West Sussex · London and the South East
Southwater Thermal Roof Survey
Need a thermal roof survey in Southwater? We can help, with findings in writing and pictures to back them up. Book a weekday or weekend visit.
- Moisture around outlets and upstands
- Areas losing heat at the eaves and junctions
- Leaks that are hard to trace
Landlords, agents and block managers in Southwater
For a freeholder or residents’ company, a roof report is a sound basis for a maintenance plan, putting the urgent items at the top.
Managing agents and residents’ management companies use roof surveys to plan maintenance. The report sets out what needs attention now and what can wait, which helps with budgets and planning.
Thermal roof survey in Southwater
Flat roofs over extensions, garages, flats and commercial buildings are where thermal imaging often helps most. It can show patterns that point to trapped moisture under the membrane. On pitched roofs, slates and tiles over a ventilated space can hide what’s below, so we combine the camera with an inspection from the loft where there’s safe access. If you’re worried about ceilings that feel colder in places and damp patches with no obvious cause, a survey will tell you what’s going on.
Around Southwater, a good many roofs are low enough to see partly from the garden or the street. Chimney tops, valleys and rear slopes are where close-up or thermal images help most. Both depend on the weather on the day, as calm, dry conditions suit both. Even so, a close-up image frequently shows wear on ridges and flashings that a view from the ground misses.
The report records the roof as we found it on the day. That makes it useful now and a handy reference later.
- Place
- Southwater (RH13)
- Wider area
- West Sussex
- Cost
- From £400 inc. VAT
- Your report
- A written report with photos, by email
- When we survey
- Monday to Sunday, daytime
- Insured
- Professional indemnity and public liability
- Call
- 07833 053749
- Page updated
- 27 October 2026
Do you need a thermal roof survey in Southwater?
After a long-running leak, insulation under a flat roof can stay wet. Owners want to know how far it has spread before deciding what to do. Thermal images and moisture readings together can show the likely extent.
It’s worth booking a survey if you’ve seen:
- Leaks far from where the stain appears
- Cold areas below the roof
- Missing or slipped insulation
- Possible trapped moisture under a flat roof covering
For site and facilities teams at buildings like Southwater Infant Academy, big roofs are where photos from the air and thermal images show the most at once.
Questions to ask before you book
- Do they have a CAA Flyer ID and Operator ID for drone work?
- When you will get the report
- Whether the inside of the roof is included
- Whether VAT is in the quoted price
Airspace, weather and Southwater roofs
Listing and conservation areas can both shape what roof work is allowed on an older home. The council is the place to check, along with Historic England’s list, before anyone quotes for re-roofing. In Sussex, older roofs are often handmade clay tile, frequently with tile-hanging on the walls below. A few old Sussex buildings still carry heavy Horsham stone slabs. A drone or thermal camera adds most on the steep, tall and hidden parts of roofs like these.
Take an older house close to Holy Innocents Church: tall stacks and steep slopes are easier to judge with close-up aerial photos than from the pavement.
Southwater is about 3 miles south of Horsham, in West Sussex. Anywhere in Southwater, we can carry out thermal roof surveys at your property, on a weekday, Saturday or Sunday. We cover towns and villages across West Sussex. You can also see our page for Crawley.
We cover every part of RH13 for thermal roof surveys. That includes homes and businesses on Station Road, Walmer Close and Pevensey Road. We also cover Tower Hill (2 miles north), Nuthurst (2 miles east), Brooks Green (2 miles west), Barns Green (2 miles west) and Maplehurst (2 miles south-east). Within a short drive, we also cover Crawley (9 miles north-east), Horsham (3 miles north), Worthing (14 miles south), Haywards Heath (11 miles east), Burgess Hill (11 miles south-east) and Shoreham-by-Sea (13 miles south).
Landmarks near Southwater
We work in homes and buildings around The Lintot pub and The Doyle School of Design and Technology and the streets around them. The nearest railway station is Christs Hospital station, roughly 1.9 miles north-west of the centre. Nearby you’ll also find Christs Hospital School Museum (1.5 miles north-west) and Horsham Hospital (3.2 miles north). Not far away are Knepp Wildland.
How the survey changes by roof type
Felt and asphalt flat roofs
Built-up felt and asphalt roofs can hide trapped water for a long time. The camera can give clues to where it is sitting, given suitable conditions on the day.
Single-ply and EPDM roofs
On big single-ply roofs, the camera helps show where to take readings. That makes the survey more focused.
Common questions in Southwater
Will you come out to Southwater?
Yes, we do. Our area covers London and the South East, and smaller places are part of that. The journey is planned ahead, so it is useful to know about access.
Does a conservation area affect roof work in Southwater?
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 test for asbestos?
No. Asbestos surveys and sampling aren’t something we do. The report may flag materials that could contain asbestos on buildings built or refurbished before 2000.
What happens after the survey?
The report arrives by email, with photographs and clear recommendations. The Standard Survey includes a follow-up consultation, and the Premium Survey an in-person consultation, so you can talk the findings through.
Do you use drones?
Where it helps and it’s safe, yes. Flights depend on the weather on the day and airspace rules, including flight restriction zones near airports. We hold a CAA Flyer ID and Operator ID.
Does thermal imaging detect leaks directly?
No, not on its own. It shows temperature, and wet materials frequently behave differently from dry ones. That’s why we check any patterns 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.
When you need someone else
This isn’t a RICS building survey, a structural engineer’s report or an asbestos survey. It also has these limits:
- Clear results when the conditions on the day are poor
- An energy rating for the building
- Proving moisture from the images alone
Not sure which survey suits your roof? You can ring 07833 053749 or drop us an email and we will tell you before booking. What a survey covers and does not.
What this survey covers
- Ceilings below the roof
- Loft conversions
- Pitched roof slopes
- Flat roofs
- Commercial roofs
- Insulated roof spaces
How the survey works
Once we’ve finished looking, we write up our findings in a report with photographs, emailed to you. On timing, it typically takes about one to two hours for most homes, plus time to check any thermal findings with moisture readings. Homes around Southwater frequently have gardens on more than one side, which gives us room to step back and see the roof. Mention any side of the property we can’t get to. Inside, the loft is looked at where it can be reached safely.
- 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 be seen safely.
- A thermal camera records how the surface temperature varies across the roof.
- Any patterns of interest are checked with moisture readings where we can reach them.
- You get a report with thermal images, photographs and our recommendations.
How to prepare
- If you are buying, check with the agent that we can get in
- Make sure the loft hatch can be reached
- Let us know about any leaks, stains or damp patches you know of
Arrange a survey
Photos help, if you have them. Pictures from the ground or a window are fine. To get started, phone 07833 053749 or email us.
Advice
Towns and villages near Southwater
What else we do in Southwater
Why act early in Southwater
Once insulation under a membrane is wet, it tends to stay wet. In time, it stops insulating properly and can damage the deck. Finding the wet areas sooner keeps the work smaller. In an older home around Southwater, water from a roof defect can get into timber and plaster, and that’s a much bigger job than the original defect.
A small, low roof with good viewpoints takes less time than a tall, complicated one, and the package you pick makes a difference too. The price is always agreed first.
Why book with us
- Covered by professional indemnity and public liability insurance
- Drone and thermal imaging surveys available
- Prices that include VAT
- An independent view of the roof
Read what a roof survey costs and what we found on two real jobs.