Drones: technology that should be in every surveyor's toolbox

Traditionally, building surveyors hire cherry pickers or construct scaffolding to inspect roofs, but some areas just can’t be reached or viewed this way, thus meaning they are often missed or caveated as inaccessible.  

Which is where drones come in.

Now for the close-up  

Drones are small, agile unmanned aerial vehicles (UAV’s) which are flown via an operator on the ground. These are easily manoeuvred by the drone pilot and can take photos and video footage to identify defects to a building or structure, even in often the most hard to reach places, enabling purchasers to make an informed decision. 

Unlike cherry pickers and scaffolding, which need space, are cumbersome and time consuming to move, drones can be flown with relative ease in most places across the UK.

Timber damage to a bell tower at a high level was only visible with the use of a drone.

Drones can be particularly useful when properties are in awkward locations with no access to some elevations or located on busy roads.

Drones can even be used inside when accessible. To a Grade I listed building, a decorative rotunda was inspected this way, which enabled a number of small cracks in the plasterwork to be identified and reported.

There have been instances where a drone has been vital and simply the only solution because a building was adjacent to a busy road that couldn’t be closed for a cherry picker to set up. And similarly, when side and rear access to a building were blocked, resulting in the surveyor only being able to see the front portion of the roof. On this occasion, a number of defects were identified to the rear portion of the roof due to limited access for the vendor.

Located at approximately 20 metres high, one of the straps to the bell was missing. Without this information, it is likely the bell would at one point in the not to distant future fall from the tower.

Safety is key during work operations, and any opportunity to avoid a surveyor working at height is always a benefit. Using drone technology allows the surveyor to remain on the ground whilst also enabling full access to the whole property.

Large industrial units can be accessed via cherry picker, though managing to get a boom across to the centre of the roof can be difficult.

Time is essential for all businesses and having an MRICS qualified surveyor who can pilot a drone enables them to swiftly plan and prepare the flight prior to attending site and also to ‘follow the trail’ quickly and efficiently whilst on site. In contrast, cherry pickers and scaffolding must be hired in advance, transported, and moved around the property as well as having an operator alongside. In context, a survey on a Grade I listed residential property took three hours with a drone but would have taken up to a day and a half with a cherry picker.

Though drones are a fantastic tool, they do have some limitations. Touch and feel of a material can sometimes be the only way to fully understand the condition, such as blistering to a flat roof or not being able to fly during periods of rain or strong winds.  Further to this, the drone must also be flown in line of sight, meaning at times, the drone may not be extremely close to the structure, though with zoom technology this is not an issue. However, this is a rather moot point when cherry pickers and scaffolding can at times also suffer from these limitations.

Flight Restriction Zones have become more of an issue over recent years, particularly in close proximity to airports and high-risk areas and crowds. However, with sufficient time for planning and notifying, these areas also become available for drone operations.  A certified drone pilot will always check whether there are any restrictions and notify accordingly.

Weighed next to the limitation of cherry pickers and scaffolding, drones are an asset, where used correctly, that should not be ignored. They often provide suitable information for the surveyor to sufficiently report and enable the client to make an informed decision. 

Is it time for your building’s close-up? 

If you have a commercial or residential property which you would like to have surveyed, please get in touch with one of our experts: 

Ben Gowthorpe MRICS
Associate Partner
T: 07776 487979
ben.gowthorpe@carterjonas.co.uk