Choosing a survey level
Where a report pairs spray foam already in the roof with the instruction, what stays open about what the firm will and will not open?
Spray foam already in the roof, named at the point of instruction, leaves open what the firm will and will not open. The foam is there. Whether the surveyor will cut it, lift it, or report only what can be seen around it has not been settled by mentioning it. The instruction has not yet decided that rafters, felt and nail heads under the foam will be seen. Those limits stay open until the firm states them. The foam itself has not been tested by a job that has not defined its access.
Last reviewed 24 October 2026. Written for buyers in England and Wales unless this answer says otherwise. No named surveyor has signed this page. It is general guidance, not a report on your house, and not legal advice.
What is the fuller explanation?
Foam sprayed to the underside of a covering can stick to felt and to the tops of rafters. A survey that cannot disturb it may see the surface of the foam, the depth at a hatch, and little else. Some firms will not cut it. That refusal, if it is their practice, needs to be said before you instruct, not discovered as a surprise in the report. Photographs of a layer are not an inspection of the timber behind. The pairing of foam and instruction is a scope question.
Write to the firm and ask what they will do when foam is already in the roof, what they will not open, and how they will word the unseen parts. Do not instruct on a guess. Tell the solicitor the underside may remain concealed. A lender question about foam, if one arises later, is not answered by an unclear scope. The survey has not started its inspection of the covered timber, because the access has not been agreed.
What should you ask your surveyor?
- Will the firm cut, move or only view the spray foam?
- Which roof timbers will remain hidden if the foam stays in place?
- How will unseen parts be marked in the report?
What are the typical next steps?
- Ask the firm what it will and will not open before you instruct.
- Get that foam limit in writing.
- Do not assume rafters under the foam will be seen.
Costs vary with the building and with who you instruct. Where this page does not cite a published figure, ask the surveyor, a relevant specialist, or your solicitor for a written quote. Do not treat a forum average as the price.
Also asked about this
Will the instruction by itself remove the foam?
No. Instructing a survey does not strip the roof. What the firm will open, and what it will leave, stays open until they confirm it. Spray foam already in place may hide the covering and the rafters. Mentioning it beside the instruction has not settled access.
What should you ask about the covered rafters?
Ask whether the firm expects to see them, and what the report will say if foam prevents that. Those rafters are not inspected by a sentence in the instruction. If they will not be seen, the limit should be plain before you instruct, not implied afterwards.