The sky's the limit with drone surveys
Manual roof inspections can often be lengthy, disruptive, expensive and difficult, with safety measures such as scaffolding and harnesses needed. With drone surveys, all these issues can be avoided, with problems identified and diagnosed from the air in minutes.
The solution
There are two forms of drone surveys available: 4k HD imagery and videography to identify building fabric issues, and thermal surveys which can pinpoint areas where your building is losing heat, and can also isolate solar panel inefficiencies.
Roof and building drone inspections can gather a wide range of building information. Our Civil Aviation Authority-accredited drone pilots have used drone imagery to identify sources of ingress for water, allowing long-standing but unidentifiable leaks to be diagnosed and fixed. We’ve also performed condition surveys, to check roofs were safe, and in advance of plans to fit equipment such as solar panels. Old buildings which don’t have detailed or up-to-date plans can also have a remote ‘recce’ from a drone, as we can use the drone to measure the dimensions in preparation for solar installation.
We’ve used thermal surveys to look for ‘hot spots’ in buildings, identifying areas where heat is escaping. This inexpensive and simple method can suggest ‘quick fixes’, such as repairing breaks in seals and mastics, adding insulation, restoring lead flashing and repairing roofs.
Drone thermal surveys have also been used to check the efficiency of solar panels. When a client was getting reduced power input from solar panels, we used a thermal survey to check cables, finding that a simple disconnected cable was the answer behind the diminished wattage.
The challenges
Not only are drone surveys a quick solution, but they’re also safer and far less disruptive than traditional manual roof works. We were recently asked to identify a roof leak at a secure mental health facility. Due to the vulnerability of the building’s service users, scaffolding would have been very difficult to erect, but instead we were able to fly the drone from outside the building’s secure perimeter, identifying an issue with the roof’s tiles and guttering in just 45 minutes.
We’ve also used drones to good effect in care home, hospital and education environments. By flying the drone at a higher altitude, we can still zoom in with the HD camera, but residents, patients and students are unaware that surveys are taking place.
The results
With drones, roof work becomes quicker, safer and less disruptive, and long-standing problems can be diagnosed in minutes.
We were asked to survey a building where water was ingressing, but the cause couldn’t be identified. Before we were called in, numerous works had been carried out on the roof to try to remedy the issue, but without success. We used the drone to survey the exterior wall brickwork course by course, identifying failed pointing which, once repaired, solved the issue.
As climate change increases extreme weather, roofing issues will become even more prevalent. Keeping your building in good condition will develop into a bigger issue, and drones can support you to ensure any problems are dealt with rapidly, before they affect the building users.
Drone surveys saved £26,000 in unnecessary scaffolding costs over just four months
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