When you're considering a premium oak-frame solar carport or pergola, the site survey is your first tangible step. It's the moment when our team visits your property, assesses its potential, and understands your specific requirements. Many homeowners approach the site survey with questions: "What will they look at? Will they pressure me to buy? How long will it take? Why is it free?" In this guide, we'll walk through exactly what happens during an Oak Frame Solar site survey, what we assess, what you should prepare, and why we offer it free of charge.
Why Oak Frame Solar Offers Free Site Surveys
This is the first question, and it deserves an honest answer. We offer free site surveys because we believe in earning trust through knowledge, not pressure. A site survey is genuinely valuable—it provides you with information you need to make an informed decision. By offering it free, we remove the transactional pressure and create space for a genuine conversation.
Pragmatically, a good site survey creates a detailed proposal that's tailored to your property, not a generic estimate. These detailed proposals convert to projects more reliably than generic quotes. We're willing to invest time upfront because we know that homeowners who understand their specific options are more likely to move forward—and they're happier with their projects when they do.
It's an investment in trust. No obligation. No pressure. Just information.
The Five Components of an Oak Frame Solar Site Survey
1. The Introductory Call (Before the Visit)
Pre-Survey Conversation: Setting Expectations
Before we schedule a site visit, we have a brief phone or video call. This conversation is crucial—it ensures we arrive prepared, understand your priorities, and can assess the right scope.
During this call, we'll ask:
- What's your primary goal? — Vehicle shelter (carport), dining area (pergola), workshop, or something else?
- Approximate size or budget? — This helps us understand your expectations and identify if there are major constraints.
- Any planning permission concerns? — Listed building, conservation area, restrictive covenants?
- Timeline expectations? — Are you looking to build in the next 6 months, or is this more of an exploratory conversation?
- Existing structures? — Any overhead cables, nearby buildings, trees, or other obstacles on or near your site?
This call typically takes 15-20 minutes. We're not pitching—we're gathering information to make the site visit as productive as possible.
2. Site Access & Delivery Logistics
Can We Get Materials In?
One of the first things we assess during a site visit is physical access. This sounds simple, but it's critical to the project timeline and cost.
We'll check:
- Gate width and height: Can a delivery lorry carrying a 6m × 4m oak frame get into your property? What's the narrowest passage?
- Drive condition: Is the driveway strong enough to support a 20-tonne lorry?
- Overhead clearance: Power lines, tree branches, or building eaves that might obstruct a delivery vehicle?
- Parking location: Where will the delivery vehicle park, and how will materials be unloaded?
- Ground conditions near the site: Is the area soft, marshy, or prone to rutting if vehicles drive across it?
Difficult access can increase costs (smaller vehicles, manual material handling) or require neighbor agreements for temporary access. We need to know this early.
3. Site Orientation & Solar Assessment
Which Way Does Your Site Face?
Solar generation is entirely dependent on orientation. A south-facing roof generates significantly more energy than a north-facing roof in the UK. We're looking for three things:
- Primary direction: Does your proposed carport/pergola location face south, southeast, southwest, or another direction? We use a compass to determine precise orientation.
- Shading analysis: Are there trees, buildings, or terrain features that will shade the structure? We assess seasonal shading patterns—a tree that's deciduous in winter might shade heavily in summer.
- Roof slope opportunity: If you have flexibility in the design, what roof slopes are possible? A steeper slope (25-35°) generates more energy from a smaller roof area than a shallow slope.
We'll often pull out satellite imagery during the site visit to show you solar potential maps. Modern tools can estimate energy generation based on your exact location and roof orientation—you'll leave the site with a clear sense of expected annual energy output.
4. Ground Conditions Assessment
What's Under Your Garden?
Foundations determine both the cost and timeline of your project. We need to understand ground conditions to recommend appropriate foundation solutions.
We'll assess:
- Soil type: Is it clay, sandy soil, chalk, or rocky? We do this visually (the excavation of a probe hole if needed) and sometimes recommend a Phase 1 ground assessment for large projects.
- Groundwater: Is there standing water or evidence of poor drainage? High water tables can complicate foundation design.
- Existing structures: Are there utility trenches, septic tanks, or other underground features that might conflict with new foundations?
- Site drainage: Does rainwater run across the site? Is there a natural fall or a flood risk? These affect foundation placement and design.
