1 mile south) and Withdean (1 mile north). Larger places within reach include Saltdean (5 miles south-east), East Saltdean (6 miles south-east), Roedean (3 miles south-east), Rottingdean (4 miles east) and Ovingdean (4 miles south-east).
What’s near Prestonville
We work in homes and buildings around Preston Park, The Drive Prep School and Milligan House and the streets around them. For rail, the closest station is Preston Park station, about 0.6 miles north of the centre. Well-known places in the area include Clayton Castle (5 miles north) and Churchill Square (1 mile south). The countryside around Prestonville includes Whitehawk Hill and Newmarket Hill.
Tips that help
There’s plenty you can do without going near the roof. Here’s what helps most:
- Keep a record of when stains appear
- Keep dated photos of any marks on ceilings
- Check from ground level or a window, never by climbing
- File the images with your roof records
You also get an in-person consultation with a Premium Survey, giving you the chance to talk through the images and findings. There’s a 12-month follow-up too.
Consider a repeat survey after major work on the roof in suitable weather.
Common questions in Prestonville
Is my home in Prestonville listed or in a conservation area?
Start with Historic England’s list for listing and your council for conservation areas. Either can affect what roof work is allowed, so it is worth checking before planning any.
Do you cover smaller places like Prestonville?
Yes, Prestonville is on our map. Villages and rural addresses get the same survey as a town house.
Does thermal imaging work on slate and tile roofs?
It can show heat loss and some damp, but it has more limits there. Our report is clear about what can be read from them, and back them up with a visual inspection and moisture readings.
How many surveys have you done?
We have been surveying roofs for over 20 years and have completed over 5,000 surveys across London and South East England.
Can you inspect my roof with a drone?
Yes, where it is applicable. Our sub-250g drone is flown by a CAA-registered operator with a Flyer ID and Operator ID, and the airspace and weather are checked before every flight.
Will the camera show exactly where the water is?
Thermal imaging shows temperature rather than water. Because wet insulation holds heat for longer, it can show as a different temperature, and moisture readings are used to check it.
Can a thermal survey trace a roof leak?
It is a useful tool for tracing leaks, but not the only one. The results depend on conditions on the day. If the source can’t be confirmed, we’ll say what could help next, such as electronic leak detection.