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Solar roof assessment: pitch, orientation, and shading notes

The aim is a roof record that supports design decisions without repeated site queries.

Related: solar survey reports · PV deliverables guide · view sample report

Good solar surveys capture context: what’s on the roof, what blocks it, and what a designer needs to interpret it.

1) Roof overview photos

  • Wide photos that show each roof face
  • Close-ups of key features (valleys, dormers, skylights) where relevant
  • Reference photos that help scale measurements

2) Obstructions + shading notes

  • Photograph obstructions clearly (chimneys, vents, satellite dishes)
  • Record notes that explain the constraint (not just the photo)
  • Keep evidence next to the decision it supports

3) Electrical evidence (where required)

Electrical evidence makes it easier to check compatibility without guesswork.

  • Meter / cut-out / consumer unit photos
  • Main fuse rating and spare ways captured
  • Constraints flagged early in the report

How to use this page on a live job

Use this guide as a decision check, not as a generic reading page. The useful question is whether the evidence behind solar roof assessment: pitch, orientation, and shading notes is strong enough for an installer, designer, or homeowner to move to the next step without another round of avoidable questions.

Before booking

Confirm what evidence is missing

For solar survey evidence, the weak point is usually not the headline requirement. It is the missing photo, document, measurement, or site note that stops the next person from trusting the job record.

During survey

Capture the detail once, then label it properly

A survey report should show what was seen, what was measured, what could not be accessed, and what still needs a design or installer decision. That keeps assumptions visible instead of hiding them inside a photo set.

After delivery

Use the report to reduce internal handover friction

The office, design, and install teams should be able to open the same report and understand the evidence path. If the page helps you spot what to ask for before survey day, it has done its job.

For a live project, pair this guidance with the sample report, deliverables, and guide price builder so the job is reviewed against the same standard Vertex uses for survey delivery.

The practical test is whether the page changes what happens next on a real property. If it helps your team ask for the right evidence, avoid a weak assumption, or brief the surveyor more clearly before the visit, it is supporting the job rather than adding another generic resource to the pile.