The average person might ask: “Do construction companies use drones?” To any expert, the answer is yes. Drones, or autonomous unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs), can be incredibly useful in construction businesses. The construction industry itself is constantly improving in terms of technology and this is just one of the ways it has developed over the years. Capturing still images and videos from angles humans cannot reach, drones can be used in numerous areas and stages of constructing buildings, houses, and other worksites. Let’s jump into what drone services can do for your construction projects and how you can start using them.
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How are drones used in construction?
Drones can reach heights for shots and footage specific to the structure. This can be handy in performing a wide array of tasks in your construction company. Here are a few ways drone services in construction can be advantageous:
More Extensive Planning Information Gathered in a Convenient Way
- Quicker gathering of live data for your construction projects
- Help with land-mapping, leading to a better idea of the terrain
- Real-time data provided through accessible means
- Added convenience in rendering 3D models of the construction site due to the visual insights recorded by drones
Less Manpower Used
- Less cost on human labor, as well as expensive machinery to gather information
- Employees can spend less time and effort overseeing projects on foot
Easy Surveillance
- Lower risk of theft and higher security due to surveillance
- Keep track of all the resources and people onsite at all times while you are using the drone services
- Easier to keep tabs on the progress of a project without having to see each aspect from difficult vantage points; site inspections made easier
Accessible Transportation of Materials
- No need for a crane for areas that the drone can reach
- Aerial transportation of select materials to spaces a drone can maneuver easily
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Benefits for Marketing
- Drones can provide unique shots and perspectives to some of the most beautiful angles of your project, don’t let the scenic views go to waste!
- Time-lapse videos can show the progress of projects and add an insider look to marketing videos
- Virtual tours can be an exciting feature you can add to your marketing that potential customers will find breathtaking and innovative
UAVs require less manpower and can easily acquire the information you need from a distance. Instead of using bulky delivery trucks that can take more time to get to their destinations, drones can sufficiently transport materials through the air. All-in-all, these little fliers have more ups than downs. Still, many construction services hesitate to soar high. Why? Maybe it can be difficult to take to the skies. May it be the cost or the persistence that this piece of technology is simply not needed, it is up to you to decide. It could be that you have yet to trust the use of drones. Here are a few things to consider to get up in the air.
How to Get Started
- Try it out! Don’t want to go all-in yet? Try hiring a drone pilot for an hour or two just to see what features and benefits you can get from drone services without going through a whole production. Depending on who you are asking, this can run from $100-200 per hour. A freelancer would be the likely candidate you can hire to do the job for you.
- Increase your exposure. Get in more time to test and utilize drones more frequently. Use milestones and celebrations or projects almost at completion to see what you can do with drones at your fingertips. Bring in drones at the start of projects gradually to gain more confidence in hiring drone services.
- Plan it out. Monitor the progress of construction projects at planned intervals. Schedule your drone services and keep track of the advantages it can bring to your business.
- Get an on-site drone operator onboard. If you figure you want to take your use of UAVs more seriously, you are going to want to start looking for someone to be part of your team. Weekly use of drones would be the best move if you plan to commit with an onsite drone operator. Study how this can add to your already existing numbers.
- Reassess. Discuss with your team the positives and negatives of using drone services and see if the type of service or frequency matches your goals as a company.
What’s Next?
There’s no question that drones have many uses in the construction industry. The footage they provide is hard for humans to do on their own. With drones becoming more abundant, you also have competition making their use more commonplace. After you have given your drone a day in the sun, only you can measure the pros and cons it has provided your construction business. Decide with your team whether the cost is worth it and drone services for your construction business can truly bring your quality up.