In 2020, many hurricanes made landfall along the northern coastline of the Gulf of Mexico. These hurricanes caused damage from Texas to Florida.
Hurricane Sally made landfall close to Pensacola, and that storm created a lot of damage in the area.
We were asked by a multifamily property management company to travel to Pensacola to inspect the roofs of an apartment complex and provide estimates for the cost of the repairs for each roof. The apartment complex was comprised of 8 apartment buildings. The property management company suspected that there was most likely damage caused by the storm, but they weren’t sure of the extent of the damage.
The property management company had already contacted a few roofing companies, but each of them gave them very different quotes, which led them to believe that the companies probably didn’t have an in-depth understanding of the damage that the roof sustained during the storm. The companies that had come out to provide an estimate only spent about 20-30 minutes surveying the roofs with their drones, which was not a sufficient amount of time to properly and thoroughly understand the condition of these roofs.
The property management company hired us to provide detailed and accurate reports of each of the 8 roofs, as well as estimates for the repairs of each roof.
We used drones equipped with high-resolution cameras to help us document and report the condition of the roof. The drones that we used were capable of taking 20mp images, which allowed us to gather hundreds of detailed images. This gallery of photos helped us to get a clear understanding of exactly what was going on on each roof. We were even able to document minor damages to the shingles that could have been missed if that technology wasn’t being used.
To showcase just how detailed the images that we captured with the drone were, see the photos below, which show the minor damages that were present in some of the shingles.
Through our systemized process of gathering and reviewing the data, we were able to pinpoint the exact locations of damage on each roof.
This image captured the entire roof of one of the apartment buildings in the complex. All of the red areas represent the locations in which damage is present. The numbers next to each of the red indicators are associated with the precise images we had captured which document the damage at closer proximity.
To showcase just how detailed the images that we captured with the drone were, see the photos below, which show the minor damages that were present in some of the shingles.
After we finalized the report for the apartment complex, we then used the information we had gathered to provide an accurate estimate of how much the repairs would cost.
Upon completion of the detailed report, providing a good visual understanding of the present condition of each roof, along with an estimate to perform repairs, it was time to find a contractor that could come in the budget to complete the project and provide quality work. We were able to refer to a commercial roofing company we have worked with in the past who I felt confident would be a good candidate to come in a get the job done right.
Once the work was completed, we were able to save the property management company roughly $10,000, including the cost of repairs, performing the inspection, and providing an estimate, compared to the lowest alternative estimate received prior to our involvement. Not only did it save them money, but it gave them peace of mind in knowing all the issues were resolved properly.
