Drone for roof inspection

[Donald]

A hundred or two is cheaper than a visit to Urgent Care so I was thinking about a drone with video to inspect my roof and gutters. Rather than a 71 year old guy climbing ladders and walking on the pitched roof.

I need to see some detail. Not looking to get into drone flying as a hobby

Suggestions?

 

[Pablo]

Don't be tempted by an Altair Aerial. Price is low, but near impossible to fly, will randomly go flying off when "HOME" is pressed and customer support is non-existent. Oh and video sucks.

 

[fsdork]

For a hundred or two, you may be able to find a used DJI Mini 2, as there have been a few iterations of the Mini since. Besides price, one benefit of the Mini series is that it is (check your local regulations) not very specifically regulated, as it is sub-250 grams. Where I live, it is only subject to the "don't be reckless and endanger people/aircraft" clause of the aviation regs.

 

[nomas]

Check around . Find somebody that will bring their drone over for an hour . I'll bet one of your neighbors have one .

 

[PF52]

Check around . Find somebody that will bring their drone over for an hour . I'll bet one of your neighbors have one .

+2

The aforementioned DJI Mini is an ideal size (I have a Mini 4) but I'm not sure I would buy one unless I had other uses for it. I use mine for photography but its picture quality and ability to aim the camera would make it ideal to look at a roof (heck I've looked at my own roof with mine!).

 

[KrisZ]

Doubtful a cheap drone will provide the image stability and quality to be any useful as an inspection tool. Unless you're just looking for missing shingles or something else that's easy to spot.

I like the idea mentioned above about finding someone with an expensive drone and paying them to video your roof. Maybe search your local Facebook?

 

[Kira]

I chatted with a guy who was setting up his drone gear to inspect the library roof in Midland Park, NJ.
I believe he was part of a company (not just a guy with a drone).

 

[cptbarkey]

A licensed reputable roofing expert would inspect it beyond what you can probably do even with a drone.

 

[alarmguy]

We had a home inspection (first time in my life) right before our new home warranty expired around the 10 th month.
He also does variations for people, such as at a lower cost a roof inspection. Maybe someone where you live does the same.
This included walking the roof and drone photos complete with circled areas with issues.

 

[thastinger]

Check around . Find somebody that will bring their drone over for an hour . I'll bet one of your neighbors have one .

I've done this for neighborhood people. Chimney caps, gutters etc. Many have slate roofs.

 

[Donald]

Could I get just a camera and attach it to my RC helicopter?

 

[KevinMalone]

I went through this a while back. The issues with cheaper drones are that they can be difficult to fly, no self-stabilizing, fixed cameras, poor resolution images, etc etc. But then a more expensive drone is hardly worth it unless you had other uses for it. I ended up calling a buddy with a DJI Mini to inspect my roof - that thing practically flies itself and the images were very sharp and clear. I just transferred everything off its SD card after we were done.

 

[Lubener]

A licensed reputable roofing expert would inspect it beyond what you can probably do even with a drone.

The best solution. A drone cannot show what an experienced person can see standing on the roof.

 

[vavavroom]

If you go with a drone, remember drones that weigh more than 250 g must be registered.

 

[John Galt]

If you go with a drone, remember drones that weigh more than 250 g must be registered.

And a license to fly it if I recall correctly. Flight over homes is a big no-no unless registered and flown by said licensed “pilot”.

Neighbors might complain you are peeping inn on grannies topless sunbathing.

 

[vwmaniaman]

I had a roof replaced by my insurance company for hail damage. They took amazing satellite images of my roof. Then they sent an adjuster out to walk on it. I was amazed at the definition and the zoom of those images. They inspected it again by satellite after it was replaced.

 

[Donald]

My roof is new. But I would like to inspect the roof and the gutter guards.

 

[nomas]

A hundred or two is cheaper than a visit to Urgent Care so I was thinking about a drone with video to inspect my roof and gutters. Rather than a 71 year old guy climbing ladders and walking on the pitched roof.

I need to see some detail. Not looking to get into drone flying as a hobby

Suggestions?

Right before the Hurricane last week , a local guy was advertising pre storm roof and home video to document the condition before the storm hit . $35 bucks .