The plumber finished the bathroom yesterday. This morning the tiler wants to start. The pipes are still open, the drain slope is visible, and the electric points are marked with tape. If the wall closes today and a leak shows up next month, there is no way to see which joint failed without opening a tile.
A photo of hidden work is not decoration. It is the only record of what sits behind the finish. Once plaster, board, or tile covers it, the argument becomes memory. The plumber says the slope was right, the client says the drain was never there, and you pay for the opening.
What to photograph before the wall closes
- The whole wall or floor, so the room is recognizable
- Each pipe run, including the joint and the direction of the slope
- Electric points and the cable route, if it is still open
- A tape measure or a door frame in the shot, so the place is clear later
- The date in the note next to the photo, and which apartment
One wide photo and three close ones are enough. A hundred photos of the same joint do not help. The wide photo says which wall. The close photo says which joint. If there is a pressure test or a flood test, photograph the gauge or the water on the floor, not only the dry pipe.
Write who did the work
A photo without a name is half a record. Write the trade, the contractor's name, and that the work was ready to cover. If you are waiting for the client or the inspector to look before you close, write that too, and do not cover until they have looked or until the date you agreed has passed.
A line next to the photos: bathroom, Herzl 12, second floor. Water and drain open. Plumber: Avi. Ready to cover on Tuesday after the leak test. If the test has not been done, the wall stays open. Covering before the test saves a morning and costs a week when you open it again.
When something fails later
A drip under the sink six weeks after handover is a different job from a drip you can still see. With the photo you know the route, you open one tile instead of three, and you can show the client what was there on the day you closed. Without the photo the whole wet room is suspect, and the client hears we will look instead of it is this joint.
Keep the photos on the project, not in a personal gallery that disappears when a worker changes phones. The next person on the job, or you in six months, should open the project and see the wall before it closed. The same habit works for a ceiling before board covers it, a floor before the screed, and a shaft before it is sealed.
The minute before you cover is the minute you still have. After that, only what was written remains.