Construction Progress

The contractor's percent complete, and what the drone saw.

A weekly drone capture measured against your schedule of values, delivered as a progress map you can lay beside the pay application before the draw goes out.

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Schematic site plan: a building footprint on a structural grid, with observed progress tinted and the scheduled front drawn as a dashed line 123456789ABCDE
ObservedScheduledSchematic, not a real project.
GSD
UAV / <10 cm
Cadence
Weekly
Platform
Drone / crewed aircraft
Spectral
RGB

Where a draw review runs out of ground

The pay application arrives with a percent complete on every line of the schedule of values. You check it against invoices, lien waivers and change orders, then walk the site once around the draw date and take photos. Framing, roofing and site work all have to be judged from wherever you can stand, on that one day. A roof is a number on a page from the ground.

So you sign off on a percentage you mostly believe, the lender funds against it, and if a line was front-loaded you learn about it draws later, when the money for the work left is short.

Roof trusses on a house under construction, seen from the deck below

One draw review, step by step

  1. AReading the percent column

    The pay application and site walk

    The G703 shows the contractor's percent complete for each line. You test it against invoices, lien waivers and what you saw on the walk.

    With Construction Progress

    Each schedule-of-values line that shows above grade gets an observed percent complete beside the claimed one, with the as-of date of the flight it came from.

    Still yours

    Lines with nothing to see from the air, such as permits, insurance and general conditions, and any work below grade or inside the building.

  2. BThe site walk

    The pay application and site walk

    One visit near the draw date, covering whatever you can reach and photograph.

    With Construction Progress

    A capture of the whole site every week, at the same coverage each time, so the record does not depend on what you could see that day.

    Still yours

    Being on site for quality, safety and anything that needs a person in the room.

  3. CThe photo set in the draw file

    The pay application and site walk

    A dated folder of photos, hard to line up from one month to the next.

    With Construction Progress

    A progress map layer for each week. Lay this week over last and see what was added.

  4. DSpotting slip against the schedule

    The pay application and site walk

    The contractor's updated schedule and what comes up at the progress meeting.

    With Construction Progress

    Schedule variance by milestone, observed against planned.

    Still yours

    Deciding what a variance means for the loan and raising it with the contractor.

  5. EThe draw memo

    The pay application and site walk

    A written narrative and photos, with the percent complete as your own judgment.

    With Construction Progress

    A CSV tied to the schedule of values that you can attach to the memo, with the as-of date of the last capture.

    Still yours

    The recommendation to fund, hold or reduce, and the lien waivers, change orders and retainage arithmetic.

What arrives each week

  • CSV

    Observed percent complete

    One row per schedule-of-values line that shows above grade, with the observed percent, the claimed percent you supply, and the as-of date. Weekly. It replaces the guesswork in the first ledger row and goes straight into the draw memo.

    RowA
  • Table

    Schedule variance by milestone

    Observed against planned for each milestone in your schedule, weekly. It answers the fourth row of the comparison.

    RowD
  • Georeferenced map

    Progress map layer

    The site-wide picture with completed work tinted over the plan, one layer per week. It takes the place of the photo folder.

    RowC
  • CSV

    Export tied to your schedule of values

    The same figures keyed to your schedule of values line numbers so they sit next to the G703 without retyping.

    RowE

How it works

  1. Setup

    Before the first flight

    You send the site boundary and the schedule of values. We match the lines to what a drone can see and tell you which lines have nothing to measure.

  2. Weeks 1-4

    Each week

    A drone or aerial flight covers the site. If weather blocks it, the capture moves to the next clear window and the as-of date says so.

  3. After each flight

    Measured and compared

    Progress is measured against your schedule and set beside the last capture.

  4. Draw date

    Before the draw goes out

    You receive the latest observed percent, the variance table and the map. Open them next to the pay application.

  5. Next month

    Next draw

    The record carries forward. The following month starts from the last as-of date rather than from a blank folder.

Limits

These are the things the old walk still does better.

Timber framing for a house going up under an overcast sky, lumber stacked in front
Above grade only
The drone sees what is visible from the air. Foundations already backfilled, interior finishes and MEP rough-in are not measured.
Weather moves the date
A weekly capture is a target. Rain, wind or a delayed flight pushes it to the next clear window, and a draw may fall between two flights.
Some lines have nothing to see
General conditions, insurance, bonds and fees show on the schedule of values with no visible progress. Those stay on your desk.
Stored materials
Materials in a warehouse or laydown yard off the site boundary are outside the capture.
An observed data point, not a certification
The observed percent feeds your own draw review. It carries no contractual or legal weight and does not replace your judgment or the architect's certification.
Under 10 cm is a floor
That is the ground sample distance of the capture. Small fixtures, fine finishes and hairline defects will not show.

Who it's for

Switch if you

  • Review pay applications for an owner or a lender and want a percent complete you did not get from the contractor.
  • Walk the site once a month and know the draw depends on what you could see that day.
  • Need the observed figure keyed to the schedule of values, not another photo folder.

Stay with the pay application and site walk if you

  • Need interior, below-grade or MEP progress measured.
  • Want a legal certification of completion or a forecast completion date.
  • Are looking for a replacement for the contractor's own pay application.

Questions from draw reviewers

Does this replace the contractor's own reporting?

No. It sits beside the pay application as a second reading of the same lines.

What if it rains or the flight slips?

Capture moves to the next clear window, and each figure carries its as-of date. Weekly cadence leaves room for a short slip.

Can it see inside the building or below grade?

No. This is above-grade, visible-progress capture only.

Does the percent complete carry contractual weight?

No. It is an observed data point that feeds your own draw review.

Can you match our schedule of values line items?

Yes. Your schedule of values is the reference the observed progress is measured against, and the export uses your line numbers.

How do we check it against what we see on site?

Compare the map and the CSV with your own walk and photos from the same week. If a line looks wrong, tell us and we will look at that capture again.

Who owns the imagery, and can the contractor see it?

Terms for the imagery and derived files are set in the contract before work starts. Who receives the weekly package is your decision.

How is it priced?

Each site is scoped and quoted on its own, based on the site and the length of the project. You get a written scope to take through your own approval.

Send the schedule of values and the site boundary.

Ask about your schedule in the chat, or start with one.

Get started