Old buildings next door
Old masonry and heritage fabric are the neighbours that need the most care. Record them before the first pile goes in.
Condition and dilapidation surveys
Was That Crack There Before You Started?
A pre-construction condition survey answers that before anyone asks. With SpatialSense you walk the buildings next to your site with a 360° camera, add a laser scan if you have one, and keep a dated baseline that opens next to any later visit, in a browser.
- 30-day free trial, no card
- Unlimited users
- Share by link, no login
- Baseline walk, before work
- Later walk, after piling
1Already therePinned on the baseline walk
2New since the baselineFirst seen after piling
Illustration
The short answer
A condition survey is only as good as how easy it is to use later. Most are a folder of photos and a PDF, filed months before anyone needs them. In SpatialSense the survey is a dated 360° walk, plus a scan if you have one, placed on the plan or the map. When a neighbour reports a crack, you open the same spot on the baseline date and on today, side by side, and everyone looks at the same record.
What your baseline holds
- Every surface, not a selectionA 360° walk records the whole facade, stair and boundary wall as you pass, not only the photos someone chose to take.
- Dated and placedEach walk belongs to a dated survey and sits on the floor plan or the map, so you can find the spot again in seconds.
- Scans from any makerAdd a laser scan in E57, LAS, LAZ, PCD or PLY, and measure on it in the browser.
- Any two dates side by sideOpen the baseline next to any later walk from one locked viewpoint.
- One link for the other sideShare a link that opens without a login, so the neighbour and their surveyor see the same record you do.
How to record a baseline
Walk the buildings next to your site before work starts. After work that shakes the ground, such as piling, digging or demolition, walk the same route again and compare.
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Walk next door with a 360° camera
Walk past the neighbouring buildings, shared walls and the street. The Trace app records the walk and draws your route on the site plan.
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Add a laser scan, if you have one
Upload it to the same project. Scans from any scanner open, in E57, LAS, LAZ, PCD or PLY.
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Mark the damage that is already there
Pin every existing crack, stain or broken tile to its spot in the walk, with a note. Now it is on record from before you started.
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Compare when someone asks
If a neighbour reports new damage, open the same spot on the baseline date and on the latest walk, side by side.
Why do condition surveys let you down when you need them?
Many contracts and authorities ask for a condition survey before work near existing buildings, so the survey usually exists. The trouble starts months later, when someone has to show what it recorded.
Photos without a place
A folder of numbered photos says little about where each one was taken, so finding the right wall can take an afternoon.
Gaps between the photos
A photographer picks what looks important on the day. The crack that matters later is often just outside the frame.
A report the other side cannot check
A PDF in a drawer is your word against theirs. A record both sides can open and walk through settles things sooner.
A good baseline protects everyone. The neighbour can show damage that is new, and the contractor can show damage that was already there. Both are easier when the record is complete, dated and easy to open.
What it looks like in SpatialSense
Measure on the scan
With a scan in the project, take distances and heights in the browser, on the same date as the walk.
Find the spot on the plan
Click a point on the plan and step into the walk at that spot, on any date.
A SpatialSense baseline and a photo report, side by side
The same condition survey, kept two ways.
| SpatialSense baseline | Photo folder and PDF | |
|---|---|---|
| Coverage | Every surface the 360° camera passed, plus a scan if you add one. | The photos someone chose to take. |
| Finding a spot later | Click the spot on the plan or the map. | Search by photo number and memory. |
| Comparing with today | Baseline and later walk side by side, from one locked viewpoint. | Two photos, rarely from the same angle. |
| Sharing with the other side | A link that opens in a browser without a login. | A PDF by email. |
| Who can open it | Your whole team, with unlimited users on every plan. | Whoever has the file. |
Record your first baseline
Do this before work starts on site.
- Start a free trialCreate a project for the site. 30 days free, no card details.
- Add the plan or the mapAdd a site plan, or use the map, so every walk is placed.
- Walk the neighboursWalk facades, shared walls and the street with a 360° camera, and upload the footage, or record it in Trace.
- Mark what is already therePin existing cracks and stains on the spot, with a note.
- Walk again after each phaseRepeat the route after piling, excavation and handover, and compare any two dates.
Frequently asked questions
What is a pre-construction condition survey?
A record of the condition of buildings and structures next to a site, made before work starts. It is also called a dilapidation survey or a schedule of condition. If a neighbour later reports damage, the survey shows whether it was already there.
Is a 360° walk enough for a dilapidation survey?
It covers far more than a set of photos, because it records every surface the camera passed, dated and placed on the plan. Close-up photos of individual cracks, and a scan if you have one, add detail. Check what your contract or authority asks for: SpatialSense keeps the record, it does not decide what a survey must contain.
Can I compare the survey with later visits?
Yes. Walk the same route again after each phase of work and open any two dates side by side, from one locked viewpoint.
Can the neighbour or their surveyor see the record?
Yes, if you choose. Share a link that opens in a browser without a login, and revoke it when it is no longer needed.
How much does it cost?
Start with a 30-day free trial of the full platform, with no card details. Pricing is per site with unlimited users, and current prices are on the pricing page.
See SpatialSense on your project
Record the buildings next to your site before work starts, and keep the record where anyone on the project can open it.