It’s amazing what apps are available now with smart phones. One of best ones recently available for those of us in the construction industry, is the thermal imaging app (or infrared camera app) now available for Android & iOS phones. The app works with a plug-in device. By the way, it’s not free, but I think it’s still well worth taking a look at. FLIR is probably one of the premier infrared (IR) technology leaders in the market and their stuff has been very pricey in the past, but now they’re retailing their little IR smart phone do-hickie, (called the ‘FLIR ONE’ personal thermal imager) for about $250. But, as with anything, there are other knock-offs of this same smart phone technology which you can find for under $100.
Now think about the leverage you could have if you were able to see into the walls and underside of the roof when purchasing that foreclosure or pricing out that renovation job – and that’s just the tip of the iceberg with IR technology. You can see where expensive heated or air conditioned air is escaping,or where where warm or cold air is entering through poorly sealed windows and doors. Checking electric panels for hot spots might reveal grounding issues or loose panel lugs. You can observe water damaged walls with it, ceilings and floors, pipe leaks in a floor slab, duct leaks, … and the list goes on. You get the idea.
This could be a very useful tool for selling your service to the owner or fine tuning that cost estimate without having to ‘pad’ the bid price to cover the ‘risk of the unknown’, (which only makes you less competitive at winning the bid). Beside all of this, I can’t see paying for an expensive inspection ever again. For a hundred bucks, I think this smart phone technology is an instant pay-back for builders and contractors.