Ask three roofers how they inspect a roof and you may get three answers: a ladder, a drone, a look from the loft. All are legitimate. They differ in what they can see, what they cost, how safe they are for the person doing the work and how much they disturb the building. The right method is the one that answers the question you actually have, at a fair price, without putting anyone at risk.
This guide compares the main methods side by side: ladder and roof access, binoculars from the ground, pole cameras, drones and the loft check. It says what each can see, where each runs out, and how they are combined. The drone has its own page, drone roof surveys, which goes deeper; this one is the comparison. The overall service is at roof inspections and surveys.
Ladder and roof access: the hands-on baseline
The oldest method is still the one that finds the most. A roofer climbs a ladder, or crosses the slope when it can bear weight, and looks at the covering from arm's length.
What it sees
Up close, a roofer can lift a slate edge to check the nail, press a tile to feel whether it rocks, probe a flashing with a finger and look into a valley gutter for debris. It is the only method that lets the surveyor touch the roof. For fixings, mortar condition, lead dressing and the state of pegs on a stone roof, nothing replaces it.
Where it stops
A ladder reaches the eaves and the lower slope, and a roof ladder or scaffold is needed to go higher. Many roofs cannot be walked at all: old stone slates are fragile, steep slopes are hazardous, and some tiles break under foot. Walking on the covering damages it, which is a reason to avoid it on delicate roofs. Surveys where the surveyor cannot reach should say so in the report.
Safety and cost
Working at height is the main risk in roofing, and a good inspection plan keeps people off the roof wherever another method will answer the question. MyBuilder's 2026 guide gives £150 to £250 for a standard survey done on foot or from a ladder, the lowest of the types it lists. Scaffolding, if needed for a higher or steeper roof, adds to that: about £1,125 for a full re-roof on the same guide, though an inspection may need only a small tower or a short run.
Best for
Low and medium-height houses with accessible slopes, detailed checks on suspected faults, and any roof where touch matters, such as slate with suspect fixings.
Binoculars and the ground-level look
Before anyone climbs, a good surveyor walks round the building. Standing in the road, the garden or a neighbour's drive with binoculars shows a surprising amount.
What it sees
Sagging ridge lines, dipped slopes, slipped or missing tiles, gaps along a hip, vegetation in gutters, mortar falling from a chimney, spreading moss and stained brickwork below a leaking gutter are all visible from the ground. A ground look also shows how the whole roof fits together: whether the slopes are straight, whether the eaves are level and whether an extension roof meets the main roof cleanly.
Where it stops
The ground view is flat and foreshortened. A slope facing away from you is invisible, and low sun can hide defects. It cannot tell whether a slate is cracked or just dirty, or whether flashing lead has split. It sees the pattern, not the detail.
Cost and use
It adds almost nothing to a visit, which is why it is the first step of every inspection we do. Used alone, it suits a quick check after a storm to see whether anything is obviously out of place, with a fuller inspection to follow. Our guide to inspecting a roof without climbing covers what you can usefully do from the ground yourself.
Best for
First screening, post-storm checks, comparing against earlier photographs and deciding whether a closer method is justified.
Pole cameras: reaching the roof without leaving the ground
A pole camera is a camera on an extending pole, sometimes with a screen on the handle and a recording facility. It lets the surveyor see parts of a roof that are beyond a ladder's reach or unsafe to stand on.
What it sees
It can be held up to gutters, along eaves, into a valley, over a low flat roof edge or up to a chimney base, and it records still images and video as it goes. The pictures are close enough to show a cracked tile, a split joint in a gutter or debris in a hopper. Because it is held steady and near, detail is often better than a drone's on low and mid-height parts of a building.
Where it stops
The pole has a finite length, so it works on lower slopes and eaves, not on a high ridge or the far side of a tall roof. Glare and reflection can wash out the picture, and the angle is fixed by where the surveyor can stand. It sees the surface, not what sits behind a tile.
Cost and use
A pole camera is cheap to run. It adds little to the cost of a survey. It suits terraces with narrow back lanes, roofs over extensions, and gutter and eaves checks. For hip, ridge and chimney work on a taller house, pairing it with a drone or a ladder gives better coverage.
Best for
Eaves, gutters, low slopes and valleys that are awkward to reach, and for recording what was seen as video evidence for the file.
Drones: height and speed, with limits
A camera drone flies over the roof and records high-resolution stills and video from above. It has become common for larger and steeper roofs, and it is often the safest way to look at a slope that nobody should walk on.
