Roof Inspections & Drone Surveys in Cambridge

Roof inspections and drone surveys in Cambridge

Most roof problems can’t be seen from the street. A slipped slate behind a chimney, a split in a lead valley or a blocked outlet on a flat roof only shows up when someone gets a proper look, and until recently that meant ladders on every slope or a scaffold just to inspect. A roof inspection in Cambridge from us combines a drone for the overview, ladders for close-up checks and a look in the loft. Nobody walks across fragile slates, you don’t pay for scaffolding to find out what’s wrong, and you see exactly what we see.

How a drone and ladder survey works

From the air

The drone flies each slope in turn and takes high-resolution photos and video of ridges, hips, valleys, chimney tops, flashings, the slates or tiles themselves, flat roofs and gutters. It shows the things you can’t see from the ground: cracked flaunching (the mortar collar around chimney pots), a split lead valley, slates that have slipped behind a parapet, or an outlet blocked with leaves.

From the ladder

On single-storey extensions, bay roofs, porches and garages, we check by hand: membranes, upstands, edge trims and gutters, and whether slates or ridge tiles are loose. Some things you only find by touch.

From inside

In the loft we look for daylight, wet or stained timbers, condensation and the state of the underlay and ventilation. Under flat roofs we check the ceilings for water marks. Inside and outside together tell us whether a problem is the roof, the plumbing or condensation.

To be clear about the limits: a drone can’t lift a slate or tell us whether a flat roof deck is wet underneath. When that matters, we say so and check it another way.

What does the survey include?

• Photos of every slope and detail, with any problems pointed out, so you can see them for yourself.
• Plain-English notes on what is in good order, what is wearing and what is failing.
• Priorities: what needs doing now, what should be done within a year and what to keep an eye on.
• A written quote for any work, with repair and replacement options where both make sense.

We go through the photos with you on the day or send them over afterwards. Our Google reviewers often mention how detailed our quotations are, and that’s the point: you should never have to take a roofer’s word for what is up there.

Pre-purchase roof checks

Buying in Cambridge often means buying an old roof. Nearly one in five homes in the city was built before 1919, and the council’s own appraisal of the Mill Road area notes that many of the original slate roofs on its Victorian terraces now need replacing. The FMB puts a new roof on a two-bed terrace at £7,500–£12,500, so it’s worth knowing whether you’re looking at a few slipped slates or a full re-slate before you exchange.

The same goes for the concrete-tiled roofs on post-war estates such as Arbury and King’s Hedges (Checkatrade gives concrete tiles a life of 25–40 years) and the flat-roofed extensions found on almost every street. On newer homes in Trumpington, Eddington and Orchard Park, a survey can pick up snagging issues, such as loose ridge or verge fittings and poorly finished flat roof details, early on.

Insurance claims and storm damage

After a storm, insurers want to know whether damage was sudden or the result of gradual wear. Dated drone photos, a written description of what we believe caused the damage and a quote for the repair give them the evidence they need. If a storm has just damaged your roof and water is coming in, our emergency roof repairs page explains how we prioritise urgent jobs.

Commercial condition surveys

On offices, schools, industrial units and blocks of flats, a drone survey earns its keep. HSE advises that all roofs should be treated as fragile until a competent person has confirmed otherwise, and old rooflights, fibre-cement sheets and corroded metal all give way underfoot. A drone photographs the whole roof without anyone walking on it, which suits condition surveys before you buy or lease a unit, planned maintenance budgets and checks after a storm. Our commercial roofing page covers maintenance programmes in more detail.

How often should a roof be inspected?

Checkatrade recommends a roof inspection about once a year, in spring or autumn, plus after any severe storm. In Cambridge that timing makes sense: the Met Office records about 40 days of air frost a year at its Cambridge station, mostly from December to February, which is when old mortar cracks and slates slip, while recent record-hot summers are hard on flat roof coverings.

Flat roofs deserve the closest eye. The Confederation of Roofing Contractors points out that all flat roofs have some ponding, but water still standing weeks after rain should be reported to a roofer. Valleys, gutters and chimney flashings are the other places where small faults become leaks; our chimney repairs page covers the most common of those.

What does a roof survey cost?

Our drone and ladder surveys come with a free, no-obligation written quote. For context, MyBuilder puts a standard roof inspection at about £150, and the alternative way to see a roof up close, a scaffold, costs £550–£700 a week for a single scaffold up to 10 m (Checkatrade, 2026). The table on this page also lists the repairs our surveys most often lead to.

If the survey finds a leak, we trace it back to the real cause; roof leak repairs explains how. And if you’d like a second opinion on a quote you already have, we’re happy to look. Our guide on how to choose a roofer in Cambridge sets out what a good quote should include.