If you feel that scaling up the roof for its inspection is a risky job, I have good news for you! There’s a more straightforward way to do roof inspection – by using a drone.
Today, there are so many different types of drones available in the market that it may get confusing for you as to which one you should buy for inspecting your roof. That’s why I’ve come up with this post. So, whether you’re a roofing contractor, a property manager, or just a casual homeowner, this guide will let you know about some of the best drones for roof inspection available in the market in 2023.
Best Drones for Roof Inspection
Here are the best drones that you can buy for roof inspections (as of 2023):
#1. DJI Mavic 2 Zoom | Our Top Pick – The Best Drone for Roof Inspection!
- Flight Time: 31 minutes
- Range: 8 kilometers
- Camera: 4K/30FPS Videos, 12-MP Stills
- Powered by a 1/2.3-inch 12MP sensor with up to 4x zoom, including a 2x optical zoom...
- Up to 31 minutes flight time, 44 mph max speed, 905G takeoff weight, 3-axis gimbal...
- Functions include ActiveTrack 2. 0, Omnidirectional Obstacle Sensing, Hyperlapse,...
Although the DJI flagship drone – the Mavic 2 Pro features a better camera than the Mavic 2 Zoom, the latter is considerably more suitable for roof inspections. The Mavic 2 Zoom is a highly flexible drone with the amazing ability to pull off up to 4x zoom without any loss of pixels. It gives you crystal clear images even if the object that it’s shooting is far. Therefore, in case of roof inspection, this drone is able to capture even the minute details of your roof without having to go too near.
When you talk about other features, the Mavic 2 Zoom performs exceeding well here too. It offers an excellent flight time of 31 minutes. You can use this drone for roof inspection of really tall buildings too, owing to its ability to live stream in 1080p HD resolution while it is up to 8 km away from you. What’s more, you get many interesting flight modes, including Points of Interest and Waypoints. Overall, the Mavic 2 Zoom is the best choice for roof inspections.
#2. Autel Robotics EVO | Sturdy Drone with Impressive Specs for Roof Inspections
- Flight Time: 30 minutes
- Control Range: 4300 meters
- Camera: 4K/60fps Videos, 12MP Stills
- 【Ultralight,Palm Drones】 At only 249 grams, the EVO Nano and Nano+ with 3-axis...
- 【Camera Drone 1/1.28″ CMOS】 The 4K drone EVO Nano+ is packed a...
- 【Track Fast】Moving subjects with incredible precision through PDAF + CDAF...
The Autel Robotics EVO Drone is a compact & easy-to-use, yet highly durable drone. With the ability to withstand strong winds or light drizzles, this drone is perfect for roof inspections. It gives an impressive flight time of 30 minutes on a single charge, and a wonderful control range of 4300 meters.
The EVO drone features a powerful camera that’s capable of shooting buttery smooth 4K UHD videos at 60 FPS and stills at 12 megapixels. It also has a 3-axis gimbal which does a fantastic job of stabilizing the footage. With this drone, you can get crisp and crystal clear footage of your roofing, with the best view of its condition transmitted live at 1080p HD resolution. The dual GPS/GLONASS satellite positioning and advanced computer vision systems in this drone ensure a safe and crash-free flight experience.
#3. Holy Stone HS270 | Inexpensive Roof Inspection Drone Perfect for Home Owners
- Flight Time: 18 minutes
- Control Range: 1968 feet
- Camera: 4K UHD
- Adjustable 1080P Ultra Clear Camera: 1080P HD camera (angle 80°adjustable) plus...
- User Friendly: Multiple intelligent flying modes and features like One-Key...
- Fly without Endurance Anxiety: the package is coming with 2 modular batteries; it...
The Holy Stone HS270 is an inexpensive yet advanced drone that’s good for homeowners who need a roof inspection solution. With a high-quality 4K UHD camera, a 120-degree wide-angle for catching a broader view, and a 90° rotation adjustable lens, you’ll be able to capture an amazing & detailed aerial view of your roof. With 5GHz FPV Transmission support, you can live stream crystal clear videos with the Holy Stone app. The GPS Auto return lets the drone return automatically in case it loses power or signal.
