Residential construction in the US is booming. In 2020, the value of new developments hit a 15-year high.
Part of what’s driving this growth is the ongoing housing shortage. There simply isn’t enough housing for everyone who wants it, so construction companies are enjoying a steady demand for new residential developments.
As a result, construction companies need to produce a high amount of housing output with seamless quality while still protecting margins. But this isn’t quite an easy task with current supply chain issues like the lumber shortage. To complete jobs faster while reducing costs, general contractors need to leverage new technologies.
Enter drones. There are a ton of benefits to using drone technology in residential construction. Drones can streamline site operations across all phases of construction—from preconstruction, earthworks, and even during project closeout.
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Aerial photo of new housing development under construction in Medford, New Jersey
The Role of Drones for New Construction Home Developers
Here are 5 major benefits of using drones in new residential construction:
1. Land Surveys & Mapping
During the preplanning phase, drones can perform land surveys by mapping out the entire construction site from the air with the help of downward-facing cameras and sensors. Land surveys are important because they establish property boundaries and allow you to understand the lay of the land before you start to build. Drones can provide two main types of land surveys:
- Boundary surveys—These establish property lines so you know where the property ends and begins.
- Topographic surveys—These identify land elevations and property features so you know where to build and what to avoid.
But why use drones over traditional land surveying methods? Well, traditional land surveys require heavy equipment like total stations and theodolites and can take days or even weeks to complete.
Drones can get the job done much faster too. They can capture aerial footage of large areas within minutes, which is especially important considering how big residential housing developments are.
Plus, a drone land survey can even achieve centimeter-level accuracy. So with drones, you can get better land surveys in a fraction of the time.
What's included in YOUR GUIDE...
A Proven Roadmap of Success for Implementing Drones in Construction.
A List of Red Flags to Avoid When Hiring Drone Service Providers.
How to Persuade Your Leadership Team to Leverage Drones on Every Jobsite.
2. Photo Documentation for Dispute Mitigation
Another big benefit of using drones in residential construction is photo documentation. They can show the quality of workmanship and whether it was completed on time so that the general contractor can evaluate subcontractor work.
For example, say you hire several subcontractors to install asphalt roof shingles across each home within the development, a quick drone flight can easily communicate which houses have been completed and whether the job was finished according to your building standards.
Photo documentation also helps resolve potential disputes later on. Whether it’s design issues, poor management, or disagreements about project scope, having aerial photos gives you a tangible record to reference.
Aerial photo of new housing development under construction in Barnegat Township, New Jersey
3. Earthwork Reporting
Drones can also provide frequent earthwork reporting as a way to maintain an updated status of dirtwork throughout the site. This helps all team members know when the project is behind or ahead of schedule so you can plan accordingly. For example, drones can perform:
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- Frequent cut and fill reports so you know when to move dirt on- and off-site. For example, there’s no point in removing dirt if you’ll need it later on or in bringing in new dirt if you already have enough.
- Stockpile measurements so you know where you stand on material and supply level. That way, you never get stuck with too much or too little and avoid downtime.
Drones do all this by using advanced positioning and terrain filtering technology to measure topographic changes on the ground. For example, they reference physical markers called ground control points (GCPs) that are placed across the construction site and use them to calibrate exact GPS positions. Then using photogrammetry technology, 3D point clouds can be created to remove any unwanted objects from the image. That way, you can measure the exact areas you want with precision.
Aerial photo of earthwork progress of Seacrest Pines housing development in Ocean County, New Jersey
Ultimately, this type of detailed earthwork reporting helps the construction project stay on schedule and leads to fewer unplanned expenses. With more accurate measurements come fewer costly errors.
4. Remotely Viewing the Site
Any large residential construction project will have many stakeholders—investors, local governments, construction managers, and more. To keep everyone up to date, you can have drones perform a quick flyover to capture aerial footage that can be viewed remotely. This saves stakeholders hours of time from needing to travel to the site and physically walk through the entire development.
“Remote optics allows someone to stream the feed from a drone or a handheld camera so multiple users can view it at the same time. I’m there flying the drone and the device—usually an iPad—that is helping manage and fly the drone is streaming through a 5G or 4G so everyone can view it from their web browser.”
- Michael Vachon, CTI Manager
Drone data can be live-streamed or it can be uploaded to the cloud to be accessed by team members on their own time. This allows project managers and asset owners to keep tabs on the construction project wherever they are. And it can provide essential updates on subcontractor work, materials, equipment, and so on.
Aerial photo demonstrating construction status of an apartment complex located in Woodbridge, New Jersey
5. Marketing the Community
Lastly, drones can help create first-rate marketing materials to showcase the property’s architecture, location, and community to future residents.
For example, drones can create 360° panorama video tours so prospective tenants can get an in-depth look at the property before visiting it in person. This is great for giving the property website some eye-catching marketing material.
You can even add music and on-screen text to drone footage to give it some extra spark. Anything to impress viewers and give them an exciting perspective. Ultimately, high-quality aerial photos and videos will help bring awareness to the new development during its construction so that it can start gaining the attention of potential buyers. And the drone footage will also help attract new tenants faster so the property can avoid costly vacancies once it’s up and running.
Getting Started: Drone Photography for New Construction Home Builders
Now that you know some of the amazing benefits of using drones in residential construction, you may wonder what the next step is.
If you want to start using drones in residential construction, first decide on whether to invest in an in-house drone program or to outsource to a professional drone contractor. There are pros and cons to both options, but a lot depends on your frequency of flights and scope of deliverables.
An in-house drone program will require a big upfront investment in new equipment, pilot training, and licensing, while hiring a professional drone service provider like The Drone Life may be the more cost-effective way to get started.
We offer industry-leading drone photography for new construction home builders, keep tabs on all the FAA laws regarding drone use in construction, and have years of experience helping clients document project sites.
If you want to learn more, feel free to schedule a free consultation with one of our expert drone pilots today!
What's included in YOUR GUIDE...
A Proven Roadmap of Success for Implementing Drones in Construction.
A List of Red Flags to Avoid When Hiring Drone Service Providers.
How to Persuade Your Leadership Team to Leverage Drones on Every Jobsite.
