Why documentation matters in a defect dispute
Construction defect matters often turn on conditions that will not last. Repairs proceed, finishes are replaced, and assemblies that were opened for inspection are closed again. Once a condition is gone, the photographs and video are what remain.
Building inspection and field documentation are among the most important aspects of construction defect conflict resolution. A clear visual record lets everyone in a matter see the same conditions, including people who never visited the site. That shared view is the starting point for productive discussion.
Photo and video documentation is one of the services de Haan & Associates provides, and it goes hand in hand with building inspection in our field investigations. Together they form the record that the rest of a matter relies on.
Trial-ready exhibits
We use state-of-the-art cameras and video documentation techniques to provide trial-ready exhibits. The aim is a record that can move from the investigation to a mediation, an arbitration hearing, or a courtroom. Exhibits in construction matters commonly include photographs, video clips, and annotated images.
A judge, jury, or arbitrator may have no construction background. Well-chosen images can show how an assembly was built, where water entered, and what a repair would involve, often more directly than words alone. An image placed beside a drawing or detail can show the gap between design and construction.
Exhibits also support the expert who presents them. Gregg de Haan, our founder and principal, prepares field testing data for trial and appears at trial as an expert witness for owners and builders. A clear exhibit lets an expert point to the evidence itself while explaining it.
Part of a complete field investigation
Photo documentation is one part of a broader field investigation. Our highly skilled field personnel identify and document defects, and we generate comprehensive field reports, photo documentation, conceptual repair scopes, and cost estimates promptly.
Gregg de Haan leads field investigations and gathers field data. Visual records help connect that data to the locations and conditions it describes, and a photograph often anchors a finding in the report.
Documentation can cover any of our investigative specialties. These range from cement plaster and siding, roofing, and windows and doors to decks, podium slabs, site drainage, and mechanical and plumbing systems. Where windows and doors are involved, our specialties include product and installation water testing.
What makes construction photo documentation useful
Good documentation generally does more than collect pictures. Each image is most useful when it can be tied to a location, a condition, and a stage of the investigation, so a reader can follow the record without guesswork. A simple log or key that relates images to plan sheets makes the record easier to use.
Video can add what still photographs miss, such as the sequence of a test, the movement of water, or the relationship between building elements across a wall or roof. Together, the two give a fuller account of the site.
Context matters as well. Wide views that show where a condition sits on the building, paired with close views of the condition itself, help a viewer understand both scale and detail. Consistent naming and dating of files also matter when a record is shared among parties.
For every party in a dispute
We are retained by attorneys, insurance carriers, building owners, homeowner associations, and contractors in California, Arizona, and Montana. Our goals in any dispute are clarity and accuracy, and an organized visual record serves both.
Our documentation supports each forum in which we provide expert witness services: settlement conferences, mediations, arbitrations, depositions, and trial. The same images can serve a settlement brief, an expert meeting, and a trial exhibit.
Because each side in a dispute may rely on the same images, documentation is most valuable when it is complete and even-handed. Recording conditions as they are found, including typical as well as severe examples, gives every reader a fair picture.
What we examine
- 01Cement plaster, wood siding, and composite siding
- 02Roofing and sheet metal
- 03Windows and doors
- 04Decks and podium slabs
- 05Subgrade waterproofing and site drainage
- 06Concrete and masonry
- 07Electrical, mechanical, and plumbing systems
What you receive
- Photo documentation
- Video documentation
- Trial-ready exhibits
- Comprehensive field reports