Drone Building Surveys

Why get a drone survey?

Like most things in life, buildings require maintenance if they are to perform as originally intended. Similar to the way that we only call the doctors when something goes wrong, human tendency is to leave things until a problem declares itself. This is most commonly a leaking roof from a slipped tile or other weak areas such as weathering around a chimney or defective repairs to a parapet detail. Getting a drone survey is a quick an easy way to establish what may be causing the issue.

Call a builder?

If your roof is leaking, instinct suggests that you should call a roofing contractor. However this is only going to provide you with an accurate quotation, if they can safely access the problem areas, which in most instances requires scaffolding. If you only get one quotation, then you won’t know if that is good value. There is also the issue of whether you trust that roofing contractor, since this is probably your first time contacting them. There is inevitably an incentive for a roofing contractor to find more problems or suggest excessive repair works, to provide more work for themselves. Or on the flip side, to get their foot in the door, their quotation could specify the minimum requirements to repair the problem area; everything else is excluded, in the knowledge that they will discover ‘unforseens’ when they have the job. Something as simple as a roof repair can be complicated.

Scaffolding versus drones?

Drones and scaffolding obviously serve a different purpose. Drones will only provide you will still images and videos for a professional to ascertain the cause of the issue. Importantly though, a drone survey will provide you with sufficient reassurance whether scaffolding is required at all. Why spend £1,000s on scaffolding without knowing what the issue is? As mentioned above, access to the roof to ascertain the problem is key to getting an accurate price. Scaffolding used to be the best option, however drones have become more and more accessible and are considerably cheaper than erecting scaffolding. Photos and videos from a drone survey however will require an educated eye to understand the cause of the issue, and assumptions will be made until safe access can be gained to carry out further investigation.

How I am different to other drone surveyors

As I mentioned earlier, photographs of a roof or a chimney for the purpose of finding a leak, are only helpful to the trained eye. As a building owner, you need a conclusion, not just some of the evidence. I am a fully qualified Architect, based in Brighton, with over 15 years of experience working on a variety of building types. Some of the surveys I have carried out in the area include churches, Regency buildings, blocks of flats, mid-terraced houses and schools. From the initial site survey, I would be able to ascertain the cause of the issue and recommended next steps. If your property falls within a Conservation Area or is listed, I will also be able to advise whether consent for the repairs will be required and whether The Party Wall Act will apply.

Detached property in Sussex showing chimney repairs

Local contacts

If you live in a managed building, perhaps a block of flats, carrying out repairs requires permission from multiple interested parties. Management companies often require a formal report from a Chartered Surveyor, clearly definining the scope of the repairs, to enable quotations to be sourced. I work closely with a surveyor who can attend the site survey and provide the required condition survey for the building management company. Being in the construction industry, we have many local contacts that we can call upon.

Mansard roof to top floor of listed terrace in Sussex Square, Brighton

My CV

Drone laws can be complicated, as there are quite a few rules and they are constantly changing. I will take care of this as part of the service, checking whether there are any flight restrictions, highlighting any notice that should be provided to neighbours to alleviate any concern over privacy etc. Insurance details can also be provided upon request.

I have been flying professional drones since 2020, and I passed my A2CofC in 2021 - allowing a larger category of drone to be flown in a closer proximity to buildings.

I also use my drone to provide architectural photography, for documenting construction progress, as well as completed projects. Check out this article for examples of my work.

Butterfly roof with centralised valley to drainage to rear elevation in Sussex Square, Brighton

Get in touch

If you have a requirement for a drone building survey, or anything aerial photography related, then drop me an email at info@benharveyphotography.co.uk and I would be happy to provide you with a quotation and my professional opinion.

Thanks for reading.

Ben