When Jonathan Zeissler of Evansdale, Iowa was laid off from his job at John Deere Tractor Cab Assembly, he saw it as a unique business opportunity.

Zeissler has recently had a home inspector come to check out his house, but to his dismay, the inspector did not get up on his roof because it was too tall.

It sparked an idea for Zeissler.

He invested $1,500 in a Phantom 3 drone with a camera on its belly and spent several months learning to use it. Then, he opened Illuminate Inspections LLC, the area’s first drone-assisted roof inspection service.

“The personal experience of having a home inspector inspecting a home I was buying, not being able to get a report on the roof was the number one driver, once I decided to go into business for myself as a home inspector,” Zeissler told the WCF Courier, who reported on the story.

“How can I not do that for my clients? That’s when I investigated the costs and how user-friendly it would be. This would work perfectly and take care of that problem.”

He even offers his clients a complementary aerial shot of their home, which he says most people love.

Zeissler’s certainly not the first to use drones in the home inspection business, but he’s evidence of a growing trend.

Do you or would you use a drone during your home inspections? Let us know on Twitter @Inspector_Pages.