If you’re a residential builder in Allen, McKinney, Plano, Frisco, Celina, Anna, Melissa, Fairview, or Prosper, you already know drone progress monitoring pays for itself. The real question in 2025 isn’t “Should I use drones?” It’s “How often should I fly them to get the biggest return with the least spend?”
Here’s the exact data on weekly, bi-weekly, and milestone-only schedules, including hard numbers on cost, risk reduction, marketing ROI, and owner satisfaction.
The Three Main Options (and What They Actually Cost in 2025)
| Schedule | Avg. Flights per 7-Month Build | Typical Price per Flight (DM Aerials 2025) | Total Project Cost | Best For |
| Weekly | 28-32 | $169-$189 | $4800-$5800 | High-end custom, tight lots, picky owners |
| Bi-Weekly | 14-16 | $189-$219 | $2700-$3400 | Most custom & semi-custom (sweet spot) |
| Milestone only | 6-9 | $249-295 | $1600-$2400 | Tract production, very experienced supers |
Yes, weekly is actually cheaper per-flight cheaper because we can batch routes and automate more. Milestone flights cost more each time because we treat them like one-offs (custom scheduling, extra editing, etc.).
1. Weekly Drone Flights – The “Zero-Surprise” Schedule
Average total spend: ~$5,200
Who wins biggest:
- Luxury custom builders ($800k–$3M homes)
- Homes on difficult/tight lots (zero-margin for error)
- Owners who demand Friday photo dumps
- Builders who have been burned by subs in the past
Real savings & ROI we’ve measured:
- 11 hours saved per month in superintendent time (no driving between jobs for photos)
- Average of 2.7 change-order disputes prevented per job (worth $4k–$25k each)
- 41% faster draw approvals (banks love the frequency)
- Marketing reuse: 25–30 social posts + 1 full time-lapse video automatically
One Frisco custom builder told us last quarter: “I used to lose every Friday to owner calls asking ‘where are we?’ Now I just forward the link and go fishing.”
2. Bi-Weekly Drone Flights – The 80/20 Sweet Spot
Average total spend: ~$3,100 (most popular by far)
This is the schedule 68% of our current clients choose, and for good reason.
You still catch:
- Foundation to slab
- Framing complete
- Dried-in (roof + windows)
- Mechanical rough complete
- Drywall hung
- Exterior finishes
- Final landscaping
That’s every major draw and every owner “wow” moment with zero gaps big enough to hide a $15k mistake.
Measured benefits vs weekly:
- Saves builders ~$2,000–$2,700 per house vs weekly
- Still prevents 92% of the disputes weekly would catch
- Still gives you 14–16 perfect marketing shots instead of 30 (still plenty)
- Owners stay ecstatic (they get updates every other Friday like clockwork)
If you build 10–40 homes a year in the $500k–$1.2M range, bi-weekly is almost always the profit-maximizing choice.
3. Milestone-Only Drone Flights – The Budget Option That Can Bite
Average total spend: ~$2,000
Typical milestones we fly:
- Pre-pour (forms set)
- Slab complete
- Framing complete
- Dried-in
- Mechanical rough
- Pre-drywall (optional)
- Exterior complete
- Final punch-out
Who still chooses this:
- Large production builders with iron-clad supers and in-house photographers
- Very low-margin spec homes
- Builders who already take excellent ground photos
The hidden costs we see:
- 3–6 extra days per draw waiting on third-party inspectors (lenders are slower with sparse documentation)
- 3× higher chance of a surprise $8k–$40k change order between flights
- Zero in-between marketing content (you miss the “watching it rise” emotional hook)
- Owners feel disconnected — we’ve literally get calls from homeowners begging us to add flights
One Celina production builder tried milestone-only for six months in 2024, then switched to bi-weekly after losing two sales because competing builders had better progress galleries.
Side-by-Side Money Comparison (Average 2,800 sq ft Home, 7-Month Build)
| Category | Weekly | Bi-Weekly | Milestone-Only |
| Drone service cost | $5,200 | $3,100 | $2,000 |
| Superintendent photo time saved | 77 hours | 42 hours | 12 hours |
| Value of time saved (@$65/hr) | $5,005 | $2,730 | $780 |
| Avg. change-order losses avoided | $12,000 | $9,500 | $3,200 |
| Faster draw interest savings | $2,800 | $1,900 | $400 |
| Extra sales from marketing | $18,000–$40k | $12,000–$25k | ~$4,000 |
| Net financial impact | +$32k–$55k | +$23k–$39k | +$6k–$9k |
Even after paying for the service, bi-weekly still puts $23,000–$39,000 extra in your pocket on average. Weekly wins on million-dollar homes. Milestone-only barely breaks even once you count the hidden costs.
Our 2025 Recommendation by Builder Type
| Builder Type | Best Schedule | Why |
| Custom $800k–$3M | Weekly | Owners expect it, margins support it |
| Custom/Semi-custom $450k–$1.2M | Bi-Weekly | Perfect balance of cost vs protection |
| Small production (10–50/yr) | Bi-Weekly | Marketing ROI alone justifies it |
| Large production (100+/yr) | Milestone + internal ground photos | Only if you already have tight systems |
| Spec/Investor flips | Milestone | Speed trumps documentation |
The Easiest Way to Choose Yours
Answer these three questions:
- Do my owners ask for progress photos more than once a month? → Go weekly or bi-weekly.
- Have I lost money in the last two years on something I would have seen from the air? → Move up one level.
- Do I want social/media content that makes competitors jealous? → Bi-weekly minimum.