In a Construction diary, construction managers and architects document the work carried out, obstructions, attendance, the weather and much more on a daily basis. The aim is to document the construction process and meet legal requirements. It also serves as evidence in the event of legal disputes. Discover the best tips, a useful Word template and suitable apps to help you manage your Construction diary effectively.
Definition – What is a Construction diary?
Basically, Construction diary serves as a detailed documentation of the construction process of a building in all its details. It should primarily record the status of the construction project and any defects and structural damage identified in a conclusive manner.
Normally, the site manager or the appointed architect keeps the site diary. At the end of the construction process, Construction diary is an important part of the construction file: It can be used to track what happened, when it happened, who carried out what work and what impact particular incidents had on the overall construction process. For example, a breakdown of a construction machine or a subsequent change request may have led to a delay.
Good to know: The term Construction diary is also used for the personal documentation of private builders when building their own home. In this form, it serves as an individual memento and often has little or no evidential value in legal disputes.
Danger of confusion – difference between Construction diary and daily construction report
The Construction diary – also known as the construction site diary – is often equated or used synonymously with the daily construction report. But the difference is serious:
- A Construction diary is an ongoing, written document in which the daily activities, progress and problems of a construction project are recorded. It serves as proof of the work and is often an important element for later settlements and claims for damages. Important: The Construction diary can also be managed digitally.
- A daily construction report, on the other hand, is a daily written report of the work performed on a construction project. It contains information about the progress of the project, the tasks completed and any problems or delays. The daily construction report is usually shorter and more concise than the Construction diary and is often used to determine costs and as a time sheet.
Is a Construction diary mandatory?
Keeping a construction diary is mandatory for site managers and for architects who have been commissioned with the eighth service phase according to the HOAI (LP 8).
Failure to maintain proper records may result in fee components being reduced or even eliminated. Prior to this, however, the client must grant the architect or the construction manager a statutory period of grace for subsequent performance.
If the client can prove that damage was caused to the object due to the lack of construction supervision, the client may sue for damages.
Building owners, tradesmen and other contractors do not have to keep a Construction diary unless it is explicitly regulated in a contract.
Can I use the Construction diary as evidence?
A Construction diary can serve as evidence in the event of a dispute. For this purpose, it is particularly important that it is filled in as completely as possible. If the Construction diary is filled in digitally, weather and GPS data as well as the date and time are automatically included. This applies both to text information entered and to photos taken. This makes the documentation trustworthy.
How do I write a construction site diary?
Contrary to what the term diary might suggest, a Construction diary only contains facts and data. Dreams experienced during the construction phase therefore have no place in it.
While it is mandatory for architects and construction managers to create and maintain a construction site diary, nothing more definitive is specified about the form. In principle, all information that may be of significance for the execution and invoicing of the order should be included.
You have the option of keeping it in writing in paper form or using special Construction diary apps.
Important: The Construction diary must be kept regularly – at best daily, but at least at every site visit. There are no legal requirements for this. The shorter the intervals between the entries, the easier it is to identify and proactively rectify construction defects and delays.
Your Construction diary should contain the following information
According to a decision by the Federal Court of Justice, it is essential that Construction diary explicitly documents the current status and progress of key details in order to ensure reliable probative value. For the successful defense against possible claims for damages, the following aspects should always be recorded in the Construction diary:
- Details of the construction project: Project number, name and time period of the project.
- Details of the client: Name of the client and date of the respective entry.
- Data on subcontractors and executing companies: Naming of the trades involved.
- Employees present: List of engineers, site managers, clients, building inspectors, etc. present.
- Materials and building materials used: Comprehensive information on materials, quantities and installation conditions.
- Equipment and construction machinery used: Information on operating and downtimes as well as malfunctions that occur.
- Information on construction progress: Documentation of the individual construction phases and their completion.
- Special incidents: Recording of defects, structural damage, accidents, delays and other disruptions.
- Weather conditions: Note the current weather conditions.
- Photo documentation: Pictures of all construction stages and visible defects for visual evidence.
- Agreed additional services: Protocols for acceptance, additional services and specific instructions.
- Tests and measurements: Documentation of cable and pipe installations and tests carried out.
- Data sheets: Information such as installation and operating instructions that are relevant for the design.
- Minutes of meetings: Records of all relevant meetings with participants and results.
A digital Construction diary can capture a lot of this data automatically, making documentation even more efficient. This includes:
- GPS data: To determine the exact location of the construction project.
- Weather conditions: Automatic recording of precipitation, temperature and other weather data with time stamp and location.
To make sure you don’t forget anything, use our paper-based Construction diary template or access our Construction diary app.
Die digitale Zeiterfassung für das Handwerk ist Pflicht und Chance zugleich.
In what form do I have to keep a Construction diary?
In principle, it is only mandatory to keep a Construction diary in accordance with the HOAI. However, there are no legal framework conditions as to the form in which the Construction diary must be available. You therefore have the choice of whether you prefer to keep your Construction diary by hand or as an Construction diary app.
In the past, construction diaries were usually kept with pen and paper, but nowadays digital solutions offer many advantages, as you can read below.
Construction diary-template in Word
Many construction companies still keep their site diary by hand on paper. To make sure you don’t forget any important information, samples like our Word template will help you.
This Construction diary app makes your everyday life on the construction site easier
It is even more helpful if you use templates that are available in an Construction diary-app are made available to you. In contrast to analog documentation site manager apps such as 123onsite have a few more advantages:
Advantages of the digital construction diary
- Independence of location: All data is available everywhere in real time. Synchronization takes place as soon as there is an Internet connection.
- Photo documentation: With the help of a construction management app such as 123onsite, photo documentation can also be done digitally. The best thing is that images can be added to Construction diary with just a few clicks.
- Standardized input: Thanks to the standardized input, all employees enter data identically, so there are no misunderstandings and fewer queries.
- Voice input: Data can be entered conveniently by voice input – no more tedious typing.
- Clarity: A clear layout shows the construction project day by day. The company logo can be easily added – also for the print version. Individual adjustments are possible. The printout is valid without signature.
- Auto-complete:Previously entered texts can be copied and reused as often as required using the auto-complete function. The following applies to 123onsite: If employees also use the digital Time tracking, they can be transferred to Construction diary with a single click.
Paper or digital? Which is better for Construction diary?
Of course, you can keep Construction diary on paper, and many companies have been doing this for years. But the bottom line is: the Construction diary app wins. Anyone who keeps their Construction diary digitally cannot forget any information because the fields to be filled in are displayed directly. What’s more, a rain shower can’t damage the documentation. Even if the tablet is damaged by rain, all data is safely stored in the cloud.
