Photograph the works before they are covered up

Almost everything that later becomes contentious is hidden behind a finished surface. A five-minute photographic routine at each stage removes most of that ambiguity permanently.

The stages worth capturing

• Excavation and foundations before concrete
• Drainage runs and connections before backfill
• Damp proof course and membranes
• Structural steels, padstones and connections
• First fix electrics and plumbing before boarding
• Insulation and vapour control layers
• Floor build-up before screed

How to make it stick

• One person owns the routine, so it does not depend on who is on site
• Take a wide shot for context and a close shot for detail
• Include something for scale where dimensions matter
• Upload the same day, while you still remember what you were looking at

Photographs attached to the project record, with dates preserved, remain useful long after the phone they were taken on has been replaced.

Project Passport keeps these records together in one permanent digital record of your property, so the drawings, approvals, certificates, warranties and photographs of every project stay findable years after the work finishes. It is an independent record-keeping platform: it complements, and does not replace, Building Control, HM Land Registry, conveyancers or professional advice.