What a site visit report is for
A site visit report is the written record of one trip to site. It tells your client what has moved, tells the contractor what you asked for, and tells your future self what was true on that day.
It has three readers, and each wants something different. The client wants progress and the decisions they need to make. The contractor wants a clear list of actions. Your studio wants a record it can rely on months later, when someone asks when a crack first appeared, or who agreed to move a socket.
That is why the best reports are short, factual and written the same way every time. A reader should be able to find the actions in ten seconds.
Before you go
Five minutes of preparation makes the visit, and the report, much easier.
- Read the last report and list its open actions. You will check each one on site.
- Check which stage the job should be at, so you can compare the plan with what you see.
- Have the current drawings with you, on paper or on your phone.
- Tell the contractor when you are coming if you need someone there to answer questions.
- Charge your phone and clear some storage. No battery means no photos.
What to record on every visit
Use the same headings on every report. Readers learn where to look, and you never forget a part.
| Heading | What to write | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Date and time | When you were on site | 14 March, 10:30 to 11:15 |
| Who was there | Names and roles | Leo (contractor), Mia (client), Sam (electrician) |
| Conditions | Only if they affect the work | Heavy rain, roof work stopped |
| Progress | What changed since the last visit, area by area | First-floor walls built. Kitchen plastered. |
| Issues | Defects, risks, and work that does not match the drawings | Shower floor falls towards the door, not the drain |
| Decisions | What was agreed, and by whom | Mia agreed to move the hall light 300 mm to the left |
| Actions | Who does what, by when | Leo to relay the shower floor by Friday |
| Open from last time | Each earlier action: done or still open | Window sill height: done. Stair edge trim: open. |
Keep progress, issues and decisions apart. A decision hidden inside a progress line is the one that gets missed.
Photo habits that make reports useful
Photos are the strongest part of a site visit report, and the easiest to get wrong. A few habits make them useful for years.
Walk the same route every time
Start at the entrance and go floor by floor, room by room, in the same order on every visit. Your photos then line up from one visit to the next, and progress is easy to compare.
One wide shot, then the detail
Begin each room with a wide shot from the doorway. Then take close-ups of anything you will mention. A close-up on its own hides where the problem is.
Show size and place
Put a tape measure, a hand or a nearby switch in the frame to show size. In the caption, name the room and the wall, such as “kitchen, window wall”, rather than trusting your memory.
Photograph what will be covered
Before plaster, boards, screed or tiles go on, photograph the pipes, cables, fixings and waterproofing underneath. These are the photos people ask for years later, and the only time to take them is now.
Keep the ones that matter
Fifty near-identical photos bury the three that matter. Keep the photos that show change, or that show something someone has to act on.
How to write it so people act on it
- Use short lines, one fact per line.
- Give every action a name and a date. “Contractor to check” is not an action. “Leo to send the revised door list by 20 March” is.
- Write what you saw, not what you guess. “Crack about 1 m long above the kitchen door” is a fact. “Structural movement” is a diagnosis you may not be able to stand behind.
- Say who made each decision, and when.
- Leave out opinions and blame. Assume everyone on the project will read it one day.
- Send it within a day. A report that arrives a week later is history, not a tool.
A site visit report template
Copy this layout and fill it in on site. Leave out any heading with nothing under it, but keep the order the same, visit after visit.
- Project
- Hillside Villa, Lisbon
- Visit
- Visit 12 · 14 March, 10:30 to 11:15
- Present
- Leo (contractor), Mia (client), Sam (electrician)
- Progress
- First-floor walls built. Kitchen plastered. Ground-floor windows fitted.
- Issues
- Main bathroom: shower floor falls towards the door. Two window seals torn on the south side.
- Decisions
- Mia agreed to move the hall light 300 mm to the left, at no extra cost.
- Actions
- Leo: relay the shower floor by 17 March. Sam: move the hall light point before plastering. Studio: send the updated lighting plan by 15 March.
- From last visit
- Window sill height: done. Stair edge trim: still open, Leo to fit by 21 March.
- Photos
- 18 photos, captioned by room
- Next visit
- 21 March
Common mistakes, and how to avoid them
- Writing it days later from memory. Write it on site, or in the car before you drive off.
- Photos with no caption. Name the room and the wall every time.
- Actions with no owner. Every action needs a name and a date.
- Copying last week's report and forgetting to change a line. Start from the template, not from the last report.
- Sending it to only one person. If the contractor and the client both need it, send it to both, at the same time.