Stroud is built on hillsides. Rows of cottages climb the valley sides, narrow lanes squeeze between stone walls, and plenty of roofs sit above their neighbours with no level ground for a ladder. That is the kind of site where a drone earns its place. It lifts a camera above the ridge, flies the length of each slope and returns sharp stills of a surface a surveyor could otherwise only see at an angle.
It is not a complete survey, though, and it is not a shortcut. A drone looks at the outside of the roof. It cannot see the underlay beneath the covering or the timbers behind it, and some defects only show when someone touches them. This guide goes deep on the drone method on its own. If you want it placed beside ladders and pole cameras, our guide to inspection methods compared does that. The wider service is described under roof inspections and surveys.
How a drone survey is carried out
The process is simple to describe. A trained pilot flies a small camera-carrying aircraft over the building, usually at a low height and slowly, taking overlapping still pictures and sometimes video. The flight follows the roof slope by slope, with extra passes over chimneys, valleys, ridges and any detail the pilot wants to look at more closely. The stills are then reviewed, marked up and put into a report.
A survey like this is typically done in a single visit and takes less time on site than climbing the roof. Time on site is covered by our answer on how long a roof inspection takes. Flying depends on the day. Rain, mist and strong gusts all rule a flight out, and low sun can throw hard shadows across a slate roof that hide detail. We would rather rebook than take poor pictures.
What it costs
MyBuilder's roof inspection guide, updated in August 2026, puts a drone survey at £200 to £400, against £150 to £250 for a standard survey and £300 to £500 for a thermal one. Those are typical national ranges. They cover the flight and the processed images, not repairs or scaffold. Our fuller guide is in how much a roof survey costs.
What drone imagery shows well
Seen from above and close up, the surface of the roof is laid out like a map. A drone is strong on anything that is visible from the outside and large enough for a camera to resolve.
Missing, slipped and broken coverings
Slipped tiles, cracked slates, gaps in a course and pieces that have blown off show clearly. On a stone roof, a drone picture often reveals the pattern of the diminishing courses and any patches where a different type of slate has been mixed in.
Moss, lichen and debris
Heavy growth that holds moisture against the covering, and leaves or sludge sitting in valleys and gutters, are easy to see. A roofer reading the picture can tell the difference between a light dusting of lichen and a thick mat that is lifting the edges of tiles.
Ridges, hips and chimney tops
From above, a ridge line shows any dip, cracked joints in the bedding and missing pieces. Chimney stacks can be checked at the top, including the pot, the flaunching and the state of the pointing, which a surveyor on a ladder often sees only from below.
Flat roofs and difficult spots
On a flat roof, a drone shows standing water, blistering, lifted seams and debris around outlets. It also reaches the back of a house with no access, a roof above a neighbouring extension, and ground that is unsafe to stand on.
What a drone cannot see
Here is the gap that matters. The main water barrier of a pitched roof is partly hidden: the underlay and the battens lie beneath the covering, and the timbers lie beneath them.
Underlay
Underlay, the sheet stretched beneath tiles or slates, is there to deal with wind-driven rain and condensation. A drone cannot see it unless a section of covering is missing. Torn, perished or sagging underlay is the kind of fault that appears from inside the loft. Our guide to underlay failure signs explains what to look for there.
Battens and timbers
Rafters, battens and ridge boards are hidden by the covering and the underlay. Rot, insect damage and deflection (sagging under load) do not show on a picture of the top surface until the damage has reached the covering itself.
Fixings and pegs
A drone cannot tell whether a tile is clipped, whether a slate's nail has rusted, or whether a stone slate's oak peg has failed and the slate is merely resting where gravity holds it. Those are checked by hand.
Fine detail in poor light
Hairline cracks, thin gaps at a flashing edge and early lifting of lead may not show in the camera's resolution or in the available light.
A clean aerial picture of a covering tells you what the top surface looks like on the day. It does not tell you whether the layers beneath are sound.
Drone or thermal: they are not the same survey
The two are often confused. A standard drone carries an ordinary camera and records visible light. A thermal survey uses an infrared camera, which picks up differences in surface temperature, and it can be carried on a drone or by hand.
