Commercial Roof Drone Inspection
A flat roof fails at its details long before it fails at its field — at the flashings, the penetrations, the terminations and around whatever has been added since it was built. Those are small things spread over a very large area.
- Free to post
- No commission on the job
- Part 107 certified pilots
118 inspection pilots ready to quoteAcross 37 states & regions
Acres of roof, systematically
A distribution warehouse roof is measured in acres and inspected by someone walking it with a clipboard. A gridded flight covers all of it at consistent resolution, and misses none of it because it was raining that afternoon.
A measurable roof record
An orthomosaic of the roof is a plan you can measure areas on, mark defects against, and hand to a contractor for pricing — which a folder of photographs is not.
Nobody on an uncertain deck
The roofs most worth inspecting are the ones you least want to walk. Aerial survey removes the fall risk and the risk of damaging a fragile membrane by inspecting it.
Free to post
Posting and receiving quotes costs nothing, and SkyLog takes no commission and adds no markup. You pay the pilot you hire, at the price the two of you agree.
What this settles
- The details where flat roofs actually fail: perimeter flashings, terminations, penetrations, curbs and drains.
- Laps and seams, blistering, splitting, shrinkage, ponding and storm or mechanical damage.
- Rooftop plant condition — the condensate leaks and unsupported pipework that cause a large share of roof problems.
- An orthomosaic: a scaled plan you can measure area from and mark each defect on at its real location.
What it does not
- Tell you whether water is in the build-up. That is a thermal survey with its own conditions and its own timing.
- Assess the deck, the structural capacity, or anything beneath the membrane.
- Replace a roofing consultant where the survey flags something significant.
- Price a repair. It gives a contractor what they need to price one without a site visit.
Ask for rooftop plant to be documented explicitly rather than assumed in scope — it is frequently the actual cause of the leak, and it is a different budget from roofing.
How it works
Three steps, no account needed to start, and nothing to pay at any point in it.
- 1
Describe the job
The form opens with this page's answers already filled in — service, deliverable, site access. Add the location and anything specific to your site.
- 2
Pilots quote it
Every pilot whose service area and services match is notified. You get itemised quotes back with their credentials, kit and sample work attached.
- 3
Compare and hire
Pick on price, proximity or portfolio, and pay the pilot directly. SkyLog takes no cut and adds no markup to what you agree.
Inspection pilots with published profiles
Real published profiles. Open any one to see credentials, kit, service area and sample work before you post.
chris aldridge
Texas, United States
20 work samples
I’m a commercial drone pilot providing aerial mapping, property line overlays, topographic mapping, construction site data, radiometric thermal inspections, 3D modeling, real estate listing photography and video, property marketing, and professional aerial imagery for businesses and landowners.
Real estateWeddingEventInspectionMapping / surveyFilm / TVConstructionOther- George Benes
Oregon, United States
13 work samples
I've been a Part 107 drone pilot since 2019, working with Pacific Northwest clients on Real estate, construction progress, mapping, telecom inspections, architectural photography and events. I am very flexible and can provide deliverables within 24 - 48 hours. I take great pride in my work and having a photography business, my delivered photos are edited and culled to the best of the best. I worked for 30+ years as a commercial construction Superintendent, managing multi-million dollar construction projects and this experience allows me to be very safety oriented and knowledgeable on construction sites, providing the construction companies with usable deliverables that they can share with all stakeholders involved in their building project.
Real estateEventInspectionMapping / surveyConstruction 
Andy Jones
California, United States
12 work samples
FAA Part 107 Certified Remote Pilot based in Southern California, specializing in construction documentation, infrastructure inspections, mapping, orthomosaics, and aerial imagery. With more than two decades of experience managing complex federal construction projects, I understand the importance of accuracy, safety, and delivering actionable data—not just photos. I operate professional DJI Enterprise aircraft, including the DJI Matrice 4E, DJI Matrice 4T, as well as the DJI Air 3S for high-resolution imaging and the DJI Neo 2 for specialized close-range operations. My services include construction progress documentation, roof and property inspections, land development, infrastructure photography, photogrammetry, mapping, and custom aerial imaging. I also conduct search operations for lost pets using aerial search techniques and thermal imaging. Every mission is conducted in compliance with FAA regulations, with careful mission planning, clear communication, and a commitment to delivering high-quality results on schedule. Whether you need a single inspection or recurring project documentation, my goal is to provide reliable aerial data you can confidently use to make decisions.
Real estateEventInspectionMapping / surveyConstructionAgricultureOtherFilm / TVWedding
George Colonna
Maryland, United States
12 work samples
Started flying drones for General Dynamics Robotics Systems in 2009 as the subject matter expert and lead test engineer for RCTA and a program called the Soldier Machine Interface. We developed leader/follower code for up-armored autonomous assets a full decade before Google fielded their driverless car "train" and a UI that let soldiers/marines plan missions on the ground and in the air. My job was to ensure the software worked, more importantly, met customer requirements. Working in the field afforded me a wealth of experience regarding process and implementation, but also how to think critically and resolve issues on the fly. If interested in learning more about my credentials, please see my website. My current fleet is primarily DJI and Autel. I have RTK capability and a complete field kit to sustain remote operations for several days.
