Drone or ladder: which one your roof actually needs
A drone wins on almost everything that matters for assessing a roof from the outside. It also cannot do two things a person on the roof can. Here is the whole comparison, including the parts that do not favour us.
Side by side, factor by factor
| Factor | Drone inspection | Traditional inspection |
|---|---|---|
| Coverage of steep or fragile roofs | Every slope, regardless of pitch or material | Limited to what is safe to walk, and slate and tile often are not |
| Risk of damage to your roof | Nothing touches the surface | Foot traffic can crack tile, scuff shingles and loosen granules |
| What you keep afterward | Full-resolution imagery of every slope, dated and yours | A written summary, and whatever photos the inspector chose to take |
| Finding trapped moisture | Thermal imaging reads the whole roof surface in one pass | Visual only, unless a separate moisture survey is booked |
| Time on site | 30 to 45 minutes for a typical home | Comparable, plus ladder setup and takedown |
| Lifting shingles and probing soft decking | Cannot do it. Imagery shows the symptom, not the give underfoot | This is what hands are for |
| Inspecting the attic side | Out of scope entirely | An inspector can check decking, ventilation and staining from below |
| Flying in bad weather | Grounded by high wind, rain or snow on the roof | Also unsafe, but the bar is lower |
Most roofs only need the flight
From $150, with the imagery and the report inside 24 hours.
Fly it when
- A storm just went through and you need dated evidence before you file
- The roof is steep, slate, tile, or otherwise unsafe to walk
- A contractor says you need a new roof and you want a second opinion
- You are buying and the home inspector would not go up
- You want a documented baseline to compare against in a few years
Get someone up there when
- •You already know there is a leak and need the interior side traced
- •The decking feels soft and someone has to test it by weight
- •The attic, ventilation or insulation is part of the question
- •Snow or sustained high wind has the drone grounded and you cannot wait
We will say so when your situation is one of these. Selling you a flight that cannot answer your question is a bad trade for both of us.
The part people underrate
The imagery outlives the inspection. A traditional inspection ends with someone telling you what they saw. A drone inspection ends with you holding the photographs of every slope, dated, at full resolution. Six months later, when an adjuster disputes what the hail did, or a contractor quotes work on a slope you have never laid eyes on, the difference between having that file and not having it is the entire argument.
That is also why we hand over the complete image set rather than a curated selection. A report built from photos you never see is asking you to take our word for it.
Book the flight
FAA Part 107 pilots. Every slope photographed. Report inside 24 hours.