Drone roof inspection and construction site monitoring in Corsica
With a drone roof inspection, you see a roof, a façade or a structure up close without putting up scaffolding or hiring a cherry picker, and without sending anyone up high. We carry out these technical shoots in Bastia and throughout Haute-Corse. We also fly regular passes to follow progress on a construction site. The images are sharp, dated, filed in order, and they make both decisions and discussions with contractors easier.
Drone roof inspection, without climbing onto the roof
Climbing onto a roof to check a few tiles is one of the most dangerous things in the building trade. The drone makes that first assessment from the ground. It flies close to the roof, photographs each slope, and brings back detailed images that you can study at leisure or pass on to a roofer.
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Roof coverings and tiles
Slipped or broken tiles, moss, ridges, verges, flashing. After high winds, or before a purchase.
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Flat roofs
An overview of the roof terrace, the waterproofing upstands and the drainage outlets, places that are often hard to reach.
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Gutters, chimneys, fixtures
Gutters and downpipes, chimney stacks, aerials, solar panels.
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Façades and gables
Visible cracks, spalling, the state of the render, high-level windows or joinery.
Construction site monitoring by drone, stage after stage
On a building site, a single aerial view sums up progress that would take ages to describe. We come back at regular intervals and repeat the same viewpoints every time. That gives you a series of images you can compare from one visit to the next.
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For the client
The client here means whoever commissions and pays for the works. They can follow progress remotely and prepare for site meetings, keeping a dated record of each stage.
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For construction firms
Documenting the work done. Illustrating a report or a tender response with images of your own sites.
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For developers
Regular images of the development as it goes up, which gives you something to share with buyers.
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For project completion
A film edited from the successive fly-overs, showing the site go from bare ground to finished building.
Structure inspection, when access is difficult
Some structures are hard to get close to. A bridge pier, a retaining wall above a mountain road, a warehouse roof, a water tank, a bell tower. The drone allows a first detailed visual check, planned with whoever manages the structure, especially when the site runs alongside a busy road.
For a local authority, these images help decide where to act first on its assets, and where to send a team or an engineering firm before committing heavier access equipment. Depending on the site, an orthophoto can add to the oblique views. It's an aerial image stitched together from many photos, then corrected so the scale is the same everywhere, as on a map. At the brief, we tell you whether it makes sense for what you need.
What you receive, and what a drone doesn't replace
An aerial image is still an observation tool. It doesn't replace the diagnosis of a roofer, an architect or an engineering firm, any more than a surveyor's measured survey. What it gives them is an accurate visual basis, and it spares you putting up scaffolding just to take a look.
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Detailed, organised photos
High-definition images, dated, named by area or by façade. Every point is easy to find again.
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Areas of interest flagged
If you point out things to look at, we mark them on the relevant images. The diagnosis itself stays with the professional.
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Fly-over video
One continuous pass over the roof or the site, handy for picturing the whole thing and sharing its current condition.
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Monitoring series
On a building site, images retaken from the same positions on every visit, so comparing them takes no effort.
Flying over a building site or in town
Building sites and buildings are often in residential areas, where flights are more tightly controlled. Before any job, we check the restrictions set by French and European rules (the DGAC, the EU drone categories), particularly in built-up areas, near Bastia-Poretta airport or a protected area. The notifications or authorisation requests needed are filed in advance.
On site, we agree a time slot with the site manager, plus a take-off area away from the crews, with the cranes and plant taken into account. No flying in rain or strong wind. As for the people living nearby, their privacy is respected. Shots stay centred on the structure, and a person or a neighbouring window caught by chance is blurred.
What the images are for, and what a drone inspection costs
Inspection and monitoring images are first for internal use, for technical files, site meetings or discussions with contractors. If you also want them for your marketing, on your website or social media, it just needs to be provided for in the usage licence set out in the quote.
The cost depends on the size of the structure and how complex it is, on its surroundings (residential area, road traffic, an airfield nearby), on the regulatory formalities and the number of shots. For site monitoring, how often we come back counts too. Then there's the processing you expect. It might be a simple sort of the images, flagged areas, an orthophoto or a summary film.
Technologies and methods
- Visual inspection
- Site monitoring
- Orthophoto
- Dated photos
- Fly-over video
Frequently asked questions
Can a drone detect a leak or damp?
Not directly. A photo shows what can be seen, such as a slipped tile, a crack, lifted waterproofing or vegetation. Water hidden inside the structure won't show up. The images do, however, help the professional narrow down the search.
Do we need consent from the owner or managing agent?
Yes. We fly at the request of the owner, the managing agent or the building manager, or with their consent, and the flight is planned so as not to expose neighbouring properties.
How often should the drone fly over a building site?
It depends on the pace of the works. Visits are often timed to key stages (groundworks, main structure, roof, handover) or to site meetings. We agree a realistic schedule together.
Can you come out after a storm?
Yes, as soon as the weather allows a safe flight. A first look at the roof helps you decide what's urgent and get ready for the roofer's visit.
Do the images count as an official record?
No. They are accurate, dated documents, but they replace neither a formal report by a commissaire de justice (the French court officer who records findings) nor an expert assessment. They can still support a file.