written 5/19/25, updated 5/19/25

Sometimes you want to view your roof. You don’t want to pay a professional to come do it you don’t have to, but you also want to know if there’s damage that needs to be addressed. Say, you live in house with more than one-story and you really don’t have a ladder nor want to climb that high, or you simply don’t feel comfortable on one (especially by yourself! I knew a capable, single man whose ladder kicked out and he landed on his feet 2 stories down which fractured both ankles and his back. True story). Here are some options available to you without costing an arm and a leg or a back monetarily and physically (hopefully).

Methods

Disclaimer: There are many different types of situations and house configurations out there. Also, I am NOT a professional, just a DIYer in a townhouse.

Camera on Stick – Easiest, Cheapest Method

Materials: Livestreaming Camera, Pole (broom, garden, PVC pipe, anything solid and strong), Duct Tape, Phone/Viewing Screen

Cost: You can get a decent camera (beware unreputable brands and apps in case they release malware into your home internet system) for less than $15, Dollar Tree sells broom handles and tape for $1.25 each. Assuming you own a smartphone and nothing else, you can do this for under $20.

Instructions:

• Most houses these days have wi-fi connected security cameras that can livestream, a broom or some other strong pole(s), and tape
• Decide on the best place to view your roof from (e.g. upstairs window)
• Duct tape your camera to the tip of the pole, making sure it’s secure
• If you need height, duct tape together a few of them making sure the pole overlap is enough to stay strong when you extend it
• Open the camera app and start livestreaming the camera
• If you want to and have the function, hit the “Record” button
• Extend your camera-on-a-stick towards the roof with a firm grip, and inspect it
• Watch video on phone later

DONE. Easy Peasy.

Drone

Materials: Drone, Phone

Cost: At least $200 for a decent drone (any less and it’s worthless and possible security risk), $15 subscription fee for app

Would be fine if you already have a good quality drone or want one to begin with, but I wasn’t paying $200-400 for a drone just to look at the roof. Instead, I spent 2 weekends trying this fancy method with 2 cheap drones ($130 together) before I realized I wasted good money. This is useful and easy only if you already have a decent quality drone and/or live in a one-story house. My first drone could fly decently, but the app (3rd party separate from the drone seller) not only failed to load, but tried to hack into the internet system of my house both times I tried to unsuccessfully launch it. So, I got a second drone with its own viewing screen and no need to connect an app, but the drone itself was utter garbage and was impossible to fly. Absolute waste of money. Determined to make it work, I paid for the smallest camera ($42.99) I could find (after hours of scanning the internet) that didn’t need phone connection to work, just an SD card. I taped it to my first drone and tried to fly that up to the roof. Terrified that it would fly off on its own (I’m not very good at flying drones, so I crash often), I tied a string to it, but it didn’t matter in the end because the range between the controller and drone was about 1 story tops. Total FAILURE and an utter waste of money ($172.97. OUCH)! The only good things that came about this is that, 1) Now I know I don’t really care to fly drones anymore, and 2) It’s a fun gadget to antagonize the dog with.

Instruction: Very simple

• Connect drone to phone
• Fly up
• View roof
• Don’t Crash
• Review footage

Complete!

Others

Similar to the drone, you could try a Rock Crawler RC Car with a camera either built-in or taped to it. It’s easier to control than a drone, especially the slower speed of the Rock Crawlers, though beware the tilt of the roof, if you can lift it onto the roof with a grabber arm or something. Just don’t drive off the edge! I’d tie a string or fishing line around it in case it does (just don’t get it tangled in the wheels).

An Endoscope could be useful? You could shove it along the roof? It’s flexible enough to snake around things, though the small field of view might not be so great.

Pet Rat with Camera and Leash… Maybe not. A hawk might get it.

You could hire someone to permanently mount a Solar Powered Camera somewhere up there, like the chimney. That way you can view it at any time. Weather could be a problem, as well as retrieving it if you needed to.