Help! Need guidance on quoting a job

[AH-1G]

It's been a while, I did an aerial of about 38 acres and what I failed to observe was a brand new hospital being built about 5 miles away. The Agent asked me why I didn't show this in my photo's? Well as you can guess he was very upset, but I did go back out to include the hospital. Never heard back from him for more business.
So SkyFrog, study your surroundings and see what can benefit the sale of that property, if at all?

 

[Deleted member 98]

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

I suggest you speak with her about what exactly she wants and where. If there are features she or the owner is aware of that needs to be captured have her print out a pic from Google Earth and circle the spots she wants you to shoot. Be very clear on what she wants. Ask her how many and shoot more. Undoubtedly she will want something else, so you’ll already have it. I would also suggest shooting some video if you have a 4K camera, as you can pull pics out of the video, too. Once you have a clear plan, its amazing how much you can shoot on one battery! Good luck.

 

[SkyFrog]

Great advice guys. Thanks. I'll tell you what I ended up doing - and it's a great solution for me personally. I created a new product in my invoicing software that is just for large acreage, and put a price on that product up to 15 acres. My client has a 55 and a 77 acre tract she wanted quoted for a total of 132 acres, so I considered that a quantity of 8 of my large acreage photo/video package. Once I figured out what it would take in time and resources to do 15 acres, the rest was easy! This job is also 2 hours away, so I added travel expense in there as well. She seemed happy with the quote (I think), and hope to hear back from her - although she mentioned trying to find someone locally up there (which would certainly not be Part 107 certified). Whether I get the job or not, I'm glad I went through this process. And thanks again everyone.

 

[Dave Pitman]

She seemed happy with the quote (I think), and hope to hear back from her - although she mentioned trying to find someone locally up there (which would certainly not be Part 107 certified). Whether I get the job or not, I'm glad I went through this process. And thanks again everyone.

Okay, you've piqued my interest. Is "up there" a no - part 107 zone or ??

 

[ArrUnTuS]

You touched fire. A subject as sensitive as being proposed a job and find out that you don't do it because someone else does it illegally.............

 

[SkyFrog]

I don't know for absolute certain, but I'm not aware of any licensed pilots there. It's a very rural, somewhat poor region that is sparsely populated, mostly timber and farmland. The nearest city is where I live 2 hours away. I would be shocked if anyone in that area has a Part 107 cert.

 

[BigAl07]

I don't know for absolute certain, but I'm not aware of any licensed pilots there. It's a very rural, somewhat poor region that is sparsely populated, mostly timber and farmland. The nearest city is where I live 2 hours away. I would be shocked if anyone in that area has a Part 107 cert.

While it's likely you're right keep in mind that we have almost 2K Part 107 operators in our great state of NC. Most are located in highly populated areas but some live out in the boonies (like me).

 

[SkyFrog]

You're right Big Al, but you're in the western part of the state where there's a lot of economic prosperity (you've hinted before at how much you make on your shoots - wowza). Where I'm talking about is deep in Duplin County in a very poor part of our state. I don't think population density matters as much as overall socioeconomic status when gauging the local availability of Part 107 operators. That's a conjecture on my part admittedly.

 

[Rodger]

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.

B&H Photo has DJI batteries and same day shipping except Sunday but they are open on Sunday so you can place your order.

 

[Rodger]

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!

Maybe this will help. Using a Phantom 4 I have done a 17 Acre field in 20 minutes flying at 150' AGL and using 1 battery. So put the flight time at around 2 hours figuring setup and battery swaps and I would have no less than 4 batteries. Also consider your Tablet and Controller. Use a good class 10 64 GB sd card. The 17 acre field at 150' AGL took 180 photos. Consider your travel time and your computer time. Don't forget your investment and travel time. Above all, don't sell yourself short. You will only hurt yourself down the road along with the rest of us. One last thought, if it doesn't got well you will have to do it all over again.

 

[BigAl07]

Just recently I came across a Part 107 "Map" that showed 107 operators according to where they live/operate. I can't find it to save my life right now. When I do (if I do) I'll come back and share it in here.

