Oxfordshire · London and the South East
Thermal Roof Survey in Shillingford
Thermal imaging to find moisture and heat loss patterns in a roof in Shillingford, carried out by an experienced roof surveyor. You get a clear written report with photographs.
- Ceilings that feel colder in places
- Damp patches with no obvious cause
- Water getting in at parapets and stacks
Common questions in Shillingford
Are there drone restrictions around Shillingford?
The answer turns on the exact location and the conditions on the day. RAF Benson is about 3 miles away, so we check the Drone Safety Map for restrictions before any flight. A small drone can’t fly safely in high wind or heavy rain, and the rest of the survey doesn’t depend on the drone.
Does a conservation area affect roof work in Shillingford?
Your council is the best source, with Historic England’s list for listed buildings. A change of roofing material may need consent in either case.
Do you survey roofs on blocks of flats?
Yes, once whoever controls the roof agrees access. We look at the parts we are given access to.
What does a thermal roof survey show?
The camera records how the surface temperature varies. Those patterns can point to trapped moisture, missing insulation or heat loss. We check what it shows with moisture readings.
Is thermal imaging included in your surveys?
It comes with our Premium Survey, which starts from £400. That also includes a full inspection, a drone inspection where it applies, structural analysis and a same-day report.
How many surveys have you done?
More than 5,000 surveys over 20+ years, across London and South East England.
Is thermal imaging useful on pitched 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 a thermal roof survey works in Shillingford
Thermal imaging is useful when a damp patch has no clear cause. Water can travel some distance under a roof covering before it shows inside, 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 no conclusion rests on one method alone. Typical surveys look at water that travels before it shows and areas losing heat at the eaves and junctions, on commercial roofs, insulated roof spaces and ceilings below the roof.
In a small place like Shillingford, open ground can mean strong wind. A small drone cannot fly safely in strong wind or heavy rain, and thermal imaging works best with little wind. We plan the journey, access and timing around the weather. A change in the forecast can mean moving the visit to another day.
The report doesn’t just list problems. For each finding, it explains what it is, why it matters and what we’d recommend.
- Where
- Shillingford (OX10)
- Region
- Oxfordshire
- Price
- From £400 inc. VAT
- Your report
- Written, with photos, emailed to you
- Survey days
- Weekdays and weekends
- Insurance
- Professional indemnity and public liability
- Telephone
- 07833 053749
- Updated
- 27 October 2026
Landlords, agents and block managers in Shillingford
Landlords and agents in Shillingford book surveys as well as homeowners. The report gives you a dated record of the roof, with photographs, which helps you plan work between tenancies.
Surveys can also be booked by buyers’ agents acting for a client. The report is emailed, so it can go straight to your client, photographs included.
Towns and villages near Shillingford
What else we do in Shillingford
Drones, thermal imaging and Shillingford roofs
About 1.8 miles south-west lies Brightwell Manor, a reminder of how long the area around Shillingford has been built on. Older roofs in the wider area can hide decades of patch repairs, so the detail matters, and any change of roofing material on a listed home needs checking with the council first. Shillingford has a number of hotels within about a mile and a half, and like offices and blocks, hotels often sit under flat roofs. If you look after one, a large roof can be surveyed without guests having anyone working above them.
A roof leak in a hotel or guest house around Shillingford means lost rooms as well as repairs, so it’s worth knowing the roof’s condition. Take a building like St Laurence Church of England (A) School: thermal images can show where wet insulation sits under a big flat roof.
Shillingford is about 5 miles east of Didcot, in Oxfordshire. We survey roofs in Shillingford and the rest of Oxfordshire, as part of our work across London and South East England. We cover towns and villages across Oxfordshire. We also survey roofs in Oxford.
All of OX10 is covered for thermal roof surveys, from the main roads to the quietest streets. Local streets include Warborough Road, New Road and Hartley Close. If you’re just outside Shillingford, we cover Warborough (1 mile north), Dorchester (1 mile north-west), Brightwell-cum-Sotwell (1 mile south-west), Benson (2 miles south-east) and Berrick Salome (2 miles north-east). Further out, we also cover Oxford (9 miles north-west), Didcot (5 miles west), Abingdon-on-Thames (7 miles north-west), Thame (11 miles north-east), Wantage (13 miles west) and Henley-on-Thames (12 miles south-east).
Landmarks near Shillingford
Typical jobs here are in homes near The Six Bells Inn and Wallingford School, among other places. For rail, the closest station is Cholsey station, roughly 4.3 miles south of the centre. Well-known places in the area include Aston Martin Heritage Trust Museum (1.9 miles north) and Brightwell Castle (1.7 miles south-west). For a walk, there is Ewelme Watercress Beds and Wittenham Clumps.
DIY checks: what’s safe
Inside, the loft is a good place to look, with care. Take a torch and only step on boards or joists, and look for staining, damp timber or daylight coming through.
After heavy rain, check ceilings and the tops of walls for new stains. Take a photo and write down when you saw it, as it helps a surveyor trace the cause.
Do you need a thermal roof survey in Shillingford?
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 moisture readings can be targeted.
Most people get in touch when they’ve noticed something like this:
- Thin or uneven insulation in the roof
- Damp patches with no obvious cause
- Wet insulation beneath the membrane
- Cold areas below the roof
The streets around a church such as Church of St Lawrence are often among the oldest in a place, and if your home is one of the older ones nearby, steep roofs, tall chimneys and hidden valleys can be hard to see from the ground, and that’s where a view from above or with a thermal imager helps.
Choosing a roof surveyor
- Which viewpoints they use to see the roof
- Whether you get a written report with photos
- How much experience they have with roofs like yours
- How soon the report will arrive
What we do, step by step
On the day, we start by asking what you’ve noticed and what you’d like to know. We then inspect everything that can safely be seen. The survey usually takes between one and two hours at a house, including the thermal images, and around 3–4 hours for a commercial roof. Somewhere like Shillingford needs a little journey planning: let us know about narrow lanes, gates, long drives and where we can park. On the day, we inspect what can be seen safely, inside and out.
- We talk through the roof, any damp or leaks, and the weather expected on the day.
- We carry out a visual inspection of the roof from wherever it can safely be seen.
- Thermal images are taken to show differences in surface temperature.
- We check the patterns that stand out with moisture readings where there’s safe access.
- We write up the thermal images alongside ordinary photos and recommendations.
Before we arrive
- Leave side gates unlocked
- Check pets are kept safely away
- Show us where any leaks or stains appear
Arrange a survey
To arrange a survey, ring 07833 053749 or drop us an email with the address and what you’d like to know about the roof. You will know the price before anything is booked.
Advice
What we can’t see
Our findings are based on what we can see safely on the day, so some things are outside what a survey can do:
- Insulation values or heat loss calculations
- Hidden layers that need to be opened up to check
- Readings unaffected by sun, shade or reflections
If in doubt, ring 07833 053749 or email us and we’ll suggest the right survey before booking. What our survey covers.
What this survey covers
- Loft conversions
- Pitched roof slopes
- Flat roofs
- Insulated roof spaces
- Commercial roofs
- Ceilings below the roof
Useful tips for Shillingford property owners
Small things make a difference, both for the survey and for the roof itself. Some pointers:
- Clear a path to the loft hatch before we arrive
- Keep outlets and gutters clear to stop water sitting
- Keep a record of when stains appear
- Talk to us about the weather when booking
Premium Surveys include an in-person consultation, so you can go through the images with us. There’s a 12-month follow-up too.
Watch for new damp patches on ceilings beneath the roof. Catching a leak early stops insulation getting soaked.