Drone checks are handy, but nothing beats getting up there yourself. I've seen drones miss subtle shingle lifts and hairline cracks—stuff that turns into expensive leaks later. Always worth the extra climb to double-check...
"I've seen drones miss subtle shingle lifts and hairline cracks—stuff that turns into expensive leaks later."
You're spot on about drones missing stuff. Last summer, I borrowed my buddy's drone for a quick roof check. Thought I was being smart and saving myself from hauling the ladder out of the garage again. Drone footage looked great—clean shingles, no obvious debris, thought I was golden.
Fast forward three weeks, and there's me standing in the kitchen staring at a suspicious brown water stain on the ceiling... right where the drone said everything was peachy. Ended up climbing up myself (yeah, ladder came out anyway, lesson learned), and sure enough—tiny crack near the flashing that the drone completely overlooked.
Drones are cool gadgets and all, but nothing beats eyeballs up close. Plus, climbing up there makes me feel like I'm actually earning my homeowner stripes... and gives me an excuse to wave awkwardly at the neighbors from above.
I get what you're saying about drones, but they're still handy for initial checks. What I usually do is a two-step approach: drone first to spot obvious issues (loose shingles, debris, etc.), then ladder up for a closer look at flashing and seams. Saves me some climbing time and helps narrow down trouble spots. Plus, like you said...
"climbing up there makes me feel like I'm actually earning my homeowner stripes..."
Can't argue with that!
Your two-step approach makes sense—drones are great for spotting the obvious stuff quickly. But honestly, nothing beats getting up close and personal with flashing and seams. I've seen plenty of roofs that looked fine from above, but once you're up there poking around, you find tiny cracks or lifted edges that drones just can't catch. Plus, there's something reassuring about physically checking things yourself...even if it means a little extra climbing.
"I've seen plenty of roofs that looked fine from above, but once you're up there poking around, you find tiny cracks or lifted edges that drones just can't catch."
That's exactly it—those sneaky little issues are always the ones that end up causing the biggest headaches later on. I remember one storm damage inspection I did last summer... drone footage showed nothing alarming, just a few branches scattered around. But when I climbed up to check the flashing around the chimney and vents, sure enough, there were subtle gaps and loose edges that would've turned into leaks after the next heavy rain.
Drones are fantastic for initial assessments—especially if you're dealing with a large area or multiple properties—but there's definitely something reassuring about physically inspecting things yourself. You get a better feel for the condition of materials, and honestly, sometimes you even notice unrelated problems like clogged gutters or worn shingles that might not be storm-related but still need attention.
I'm curious though, has anyone here ever found something major during a physical inspection that completely surprised them after a drone gave the all-clear? Or maybe even the opposite—where you climbed up expecting trouble based on drone images and found everything perfectly fine? Always interesting to hear how these inspections play out differently for everyone.
