Specific benefits of drones for churches

 

In addition to the usual benefits of drones for roof, building & other structural inspections, there are a number of other benefits to using drones, particularly for church roof inspections:

 

• The height of church rooves & spires, often hundreds of feet off the ground, providing extra costs, logistical challenges & risks for working at these increased heights
   

• Potentially delicate fabric of a church roof and its architectural elements, drones reduce the risk to the structure of intrusive inspection methods
   

• Angles, fascias & hidden valleys that can be difficult, if not impossible, to access through traditional methods.
   

• The speed & small footprint of a drone inspection / survey are huge benefits when compared to conventional inspection methods.
   

• Being cost efficient method of inspection enables those looking after churches to put in sensible inspection routines & tackle remedial work before it becomes a ‘big ticket’ item.

 

 

General benefits of drones for inspection work

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• a detailed visual record of the roof's condition / any potential issues that can be close inspected multiple times from the comfort of your desk
   

• reduced inspection costs in terms of access platforms and surveyor or roofing contractor's time both at inspection and in carrying out remedial work
   

• minimal footprint in terms of where and how long access equipment needs to be on site / clients property and faster access to the necessary data / outputs (typically 24 hours turnaround) – minimises disruption to your client’s business or your home
   

• unrivalled quality of images from otherwise impossible to achieve angles / flexibility on what images are taken
   

• non-invasive inspection method especially for historic and / or delicate structures or materials
   

• further close inspection images of anything picked up during the survey or at brief
   

• more accurate pricing from contractors where work is required
   

• reduced health and safety risk of those working at height ie inspection of the whole / larger areas of the roof
   

• access to areas that contractors simply may not have direct access to due to roof span vs access platform's reach, roof construction, weight or specific access constraints
   

• repeatable (particularly for 'before' and 'after' works are completed) or to provide a regular inspection cycle (reduced cost to re-fly once we know the site / structure & we can re-fly exactly the same co-ordinates every time).

 

 

Drone Limitations

 

Of course there are a couple of drawbacks to using a drone to survey. These are:

 

• Drones can't be flown at every location especially in built-up areas, close to airports or aerodromes, close to sensitive sites - without additional permissions
   

• It's not advisable to fly a drone in strong or gusting winds. Despite their GPS technology, they can be pushed off course and if they strike a tree or building, you could be looking at a replacement or potentially worse.
   

• Drones cannot fly in heavy rain, impacting the sophisticated electronics, the GPS signal and image quality.
   

• Obviously drones should not be flown in severe weather especially thunderstorms (no matter what the temptation), where no electrical items should be used especially outdoors and where individuals could be put at risk.

 

For more information just call 01628 436 494 or email the team at contact@thamesvalleydrones.co.uk