Extras get refused for one reason more than any other: the contractor cannot prove the condition that made the extra necessary. By the time the argument happens, the evidence is under a screed.
What makes a photograph evidence
- A date and time that cannot be argued with. A file created date is weak; a record created at capture in a system with an audit trail is strong.
- A location. GPS coordinates tie the photo to the site.
- Context. A close-up of a crack proves nothing without a wider shot showing where it is.
- Scale. A tape measure, a spirit level, or a hand in the frame.
- A sequence. Before, during and after tells a story a single image cannot.
The four moments to photograph without fail
- Before you start. Existing condition of everything you will touch, plus access routes and the client's property. This single habit kills most damage allegations.
- On discovery. The moment you find something unexpected — rot, asbestos, no foundations, undocumented services — stop and photograph it before touching it.
- Before it is covered. Anything about to disappear behind plaster, screed, backfill or boarding.
- At completion. Finished condition of the work and the surrounding area.
Turning photos into a paid variation
The photograph is only half of it. The process is:
- Photograph the condition immediately, before any work on it
- Notify the client or contract administrator the same day, in writing, with the images attached
- Price the additional work and state the programme impact
- Get written approval before doing the work
- Photograph the completed variation
- Reference the approval and images on the invoice
Step four is where money is lost. Work carried out before approval, however obviously necessary, becomes a negotiation rather than an entitlement.
Presenting evidence at final account
A folder of 400 unsorted photos helps nobody. Present each disputed item as a one-page bundle: the variation reference, the date, two or three captioned images, the written notification, and the approval. Quantity surveyors settle items that are easy to verify, and argue about items that are hard work.
The practical system
This only works if the photographs are organised automatically. In SiteClick every photo carries its GPS location and timestamp, files itself into the project, and can be tagged before, after or defect. Variations are raised against the project with the images and the client's timestamped approval attached — so the evidence bundle for the final account already exists.