Good points, drones miss a lot of subtle stuff for sure. Had a similar issue with flashing around my chimney—looked fine from drone pics, but was actually rusting badly underneath. Anyone else run into hidden flashing issues like that?
Had something similar happen last year when I bought my first house:
- Drone inspection showed flashing around skylights was "good condition."
- First heavy rainstorm, noticed a small drip in the living room ceiling...ugh.
- Got up there myself (carefully!) and found the flashing was actually cracked and brittle underneath the shingles—totally hidden from drone view.
- Ended up replacing all skylight flashing proactively after that.
Lesson learned: drones are great for general overviews, but nothing beats a hands-on check for the sneaky stuff.
Had a similar experience myself, but honestly, drones aren't the only inspections that miss stuff:
- Had an inspector physically climb up and still missed cracked vent boots.
- First storm after moving in, water trickled down bathroom wall...fun times.
- Ended up DIY-ing replacements because quotes were ridiculous.
Point being, even hands-on checks can overlook sneaky issues. Best bet is probably budgeting extra for unexpected fixes. Homeownership's full of surprises, unfortunately...
- Agreed, inspectors miss stuff regardless of how high-tech their gear is.
- Seen plenty of supposedly "thorough" inspections overlook hail dents or shingle lift after storms.
- Can't really blame them entirely though—some roof issues only show up under specific conditions.
- Curious if anyone here has tried thermal imaging inspections? Heard mixed reviews...
"Can't really blame them entirely though—some roof issues only show up under specific conditions."
Yeah, exactly. Thermal imaging can be useful, but it's definitely not foolproof. I've seen cases where it picked up moisture trapped under shingles pretty clearly, but other times it completely missed subtle hail damage or minor lifts. Honestly, the best inspections I've had combined tech with good old-fashioned boots-on-the-roof checking things out up close. Tech helps, but nothing beats hands-on experience and knowing what to look for.
