Photo Document Existing Conditions

Before you let the contractor start work, make sure to photo document all existing conditions.

When the project’s done, photo documenting existing conditions prevents you from wondering what something looked like before work began.

How to photo-document your project area

Use a digital camera to take pictures of each room’s floors, walls, and ceilings from left to right— and from two opposite viewpoints.

Start at the project entrance and work through the project area from left to right, following the exterior walls. To help remember where you took each picture, make sure to completely photograph each area before moving to the next.

For more clarity, create floor diagrams, and indicate the location and view direction of each picture, with numbered arrows.

These pictures often end up being the only complete record of the pre-construction conditions, so take lots of them—in the end it may still not seem like enough.

Plus, you’ll find you are glad you have them when you are bragging about your success, and describing changes.

TIP: If you are doing demolition photo document conditions often to have a record of all previous conditions.