Help! Need guidance on quoting a job

[SkyFrog]

I know it's a no-no to base a quote on someone else's advice - but I am desperate. I just need some ballpark guidance on this. I typically do commercial real estate properties in the city and suburbs - strip malls, shopping centers, etc.

I just got a request to do a 55 acre tract way out in the country in a very heavily wooded area. I don't have any clue how to quote this. Any help would be greatly appreciated!

 

[BigAl07]

You figure out how much you need/want to make an hour to cover your expenses. Then you figure how long it will take to plan, drive to, shoot the material and how much time you plan to spend in post processing.

Add all of the above up and you have a cost for the project.

 

[SkyFrog]

Thanks for the reply. I hate to admit, I can't even envision what 55 acres looks like. So I don't know how long it will take to shoot it.

 

[AH-1G]

Thanks for the reply. I hate to admit, I can't even envision what 55 acres looks like. So I don't know how long it will take to shoot it.

From Google:The field has a uniform width of 53 1/3 yards (160 feet). If you calculate the entire area of a football field, including the end zones, it works out to 57,600 square feet (360 x 160). One acre equals 43,560 square feet, so a football field is about 1.32 acres in size.

41 football fields

Take extra batteries your going to need them! When I'm out doing large projects I take my lap top with me, so I can view what I might have missed or it looks crap.

 

[BigAl07]

Thanks for the reply. I hate to admit, I can't even envision what 55 acres looks like. So I don't know how long it will take to shoot it.

Be careful that you're not biting off more than you can chew. It's far better to decline a job than to accept it and under perform. That first impression is pretty much almost impossible to re-do.

 

[Deleted member 98]

If you’re a DJI pilot, use Ground Station Pro (free app) to identify and lay out your flight plan. It will give you estimates of time based upon your alt, speed, etc. Assuming your going to map the whole project. If only some pics, find out how many they want. I gave local real estate a general estimate sheet for 1. Mileage, 2. No. of deliverables, 3. Post processing, 4. Pics and/or vids or both.

Google Earth is your friend!

 

[SkyFrog]

Be careful that you're not biting off more than you can chew. It's far better to decline a job than to accept it and under perform. That first impression is pretty much almost impossible to re-do.

On that note guys, I'm running a Phantom 3 Pro - is that enough drone to handle this with a few spare batteries? Or is this like a bigger bird job?

 

[SkyFrog]

If you’re a DJI pilot, use Ground Station Pro (free app) to identify and lay out your flight plan. It will give you estimates of time based upon your alt, speed, etc. Assuming your going to map the whole project. If only some pics, find out how many they want. I gave local real estate a general estimate sheet for 1. Mileage, 2. No. of deliverables, 3. Post processing, 4. Pics and/or vids or both.

Google Earth is your friend!

Oh cool. Didn't know about that app. I'll check it out.

 

[Deleted member 98]

On that note guys, I'm running a Phantom 3 Pro - is that enough drone to handle this with a few spare batteries? Or is this like a bigger bird job?

It’ll do. The GS Pro will tell you when the battery needs changing and remember where you left off. When you change batteries and relaunch, it will go to the last known point and pick back up.

 

[SkyFrog]

It’ll do. The GS Pro will tell you when the battery needs changing and remember where you left off. When you change batteries and relaunch, it will go to the last known point and pick back up.

Holy smokes, really? I must be completely out of the loop. So I just map out what I want, and launch the bird?

 

[Deleted member 98]

Holy smokes, really? I must be completely out of the loop. So I just map out what I want, and launch the bird?

Something like that. I’ve only used it to create a complete mosaic of the property. I suggest you download it and test. But yes. You draw the boundary, tell it what overlaps you want, set alt, and speed and launch. Download and play with boundaries, speeds, etc. before you download to bird and fly.

 

[marg2]

If you want to know what 55 acres looks use any mapping software mentioned above and draw a 55 acres area around your home to get that feeling how far your bird will travel

 

[AH-1G]

On that note guys, I'm running a Phantom 3 Pro - is that enough drone to handle this with a few spare batteries? Or is this like a bigger bird job?

Battery usage; You need to calculate how long you're going to be in the air and the wind will be stronger the higher you go.
I a have at least 10 batteries at my disposal.
use this site to determine conditions, change the data for your location.

UAV Forecast

 

[SkyFrog]

Yeah I definitely need a couple more batteries. Any secret online store I need to know about to get official DJI stuff? I usually just order from Best Buy because I know it is the real deal, and not a third party knockoff.

 

[AH-1G]

Yeah I definitely need a couple more batteries. Any secret online store I need to know about to get official DJI stuff? I usually just order from Best Buy because I know it is the real deal, and not a third party knockoff.

Shop Multi-Rotor Drones - Carolina Dronz

 

[ArrUnTuS]

It is best to know well the characteristics of your aircraft, no matter what it is, to use a flight plan creation program by entering the characteristics of your aircraft. Speed, flight time, overlap, etc. and you will get the result.

The most advisable is to learn in depth how to use the one you are going to use regularly and after doing the theoretical calculations always add a safety margin because the wind is that treacherous enemy that makes you the plans below increasing the consumption. If it's a large area, start by testing in smaller areas that require 3 batteries for example and then move on to a larger one, it will only be a matter of adding batteries

 

[marg2]

Advexure | Aerial Drone & Film Systems - Top Tier DJI Authorized Dealer
[email protected]

 

[UAV_Mapper]

is that enough drone to handle this with a few spare batteries? Or is this like a bigger bird job?

Out of curiosity, what are the final products that you're providing to your client?

 

[Jesse G]

What deliverables is the client looking for? Do they just want aerial pictures for a real estate listing? Do they want an orthomosaic(birdseye view) of the entire property? Just pictures...video? A phantom 3 pro can handle any of that but it all takes a slightly different approach.

 

[SkyFrog]

Just got clarification from the client - she just wants still pictures for a listing.