Roof and building inspection
Every square metre of the roof, without anyone standing on it.
High resolution and thermal capture of roofs, facades and envelopes for property managers, roofing contractors and consultants. No scaffolding, no lifts, no fall arrest paperwork.
Canada-wide · Transport Canada Advanced RPAS · Commercially insured
See the condition before you commit to the repair budget.
This is for property managers, roofing contractors, building envelope consultants and owners who need to know the condition of a roof or facade before spending money on it, or before a warranty runs out.
The usual options are a person on the roof, which needs fall protection and only sees where they walk, or a lift, which is expensive and only reaches the edge. Both damage the membrane a little every time.
A drone covers the entire roof and envelope in a single systematic pass, at a resolution where a lifted seam or a cracked sealant joint is obvious, and thermal capture adds what no one can see from the ground or the roof: where the insulation is wet. The result is an annotated condition record, located on a plan, that a roofer can quote from and an insurer will accept.
Condition
The whole roof, in one pass
Membrane seams, ponding, flashings, penetrations, rooftop units and drains, captured systematically so nothing depends on where someone happened to walk.
Moisture and heat loss
Thermal shows what eyes miss
Infrared capture after sunset shows wet insulation and heat loss patterns that look like nothing in daylight.
Safety and access
Nobody on the membrane
No ladders, no lifts, no working at height. The roof is not damaged by foot traffic and your people are on the ground.
Deliverables
What you get
Systematic photo set
Overlapping high resolution stills of the entire roof and envelope, organised by elevation and roof section, with a location key.
Thermal imagery (optional)
Radiometric infrared stills of the roof, captured at the right time of day for moisture detection, with the visual pair for each frame.
Annotated findings report
A PDF with each observation numbered, located on a roof plan, photographed and described in plain language. Yours to hand to a roofer or a consultant.
Roof orthomosaic
A measurable top-down map of the roof for area take-offs, drain layout and marking repair zones.
3D model (optional)
A photogrammetric model of the building for facade and envelope review, viewable in a browser.
Dated record
A baseline you can repeat next year, or after a storm, from the same positions.
- Turnaround
- Agreed at scoping, matched to your decision or claim deadline
- Delivery
- Shared folder and a browser-based viewer for the map and model
- Licensing
- You own every file, for any use. We never publish your building without written permission.
What it looks like
Inspection imagery
Square-on, close range, organised by elevation and roof section with a location key.
Roof and site orthomosaic
Measurable for area take-offs, drain layout and marking repair zones.
How it works
Three steps from call to report.
Scoping call
What the roof is, what you suspect, who reads the report. We check airspace and plan the capture time, especially for thermal.
Capture
A systematic flight over the roof and around the envelope. Typically under an hour on site per building. Thermal is flown after sunset when the roof has cooled.
Report
Numbered findings on a roof plan, photos and thermal pairs, the map and model. A short call to walk through it if you want one.
01
Scoping call
What the roof is, what you suspect, who reads the report. We check airspace and plan the capture time, especially for thermal.
02
Capture
A systematic flight over the roof and around the envelope. Typically under an hour on site per building. Thermal is flown after sunset when the roof has cooled.
03
Report
Numbered findings on a roof plan, photos and thermal pairs, the map and model. A short call to walk through it if you want one.
Compliance
Compliance, in plain terms
Nothing here is a selling point. It is the minimum you should demand from anyone who flies on your site.
Transport Canada Advanced RPAS certificate
The advanced certificate is the one that permits flight in controlled airspace and near people. Every operator Lensdrone dispatches holds it.
Commercial liability insurance
Insured for commercial RPAS operations. Certificate of insurance available on request, naming your company where required.
NAV CANADA airspace authorisation
Controlled airspace near airports needs authorisation before each flight. We handle the request and build the lead time into scheduling.
SFOC where needed
Some operations, such as flights over 122 m or beyond visual line of sight, need a Special Flight Operations Certificate. We tell you up front if your job needs one and manage the application.
Site safety briefing
We attend your site orientation, follow your PPE and access rules, and brief your team on where and when we are flying.
Pricing
Quoted per project. Tell us about the site and you get a scope and a number.
In practice
What it looks like on a real job
Property manager, retail portfolio
Retail portfolio, three low-slope roofs
- The problem
- Three roofs on one site, a recurring leak nobody could locate, and a roofer quoting a full replacement.
- What we captured
- Visual and thermal capture of all three roofs in one evening, orthomosaic of each, annotated report.
- What changed
- The thermal showed one wet area around a single drain. A targeted repair replaced the replacement quote.
FAQ
Questions people ask before booking
Can a drone actually see what a roofer sees on foot?
For the visual survey, yes and usually more, because it covers the whole roof at the same resolution rather than the parts someone walked to. It will not lift a flashing or probe a blister. Use it to decide where a roofer should go and what to bring, not to replace them entirely.
When do you fly thermal?
After sunset, once the roof has stopped radiating the day’s heat evenly. Wet insulation holds heat longer than dry insulation, so it shows up as warmer patches. Daytime thermal of a roof is mostly a picture of the sun.
Do you inspect facades and the building envelope too?
Yes. Cladding, sealant joints, brick, glazing, balconies. The same systematic approach, organised by elevation. Useful before a warranty expires or when a consultant needs a baseline.
Our building is downtown. Is that a problem?
Downtown usually means controlled airspace and flight near people, which is exactly what the Advanced RPAS certificate permits. We request NAV CANADA authorisation in advance and plan the flight around the building’s footprint so nothing is overflown that should not be.
Who owns the imagery?
You do. Hand it to your roofer, your insurer, your consultant, your board. There is no licence fee and no expiry.
Can you repeat the inspection after a storm or next year?
That is the point of the dated baseline. Same positions, same coverage, so the comparison is direct. Recurring inspections are scoped once and booked when you need them.
Next step
Tell us about the site.
Anywhere in Canada. Send the basics and Ben will come back as soon as he can with a scope and a price. If you would rather talk, call.
- Call Ben
- +1 778 889 9306
- [email protected]
- Ballpark in 60 seconds
- Instant estimate