What the drone sees on a Clyde North roof at handover
Cracked tiles, unfinished capping and damaged flashings are invisible from the driveway. Why we fly the roof at every Clyde North handover.
In short: Owners judge a new roof from the ground, where it always looks fine. From the air, Clyde North handover roofs regularly show cracked tiles, unfinished hip capping and damaged vent flashings.
Why not walk the roof?
Many Clyde North homes are double storey with steep concrete tile roofs. Walking them is unsafe and can crack the tiles you are inspecting. A drone gets within a metre of every ridge, valley and penetration without anyone stepping on it.
What turns up
Across 2025 and 2026 Clyde North handovers the drone has shown broken and cracked tiles, hip end capping left unfinished, and vent flashings damaged or poorly sealed. In August 2026 one hip end was open enough that rain would reach the roof space in the next storm.
How these happen
Roofs are walked by other trades after the roofer leaves: solar installers, antenna installers, the person fitting the heating flue. Tiles crack under a boot and capping gets disturbed. Nobody reports it because nobody sees it.
Inside the roof as well
The roof space gets checked from the manhole where it is safe. Heating ducts loose or never connected are a regular Clyde North handover item, and they explain the bedroom that never warms up.
Getting it fixed
Each item goes on the list with a photo and location on the roof plan. A roofer can replace tiles and complete capping in a short visit, and it should happen before you pay the final claim.
Written by our local inspection team from work carried out in Clyde North. Licensed building practitioners, Building & Plumbing Commission registration CDB-U 53425.
