Method
Drone vs lift: cost and access tradeoffs
Mobilization, dwell time, and finish quality - how to compare apples to apples.
7 min read · updated 2026-09-22
Unit cost per square foot is a bad primary metric if one method needs two staging days and the other needs one flight window plus ground crew.
Compare mobilization, weather sensitivity, finish standard, and documentation. Soft wash at stand-off is fast on open faces; lifts still own detailed glass and tight coping.
Hybrid scopes are normal. The honest bid shows both tools and why each face got the method it did.
If a proposal only prices the cheap path and footnotes the hard faces, treat that as risk, not savings.
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