Imagine the sinking feeling of discovering a damp patch on your ceiling, only to have it grow into a full-blown leak.
Take the case of a new facilities director at a private school with around 20 buildings of various ages, types of construction and conditions. Many buildings suffered from serious leaks, with internal attempts to patch and paint over the damage. In some instances, the situation had deteriorated so badly that ceilings were beginning to cave in.
Our drone survey of these roofs revealed a completely obvious reason in most cases: a tile was completely missing, flashing was holed, or flashing was entirely absent.
The most surprising part? These critical issues were all located in areas that weren’t easily visible from the ground, from a vantage point in the building, or even from a MEWP at the eaves.
The facilities director was incredibly relieved to discover the sources of the leaks, and to learn that the repairs would be relatively straightforward and inexpensive.
This story highlights the power of drone surveys in quickly identifying and resolving issues that would otherwise lead to significant and costly damage.
This story highlights the power of drone surveys in quickly identifying and resolving issues that would otherwise lead to significant and costly damage. The truth is, for too long, property owners have been in the dark about the true condition of their roofs, often with disastrous consequences.
The Hidden Dangers: Why Traditional Roof Inspections Fall Short
It might seem like spotting a loose tile or a missing bit of flashing would be a simple task. After all, how much damage can one small defect cause? The reality is that traditional roof inspections, often conducted from the ground, ladders, or even cherry pickers, have significant limitations. These methods restrict surveyors to viewing only the roof’s edges and eaves, leaving critical areas like valleys, spaces behind chimney stacks, and flat roof sections completely out of sight. As a result, seemingly minor issues can easily go undetected, escalating into major problems and costly repairs before anyone realizes there’s a problem.
Proactive Protection: Using Drones to Prevent Roof Problems from Becoming Nightmares
Don’t wait for a leak to become a crisis. Drone roof surveys offer a powerful way to move from reactive repairs to proactive prevention. By identifying potential issues early, before they’re visible inside the property, you can save significant amounts of money, time, and stress. Here’s how drone surveys help you stop small problems from escalating:
Loose or Cracked Roof Tiles: Preventing the Cascade of Damage
A loose or cracked tile is more than just a small defect; it’s the start of a cascade of potential damage. Drones can spot these issues in their earliest stages, often before any internal signs of a leak appear. Regular drone surveys allow you to schedule preemptive repairs, preventing water ingress, insulation damage, and the growth of harmful mold.
Missing or Damaged Flashing: Avoiding Costly Water Intrusion
Damaged or missing flashing around chimneys, skylights, and vents provides a direct pathway for water to enter your property. Drone inspections can quickly and easily identify even subtle flashing issues, allowing for timely repairs and preventing significant water damage to interior spaces and structural elements.
Damaged Chimney Crowns and Flaunching: Halting Structural Deterioration
Deteriorated chimney crowns and flaunching can allow moisture to infiltrate the chimney stack, leading to structural damage and internal dampness. Drones can provide a detailed view of these often-inaccessible areas, detecting cracks and erosion early on and enabling preventative measures that preserve the chimney’s integrity.
Mortar Deterioration: Preserving Structural Stability
Cracked or crumbling mortar in coping stones, ridge tiles, and verges can create gaps that allow water to penetrate, leading to leaks and structural issues. Drone surveys can efficiently identify areas of mortar deterioration, allowing for repointing and other preventative maintenance that maintains the roof’s structural stability.
Blocked Gutters and Missing Guttering: Stopping Water Diversion Issues
Blocked or missing gutters, hoppers, and downpipes can cause water to overflow, damaging walls, foundations, and interior spaces. Drones can quickly spot blockages and missing sections, enabling prompt action to ensure proper water diversion and prevent costly structural damage.
Pooling Water and Flat Roof Issues: Proactive Condition Monitoring
Flat roofs are particularly susceptible to pooling water, which can lead to premature wear and tear and leaks. Drone surveys can quickly identify areas where water is pooling, as well as worn or damaged roof coverings, allowing for timely maintenance and preventing more extensive damage.
By understanding how drone surveys pinpoint these potential problems, it’s clear that they offer a significant advantage over traditional inspection methods. But what exactly makes them so effective? Let’s take a closer look at the advantages of drone roof surveys.
Advantages of Drone Roof Surveys
Drone roof surveys offer a powerful solution for modern roof inspections, with a range of capabilities that provide significant benefits:
Detailed Visual Data: Drones capture high-resolution images and videos, providing a comprehensive view of every roof section. This enables the precise identification of even the smallest defects.
