Drones or MEWP?

Building surveys often require some form of access equipment to safely reach and inspect those parts of the building which cannot be seen from the ground or other vantage points.

Historically, 3m long sectional ladders would form part of a surveyor’s standard equipment list and would be limited by the boot size of their vehicle. Longer ladders would subsequently be hired at extra cost to the client to access flat roofs above 3m and MEWPs would be hired to access roofs over 6m high.

Mobile Elevated Work platforms (MEWP)

Mobile Elevated Working platforms (MEWPs) are typically used by lots of surveyors to view high level roof areas and are usually hired with an IPAF licensed operator on either a half day or full day basis.

MEWPs vary in size, specification and cost which depends on the topography, use, location and size of the property. Availability is also a factor that needs to be considered. Whilst MEWPs can be used in wet weather to inspect a roof from the platform, they cannot be used in windy conditions.

MEWPs are best deployed to enable physical access to an area already highlighted as a potential for further investigation i.e. an internal water stain or a previous drone survey.

Drone Surveys

With the advancement of technology, we now have access to lightweight drones to support our inspection of commercial and residential buildings. Our drones or unmanned aerial vehicles (UAV) are generally piloted from the ground by highly experienced operators and can be deployed quickly by a Building Surveyor whilst on site to inspect and record the physical condition of the high level areas quickly and efficiently.

Drones are not limited by site constraints such as boundary fencing, uneven ground, parked vehicles, neighbouring buildings, etc. Drones can get close to defects and record them in 4k quality imagery. Whilst wind and rain can prevent a safe flight, we organise our inspections around the weather to ensure the drone can be used whilst our Building Surveyors are on site.

We hold Public Indemnity insurance in relation to the use of the drone commercially and whilst there is a cost to deploy and use the drone as part of a survey, the cost is typically lower than the hire charge of a MEWP and often yields better results for our clients when used as part of an initial survey requirement.

At Pure Building Consultancy, we prefer to deploy our lightweight drone as part of any initial site inspection requirement where roofs and associated elements of the building fabric cannot be viewed from the ground or other accessible vantage point. Our expertise as Chartered Building Surveyors ensures that we are able to capture all appropriate details whilst the drone is in the air so that any defects can be further investigated using the recorded images back on the ground or in the office. MEWPs might then be used as part of further focused inspections and/or contractor access to aid repairs highlighted by the initial imagery.

For more information, feel free to Contact Us.