When I bought my first place, I thought I'd save a few bucks and skip the roof climb—big mistake. The inspector just eyeballed it from the ground and said everything looked "fine." Fast forward six months, and I'm up there myself patching leaks around the skylight (turns out "fine" is a pretty subjective term...). Lesson learned: always get someone who's willing to climb up and poke around properly. Those detailed photos you mentioned sound like gold—wish I'd had those!
Yeah, inspectors who just do the "ground glance" drive me nuts. Had a similar thing happen with a rental property—inspector said roof was "good enough," whatever that means. Two storms later, tenants are calling about water dripping into the kitchen. Fun times... Those detailed photos would've saved me a headache too. Curious though, anyone know if drone inspections are becoming more common now? Seems like they'd catch stuff inspectors might miss from the ground.
Drone inspections are definitely picking up steam, especially in areas prone to storms or heavy snowfall. Had one done last year after a hailstorm, and honestly, it was pretty eye-opening. The drone caught some cracked shingles and flashing issues that were completely invisible from the ground. The inspector even showed me the footage afterward, step-by-step, pointing out exactly where the problems were—made it way easier to explain to the roofing company what needed fixing.
If you're considering it, I'd suggest first checking if your inspector offers drone services directly or if you'd need to hire someone separately. Also, some areas have restrictions on drone flights, so it's worth a quick check on local regulations before scheduling. Have you looked into whether drone inspections affect insurance claims or coverage at all? Might be worth exploring that angle too...
Had a similar experience when we bought our current place. The seller had a regular inspection done, and it came back pretty clean—just minor stuff. But since the roof was older, I decided to get a drone inspection separately just for peace of mind. Glad I did, because it showed some pretty significant wear on the backside of the roof that the original inspector completely missed from the ground. Nothing catastrophic, but definitely something that would need attention sooner rather than later.
The footage was clear enough that I could easily show it to the seller, and we ended up negotiating a bit off the price to cover repairs. Honestly, it paid for itself right there. One thing I'd add though—make sure whoever does your drone inspection actually knows roofing. I've seen some drone operators who are great at flying but don't really know what they're looking at when it comes to shingles, flashing, or ventilation issues. Ideally, you want someone who can interpret what they're seeing, not just film it.
As for insurance, I didn't run into any issues using drone footage for my claim after a storm last year. The adjuster actually appreciated having clear visuals to reference. But yeah, always good to double-check with your own insurer first, since policies can vary quite a bit.
Drone inspections can definitely catch things a ground-level inspection might miss, but I'd caution against relying solely on drone footage. I've seen cases where drones highlighted surface issues clearly but missed subtle signs of underlying moisture damage or structural concerns that only became obvious up close. Ideally, you'd combine drone imagery with a hands-on attic inspection—sometimes the real story is hiding underneath those shingles...