InspectionMapping / surveyConstructionOtherFilm / TV- K Enagonio
Tennessee, United States
10 work samples
I've been flying since 2015 and specialize in both cinematic filmmaking as well as surveying, construction, sensitive infrastructure capture, and music videos and events.
Film / TVConstructionInspectionEventAgricultureReal estateMapping / surveyOther 
Casey Jones
Arizona, United States
9 work samples
FAA Part 107 commercial drone pilot specializing in RTK mapping, aerial photography, thermal imaging, property documentation, construction progress, and detailed site capture. I operate professional DJI aircraft including the Matrice 4E and Matrice 4T, with RTK capability for repeatable, high-quality data collection. I approach each assignment as a complete mission, from airspace and site planning through safe flight operations, field verification, data handling, and final delivery. I serve clients throughout the California, Nevada, and Arizona tri-state region and am available for both individual assignments and multi-site projects.
Real estateEventMapping / surveyConstructionAgricultureOtherInspection
Inspection pilots by state
Where flat roofs actually fail
Rarely in the middle of the field, and almost always at a detail. Perimeter flashings and terminations, where the membrane meets the parapet or edge. Penetrations — vents, pipes, conduit, anything added after the roof was built and flashed in by someone in a hurry. Curbs around rooftop plant, and the plant itself, which leaks condensate and drips oil and is the single most common source of a roof problem in a commercial building. Drains and scuppers, and whether they are blocked. Laps and seams, particularly on single-ply where a failed weld shows as a lifted edge. Ponding, which is both a symptom of drainage problems and a cause of accelerated ageing. Blistering, splitting and shrinkage in the membrane. Storm and hail damage, and mechanical damage from anyone who has been up there working.
Deliverables that earn their cost
The single most useful output is an orthomosaic of the whole roof, because it is a scaled plan. You can measure the roof area from it, mark each defect at its actual location, quantify how much membrane a repair area covers, and hand the whole thing to a contractor who can price from it without a site visit. Layered on top, a defect list with severity and a photograph per item makes it actionable. High-resolution obliques of details give a contractor what they need to see. For a portfolio, the same capture repeated annually and differenced turns roof management from reactive to planned. Where the question is water in the build-up rather than what the surface looks like, a thermal survey is a different exercise with its own conditions and its own page.
Rooftop plant is half the survey
On most commercial buildings the roof is also a plant room, and a great deal of what a survey finds is not the roof's fault. Condenser units leaking condensate onto the membrane. Access walkways missing or misplaced so technicians walk on the field. Pipework supported directly on the membrane. Cable trays and conduit run without support. Damage from previous plant installations. Debris and abandoned equipment. This matters for two reasons: it is frequently the actual cause of the leak someone is chasing, and it is a different budget from roofing, so identifying it correctly changes who pays. Ask for rooftop plant condition to be documented explicitly rather than assumed to be in scope.
Scoping a portfolio
Post the roofs together. A survey of one warehouse carries the whole mobilisation; a survey of eight in the same region spreads it, and the per-roof price falls substantially. Give the approximate area of each, the membrane type if you know it, the age, and whether there are known leaks. Say whether you want an orthomosaic per roof or imagery only, and whether rooftop plant is in scope. Say if this is a baseline for a recurring programme, so the capture can be set up to be repeatable. And flag anything unusual — solar arrays, skylights, roof-mounted safety systems, or restricted airspace over the site, which for a distribution park near an airport is not unusual.
Common questions
How is this different from the infrared moisture survey?
This is a visual condition survey — what the surface, details and plant look like. Infrared answers a different question: where water is already sitting inside the roof build-up. They are often commissioned together, but they need different sensors, different conditions and different times of day.
What does it cost?
By roof area and deliverable, and much lower per roof across a portfolio. Inspection quotes on SkyLog have ranged $100 to about $1,550 with a $300 median across 13 quotes spanning all inspection types — a large warehouse roof with an orthomosaic sits above the middle. Post the roofs for real numbers.
Can I get roof area measurements?
Yes, from an orthomosaic, and it is one of the better reasons to ask for one. Areas measured off a scaled roof plan are what a contractor prices from.
Does it replace a walked roof survey?
For coverage and documentation it is better; for anything requiring touch it is not. A roofing consultant still needs to probe a suspect area, check a seam by hand and open up where necessary. The survey means they go to the right places.
How often should commercial roofs be surveyed?
Many owners work on an annual or biennial cycle, plus after any significant weather event. The comparison between years is where the value is, so set up the first survey to be repeatable.
Can it inspect roofs with solar arrays?
Yes, and the array is worth documenting too — panel condition, mounting, and the membrane around and under the mounting points, which is a frequent source of trouble. Mention the array when you post.
Related drone services
Post your commercial roofs free
Give the roof areas, membrane type and how many buildings. Pilots quote the portfolio directly.
- No commission, ever
- Part 107 certified pilots
- No obligation to hire
Prices and guidance on this page were last reviewed .