Thermal imaging is a method for heat loss, wet insulation and trapped moisture, especially on flat roofs, where damp can sit under a membrane for a long time without showing at the surface. It does not read tile condition. A drone with a visible-light camera does the reverse: it sees tile condition but not temperature. Our guide to thermal roof surveys covers that method and its limits.
Why the price differs
MyBuilder's 2026 ranges reflect that: drone at £200 to £400, thermal at £300 to £500. If a quote mentions a drone, check whether it includes a thermal camera as well. If it does not, you are getting the picture of the surface, which is useful, but not an answer about hidden damp.
When one is better
For a leak you cannot trace on a slated pitched roof, a loft inspection with a torch will often tell you more than either. For a complex roof you cannot reach, a drone first and a targeted hands-on check second is a sensible order.
When a hands-on check has to follow
Think of the drone as a way of deciding where to look, not as the whole job. In several situations a hands-on visit follows.
When the pictures show a fault you want confirmed
If a picture shows a lifted ridge tile, a gap beside a chimney or a slate that has dropped, someone will need to reach it, find out why and put it right. That might be a ladder, a cherry picker or scaffold.
When the roof is old or built of stone
Stone and slate roofs, and any roof of unknown age, need to be checked from underneath as well as above. Stone slates hang on pegs, and a slate whose oak peg has gone can look fine from above. Period buildings are covered in our guide to period roof surveys.
When the loft shows damp
If the ceiling is stained, or there is any sign of water in the loft, the drone images need to be set against what can be seen from the inside. Together they point to where the water is getting in.
When the survey supports a purchase or a claim
A buyer, a lender or an insurer may want to see more than aerial photographs. After a survey flags the roof, the next step is often a closer specialist look, as set out in our guide to what to do after a homebuyer survey flags the roof.
When access must be paid for
If the hands-on work needs scaffold, MyBuilder's 2026 guide puts it at about £1,125 for a typical re-roof. We include that in the written quote.
Getting the roof ready for a flight
Little preparation is needed, but a few things make the survey more useful.
Tell us about access and neighbours
If your roof backs onto another property, or the only open ground is a shared yard, let us know when you book. We plan the flight to stay over your building, and we are happy to tell the people next door where that helps. Narrow lanes can also limit where the pilot can stand with a clear view of the aircraft, which is why we look at the site before we confirm a date.
Say what prompted the survey
A drone can fly the whole roof, but the pilot will spend more time where you are worried. A stain below the chimney breast, a noise in the wind or a tile found on the path all point the camera at the right place. Written notes before the visit save time on the day.
Clear the loft if you can
Because the drone cannot see the underlay or timbers, the loft check that goes with it matters. Moving boxes away from the eaves and the hatch lets the surveyor see the underside of the roof. Where there is no safe way into the loft, the report records it as not seen, and the roof is not described as sound below the covering.
Keep the findings with your records
Dated aerial images are a useful reference if you sell the house or make an insurance claim later, because they show the roof as it stood. Store them alongside the written report.
Reading the images and the report that comes with them
A set of drone stills is only the raw material. The value is in how the surveyor reads and presents them.
Marked-up photographs
A useful report numbers each image, circles or labels the defect and says where on the roof it is. Without that, a gallery of pretty roof pictures is hard to act on. A good report orders its findings by priority, so a missing ridge section comes before light moss.
Context shots and close shots
You want both: a wide image showing the whole slope and the position of the defect, and a closer shot showing the detail. If every picture is a long shot, ask for closer ones. Our guide to roof condition reports explains how the findings and recommendations are laid out.
What the report should say about limits
An honest report states what the drone did not or could not see, for example an area hidden by a parapet or a chimney, or an area in shadow. It says which areas still need a hands-on check, and it avoids any claim about the state of the underlay or timbers.
What happens next
Where the images lead to repairs, we follow with a written quote, and your own roof photographs go with it, so you and any other roofer can see the same evidence. Where the roof is sound, the images become a baseline: a dated record to compare with next year's. Any repair we then carry out comes with a written 10-year workmanship guarantee.