What it sees
From the air a drone shows the whole roof in one pass: missing slates, lifted ridge tiles, ponding on a flat roof, moss on a north slope, chimney condition and the pattern of wear across an area. It can zoom to a fault and record it with a position. For large buildings such as barns, churches and mill conversions, it saves time and scaffold.
Where it stops
A drone sees only the top surface. It cannot see under a slate, behind a flashing, inside a ridge, or at the underlay, battens and timbers beneath. Poor light, wind and rain limit flying, and permission may be needed near some places. Pictures from directly above flatten texture, so shallow cracks and tight laps can be missed. It cannot test whether a slate is loose.
Cost and use
MyBuilder's 2026 guide puts a drone survey at £200 to £400, against £150 to £250 for a standard one. That premium is worth it where the alternative is scaffold, or where a slope is unsafe to approach. Where the roof is low and simple, a ladder inspection often gives more detail for less.
Our page on drone roof surveys in Stroud sets out what the images show and when a hands-on check should follow.
Best for
Tall or steep houses, large or complex roofs, flat roofs that cannot be walked, and any case where scaffold costs more than the survey.
The loft check: seeing the roof from underneath
The loft shows what no outside view can. It is the underside of the roof, and it is where many faults first show themselves.
What it sees
From the hatch or inside the loft, a surveyor can see the underlay, the battens, the rafters and the insulation. Daylight coming through the covering shows a gap. Dark staining on timber, damp insulation, rusted nails and drips mark old or current leaks. Gaps round a chimney, a damaged ridge board or disturbed insulation near the eaves are all visible. Condensation, which can look like a leak, shows as damp on the underside of the roof and mould on timbers, and points to a ventilation problem rather than a hole. Our guide to underlay failure signs shows what failing underlay looks like from below.
Where it stops
A loft check cannot see the top of the covering, the ridge from above or the roof's outer faults. Where the loft is converted or floored over, much of the underside is hidden behind plasterboard. It also depends on safe access: a loft with no boarding, no light and a tiny hatch needs care.
Cost and use
It adds little time, and it is often the least costly way to confirm whether an outside fault is letting water in. It is especially useful when a ceiling stain appears and the outside looks fine. For a deeper look, see loft inspection.
Best for
Tracing leaks, checking the underlay and timbers, and spotting ventilation problems.
Thermal imaging and specialist methods
Beyond the everyday methods there are specialist tools, which answer particular questions rather than replacing a general inspection.
Thermal imaging
A thermal camera shows temperature differences. On a flat roof it can reveal areas where insulation is wet, because wet insulation holds heat differently from dry. It is a screening tool, and findings are normally confirmed by other means, such as a core sample or a hands-on check. MyBuilder's 2026 guide puts a thermal survey at £300 to £500. Our page on thermal roof surveys covers what the images do and do not prove.
Moisture meters and probes
A handheld meter checks the moisture in timber or plaster, which helps to separate an active leak from a historic stain. Readings depend on the material and are interpreted, not simply read off.
Water testing
Where a leak is hard to trace, water can be applied to one area at a time, beginning at the eaves and moving upwards while someone watches inside. It is slow, so it is used when other methods have not found the cause.
Choosing a specialist method
Use one when a particular question needs answering and a general inspection has not answered it. They do not replace the basic survey, and a report should say how each was used and what it showed. For older buildings, period roof surveys explain how these tools fit with a hands-on look.
Putting the methods together for your roof
In practice, a good inspection combines methods in a sensible order, starting with the lowest-cost and least intrusive and moving closer only where something needs it.
| Roof | Likely combination |
|---|---|
| Two-storey house, plain tiled or slated | Ground look, ladder at the eaves, pole camera or drone for the ridge, loft check |
| Terrace on a steep Stroud hillside | Ground look from the road and rear, pole camera at the eaves, drone for the slope, loft check |
| Cotswold stone cottage | Ground look, close hands-on check of pegs and courses where it is safe, loft check for daylight and damp |
| Flat roof on an extension | Walk-on check if safe, pole camera for edges and outlets, loft or ceiling check for stains |
| Large barn or mill conversion | Drone for the whole roof, hands-on check of anything flagged |
Matching method to the question
If the question is "is there anything obviously wrong?", start from the ground. If it is "where is this leak coming from?", start in the loft. If it is "how much of this slope has failed?", get close, by ladder, scaffold or camera. If it is "is the whole roof sound enough to buy?", you need a combination and a written report.
What we do
We choose the method after speaking to you about the building and the concern, and say in the report which method was used for each part. Photographs show your own roof and the findings are rated. The quote that comes after covers the whole job, and our work carries a 10-year workmanship guarantee in writing. To discuss which method suits your roof, call 01453 933613 or contact us on WhatsApp or through the form.