Church roof & spire surveys
Every slate, spire face and intricate detail of your church captured in 4K, without scaffolding, ladders or cherry pickers.
Available Files: 4K Imagery, Video & Reports
4K
Imagery & Video
None
Access Required
48hr
Imagery Delivery
0
Days of Scaffold
Church Roof Survey
Looking at a church roof can be a difficult task. A church is often a complex building, with many parts of the roof inaccessible with scaffolding alone. That often means a roofer using ladders and climbing onto the roof just to assess its condition, and with the risk and expensive equipment involved, the cost of a traditional roof survey can spiral very quickly.
This is where Drone Site Surveys help. Our team are equipped with the latest drones, capable of flying in the hardest to reach areas. Fitted with high-quality 4K cameras, they capture your roof from every angle, with every detail recorded.
Depending on your needs, the images can be compiled into a report or delivered directly to you to share with potential repair teams, helping you get the best price, spot issues you may not have seen traditionally, and save money on your roof repair.
Example Image Quality
Click each image to view example image quality
What Your Church Survey Includes
Every church survey is issued as a complete, organised record of your roof and spire that you can share with your PCC, architect or repair teams.
| Deliverable | What it is | Included |
|---|---|---|
| 4K roof & spire imagery | Images of your roof and spire from every angle, with every detail captured, geotagged and date-stamped. | Standard |
| Organised by roof section | Images sorted into colour-coded folders, so any issue can be located on the building at a glance. | Standard |
| Survey paperwork | Your RAMS, airspace map and pre-flight documents, filed alongside the imagery. | Standard |
| Secure delivery | Shareable access for your PCC, architect or repair teams, so you can get the best price for any work. | Standard |
| Written report | Images compiled into a report highlighting defects and priorities. | Optional |
| Quinquennial surveys | Scheduled surveys every five years, with consistent and uniform reports and delivery. | Optional |
| Disability access survey | Helping your church be accessible to the public in the best possible way. | Optional |
| Virtual tour | An immersive virtual tour of your church for visitors and your community. | Optional |
Optional services can be arranged alongside your roof and spire survey. Just let us know at quote stage.
At a Glance
Capture
4K stills & video
Access required
Usually none
Imagery issued
Within 48 hours
Written report
Optional
Scaffold needed
None
Coverage
Mainland UK
Get a Quote
Send us an address. We will come back the same working day with a price and a scope.
Church Spire Survey
A church spire is even more complex to get the right information from. Your spire may have multiple façades with very intricate detail, and simply putting a ladder up doesn’t give you the detail you need.
Drones provide a much easier, faster and cheaper way of looking at your spire, capturing:
- Spires & steeples
- Towers
- Every spire face
- Intricate stonework
- Pinnacles & finials
- Roof slopes & valleys
- Parapets & gutters
- Hard-to-reach areas
The result?
Every angle and every detail of your spire, captured without a ladder or scaffold in sight.
Quinquennial inspections
Quinquennial church inspection with drones
Traditional quinquennial inspections often require scaffolding or cherry pickers, which can be disruptive and expensive. With our drones, we can safely capture high-resolution images and video, providing detailed reports that comply with Diocese guidelines for quinquennial inspections.
We offer scheduled drone surveys every five years, providing consistent and uniform reports and delivery.
Whether your church is listed or in a conservation area, a drone survey is a non-invasive solution that delivers thorough results without affecting the structure or appearance of the building.
CAA
CAA Operational Authorisation 11363
Fully insured, with £10m public liability and specialist UAV cover
Key benefits
Why use drones for your quinquennial inspection?
Our drone-based inspections reduce risk, cut costs and give unrivalled access to intricate architectural features, helping your church remain well maintained over time.
- Comprehensive inspections without the need for scaffolding.
- High-resolution imagery for detailed reporting.
- A non-invasive approach that preserves the integrity of the building.
- Cost-effective and time-saving.
- Fully compliant with Church of England quinquennial inspection requirements.
Church turret · Close-up capture
Stonework, timberwork, leadwork and weathering recorded without fixing anything to the building.
Why choose us
Why choose Drone Site Surveys?
Drone Site Surveys specialises in professional church and other places of worship surveys and inspections, providing detailed, high-resolution imagery to support quinquennial inspections, building condition assessments and ongoing conservation and maintenance planning.
