# Daily logs and job photos: a simple record for every job By James Grokman, CEO, TapeAndFloat · 2026-10-25 · Canonical: https://gc.tapeandfloat.com/guides/daily-logs-job-photos.html **A daily log is one short, factual row per job per workday: who was on site, the weather, the work done, deliveries, inspections, visitors, delays and their cause, what the client asked for, and a link to that day's dated photos, written the same day.** **Free download:** [Daily log & job photo tracker (Excel)](https://tapeandfloat.com/downloads/TapeAndFloat_Daily_Log_Job_Photo_Tracker.xlsx). One row per job per day, a Jobs sheet, and a Missing Logs sheet that marks every workday with no log for each active job. It flags rows with no photos link, delays with no cause, client instructions not turned into a change order, inspections with no result and blank crew counts. Workdays, days off and the lookback window are on a Settings sheet. The example rows are labeled; delete them before you start. No email required. ## 1. Why a daily log Weeks later, nobody remembers which day the rain stopped work, who told the framer to move a wall, or whether the electrician showed up. A short daily log written the same day answers those questions from a record instead of from memory. It helps with billing extras, explaining a schedule change to a client and closing out a job. Records like this may help if there is ever a dispute; they are not legal advice, so ask an attorney about your own situation. ## 2. One row per job per day Keep one list (a spreadsheet is fine) and give each job one row for each day work happened. Write down: - Date and job. - Who was on site: your crew count, and each sub company with its crew count. Hours per person go in a separate [crew hours log by job](crew-hours-by-job-time-cards.html). - Weather, in a few words. - Work done today, by area or room. - Deliveries, inspections (type and result) and visitors, including the client or the inspector. - Delays and their cause: weather, a late delivery, waiting on a client decision, a failed inspection. - Instructions or changes the client gave, and who gave them. - Safety notes, if any. - A link to that day's photo folder. ## 3. Write it the same day, and keep it factual Fill in the row before you leave the site or that evening. Notes written days later are thinner and easier to question. Stick to what happened: what was done, who was there, what was said and by whom. Leave out opinions and blame. If something went wrong, write what you saw and what was done about it. ## 4. Photo habits that make photos useful later - Make sure every photo is dated (most phones do this; keep the original file, not a screenshot). - Label photos by job and room or area, either in the file name or the folder name. - Take a wide shot that shows where you are, then a close shot of the detail. - Shoot before, during and after, and always shoot walls and ceilings before they are covered up: framing, blocking, plumbing, electrical and insulation before drywall goes on. - Store the originals in one folder per job, with a subfolder per date, and paste that folder's link into the day's log row. ## 5. Client instructions become change orders When a client asks for something different on site, the daily log is where it first gets written down. That note is not a change order. Turn it into a written change order with price and schedule impact, and get it signed before the work is done; mark the log row so you can see which instructions are still open. See [tracking change orders](change-order-tracking-small-builders.html). ## 6. Delays get a cause and a note to the client Write down every delay with its cause on the day it happens, then tell the client in writing. A short weekly update built from the logs keeps everyone on the same page; see [updating clients and subs without PM software](client-sub-updates-without-pm-software.html). Inspection results go in the log and in your [permit and inspection log](permit-inspection-tracking-remodelers.html), and schedule changes go into your [2-week lookahead](scheduling-subs-inspections-lookahead.html). For how to log each delay and the note to the client, see [documenting delays](documenting-construction-delays.html). ## 7. Use the log at closeout Dated photos and notes make the punch walk and warranty callbacks easier: you can see what was behind a wall and when it was finished. See [punch lists and warranty callbacks](punch-list-warranty-callbacks.html). ## 8. A ten-minute weekly review Once a week, check four things: workdays with no log for any active job, rows with no photos link, delays with no cause, and client instructions that never became a change order. Fill in what you can while it is still fresh. ## Where an assistant helps The hard part is getting photos and notes from the field into one place every day. During the pilot, photos texted from the field are filed on the job by date and missing daily logs get flagged. You approve anything that goes out, and a real person reviews everything. **Free 60-day pilot:** keep working in your own phone, email and Google Sheet. [Request a pilot spot](../#pilot). ## Frequently asked questions ### What should a construction daily log include? The date and job, who was on site (your crew count and each sub with its crew count), weather, work done, deliveries, inspections and results, visitors, delays and their cause, instructions or changes the client gave, safety notes and a link to that day's photos. ### How often should a small builder write a daily log? One entry per job for each day work happens, written the same day. A same-day entry is more complete and easier to rely on than notes pieced together later. ### How should I organize job photos? Keep the original, dated files in one folder per job with a subfolder per date, label them by room or area, take a wide shot and a close shot, and always photograph walls and ceilings before they are covered. ### Will a daily log protect me in a dispute? A clear, same-day record may help, but this is general information, not legal advice. Ask an attorney about your situation and your contract. ### Is a note in the daily log the same as a change order? No. The log records that the client asked for a change. Turn it into a written change order with price and schedule impact, signed before the work is done.