Building Progress Inspections

[PatR]

Noticing there's no posts in this forum got me to thinking about some work I did on a small project this past summer; shooting a series of progress pictures of an occupied residential project. The place had fallen into disrepair and required a considerable amount of work to remove and repair an old roof, replace wood siding, paint, and a few other things and the owner had a desire to document the before, during, and after for the place. Turned out the aerial photo spread captured a moment in the roof work where removal of a section of sheeting cut an electrical wire, terminating power to the kitchen lights in the house. The homeowner was going nuts trying to trace the electrical fault, twice employing electricians to locate the problem. Since the wire had been cut just under the roof sheeting at a corner of the house there was no room for a body to get into the attic to run it down. The aerial photos depicted exactly where the cut was located.

Another factor arose with city inspection of the new roof sheeting. The roofing contractor had gotten a little ahead of themselves and shingled the new sheeting before it had been inspected. This miffed the inspector a bit but a review of the aerial progress pictures satisfied his inspection requirements and he signed off on the roof. Ultimately the repair work boosted the value of the home over $60,000 over the course of a couple months and there's a sequential pictorial of the entire process from start to finish as proof of execution for any future buyers to review.

Point is I believe there's a lot that can be done with aerial platforms where construction and project progress reports are concerned, we just need to have the ability to sell it to the developers.

 

[Airbender]

Great idea. Would be a great gig. Steady and or reoccurring work is always appreciated.

 

[AH-1G]

Noticing there's no posts in this forum got me to thinking about some work I did on a small project this past summer; shooting a series of progress pictures of an occupied residential project. The place had fallen into disrepair and required a considerable amount of work to remove and repair an old roof, replace wood siding, paint, and a few other things and the owner had a desire to document the before, during, and after for the place. Turned out the aerial photo spread captured a moment in the roof work where removal of a section of sheeting cut an electrical wire, terminating power to the kitchen lights in the house. The homeowner was going nuts trying to trace the electrical fault, twice employing electricians to locate the problem. Since the wire had been cut just under the roof sheeting at a corner of the house there was no room for a body to get into the attic to run it down. The aerial photos depicted exactly where the cut was located.

Another factor arose with city inspection of the new roof sheeting. The roofing contractor had gotten a little ahead of themselves and shingled the new sheeting before it had been inspected. This miffed the inspector a bit but a review of the aerial progress pictures satisfied his inspection requirements and he signed off on the roof. Ultimately the repair work boosted the value of the home over $60,000 over the course of a couple months and there's a sequential pictorial of the entire process from start to finish as proof of execution for any future buyers to review.

Point is I believe there's a lot that can be done with aerial platforms where construction and project progress reports are concerned, we just need to have the ability to sell it to the developers.

Excellent PatR, this might also speed up permitting projects. Here in Florida with all the damage from Hurricane Irma and the booming construction going on inspectors are behind.

 

[PatR]

Site surveys would be another area that could benefit. Many people by undeveloped property with the intent of building their "forever home", with many of those locations having terrain and trees that make on site assessment difficult at best. Much time and labor could be saved with even the most basic aerial over views to assist building location and ingress/egress determinations.

 

[Dave Pitman]

Developers and larger construction projects were my first customers. The development team in California and aerial photographs each month 10 days prior to stake-holder's meetings which included repeated perspectives and overheads.

 

[lrsn]

I used to fly pro photographers every month for years with my real helicopters for developers and governments.
Most developers want these flights to show and document that building materials arrived, etc, or didn't arrive, on time as they usually have to pay a penalty if construction was not completed by a contract date. A typical flight would usually cost the photographer, developer, or governments a minimum of $1,500 for my charges and the photographer or vidiographer would charge his fees. You guys looking for work should look into this. I've flown people needing aerial surveys, new railroad and highway right-of-way progress reports, etc. The biggest mistake you can make is to not charge enough. Once you establish accounts other entities will notice and call you! It kept me so busy I'd have to have my other helicopters also doing it daily and I'd turn work down. There is so much work out there that most people can not even imagine it. Good luck guys.

 

[R.Perry]

Noticing there's no posts in this forum got me to thinking about some work I did on a small project this past summer; shooting a series of progress pictures of an occupied residential project. The place had fallen into disrepair and required a considerable amount of work to remove and repair an old roof, replace wood siding, paint, and a few other things and the owner had a desire to document the before, during, and after for the place. Turned out the aerial photo spread captured a moment in the roof work where removal of a section of sheeting cut an electrical wire, terminating power to the kitchen lights in the house. The homeowner was going nuts trying to trace the electrical fault, twice employing electricians to locate the problem. Since the wire had been cut just under the roof sheeting at a corner of the house there was no room for a body to get into the attic to run it down. The aerial photos depicted exactly where the cut was located.

Another factor arose with city inspection of the new roof sheeting. The roofing contractor had gotten a little ahead of themselves and shingled the new sheeting before it had been inspected. This miffed the inspector a bit but a review of the aerial progress pictures satisfied his inspection requirements and he signed off on the roof. Ultimately the repair work boosted the value of the home over $60,000 over the course of a couple months and there's a sequential pictorial of the entire process from start to finish as proof of execution for any future buyers to review.

Point is I believe there's a lot that can be done with aerial platforms where construction and project progress reports are concerned, we just need to have the ability to sell it to the developers.

Check out multvista.com
I work for them and that is what we do. I currently work at the UC Merced CA construction site. This is a three year project.

 

[R.Perry]

I used to fly pro photographers every month for years with my real helicopters for developers and governments.
Most developers want these flights to show and document that building materials arrived, etc, or didn't arrive, on time as they usually have to pay a penalty if construction was not completed by a contract date. A typical flight would usually cost the photographer, developer, or governments a minimum of $1,500 for my charges and the photographer or vidiographer would charge his fees. You guys looking for work should look into this. I've flown people needing aerial surveys, new railroad and highway right-of-way progress reports, etc. The biggest mistake you can make is to not charge enough. Once you establish accounts other entities will notice and call you! It kept me so busy I'd have to have my other helicopters also doing it daily and I'd turn work down. There is so much work out there that most people can not even imagine it. Good luck guys.

You are correct, there is a lot of work. The problem is that drone use is still foreign to many developers and government agencies. The biggest issue is flying over people. The construction site I work at I constantly need to make sure I'm not flying over people, or close to them, plus get the photos that the developer wants. I believe once there is more acceptance and understanding of drone capabilities a lot more work will be available.
I work for Multivista and they are gaining a tremendous amount of work, the problem is finding qualified drone pilots.

 

[MtManDavey]

Thanks R.Perry for the info on Multivista. "I work for Multivista and they are gaining a tremendous amount of work, the problem is finding qualified drone pilots."

What does Multivista require of pilots beyond Part 107 certification?

Dave

 

[Texas_Willie]

I am interested to know this also.

TIA

TW

 

[R.Perry]

Sorry for the delayed response, but took a little vacation, no phone, no computer, and it was great.
A 107 license is obviously a must, and being able to fly the drone well is mandatory. As for background, they want people that understand construction basics or have had some exposure to construction. I was a home and commercial inspector and had done a lot of flying with my drone so I did ok on there performance test. Even at that they put another person with me for a month. They have on line classes you must take that teaches the documentation procedures. Our office uses Litchi for panos and waypoint flights, and Drone Deploy for mapping, both are pretty easy to get use to. I'm the only pilot that only does drone work for Multivista, others also do interior documentation.
Their training is very good, classes are live with the instructor.
Best thing is if you are interested get in contact with Multivista in Canada and find the closest branch to your home.

Good luck