One of Tom’s aunts gave us great advice at the beginning of the building process: photograph EVERYTHING before the drywall goes up. This way, you’ll know where all the wiring, ductwork and pipes are located before you start putting holes in the walls (or ceiling). And hopefully, this would mitigate any surprises should we choose to remodel down the road.

We had a scheduled pre-drywall inspection with the builder, so we came prepared with a yardstick, notepad, measuring tape, camera and video camera. We photographed, recorded and took notes on all of the major items, room-by-room.

distance between studs on the first floor

electrical wiring between dining room and kitchen

ductwork in ceiling

I had intended to type up all of the notes in a shared Google document or something, but that hasn’t happened yet. At least we have the photos and footage!

Do you have any tips for builders/remodelers?