How much would you charge for a residential roof inspection that takes 10-15min?

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Hey there fellow drone enthusiasts!

I am looking at starting my own residential roof inspections business to check for things such as clogged gutters, dirty solar panels, crumbled chimneys etc etc. How much would you experienced people charge for such a service? I really see true potential in inspections that aren't just industrial! :)

Thanks guys!
 
Also, you could reduce the cost if they give you the remedial work too (of course I'm presuming you are a roofer!). If not, I'd get a roofer to partner with, and they can pay you a commission for the referral.
 
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Also, you could reduce the cost if they give you the remedial work too (of course I'm presuming you are a roofer!). If not, I'd get a roofer to partner with, and they can pay you a commission for the referral.

I am not a roofer hahaha! However referring them to someone is the goal, gaining a commission. The only problem is, if I charge too little, it could be detrimental. If I charge too much, customers might think "well I may as well just pay for someone to clean the roof and gutters etc., no point also paying for an inspection"
 
Well, you can argue pricing til the cows come home, so I'd just do a market test and measure the feedback. The other thing is that you can show the owner that it does/doesn't need work, thus avoiding the cowboy builders who take a look and say you need a whole new roof.....
 
Actually, you are right, especially in early days, pricing is relatively malleable. And that is the whole idea! For a fraction of the cost, Let me inspect your roof before you potentially throw away hundreds (maybe thousands) of dollars unnecessarily! I really appreciate your advice man :) I guess pricing will be a bit of trial and error but the main thing is to get out there and do it.
 
The same price as a physical residential inspection FREE.
 
Hey there fellow drone enthusiasts!

I am looking at starting my own residential roof inspections business to check for things such as clogged gutters, dirty solar panels, crumbled chimneys etc etc. How much would you experienced people charge for such a service? I really see true potential in inspections that aren't just industrial! :)

Thanks guys!
Homeowners have roofs in spected by a roofing company. Usually its free.
 
Few people pay for this out of pocket, homeowners insurance pays the roofer. And a homeowner just pays a deductable which often can be refunded by the roofer depending on the job.
 
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I'm sure there are just as many rogue roofers/builders in the US, as there are here in the UK. You can bet your bottom $ that once a dodgy (known as a "cowboy" here I'm afraid) roofer has been up there, no matter how good the condition of your roof, when they come down, they'll draw breath and tell you about massive, impending doom which, if you don't fix it right now, your roof will blow off/chimney will collapse/soffits/gutters/downpipes/valleys/ridge tiles have failed (delete as required... or just add them all).

On the matter of insurance, if the insurance over there is the same as it is over here, you'll find your building insurance does not cover normal wear & tear; building insurance is there to cover "unforeseen damage"... oh, yes, you'll probably find many exclusion clauses there too!
 
First off WELCOME to the forum.

I want to go out on a limb and say you might want to do some cost analysis calcs and make sure this is a viable business and not a hobby. You'll want to factor in all costs to do this work (permits, licenses, insurance, equipment, travel time and processing time). Now how much do you think you're "worth" an hour?

Then research your local market and identify your competition. You might be surprised by this. Also I've seen a good number of large roofing companies doing their own "Drone Roof Inspections" over the last couple of months. Your competition base is growing each and every day.

Personally unless I found a subdivision with lots of roofs needing inspections that I could do many in a single day with little to no drive time I don't think I'd get out of my car for a Roof Inspection. People just don't want to pay enough to make it a business worth doing. People don't want to pay for your travel time, processing time etc they just want to toss you $20 because you was on sight for 15min.

Think it through long and hard before you invest your $$ into it and ever HARDER before you declare it your job and try to live on it.

Safe flights!
Allen
 
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I'm sure there are just as many rogue roofers/builders in the US, as there are here in the UK. You can bet your bottom $ that once a dodgy (known as a "cowboy" here I'm afraid) roofer has been up there, no matter how good the condition of your roof, when they come down, they'll draw breath and tell you about massive, impending doom which, if you don't fix it right now, your roof will blow off/chimney will collapse/soffits/gutters/downpipes/valleys/ridge tiles have failed (delete as required... or just add them all).

On the matter of insurance, if the insurance over there is the same as it is over here, you'll find your building insurance does not cover normal wear & tear; building insurance is there to cover "unforeseen damage"... oh, yes, you'll probably find many exclusion clauses there too!

The roofer ALWAYS finds unforseen damage. Roofing is a huge insurance scam business here. MASSIVE. I've seen guys form a company and starting making a few hundred grand by the 2nd year in buiness. Almost anyone can employ an inspector, hire a crew and submit papers to insurance companies.
and when they dont, they use their own internal inspectors to survey the roof. That way even if the customer does pay they are still paying the roofing cmpany.
it is a multi-tiered scam to get money out of insurance companies I would say less that 25% of the roofs in this area have been replaced by a company that did not technically need replacing. they were failing or going to fail anytime soon.


but for the original question of wanting to just wandering around town asking to do roof inspections, there really inst any sort of bankable market on that, the best bet would be to get hired at a roofing company or form a roofing inspection firm that caters to roofing companies...because even if you do do an inspection for a homeowner, chances are it will be inspected again by the roofing company and that cost is already factored in.

its not like mowing lawns where everyone needs it come spring.
 