Good banter going on here.

 

[Deleted member 98]

Don’t be afraid to break large properties up into multiple properties. Especially if you’re going to be sending to the cloud for post processing/stitching. Some have 500 photo limit. Fly multiple smaller missions, especially if you’re possibly marginal VLOS.

 

[Rodger]

Don’t be afraid to break large properties up into multiple properties. Especially if you’re going to be sending to the cloud for post processing/stitching. Some have 500 photo limit. Fly multiple smaller missions, especially if you’re possibly marginal VLOS.

Great suggestion. I was going to do the same but I didn't want to throw to much at him. If a client came to me with a job of this size, which I have had one request such as this, I would and did suggest doing it in sections. You can always print and paste the maps. Actually it is much easier to do and to work with. I am not sure, but it sounds like a Real Estate project which sections would be much more convenient for all parties involved as well as a much cleaner document.

 

[Eric Blackburn]

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!

Are you simply taking photographs of the 55 acres? What is the post process result?

 

[Darren Gahan]

I've found in my area most real estate agents just want a couple of photos when it comes to empty land. Show the location and if there are access roads, nearby things like hospitals ( as already mentioned in this post) and possibly a view from where someone might build a house, so coming back at sunset or sunrise would be good, but most agents don't want to pay even $150, so you could be hard pressed. In Canada we don't have part 107, we have a Standing SFOC or a single use SFOC, so make sure you mention the legalities in flying a drone and ask them to make sure the photographer has this and the required insurance.

 

[Rodger]

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!

I am a bit confused here. This post is under "Surveying and Mapping" and it has lead to Real Estate Photography. Is the question in regard to mapping a 55 Acre Site or just taking a few shots of a 55 Acre Parcel? These are two entirely different jobs! One complex and one simple!

 

[Darren Gahan]

I am a bit confused here. This post is under "Surveying and Mapping" and it has lead to Real Estate Photography. Is the question in regard to mapping a 55 Acre Site or just taking a few shots of a 55 Acre Parcel? These are two entirely different jobs! One complex and one simple!

Yes indeed, very different types of jobs. However on the topic of mapping, I noticed Ground Station is for Apple only. Would the Litchi app do the same thing, allowing for a rth to swap batteries and continue the mapping photo sequence?

 

[Russman]

Look at DroneDeploy.

 

[SkyFrog]

When I first posted this, I wasn't sure what she was looking for exactly. Turns out, It does sound like what Darren described above. She seems to just want some aerial photos of the land to show where it is, what it looks like, and access and features. So it's a huge tract of land, but not really too daunting of a job. At first when I posted this, I was under the impression she wanted it mapped and stitched. I definitely overshot my initial quote - but I guess that's better than undercutting myself. I'm going to revise it a little, and she'll probably be happy she's getting a "discount".

 

[Rodger]

Yes indeed, very different types of jobs. However on the topic of mapping, I noticed Ground Station is for Apple only. Would the Litchi app do the same thing, allowing for a rth to swap batteries and continue the mapping photo sequence?

I have not tried Litchi or the Ground Station. I do know it is available for IOS. I did try Drone Deploy it worked but had a few bugs in that it had a bit of a mind of its own. Drone Deploy has good support. The problem is, for me anyway, is the monthly fee and commitment. This is very difficult for someone that is just starting out. I then bought Maps Made Easy Professional version, maybe it is called the business version. I really like the pay as you go system that they have, that really works for me. Problem is that there is no support. They state that they answer all questions in 24-48 hours but, I have no idea as to where and cannot find out where this takes place or when. Thy assume that you understand their program and tools in their tutorials on Youtube. Honestly, I have no idea and there is no one to ask. No telephone or email support. So, the short of it is that I am still searching for a pay as you go program with some guidance as to how to use it. A problem that I did constantly encounter with Maps Made Easy is that the program would no work with fully charged batteries. I kept getting "not enough battery to start mission" yet they were fully charged. What I had to do was first fly a bit in the GO App land and then start the mission in Maps Made Easy.