Efficient and Time-Saving: Drones can quickly survey large roof areas, significantly reducing inspection times and minimising disruption.
Safe and Accessible: Drones eliminate the need for hazardous manual inspections involving scaffolding, ladders, or MEWPs, ensuring greater safety for surveyors.
Comprehensive Inspection: Drones can easily access and inspect hard-to-reach areas, providing a complete assessment of the roof’s condition.
Cost-Effective Solution: While not as inexpensive as a simple ladder inspection, drone surveys offer a significantly more cost-effective solution than traditional methods involving MEWPs (Mobile Elevating Work Platforms) and extensive labour.
With these capabilities, property owners and managers can quickly gain a precise understanding of their roof’s condition, enabling prompt and effective repairs.
Drone Roof Survey Case Study: Capital Coated Steels
Capital Coated Steels, a prominent steel stockholder located in Newport, Wales, boasts a vast property with many extensions. Their primary roofing is made of corrugated coated steel sheets, supplemented with a section of bituminous felt flat roof. This expansive roof also supports a considerable array of solar panels in its central region.
The challenge? The property had been enduring multiple leaks. Our initial consultations with the client, followed by an on-site walk-around inspection, allowed us to pinpoint and mark these trouble spots on an aerial map of the building. This became instrumental in our drone roof survey, ensuring we targeted these areas to uncover the root cause of the leaks.
Over a day, our drone roof survey unveiled a spectrum of conditions across the property. Given its evolving nature because of successive extensions, the discrepancies were expected.
One pressing concern was the integrity of the Mansafe system. The client had specifically sought clear visuals to find out the quality of its installation. Our detailed drone imagery revealed that some brackets of the Mansafe system were not appropriately sealed post-installation. This oversight not only damaged the roofing but also resulted in water ingress inside.
Such water intrusion is often deceptive. It may enter from one point but manifest internally elsewhere, travelling along roof joists or within the insulation so, in this case, getting ‘eyes-on’ with the brackets was the only way to find out the real source of the leaks.
Having identified these problems, suitable remediation works can now be carried out to address the leaks.
Another highlighted concern was a row of unchecked trees bordering the property. Their ownership – whether with the council or the client – was debated, leading to their unchecked growth. These overhanging trees became a focal point of our drone roof survey. The drones’ small size allowed us to get into the tight spaces between the overhanging branches and the gutters, with the imagery showing severe blockage, with vegetation actively growing in the gutters, and downpipes completely blocked.
In other areas, we identified varying degrees of rust, corrosion, and fading on the metal roof coverings. These findings were systematically graded in our report, ensuring the client could efficiently prioritise and address each issue.
Utilising the Scopito platform for our report, we provided a comprehensive breakdown of the concerns, each ranked by severity. Accompanying our insights were cloud-backed geolocated images, offering the client an intuitive understanding of every challenge their building faced.
The outcome? Client satisfaction, as our drone roof survey not only highlighted persisting issues but also suggested actionable remedial steps.
For anyone seeking a precise and thorough roof evaluation, a drone roof survey stands as an invaluable tool. It amalgamates the precision of technology with expert analysis, ensuring no stone (or in this case, tile) is left unturned.
The Benefits of Immediate Drone Inspection Data
Drone roof surveys provide immediate, clear visual data of a roof’s condition. This detailed evidence facilitates quick decision-making, precise maintenance planning, and eliminates costly guesswork and ineffective repairs.
Whether dealing with routine maintenance or urgent leak repairs, the documented clarity provided by drone roof surveys ensures accurate and effective solutions.
Regular Drone Roof Inspections for Peace of Mind
Routine drone roof inspections offer simplicity, accuracy, and peace of mind. Immediate understanding of roof conditions allows property managers and building owners to confidently and proactively address issues without unnecessary complexity or expense.
Implementing regular drone surveys as part of an ongoing roof maintenance plan significantly extends the lifespan of your roof and reduces long-term maintenance costs.
Conclusion
If you suspect a roofing issue or simply want peace of mind through regular maintenance, consider scheduling a drone roof survey. It’s the simplest, most effective way to spot common roof problems early, maintain your property efficiently, and avoid unnecessary costs.
For more information or to book your drone roof survey, please contact us today—we’re always ready to help.