A drone survey can help with the access problem. You get close-up imagery of the surveyed external areas, plus a report explaining what is visible and where closer inspection may still be needed. Coverage depends on safe flying conditions, access, line of sight and airspace restrictions.
What a survey picks up on Somerset roofs
Somerset roofs carry a lot of natural slate, pantile and old clay, often on properties with long, steep planes and heavy tree cover. The defects are usually small, specific and high up.
- Delaminating and slipped natural slate, and corroded or failing fixings showing as a run of dropped units
- Pantile roofs with displaced or broken tiles after wind across open Levels farmland
- Ridge and verge mortar broken down on exposed hilltop and village properties
- Cracked flaunching and open joints on tall stone chimney stacks
- Valleys and gutters packed with leaf fall and moss from surrounding trees
- Damage to fragile roofs — old clay, slate and cement sheet — that nobody should be walking on to check
Getting above a roof nobody can safely stand on
A lot of Somerset roofs are the kind you don't want a person on: brittle old slate, steep pantile, or a barn conversion with no safe anchor. A drone photographs the ridge, valleys and stack head without anyone setting foot on the covering.
- 1The drone surveys the whole roof from above — nobody goes onto it
- 2Ridge, hips, valleys and flashings photographed in detail
- 3Chimney head, flaunching, pots and back gutter
- 4From the ground you see the lower slope and gutter line — and very little else
Especially useful on rural property
On a large agricultural or converted range, scaffolding the whole building just to answer 'is the roof sound?' is disproportionate. Aerial imagery covers the entire roof in a single visit and shows where — if anywhere — closer access is genuinely justified.
It's also the quickest way to check a roof after a storm on a property you can't easily see from the ground.
What the survey covers
- Tile, slate and stone condition, slippage and cracking
- Ridge, hip and verge mortar and fixings
- Valleys, secret gutters and abutment flashings
- Chimney masonry, pots, flaunching and lead
- Moss and vegetation coverage — significant on shaded Somerset roofs
- Gutters, fascias, soffits and the eaves line
- Rooflights, dormers and any solar array fixings
Buying a property in Somerset
Homebuyer reports routinely disclaim on roofs. On an older stone or pantile roof, that disclaimer sits over the single most expensive element of the building. A survey before exchange either sets your mind at rest or gives you a costed basis for negotiation.
How we fly
Flights are planned around airspace and site constraints — Somerset has military airfields, gliding sites and protected areas to account for — and we won't fly in wind or rain that would compromise safety or image quality. Livestock and neighbouring land are considered as part of the plan too.
What the visit involves
1. Brief
You tell us what's prompted the survey — a leak, a storm, a purchase, or a quote you want checked.
2. Flight
A short flight over each elevation, the ridge, valleys, flashings and chimney — nobody needs to go onto the roof.
3. Imagery
High-resolution stills of the surveyed external areas, with close-ups where something needs a closer look.
4. Findings
A plain-English write-up: what's sound, what needs attention now, and what we can just keep an eye on.
5. Quotation
Only if work's needed, and priced against what the images show rather than a guess.
What the survey cannot answer
Everything outside the building is covered. Rafters, underlay and insulation aren't, and neither is the path water takes once it's inside — for that we look in the loft as well.
| What you want to know | Drone survey | Also needs |
|---|---|---|
| Outer covering — tiles, slates, ridge, flashings | Photographed in detail from above | No access needed |
| Chimney head, flaunching and pots | Photographed from above and each side | Otherwise needs scaffold or tower |
| Roof timbers, underlay and insulation | Not visible — a drone works outside only | Loft inspection from inside |
| Whether a leak is active right now | Shows likely entry points, not the water path | Internal check, sometimes a water test |
Common questions
What homeowners in Somerset usually want to know about drone roof surveys.
Ask us anything