Site diary for a new build: what to record

A new build runs for months, moves through every trade from substructure to handover, and often repeats across a run of plots. That makes the daily site diary more important, not less, because there is more to remember and more that gets covered up. A clear diary across the whole build is the record that protects the programme, the valuations and the handover. This guide sets out what a new build diary should capture, a worked example of a real day, and how to log it from your phone without losing an hour to paperwork.

What a site diary for a new build needs to capture

A generic template records the weather and little else. On a new build the value is in tracking every trade and every plot through the programme. Record these every day:

• Labour on site. Every trade and subcontractor, with numbers, so you can see who was and was not resourcing the job
• Plant and deliveries. Plant on hire and running, and materials delivered with any shortfalls or damage noted
• Work done by area or plot. What progressed on each plot or block and at which stage, from substructure and superstructure to first fix, second fix and finishes
• Progress against programme. Which plots hit or missed the planned stage, so slippage is visible early rather than at the end
• Inspections and sign-offs. Building control visits, warranty inspector visits such as NHBC or LABC, and structural or drainage sign-offs, with the outcome
• Instructions and variations. Anything the client, design team or building control asked for that changes the work or the cost
• Delays and disruption. Weather, late deliveries, missing design information, RFIs outstanding, and the time and work lost
• Health and safety. Inductions, toolbox talks, near misses and any incident, plus the state of access, scaffold and welfare
• Visitors. Client, architect, engineer, building control officer, warranty inspector and anyone else on site
• Photos. Progress by plot and anything about to be closed up, such as drainage, structure and first fix before boarding

A worked new build diary example

Here is what a solid entry looks like for a single day on a plot-by-plot housing development. It is illustrative only, but it shows the level of detail that stands up later.

Wednesday. Weather: dry, overcast, 11C, light wind. On site: bricklayers (6) plots 4 to 6, roofers (3) plot 2, first fix electricians (2) plot 1, groundworks gang (4) drainage to plots 7 and 8, plus site team. Plant: telehandler, two dumpers, one scaffold gang mobilising. Progress: plot 1 first fix electrics 60 percent, on programme. Plot 2 roof tiling started, one day behind due to Monday wind. Plots 4 to 6 blockwork to first lift. Plots 7 to 8 drainage runs excavated and laid, ready for building control. Deliveries: two loads of facing brick (order 118), one pack short, logged with supplier. Inspections: building control drainage inspection booked for Thursday am. Instruction: house type D kitchen layout revised, drawing rev C issued, affects plots 5 and 6, logged as variation. Delay: plot 2 roofing behind from Monday wind stop, recorded. Photos: plot 7 and 8 drainage before backfill, plot 1 first fix, short brick delivery.

Compare that to "block and brick, some rain earlier". One tracks the whole site and its money. The other tracks nothing.

Why it matters on a new build

A new build dispute is rarely about one moment. It is about a programme that slipped, a valuation that is challenged, or a defect that is argued over months later, and the only thing that answers any of them is a day-by-day record.

If the programme slipped, dated entries showing which trades were resourcing which plots, and where late information or weather cost time, are what support an extension of time. If a valuation is disputed, the diary shows what was actually built each week. And on a new build almost everything gets covered up, from drainage to first fix, so the photo taken before the plasterboard goes on is the only proof the work behind it was right. The record has to be made on the day across the whole site, or it is gone.

Paper vs phone on a new build site

A paper diary struggles on a development. It sits in one site office while the work is spread across plots and blocks, the photos live on several phones with no link to the day, and matching them up later is guesswork.

Logging from a phone fits how a new build actually runs. The entry is timestamped as it is made, the photo attaches to that plot and day with its own time and location, and the record cannot be quietly rewritten afterwards. Parts of a new build site, deep drainage, basements and early plots before the supply is in, often have no signal, so the tool has to work offline and sync later. A diary that needs a connection to save is no use at the far end of a muddy plot.

Frequently asked questions

What should a new build site diary record each day?

Record the date and weather, the trades and numbers on site, plant and deliveries, what was done in each area or plot and at which stage, progress against the programme, any inspections and sign-offs, instructions and variations, delays and their cause, health and safety points, visitors, and photos of anything about to be covered up.

Who fills in the site diary on a new build?

The site manager or foreman keeps the diary, filled in daily and on the day rather than reconstructed later. On a larger development the plot or block leads may feed in, but one contemporaneous record for the site is what carries weight.

Why keep a site diary on a new build?

A new build runs for months with many trades and often many plots. The diary is the contemporaneous record that supports valuations, extension of time and delay claims, warranty and building control sign-offs, and any later dispute about what happened and when.

How does FORGE Command help on a new build?

FORGE Command lets the site lead log the day from a phone in a couple of minutes, attach photos to each entry, and have every record stamped with GPS, weather and time automatically. It works offline where there is no signal, then syncs, and exports a branded PDF for the file. It is a one payment of £39.99 with no subscription.

Related: what a defensible site diary records, site diary for groundworks, site diary for roofing, site diary for a house extension.