Based on this assessment, we might recommend standard concrete pad foundations, deeper pile foundations, or specialist drainage solutions. For most domestic sites, standard pads are fine; difficult sites require specialist engineering.
5. Electrical Infrastructure & Service Positions
Where's Your Consumer Unit? Where's the Gas?
Solar installation requires electrical connections. We need to know where your consumer unit (the main electrical distribution board in your home) is located, how far it is from your proposed carport/pergola, and what obstacles lie between them.
We'll establish:
- Consumer unit location: Is it in the garage, kitchen, utility room? Can we run conduit from it to the carport with reasonable effort?
- Distance: Long cable runs increase cost. A carport 50 metres from the house costs more to electrify than one 5 metres away.
- Obstacles: Will conduit need to run through concrete, under paving, or over exterior walls? Each obstacle adds complexity and cost.
- Existing services: Where are water pipes, gas lines, and drainage? These must be avoided when installing conduit.
- EV charger integration: If you want EV charging, is it feasible to route dedicated charging circuitry from the main board to the carport?
6. Design Discussion & Your Requirements
What Do You Actually Want?
By this stage, we've gathered technical data. Now we have a detailed conversation about your vision. We'll discuss:
- Structure type and size: Carport, pergola, or hybrid? What dimensions would work for your space?
- Roof style: Solid (weather protection + solar), slatted (aesthetic + light), or hybrid?
- Solar system size: Minimum 3kW, scalable to 5-6kW+ depending on your roof space and energy goals.
- Additional features: EV charging, battery storage, lighting, workbench integration, green roof sections?
- Aesthetic preferences: Traditional oak, contemporary steel accents, climbing plants, specific color schemes?
- Budget reality check: We'll discuss what your site can accommodate and what it will cost. No surprises later.
What You Should Prepare Before the Survey
Before Your Site Survey: The Homeowner's Checklist
- Have a rough budget in mind (but don't feel bound by it)
- Think about your primary use case (vehicle shelter, entertaining, workspace)
- Know your rough timeline (6 months, 12 months, flexible?)
- Be aware of planning permission risks (conservation area, listed building, neighbor concerns)
- Have site plans or maps available (even rough sketches help)
- Know your consumer unit location
- Clear the proposed site area if possible (makes assessment easier)
- Be prepared to discuss how you'll use the structure (dining, storage, vehicle shelter)
The Deliverable: Your Site Survey Report
Within one week of the site visit, you'll receive a comprehensive site survey report. This isn't a vague estimate—it's a detailed document including:
- Scaled site plan: Your property mapped with proposed structure location, dimensions, and key measurements.
- 3D visualizations: How the structure will look on your property, from multiple angles.
- Orientation analysis: Solar potential map, expected annual energy generation, seasonal shade patterns.
- Foundation specification: Recommended foundation type, depth, and material (concrete, steel shoes, etc.).
- Electrical routing: Proposed path for conduit from consumer unit to carport, estimated cable run length.
- Material specification: Frame timbers, solar tile specifications, weather protection details.
- Detailed quote: Itemized pricing for all components, labor, and additional features.
- Timeline projection: Estimated build schedule, phase by phase.
- Planning assessment: Whether planning permission is required, based on your location and structure type.
This report is yours to keep. You can share it with architects, planners, or neighbors. There's no obligation to proceed—it's genuinely informational.
Will There Be Pressure to Decide?
No. This is a non-negotiable principle for us. We'll present the options, answer your questions, and give you time to think. Some customers decide within days. Others take months. Some ultimately decide not to proceed, and we're genuinely okay with that. We'd rather have a customer who's fully confident in their decision than one who felt pressured into a commitment they weren't sure about.
That said, there is value in moving forward. The longer you wait, the higher energy prices climb, and the longer you miss out on potential energy generation. But the timeline is entirely your choice.
Ready to Schedule Your Free Site Survey?
Take the first step toward your premium oak-frame solar structure. Our team will assess your property, understand your goals, and provide a detailed proposal. No obligation, just information.
Configure Yours →The Bottom Line
A site survey is a genuine, thorough assessment of your property and its potential. We invest time upfront because we're confident that when you have detailed information about what's possible—and what it costs—you'll make better decisions. Some of those decisions might be to move forward with us. Others might be to explore different options. Both are fine. Our goal is simply to provide you with the information you need to make the choice that's right for your home and your goals.