Drone photography for construction projects

The value is in the series, not in the single image. On the first flight we agree on a number of positions — height, direction and framing — and then return to them. That way the images can be laid side by side, and the difference between March and April shows without explanation.

How often depends on the project. Some want one flight per stage: groundworks, foundation, frame, weathertight, finished. Others want a fixed interval that follows the site meetings. We set it up around the schedule and adjust when it changes, which it does.

• Status reports. One image a month in the report to the client, the board or the lender says more than a percentage in a table.
• Site meetings and coordination. Storage areas, haul routes, site cabins and the reach of the crane are visible from above. When everyone looks at the same current image, the discussion about logistics becomes concrete.
• What will soon be hidden. Pipes and cables in the ground, drainage, and reinforcement before the pour. A dated image of where things lay is valuable the day someone has to dig there again.
• The state before the start. The plot, the neighbouring properties, streets and pavements photographed before work begins. If a question about damage comes up later, there is an image to go back to.
• Communication and sales. Neighbours, future tenants and buyers want to see that something is happening. The same series becomes a short film of how the building rose, and the final images become reference material for the next bid.

A construction site is not an open field. We check with site management before every flight: when the crane is still, where we can take off and land, and which safety rules apply to visitors. The flight is preferably scheduled when there is the least movement on site — a break or early morning.

We check the airspace for every address. If the site is near an airport or in a restricted area a permit may be required, and we need to know that well ahead of the first flight.

The images show what it looks like. They are not survey data: distances, levels and volumes still have to be measured by whoever has the equipment and the responsibility. What you get is dated high-resolution stills and video, from the same positions every time.

Send the address, the rough schedule and what the images will be used for. We propose positions and an interval, and prefer to make the first flight before the ground is touched — that image cannot be taken afterwards.

Get in touch and we reply within 48 hours.