Best Practices for Conducting Pre-Construction Surveys: Lessons Learned from Construction Claims

Demolition, excavation, and construction that are performed in close proximity to existing buildings and structures, and in particular those in an urban environment, may cause damage to the surrounding structures ranging from the loss of serviceability to complete collapse. In these instances, disputes often arise over the cause and the extent of the damage and also the roles and responsibilities of the contractors engaged in the work. A forensic investigation of the alleged damage, and in particular, the cause and the extent of the damage and a determination of new versus pre-existing damage after the construction has begun, or after it has been completed, can be challenging. One approach is to compare the alleged damage with those conditions, or the lack of conditions, identified in the pre-construction survey report. This paper surveys the industry literature on the code requirements for conducting pre-construction surveys, practices for conducting condition surveys used in the assessment and the rehabilitation of existing structures, and types of damage and the causes of that damage that are often alleged in construction claims arising from adjacent construction. This paper also compiles some of the best practices for conducting pre-construction surveys and for reporting the findings. These practices are taken from the lessons learned from actual construction claim disputes.