So, the neighborhood HOA where I live asked me for a bid to take drone photos of +/- 50 houses and since I eagerly told them I could I figured I should go buy a drone… and did. I bought a decent model at Costco for around $400 and am overall very impressed with the technology, ability, etc.
I know I’m supposed to get certified with the FAA class and all that and will if/when I start using the drone regularly on inspections. But, in the meantime, I’ve played around with it on my own house and recreationally and have a couple thoughts/questions. Mainly, I’m really not sure I’m okay with the level of “inspection” I’m able to do with this thing. Sure, it’s great to get an overhead shot and verify material type but it’s not even close to the up close inspection I perform when walking/touching/grabbing materials and taking pics from six inches away.
Basically, I can see using this thing to bolster issues/problems/suspicions I can see from the ground but really can’t imagine ruling out problems completely as I can/do with walking the roof. There’s definitely a learning curve and even with just a couple hours in the air I’m getting much more comfortable with getting close but it’s still just not the same. How confident are you guys using drones to find all the problems you would when walking a roof and “pass” (I know we all hate this term) a middle/older roof??
My old Typhoon H has a 4K camera and takes awesome pictures that I can then download onto my computer and zoom in with really good clarity, of course the closer the drone is to the roof the better, I also have a 32" OLED monitor.
Besides slate/tile roofs or very steep roofs, another advantage of using a drone is being able to inspect areas such as the top of tall chimneys.
I use my drone only when I can’t see areas by other means. Walking a roof is by far the best way to inspect it, but it’s also the most dangerous.
You won’t find some problems with a drone that you might walking it. But, when it isn’t walkable, a drone is less of a limitation than a ground inspection or one just from the eaves on a ladder. And it is much better/easier than a camera pole.
I have tons of unwalkable roofs in my area plus 4-6 months of wintery conditions. The drone is invaluable to me.
I think angle has a lot to do with what you can see. When you ae on the ground or the top of a ladder you have a viewing angle limited by your location. Drone shots straight down are good for chimney crowns but less useful for say shingle curl or uplift.
The best drone cameras have 4Kvideo, 48 megapixel cameras and are fully articulated. This allows you to zoom in on the picture for detail. You have to play around with the drone to get the best shots / angles.
I use a drone several times a week. Usually for tile roofs, or most new builds, as most builders dont allow the inspectors on the roof. (If I get caught)
The only real disadvantage I find is that you cant lift the shingles to make sure they are actually bonded. (So I add a small disclaimer when I use it) Other than that, its great.
Like Kevin said, I take lots of pics and then zoom in on them at home on my computer.
Speaking of which, this was yesterdays inspection. Brand new roof, and probably 1/3 of the shingles have the cellophane stuck to the tar strip.
There is a learning curve and wind can affect the effectiveness. Like others have said, walk as many roofs as possible and use them when it’s not safe.
Once you get comfortable with them, you can see hail dents and also read the manufactured date on roof boots.
When I started out I used a propeller cage. As I become more comfortable with flying the drone, I became confident enough to loose the training wheels and still get fairly close up. That said, my order of preference is: 1) Walk, 2) Pole Camera, 3) Drone, 4) Ladder at the Eave, 5) From the Ground. The choice between the weather-resistant pole camera and drone is often largely dependent upon which I think will do the better job for that particular roof. For me at least, the pole camera is quicker/easier. So, if it can do the job, I grab that before operating the drone. There is also the weather and flight restrictions; sometimes using the drone is not an option.
That cellophane strip normally sticks to the top of the underlaying shingle in the packet. When the shingle is installed, that cellophane strip is totally out of the way, at the top of the shingle. In this case, it stuck to the tar of the overlaying shingle in the packet. As a result, it prevents the tar from activating in the sun and sticking to the shingle below after being installed on the roof. This is a defect making the shingles subject to wind damage.
Thanks everyone… that’s all great advice and pretty much what I was expecting. It’s a DJI Mini3 with 4K video and 48 megapixel camera so it’s super clear. I guess I’m just impatient and want to know when I’m on site but even on my laptop I can see quite a bit. I can see the benefit for chimney crowns but I left those in Oregon when I came to Maui
Funny story… I live down near the ocean where it’s hot and dry but occasionally I see a “Chimney Repair,” truck driving around. Huh? This is Maui… turns out upcountry it actually does get cold-ish and there are a lot of chimneys. When I first saw the truck I just assumed it was some money laundering operation. Fwiw, upcountry Maui is the closest thing to heaven on earth that I’ve ever found in terms of weather. You can pretty much just pick what temperature you like/want and find a house at that elevation. A lot of the places are around 2-3K feet and the weather is just perfect… all the time. Usually upper 70s with a light breeze, perfect amount of humidity and the views are crazy nice. That’s where Oprah lives if it’s any indication. The weather is so perfect and consistent that most houses have no heat or A/C.
Like Michael stated, these strips stuck to the tar strip, instead of sticking to the top of the shingle, where they should have stayed. So now, it prevents the tar from melting. lazy roofers didnt notice it, or didnt care…
As soon as a hurricane comes around, those shingles are gone.
I see this a few times a year. I actually pointed this out on a brand new home for a pre-closing inspection about a week before hurricane Ian, and they didnt fix it. Buyer told me they ended up replacing the entire roof. Makes me wonder how many other homes in that neighborhood had the same problem
Your Mini 3 should have obstacle avoidance on the front and bottom. Be sure it is ON if want to get close to something and it will prevent you from hitting the house. Neither of my drones will allow me to fly any closer than 5 feet from a roof top so it’s not a problem. Now getting around trees, that’s another story because I have had times where I had to turn the obstacle avoidance OFF to get in where tree branches were within that “safety zone” . I’m very comfortable flying my stuff but there are times when I still have the jitters. Keep that in mind. If you don’t feel safe flying it somewhere, DON’T. Getting nervous can cause you to crash.
It would appear you have restricted airspace and military training routes (area).
Be sure to check NOTAMs before you fly, With busy airspace and an active volcano near you, TFRs could go up at any time. As of today there aren’t any. You don’t want to get caught even goofing around with a drone in a TFR, especially being a business owner… Have fun with it though. I take mine out to farm country when ever I can to “play” and work on my piloting skills. Kind of nice having access to 100+ acre corn fields to practice over. No obstacles. lol
A little tip for taking pictures, since the mini 3 doesn’t have total lossless zoom, getting a good picture in a situation where you can’t get very close is doable but can be a chore. I have found that exporting a frame from a video can work out well in those situations, since video is shot in a higher resolution, you don’t have to zoom in quite as much if at all. With a little editing afterwards, you can crop and resize the exported frame and have a nice clear picture. Also, if you have the ability to shoot pics in JPG and RAW, do both. The RAW files are huge, but when it comes to editing pictures, the amount of editing you can do is virtually limitless. After editing a RAW image, save it as a JPG to reduce the file size. The quality of the picture won’t be lost this way either. When editing JPGs, you really can’t do a whole lot.
Another tip, on really bright sunny days, it really helps to use an ND Filter. Especially when looking at lighter colored roof tops. They cut the glare so details can be seen better.
But that video doesnt address this problem…
That is, when the cellophane was either installed improperly, or it stuck to the tar rather than stay where it was designed to stay.
it should never prevent the tar from actually bonding the shingles together
the celophane disolves with water contact over a short period of time and there is no reason to remove the strips, I can explain it to You but I cant understand it for You…
Just a little advice if you’re taking roof pcs from the eaves when your ladder is fully extended and you are using your “arm camera pole”…… Make sure you have the camera pointed n the right direction…DUH!!!
