The Hidden Cost of DIY Aerial Targets: Is Making Your Own Really Saving Money?

The Hidden Cost of DIY Aerial Targets: Is Making Your Own Really Saving Money?

For years, surveyors have built their own aerial targets using whatever materials were inexpensive and readily available. Tar paper, roofing felt, Tyvek®, plywood, plastic sheeting, canvas, and even old political signs have all found their way into the backs of survey trucks.

At first glance, making your own targets seems like a smart business decision.

After all, a roll of tar paper may only cost a few dollars, and a gallon of paint can produce dozens of targets.

But are you really saving money?

The answer depends on whether you're accounting for the cost that most firms overlook:

The value of your time.


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What Does It Really Take to Build Your Own Targets?

Many surveyors think only about material costs. They compare the price of a commercially manufactured target with the cost of a roll of roofing felt or Tyvek® and conclude that building targets is cheaper.

However, that's only part of the equation.

The actual process usually looks something like this:

Step 1: Source Materials

First, someone has to obtain the materials.

This often means:

  • Driving to a home improvement store
  • Searching for roofing felt or tar paper
  • Purchasing paint
  • Finding stakes or fasteners
  • Purchasing Tyvek®, canvas, or other fabric materials
  • Loading and transporting materials back to the office

Even a quick material run can easily consume an hour or more depending on travel time and store availability.

How much is a surveyor's time worth during that hour?


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Step 2: Build the Targets

Once the materials are acquired, somebody has to:

  • Measure the target dimensions
  • Mark layout lines
  • Cut the material
  • Create center crosses or checkerboard patterns
  • Apply paint
  • Allow paint to dry
  • Flip and repaint if necessary
  • Quality check finished targets

For a batch of 20 targets, it is not uncommon to spend several additional hours in fabrication.

At this stage, what appeared to be a $10-$20 material project may have already consumed half a day of labor.


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Step 3: Storage and Transportation

Now the targets must be stored somewhere.

Anyone who has used tar paper or painted Tyvek® knows the challenges:

  • Large targets consume vehicle space
  • Painted surfaces can stick together
  • Rolled materials crease over time
  • Paint cracks and peels
  • Moisture can damage stored materials

Suddenly, your "cheap" target solution has become another item that requires inventory management and storage space.


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The Tyvek® Option: Durable, But Still Labor Intensive

Tyvek® is a popular DIY target material because it is lightweight, durable, and weather resistant.

Many surveyors use house-wrap material to create custom aerial targets.

While Tyvek® solves some durability issues associated with tar paper, it introduces another reality:

It still must be fabricated.

You still need to:

  • Buy the material
  • Transport it
  • Cut it
  • Mark it
  • Paint it
  • Store it
  • Transport it into the field

The labor portion of the process does not disappear.

In many cases, labor becomes the most expensive component of the target.


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Let's Talk About Labor Costs

Survey firms often have highly skilled staff constructing targets.

Consider the following question:

Would you rather have a survey professional:

  • Building targets in the shop?

OR

  • Performing billable work?

A crew chief, survey technician, project surveyor, or principal surveyor typically generates significantly more value performing surveying tasks than painting target panels.

Let's assume a fully burdened labor rate between $75 and $150 per hour.

If it takes:

  • 1 hour to source materials
  • 2 hours to fabricate targets
  • 1 hour to organize and transport them

You may have already invested $300 to $600 in labor before the targets even touch the ground.

And that estimate doesn't include overhead, vehicle costs, or project delays.


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The Hidden Cost Nobody Talks About: Retrieval

Many traditional targets require retrieval after the project is complete.

That means:

  • Returning to the site
  • Finding each target
  • Pulling stakes
  • Collecting material
  • Loading the vehicle
  • Transporting everything back

For remote sites, this can represent another half-day of labor.

When evaluating target costs, many firms forget to include the cleanup trip entirely.

Yet it may represent one of the largest expenses associated with the entire process.


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The Set-and-Forget Alternative

Commercially manufactured fabric panels eliminate most of this hidden labor.

Instead of spending half a day sourcing and constructing targets, they arrive ready for deployment.

Simply:

  • Unpack
  • Stake down
  • Fly the mission
  • Complete the project

No cutting.

No painting.

No drying time.

No fabrication labor.

And for biodegradable fabric panels, potentially no retrieval requirement depending on project conditions and client requirements.

The result is less shop time, greater field productivity, and more focus on revenue-generating work.


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What Is Your Time Worth?

Too often, purchasing decisions are based only on material price.

A roll of roofing felt might cost less than a manufactured target.

A piece of Tyvek® may seem inexpensive.

A gallon of paint can go a long way.

But labor is rarely free.

When you factor in:

  • Material sourcing
  • Fabrication time
  • Transportation
  • Storage
  • Maintenance
  • Retrieval

The actual cost of a DIY target can exceed the purchase price of a professionally manufactured fabric panel.

The question isn't:

"What does this target cost?"

The better question is:

"What does my time cost?"


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The Bottom Line

Surveyors are experts at measuring value.

When evaluating aerial targets, don't focus solely on material costs.

Measure the entire process:

✅ Procurement
✅ Fabrication
✅ Transportation
✅ Deployment
✅ Retrieval
✅ Labor

Only then can you determine which solution is truly the most economical.

For many firms, the answer is surprising.

The cheapest target isn't always the one with the lowest purchase price.

Often, it's the one that allows your crew to spend less time building targets and more time surveying.

Surveying Guru Eco Panels are designed with exactly that philosophy in mind: Set them. Fly them. Move on to the next project.


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Call to Action

How many hours does your firm spend each year building, painting, transporting, and retrieving aerial targets?

If the answer is more than you think, it may be time to calculate the true cost of DIY.

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