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What to photograph before you call a contractor
Most people send the close-up and skip the shot that actually matters. Here's what to photograph so a contractor can quote your job without driving out first.
There is a specific reason contractors say they need to come look at it, and it is usually not evasiveness. It is that the photo they were sent shows a hole in a wall from four inches away, and from that photo it is genuinely impossible to know whether the repair takes fifteen minutes or half a day.
Almost everyone photographs the problem. Almost nobody photographs the context. The context is what determines the work.
The three-photo rule
- One wide shot, six to eight feet backThe whole room or area. This is the photo people skip and it is the most useful one, because it shows what is around the problem, what has to be worked around, and what has to be matched.
- One close-up, straight on and in focusThe actual problem. Straight on rather than at an angle, because angles hide depth and distort size.
- One of what surrounds itTrim, tile, wall texture, cabinetry, flooring, hardware finish. Matching is usually the hard part of a repair, and this photo is what tells us whether matching is going to be possible at all.
For anything on a wall or ceiling, hold your phone flat against the wall and shoot along the surface, or turn on a lamp beside the wall and shoot with the light raking across it. Texture is invisible in a straight-on flash photo and it is the single biggest factor in whether a drywall patch will disappear. This one photo can be the difference between an accurate quote and a revised one.
Film it if it moves
For anything that operates — a door that sticks, a gate that drags, a sprinkler zone, a drawer that binds, a fan that rattles — fifteen seconds of video is worth more than any number of stills. Operate it slowly, all the way through its travel, and narrate what you notice. A door that binds only in the last two inches of closing is a completely different problem from one that rubs the whole way, and video shows that instantly.
Job-specific additions
| If it's... | Also send |
|---|---|
| Wall or ceiling damage | Raking-light shot of the texture; any staining or soft areas; the ceiling type and rough age of the house |
| A door problem | The door closed from a few feet back, showing the gap all the way round; the hinges; the strike plate |
| Mounting something | The wall surface close up; the back of the item with its hardware; the model number; where you actually sit or stand |
| A cleanout or hauling | Two wide angles; how high the pile goes; the path out; where a truck can park |
| Yard or exterior work | A walk-around of the whole property, including the parts you have been avoiding; gate widths; where a trailer can get to |
| A gate or fence | The gate closed from several feet back; the hinge post at ground level; the full run of fence |
| Irrigation | Video of the zone actually running; the dry area wide enough to see its shape; the controller display |
| A whole list | One photo per item, in the order you listed them, so they can be matched up |
What you do not need
- Measurements you are not confident about — a wrong measurement is worse than none, and we will ask for the specific one we need
- The correct trade terminology — describe what it does, not what it is called
- A tidy house — nobody is looking at your kitchen counter and it is not going to come up
- A complete list before you send anything — send what you have and add to it
- Professional-quality photos — a phone in reasonable light is entirely sufficient
Include the things that are not photographs
Three pieces of non-visual information change a quote as much as any photo. Your actual deadline, if you have one — a closing date, a listing date, a tenant move-in, family arriving. What matters most to you, if budget is a constraint, so the list can be phased sensibly. And access details: gate codes, HOA work-hour restrictions, where a truck can park, whether there are dogs, and whether anyone needs to be home.
Photographing only the presentable parts. It is completely understandable — people photograph what they look at. But on cleanouts and yard work especially, the volume is almost always in the back corner, along the fence line and behind the shed. An estimate based on the front of the property gets revised on arrival, which is worse for you than an accurate number would have been.
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Next step
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