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Spent $300 on a drone for site surveys - best money I ever wasted?
I finally caved and bought a DJI Mini 3 last month for doing roof inspections and site progress shots. My old method was climbing up there with a tape measure and my phone camera, which took forever and honestly felt sketchy on steep pitches. The drone cost me around $300 used on eBay, plus another $40 for a spare battery. First time I flew it over a 12,000 sq ft commercial job, I got all the angles I needed in 20 minutes flat. The photos are clear enough to spot loose flashing or ponding water on flat roofs without even getting on a ladder. Only downside is the wind - anything over 15 mph and I'm fighting it like a kite. Anyone else using drones for field documentation, or am I just a tech junkie with a flying camera?
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kellys783mo ago
You said "the photos are clear enough to spot loose flashing," but drone cameras can actually miss small details like cracked sealant or lifted shingles if you're not zooming in on the raw files. The Mini 3's 12MP sensor is fine for overviews, but I'd still climb up for a close look at anything that looks off in the video. Good tool for quick progress shots, just don't rely on it for the fine stuff.
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emery_black3mo ago
100% agree. I was checking a roof last month with my Mini 3, looked fine in the video, then went up and found a whole section of sealant just peeling away from a vent pipe. You could barely see it even zoomed in on the raw shot. Good for a quick check but you'll miss stuff for sure if you don't go up and poke around.
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