Thinking Drone for the unreachable?

[John Binder]

Looking for any HI's that use a drone for inspections. The good, bad and ugly..looking for any info regarding their use.

[Markus Keller]

I don't but have experimented a bit. Bought a couple of the little basic ones you can get cheap at home depot, marshals, best buy, wherever I got them. Bought them just to test out the flying etc.
Not for me.
However, more relevant to your question I know a guy who is serious about drone use. He bought one of those fancy ones, $1000+ or however much it cost. Took the FAA class for the certification, etc. From his statements:
- lots of upfront time to get it going, figure out which one to buy, take the FAA class, some hours learning how to fly the thing, then some hours learning how to fly the thing for HI use
- he really likes it but from what he has told me he doesn't see using it a lot; more likely to use it on those rare occasions you just can't get to a spot
Seems like a lot of effort for little use
hope that helps

[Marc M]

I use the drone for roofs when i do HI... In my construction company we just use it to take images of our jobs.
For HI its nice until it crashes. also, not so good for hot roofs or comp.

[Ken Amelin]

I use the drone for roofs when i do HI... In my construction company we just use it to take images of our jobs.
For HI its nice until it crashes. also, not so good for hot roofs or comp.

Can you get close up pictures of the roof material or top of chimney?

[Erby Crofutt]

You can get good close up pictures of those types of things with a drone. Just depends on how comfortable you are in flying close. If not, you can also blow up the photos for a close up.

[Stephanie Jaynes]

We've been providing drone coverage for a couple of years now. Most of the home inspectors who use our drone coverage use it to inspect the roofs. Some have turned to drones to avoid the potential general liability associated with traversing the roof. Others find the drone more convenient. And then there are a handful that have inspected enough homes that have roofs that are high enough up that they're virtually inaccessible without a drone.

If you do decide to start using a drone for inspections, make sure your insurance provider can give you the coverage as not all providers do. Typically, providers can add it to your policy as an endorsement for an additional charge. Many providers require some sort of proof of training, like FAA registration. Other than that, you should be good to fly.