The battery life of 18 minutes that the HS270 offers is pretty awesome given the price it comes at. At 1968 feet, the control range is a bit shorter than other roof inspection drones. However, it’s enough for a roof inspection by casual homeowners. All in all, this drone is a stable option with an intuitive flight controller and silent operation.
#4. DJI Mini 2 | Compact yet Durable Roof Inspection Drone
- Range: 6.2 miles/10 km
- Battery Life: 31 minutes
- Camera: 4K /12 MP
- 【PACK LIGHT, FLY FREE】: at less than 249 g, it weighs about as much as an apple...
- 【3-AXIS GIMBAL WITH 4K CAMERA】: a 12mp camera in the sky delivers content...
- 【OCUSYNC 2.0 VIDEO TRANSMISSION】: mini 2 supports up to 10km of hd video...
Although the DJI Mini 2 costs a bit higher than many other drones on this list, it’s perfect for checking for storm damage or performing visual inspections on residential roofs. It’s small, lightweight, and super-portable. But, at the same time, it also has a solid build quality and a great 12-megapixel camera that’s capable of shooting crystal clear 4K videos.
The DJI Mini 2 features altitude sensors and GPS for outdoor use. With downward obstacle sensing and automatic return-to-home function, it’s one of the top recommendations for those who need a new drone to do roof inspections.
#5. DJI Mavic Air | Compact, Lightweight & Portable Drone for Roof Inspection
- Dimensions: 6.5 x 1.57 x 3.24 inches
- Battery Life: 21 minutes
- Camera: 4K/30fps Videos, 12 MP Stills
- 32.0MP sphere panoramas - In addition to horizontal, vertical, and 180° panoramas,...
- Lightweight and compact foldable design - You can take it anywhere with you.
- Supports 4K video at 30 fps - The 12.0MP camera with Adobe DNG RAW support is ready...
The DJI Mavic Air is a highly reliable quadcopter drone for capturing aerial footage of your roof in top-notch clarity. It is lightweight and has a compact, foldable design to ensure that it’s portable so you can easily take it anywhere. The Mavic Air features an in-built 12-megapixel camera with a three-axis gimbal for shooting incredibly smooth and stabilized footage even during high-speed motion. The camera supports 4K HD video at 30 fps and 12-megapixel stills.
The DJI Mavic Air also has a collision avoidance mechanism to automatically prevent it from colliding with objects. The fact that you can control this drone from as far as 2 km away makes it an ideal choice for roof inspection even in tall buildings. The drone’s Intelligent Flight lithium battery lets you achieve a maximum of 21 minutes of flight time per charge, which is quite impressive! Last but not the least, the remote controller that comes with this drone is extremely well-designed. And, you can also use your smartphone instead of the controller for a quick flight.
How to Make Money with Roof Inspections?
Roof inspections with drones are becoming an increasingly popular and profitable way to make money with your drone. To get started, you will need a drone with a high-quality camera and the ability to capture high-resolution photos and videos. You will also need to obtain any necessary licenses or permits for commercial drone operations in your area. Once you have the equipment and legal requirements in place, you can start offering your services to clients in need of roof inspections, such as roofing contractors, insurance companies, and property owners.
Aerial roof inspections with drones can be more efficient and cost-effective than traditional methods, and can also provide higher-quality and more detailed imagery. You can charge for your services based on the size and complexity of the job, and can also offer add-on services such as thermal imaging or 3D modeling. With the right skills and marketing strategy, roof inspections with drones can be a profitable and rewarding way to make money with your drone.
Read more: How to Make Money with a Drone? 5 Possible Ways.
Benefits of Using a Drone for Roof Inspection
All the drones mentioned above do a pretty impressive job of inspecting the rooftop of your home or any other building. So, you can choose any one of them according to your own preferences and budget. As mentioned above, our top pick is the DJI Mavic 2 Zoom.
There are many benefits of using a drone for roof inspection rather than using the conventional roof inspection method of doing it yourself or hiring a guide to do the job. Broadly speaking, speed and convenience are the key benefits of using a drone. The data you get via a drone is also considerably more accurate with geo-referenced footage. Hiring a guide for doing the job, on the other hand, would cost you much more. Plus, there’s also a risk of causing damage to the roof by following the conventional way!
Thanks for reading!
I hope this guide helped you learn about some of the best drones for roof inspection available in the market today 🙂
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