Job site photos that settle arguments

Shoot the existing condition before you touch anything, every hidden thing before it's covered, and each stage when it's done. Keep them with the job, dated, where you can find them in a year.

A general contractor asked whether others photograph every job, and the replies were full of saves. One contractor's client claimed the crew damaged a floor; the before photos showed the damage was already there, and that was the end of it. Another just wanted a simple way to keep photos organized across many jobs without a heavy app.

What to shoot

• Before you start: every room and surface you'll work in or walk through. Floors, door frames, driveway. Wide shots, then close-ups of anything already damaged.
• Before you close anything up: framing, plumbing, wiring, blocking, waterproofing. This is the work nobody will ever see again.
• Anything you find: rot, old wiring, a cut joist. Before you fix it. See hidden damage.
• Each stage when it's done, from the angles the client will look from.
• Materials as delivered, especially if the client supplied them.

Make them count

A photo on your phone with no date and no job is weak evidence. A photo kept with the job, with the time it was taken, and seen by the client at the time is strong. Show the client the before photos at the start. A client who has seen and acknowledged them won't claim the scratch was yours.

A routine that takes five minutes

Most contractors who stick with photos keep it simple. A walk-through on the first morning before any tools come out. A few shots at the end of each day of whatever is about to be covered. A set at each stage, taken from where the client will stand when they look at it. Keep them with the job rather than mixed in with your camera roll, and name or tag them by stage.

Then use them. Send the client a few each week. It keeps them in the loop, and it means they've already seen the before shots if a question about damage ever comes up.

This is general information, not legal advice. States differ on what a home improvement contract and its changes must contain. Check with your state’s contractor licensing board or an attorney.