Our experienced, CAA-approved drone pilots understand the challenges of inspecting historic churches and ecclesiastical buildings, where complex roof structures, towers, spires and intricate architectural features can be difficult to access. We take a methodical approach to capturing clear, close-up imagery of roofs, stonework, masonry, leadwork, rainwater goods and other vulnerable areas, helping churchwardens, architects and inspecting surveyors identify visible defects, assess deterioration and prioritise essential repairs, while minimising disruption and the need for costly access equipment.
Responsible for the care and maintenance of a church building? Whether you’re preparing for a quinquennial inspection, investigating suspected defects or planning essential restoration work, our nationwide church survey service can provide the detailed visual evidence you need. Contact Drone Site Surveys to discuss your church inspection requirements and receive a tailored quotation.
Clients choose Drone Site Surveys for our specialist experience, professional standards and independent approach:
How it works
Our church roof & spire survey process
From first enquiry to secure delivery, every survey follows the same six steps, so you always know what happens next and when.
Tell us about your place of worship
Email us the address with postcode and what you need from the survey, whether that’s the roof, the spire, dome or a quinquennial inspection. We’ll come back with the options available.
Planning and quote
We carry out a desktop assessment of the property and the surrounding airspace, check the survey against current UK drone regulations, and prepare your quote. You receive it by email with no obligation, along with the airspace map for your site and an example delivery so you can see exactly what you’ll be getting.
Booking your date
Once you’re happy with the quote we add your job to the schedule and start monitoring the Met Office forecast. In the meantime we prepare the pre-flight paperwork, including our risk assessment and method statement (RAMS), which we can send over for your records. As soon as we have a clear weather window and pilot availability, we confirm your attendance date. You don’t normally need to be on site.
The survey
Our CAA approved pilot works systematically around the church, capturing the roof, spire and agreed areas from every angle in high-resolution overlapping imagery.
Processing
Every image is checked and organised into colour-coded folders by roof section. Any reporting or additional outputs you’ve asked for are completed at this stage.
Delivery
We email you a link to our secure online portal, where your imagery, reports and any other agreed outputs are ready to view, download and share with your team or contractors. Alongside the deliverables you’ll find a folder containing the pre-flight paperwork, a copy of the drone airspace map for your site and any other relevant documents, so everything from the survey is in one place.
Request a Quote
Request a church roof & spire survey quote
Whether you need to investigate a specific issue, prepare for a quinquennial inspection or plan repairs, we can tailor the survey to your church.
Send us the address and a brief description of what you need, and we will come back with clear pricing and deliverable options.
Prefer to Speak to Us?
If you’d rather speak to one of the team, that’s no problem. Simply call the number below and one of our team will be more than happy to help.
Get a Quote
In The Know
Frequently Asked
Questions
Answers to the questions we are asked most often about church roof and spire surveys. If yours is not covered here, give us a call.
What is a drone church roof survey?
A drone church roof survey uses a drone fitted with a high-quality 4K camera to capture your church roof from every angle, including areas that are inaccessible with scaffolding alone. It removes the need for a roofer to climb onto the roof, reducing risk and cost.
Can you survey church spires and towers?
Yes. Spires often have multiple façades with very intricate detail, which a ladder simply cannot reach. Drones provide a much easier, faster and cheaper way of capturing every face of your spire or tower.
Can drones be used for quinquennial inspections?
Yes. We safely capture high-resolution images and video, providing detailed reports that comply with Diocese guidelines for quinquennial inspections. We also offer scheduled drone surveys every five years, with consistent and uniform reports and delivery.
Is a drone survey suitable for listed buildings and conservation areas?
Yes. A drone survey is entirely non-invasive, so it delivers thorough results without affecting the structure or appearance of the building, and with no need to fix access equipment to historic fabric.
Can I share the images with repair teams?
Yes. Depending on your needs, we can compile the images into a report or deliver them directly to you, so you can share them with potential repair teams. This helps you get the best price and spot issues you may not have seen traditionally.
Do you offer other surveys for churches?
Yes. Alongside roof and spire inspections, we can provide disability access surveys and virtual tours, helping your church be accessible to the public in the best possible way.
Can you help after lead theft or storm damage?
Yes. We can quickly capture the damage from the air, giving you a dated record to plan repairs and support an insurance claim, without anyone going onto the roof.
Will the survey disturb services or events?
No. We schedule flights around services, weddings and funerals, and agree a take-off area with the church in advance.
Can you survey several churches in a parish or diocese?
Yes. We capture every church the same way and deliver the imagery through one online portal, so condition can be compared across buildings.