Photos of hidden work: what to shoot before the walls are closed

What to photograph and when

Window replacement

• Install the windows. Photograph the tapes before the reveals are finished - without them the joint freezes.

Partitions

• Install backing in drywall partitions. Photograph the backing with a tape measure in the shot: once boarded, it can't be added or found.
• Record the result. The contractor takes the photos before closing, the owner or designer reviews them: the photos show where backing and cables are.

Plumbing

• Run the water supply pipes. Photograph the pipe routes before the walls are closed.
• Record the result. The contractor takes the photos before plastering and boxing, the owner or designer reviews them: you'll need them many years from now.

Electrical

• Install the electrical panel. Photograph the panel diagram - you'll need it for any fault.
• Bond the bathroom: protection from electric shock. Photograph the box and conductors before closing: this is protection from electric shock (PUE 7.1.88).
• Record the result. The contractor shoots before plastering, the owner or designer checks: with a shot like this a cable is found five years later.

Air conditioning

• Run refrigerant lines. Photograph the lines with a tape measure in the shot before plastering: they'll be found from the photo when drilling.

Rough finishing

• Board the second side of drywall partitions. Before boarding, photograph the cables and backing inside the partition.
• Photograph the window joints before the reveals. Without the inner tape the joint freezes and the reveal gets damp - after plastering it can't be fixed.
• Install concealed door frames. Photograph the frames, level, before skimming.

Floor preparation and screed

• Photograph the sound insulation before closing. A single rigid link cancels out sound insulation, and it can only be seen before closing.
• Check and protect pipes and cables in the floor. Photograph the routes before the screed is poured.
• Install the floor drain or channel body. Photograph the height and connection: the screed makes the fall to the drain, after it the drain can't be moved.
• Lay the heating cable under the screed. Photograph the layout with a tape measure and write down the resistance - the warranty asks for both.
• Record the result. The contractor shoots before the pour, the owner or designer checks.

Waterproofing

• Photograph the waterproofing. After tiling the waterproofing can't be seen - the photo remains the proof.

Ceilings

• Record the result. The contractor shoots before boarding, the owner or designer checks.

Tiling

• Lay heating mats under the tiles. Photograph the layout with a tape measure and write down the resistance - the warranty asks for both.

Stretch ceiling

• Photograph the space above the ceiling. Under the membrane the services become inaccessible - the photo shows where they are.

Who takes the photos and when the work is accepted

The contractor takes the photos: they're on site while the work is still exposed. The owner or designer reviews the photos and accepts the work before the next layer goes on (plaster, screed, tiles or boarding): after that, anything can only be fixed by opening it up. That's why stages with hidden work have a photo before closing, as a separate item (“Record the result”, “Photograph…”) or as a tip on the work item, and acceptance before the next layer.

How to take photos that will be useful

• Shoot the whole wall from corner to corner, then close-ups of the junctions and turns of the lines.
• Put a tape measure from the corner or the floor in the shot: the photo will then help you find the spot.
• Note which room and which wall it is.
• Keep the photos by stage, not in your phone's general gallery.