Even being paid for one inspection requires you to have your FAA part 107 license. And I’m not sure a $400.00 Costco drone meets the FAA requirements for commercial use. It has to have a remote ID.
The very first fine is $10,000. It’s not worth it.
Get your license before you fly it on an inspection. And verify it has remote ID.
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Tight squeeze on the ladder and body position made for major butt pucker facial expressions Lol… 
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That is false. It will never dissolve and the shingles will NEVER bond. Even if it DID eventually dissolve, the tar would be so dirty by that point, it would never seal anyways.
This was a defective batch, and that cellophane peeled off where it was designed to stay, and is now stuck to the tar strip instead.
Apparently I am the one trying to explain it…
When people say you dont have to peel off the cellophane, they arent referring to defective ones.
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If the cellophane strip DOES NOT stay where the manufacturer put it, it needs to be removed. Otherwise, it does not need to be removed….from my experience.
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Hey Matt welcome to the 21st century with the drone. It’s a powerful tool when used correctly.
I used to live on Maui too-upcountry-Haiku and Kula. My advice with a drone in those areas is to be sure to know what is in the air above you. I used to fly with Windward Aviation (The yellow Hues 500 copters) for MISC and we would drop just above houses and tree lines out of nowhere. Also if you are in a more rural area, be careful where you are poking around. As you probably know, there is lots of “farm” land nobody wants other folks to get photos of.
I miss the good times out there. How is Lahaina rebounding?
I use drones all the time and have for over 10 years. I prefer the DJI Mavic with zoom lens and 4K imaging but I know it’s pricey! With all the huge amount of new construction and warranty inspections in Phoenix, it’s essential to use a drone. All the builders here have clauses in their purchase and sale agreements that void the roof warranty for at least the first year if the roof is walked. Without a drone it’s next to impossible to inspect.
I do prefer to walk a roof though and do on the vast majority of residential inspections where the house is over a year old. Obviously you can find things that you can’t with a drone. Drones are just another tool that really come in handy. I recommend getting your FAA Certification. It’s required for commercial use. I find the test a bit ridiculous as it pertains more to flying a small plane than a drone in my opinion.
Check out this link from DJI: Fly Safe - DJI
It will assist you in getting clearance codes for restricted air space.
Welcome to Drone World Matt!
Here’s a good example of a recent case where a drone was invaluable. Most of this roof is covered in frost. The slippery conditions combined with the variable terrain and building features around the home made it quite difficult to even get a ladder at most of the eves. The drone allowed for a fairly thorough inspection in a swift manner without breaking a sweat. Probably took me 15 minutes onsite to get 200+ pictures of this roof for review back at the office. Pictures are straight off the drone, no editing. And yes, I use the prop guards, because I haven’t had a reason to take them off, lol. I ordered a custom case off ebay that allows me to store the drone with the guards on, which is nice.
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This is the million dollar question… no one really knows. It’s all fenced up at off-limits physically and visually - military type guards at the entries and scattered randomly on the highway and roads nearby. Predictably, the locals are skeptical and conspiracy theories run wild. There’s lots of local support and goodwill but most people don’t know where to send it. There are all kinds of local squabbles about where the trash debris is going to go, etc. On the Nextdoor App someone was actually trying to advocate for collecting the debris and dropping it in the volcano on the big island to burn it up 
Not sure how they were going to pull that off. Otherwise, I suppose Maui is largely back to being Maui. Minus a huge piece, of course. I’m down in Kihei and it’s business as usual for the most part. Tourism seems to be off a tick from normal for the winter. Lots more vacancies than usual, despite FEMA eating up a good chunk of short term rentals.
Here is another one from today…
Brand new home, shingles all over the roof were not bonded, because the cellophane was stuck to the tar strip.
Next hurricane that comes along will rip half their roof off.
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On past ones you have found, did you find out if and how the builder or roofer addressed it? What a chore it would be to correct that properly.
Meh. It’s a Florida roof, can’t be much more than a 5:12.
For us guys getting on in years, doing it properly, sure. Get some 22 year old spider monkey up there to scamper around. Pay a bounty per strip. He’s done before you get back with the beer.
I’m sure they have, but I don’t typically check up after the reports…
But I do know there was one about 2 years ago that I called out on a brand new home, and there was a hurricane coming later in the week.
They didn’t do anything about it, and the buyer told me they ended up replacing the whole roof.
The hardest part about correcting is that they would need to literally try to pull up on every single one.
Maybe a powerful blower would help? 
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Then I wonder too if the cellophane comes off easy? Or do they have to squirt some roof tar under every shingle?
Oh, it just peels right off.
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Sounds like a good ancillary service while you are up there anyway. 
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ha. I have pulled a few off myself if they are the only ones I see. But sometimes its scattered all over the entire roof.
I dont know how a roofer would not notice as they are installing. Its better to let them fix it themselves, and learn their lesson! 
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The problem is they do notice, they just don’t care. It’s not their problem once they nail the last ridge cap on. There are 10 Mexicans putting shingles on a house to get it done in an hour. They just don’t care. Pride in workmanship has been dead for 10-15 years now. It’s all about quantity, not quality.
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I just got my license and already have a drone. Looking forward to using it when I can’t walk on a roof. I think it’s going to be good for inspections but I don’t ever seeing it replace walking on a roof.
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