Construction
The one who leaves cable inside the wall
Your work is visible for three days. After that it is behind a wall and exists only if somebody photographed it.
You run the line, leave it as it should be and move to the next job. Three days later the drylining crew comes through and **your work disappears for good**. From that moment, anything anyone claims about what is inside that wall —you included— is a claim with nothing behind it, unless somebody recorded something before it was closed.
The window in which anything can be proved
| Moment | What can be seen | Cost of putting it on record |
|---|---|---|
| While being executed | Everything | Seconds |
| Executed and not yet covered | Everything | Seconds |
| Covered | Nothing | Opening the wall |
| **Under warranty, two years on** | **Nothing** | **Opening it, and arguing who pays** |
Important
**What is recorded before covering is not done out of bureaucracy: it is done because it is the last time the work exists visually.** That is the whole difference between a claim closed in a morning and one that starts with a hammer. And it is literally thirty seconds per room, done by the person already standing there, with the phone already in their pocket.
What is worth recording, and what is not
- 1
The run before closing, room by room
One photo per room with something identifying it. Nothing more is needed.
- 2
Whatever departs from the drawing
It is what nobody can find later and what costs most.
- 3
Whatever you found badly done by someone else
Before you cover it, because afterwards it becomes yours.
- 4
And keep it off the phone of whoever took it
The foreman's camera roll is not the project archive.
Watch out
The case that moves most money in this position is not a failure of yours: **it is someone else's failure attributed to you because yours is the work nobody can see**. Damp appears, or something does not work, and whatever is behind the wall becomes the default suspect. With no record the argument is settled by elimination, and whoever can show nothing loses. With four dated photos, the conversation lasts as long as it takes to look at them.
Worth knowing
What installation documentation must be issued, who signs it and what checks must be recorded **is determined by the applicable rules and each project's supervising team, and settled by your adviser or professional body**. Here we cover the practical part: how to evidence what was executed in the only moment when it is possible.
›Does a phone photo count?
It counts for a great deal, especially if it is dated and stored where it will not be lost.
›Do I have to photograph everything?
Whatever is going to be covered, and whatever departed from the drawing. The rest is optional.
›What if the fault was someone else's and I covered it?
Which is why it pays to record it before covering, not after being asked.
A real case
The situation
The wall is closed and no record remains of what was installed.
What you do
- Allows capturing photos from a phone at the workface
What you get
The record is made in the only moment when it is possible.
The situation
A problem appears and what cannot be seen is suspected.
What you do
- Keeps captures with their date and location
What you get
The argument is settled by looking rather than opening.
The situation
The photos stay on the phone of whoever took them.
What you do
- Stores captures in the project file
What you get
The record outlives the change of personnel.
The situation
The route departs from the drawing and nobody notes it.
What you do
- Records the deviation at the moment of execution
What you get
Whoever comes later knows what is really inside.
The situation
Someone else's poor work is covered up with no record.
What you do
- Records what was found before covering it
What you get
Another trade's defect is not inherited by silence.
The situation
Under warranty they ask about an installation from two years ago.
What you do
- Keeps the record tied to the project and the date
What you get
It is answered with what was captured then.
This article answers
- how to prove what i installed before it was covered
- photos of installation before closing the wall
- claim about an installation nobody can see
- recording what was executed on site