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What BigAl said.

Most people don't take into consideration the unforeseen expenses; equipment investment, maintenance and repair, travel, insurance, licensing, etc before you even get to time, overhead and profit. They are all REAL expenses that if not accounted for will drive an inexperienced contractor out of business.

Unless you are a roofer, you won't be able to offer the client credible advice on your findings, and visual inspection of shingles is only part of a through inspection, including pliability, adhesion, caulking, etc.

A trustworthy roofer won't rely exclusively on your inspection to provide an estimate; he'll want to do his own and may (likely) determine different findings that just drone video can show.

I'd consider adding it as a sideline but certainly not a primary business. Be careful not to undermine your own credibility. A roof inspection by drone "may" be worth a quick look after a windstorm but I don't see it as a primary business model.


Jeff
 
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First of all, thank you guys very much for having input! First off, I am only 16 years old and don't have tens of thousands of dollars to invest in drones capable of power line, gas line inspections etc etc. Therefore, I am only doing this to see whether there is potential. I am not investing thousands of dollars but am interested in the topic and figure that there is nobody else out there doing it. At least where I live in Australia, not many people are familiar with drones and a lot of people have 2 story houses that have near on inaccessible roofs. I have made sure that in regards to the CASA (Australia's FAA) I am able to fly above people's property etc etc. and can do so without a license. The only expenses are travel time and public liability. The intention as a matter of fact is not to analyse the footage ourselves, it is to send it to the homeowner where they can decide if they want to hire a roofer, but do so confidently. They then use us as a referral to a roofing company or gutter cleaning company or solar panel cleaning company and we earn a commission (that is where we intend on making more of the money). Our target audience isn't necessarily people already intending on getting a roofer, it is those that can't see what is on top of their roofs but want to make sure it at least appears healthy, without getting somebody out their with scaffolding and a harness charging hundreds of dollars. Like I said this is primarily a test to see if the market is viable, but because their aren't too many associated costs, I feel it is worth a shot.

Cheers folks!
 
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My advice would be to get a commercial license 1st and go pitch the idea to roofing companies to hire you and work through them.
 
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If you're 16 years old, I admire the drive and willingness to search out job opportunities. Good on you. Just do it right... way too much can go wrong if you don't.

I understand your interest in showing the homeowner video and photos of the condition their roof is in... but just remember they aren't qualified to make an assessment solely on that either.

So... maybe don't market it as "inspection". Give it a cute name... "RoofView Videographers"... I can see some interest in people wanting to see their roof, even if it doesn't tell them a lot. It could give them the incentive to investigate further.

But avoiding any technical terminology can make it the simple, straightforward business opportunity it sounds like you're looking for.
 
Thank you, I really appreciate it! Maybe changing the wording could be beneficial and in my best interests, at least initially. Even along the lines of "check-up" or "observations". However, I really want to keep some professionalism but still make it a friendly kind of system and process that has some flexibility. I intend on trying to get some traction within my neighbourhood and if viable, attempt widening my target demographic. It is interesting that you raise the point of them (the homeowners) not being qualified either, as this is a very accurate statement. Although, (as you seemed to gather), it is only supposed to give them an indication and hey, if something doesn't look right, it may well be worth investigating, even just for peace of mind. Also, Jakobe75, getting licensed and pitching the idea to roofing companies would be the most probable direction for the business, however, I would want a decent reputation and have some tangible results first. In the beginning, as I said, I just want to get some experience and get a little bit of reputation before proposing to even earn a commission from roofing companies etc.
 
Actually, you are right, especially in early days, pricing is relatively malleable. And that is the whole idea! For a fraction of the cost, Let me inspect your roof before you potentially throw away hundreds (maybe thousands) of dollars unnecessarily! I really appreciate your advice man :) I guess pricing will be a bit of trial and error but the main thing is to get out there and do it.
I also appreciate that why wasting money unnecessarily if Roof Repair or Inspection is not needed.Don't need to waste your money just do things on the right time.
 
Hey inspekt, How has this gone in the few months past since you posted this? I am in the construction / home improvements background professionally and starting up a drone sideline business... I love your concept, approach, and even how articulate you are shows a lot of 'verve'... good on you!
 
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I have a Phantom 4 pro drone and love the possibility for using it for automated or semi-auto gutter inspections. While getting paid for delivering photos or video is not my cup of tea, it would be great if anyone knows of a "professional" way of recording video/photos of gutter conditions from 1 m away at say consistent -45 deg camera gimbal angle??
 
Also, you could reduce the cost if they give you the remedial work too (of course I'm presuming you are a roofer!). If not, I'd get a roofer to partner with, and they can pay you a commission for the referral.
Great idea i can also get money from roof repair expert being an intermediate.
 
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