Drone survey prices UK: transparent costs, surveyor-grade data

At Drone Site Surveys, a drone roof inspection starts from £250 + VAT for domestic properties and £350 + VAT for commercial properties. That includes all flight permissions, pre-flight risk assessments and method statements, high-resolution imagery of every roof element, and secure delivery through our online portal. The fee is based on the building’s location (where extra permissions are needed), its size, the number of flat and pitched roof elevations and the number of gutters. Larger or more complex buildings, such as blocks of flats, churches or multi-site portfolios, are quoted individually after a free desk-based assessment. A drone inspection usually costs far less than scaffolding or a cherry picker, and it produces a permanent photographic record.

For a typical house, bungalow or terraced property, our Residential Envelope Pack covers roof and façade imagery with a written condition report on each, from £900 + VAT. A thermal survey (from £700 + VAT) or a 3D model can be added. A 10–15 storey building with around 6,500 m² of external envelope in an occupied urban setting, including RGB and radiometric thermal capture and a 3D model, is typically £3,750–£6,500 + VAT. A complex 20–30 storey high-rise with around 12,000 m² of envelope, podiums, setbacks and balconies is typically £8,500–£15,000 + VAT. Every job gets a fixed fee after a free desk-based assessment of airspace, access and occupancy, and we’ll itemise capture, processing, mobilisation and permissions on request.

Yes. When similar properties in the same area are captured in one operating day, travel and set-up are shared, so each additional Residential Envelope Pack starts from £750 + VAT instead of £900 + VAT. Programmes of 10+ properties get batch pricing, and repeat surveys of the same asset cost less again because the flight plans and control points are already in place.

Yes. Regular clients get reduced rates on every job, and volume instructions get the biggest savings. When you instruct a batch of properties, a portfolio programme or repeat surveys of the same buildings, each property is priced below a one-off job, because travel, planning and set-up are shared. Programmes of 10+ properties get batch pricing. Send us your property list and we’ll return a fixed fee per property.

Our written roof condition report is an add-on to a drone roof inspection, from £250 + VAT on top of the inspection price. It is prepared by a qualified roofing surveyor from the imagery captured during your drone inspection. It includes annotated images of each defect found, such as slipped or cracked tiles, failed flashings, blocked gutters, damaged chimneys and general wear, with a condition rating for each roof element and clear recommendations for maintenance or repair. Because we’re independent and not tied to any roofing contractor, the findings are objective. The report is delivered as a PDF, ready to share with insurers, contractors or solicitors.

Drone LiDAR (from £1,250 + VAT) mounts a laser scanner on a drone to capture large areas from above. Laser pulses pass through gaps in vegetation, so it records true ground levels on wooded or uneven sites, making it well suited to terrain modelling, topographic surveys and large developments. Terrestrial LiDAR (from £600 + VAT) uses a scanner at ground level to capture fine detail of interiors, façades and structural elements a drone can’t see. Many projects use both, merged by our technicians into one point cloud.

AutoCAD drawings are quoted on request because the effort varies with the building and the level of detail you need. We look at the number and type of drawings (elevations, floor plans, roof plans, sections), the size and complexity of the building, and the LOD specified. A simple elevation of a modern house takes much less drafting than a detailed elevation of a period building. Send us your requirements, or an example of your CAD standards, and we’ll return a fixed fee, usually the same day during office hours.

Yes. We regularly supply georeferenced point clouds directly to design teams in industry-standard formats including LAS, LAZ, RCP and E57. Files are delivered through our secure portal with ground control point data and survey documentation, and work with Revit, AutoCAD, Autodesk ReCap, Leica Cyclone and CloudCompare. We can also give access to our 3D model viewer, so non-technical stakeholders can take measurements without specialist software.

Yes, as standard. You receive the original full-resolution RGB images with GPS and camera metadata intact, and the full radiometric R-JPEG files from our DJI Mavic 3 Thermal, with a temperature value in every pixel. Processed outputs such as point clouds (LAS, LAZ, E57, RCP), textured meshes (OBJ, FBX) and orthomosaics (GeoTIFF) are delivered alongside, with flight logs and any ground control data, through our secure portal.

Turnaround depends on the size of the building and the LOD required. Raw imagery and capture data are typically available within 2 days of the site visit, processed point clouds usually within 5 working days, and Revit models are generally delivered within 10–14 days for a standard building at LOD 200–300. If you’re working to a deadline, tell us when you request your quote and we’ll confirm a delivery date before you book.

For inspection and condition surveys, a drone is almost always significantly cheaper. Scaffolding costs cover erection, weekly hire and dismantling, often with a minimum hire period and sometimes a pavement licence, and it only gives access to the sections that are scaffolded. A drone inspection starts from £250 + VAT, is completed in a single visit, covers the whole roof, and removes working-at-height risk entirely. Once defects are identified, you can scaffold only the areas that need repair.

Yes, and we do so regularly. We fly under our CAA Operational Authorisation (OA 11363) with site-specific RAMS, cordons, observers and marshals, and we liaise with building managers and residents before the survey date. On complex towers we combine automated capture with manual close-range flying around balconies, setbacks and podiums, and where a site sits in controlled airspace we coordinate with air traffic control in advance.

Yes. Surveying practices, consultancies and property-data companies use us as their drone capture team. We work to your capture brief and data-handover specification, supply unbranded deliverables or use your branding, and never contact your client unless you ask us to. Regular partners get an agreed trade rate card, typically 10–20% below single-visit pricing. See trade & white-label →

You do. Once the invoice is paid, the imagery, raw data, models and reports are yours to use and share. Hosting in our portal and custom 3D model viewer is included for 12 months, and you can download everything at any time, including the full mesh files. After 12 months you can extend the hosting; if you don’t, you keep everything you’ve downloaded, but you’ll need a model viewer of your own to view the 3D models. We’ll delete your data permanently on request and confirm in writing. We’re Cyber Essentials certified.

All published prices exclude VAT. Flight permissions and travel are built into every fixed quote, so there are no surprises on the invoice. For multi-day or whole-building work we can show travel and mobilisation as a separate line, typically £80–£350 per visit depending on distance. We cover the whole UK. See the areas we cover →

No. Your fixed fee stands whatever the weather. We monitor forecasts closely and build weather risk into the quote, so a washed-out day is our problem, not yours. If conditions are likely to compromise the images or data, we’ll call you ahead of time and rearrange at no extra cost. The only time the price changes is if you ask us to stand down at short notice.