Saw a drone doing roof inspections at a job site last Tuesday

I was on a townhouse build in Austin and a subcontractor showed up with a DJI drone to check the roof decking before the shingles went on. He scanned the whole thing in about 15 minutes and found three soft spots that we would have missed from a ladder. Has anyone else had good luck using drones for quality checks on framing or roofing?

3 comments

3 Comments

charles83612d ago

The drone guy really showed us up on a project last month too. He caught a ridge vent that was installed wrong from the air, something you'd never spot walking the roof with a level. Plus we used his footage to prove to the builder that the flashing around the chimney was already damaged before we even started. That saved us a HUGE headache with warranty claims later on. Drone inspections are definitely the way to go for catching stuff before it becomes a problem.

wren23012d ago

Not gonna lie, the ridge vent thing is a solid catch but walking a roof with a level can still spot a lot of the same stuff if you know what to look for. Drones are definitely handy though for getting a full picture without having to climb around awkward spots. The flashing thing is the real win - having timestamped video proof before you even start makes those warranty disputes way easier. Just remember that drones miss things too, like loose shingles up close or nail pops you can only feel by hand. So they're a tool, not a replacement for walking it yourself.

emery1012d ago

Exactly right - drones catch the big picture stuff but they'll never replace actually getting up there and feeling for loose tabs or soft spots. Walking a roof lets you catch those little flags that won't show up on any camera angle. End of the day it's best to USE both together instead of arguing about which one is better.