Guide · 6 minute read

How to photograph and film your walls before the drywall goes up

Once drywall is on, you can't see what is inside your walls. A short, well-labeled record of the open walls tells you where the wires, pipes, and framing are, for as long as you own the house.

Why bother

The payoff is lopsided. Taking the record costs about twenty minutes and nothing else. Not having it can cost you hours of guessing, a drill bit through a water pipe, or a hole cut in a finished wall just to find out what's behind it.

You will want this record when you hang a heavy TV or shelf, add an outlet or a light, chase a leak, or finish a basement. A plumber or electrician who can see where the lines run can often skip exploratory cuts. If you ever sell, a record of what's in the walls is something a buyer can look at too.

When to shoot

Shoot at the moment the walls are as open as they will ever be, but the work inside them is finished.

• First pass: after the rough-in inspections pass and before insulation goes in. "Rough-in" is the stage where the electrician, plumber, and heating installer run wires, pipes, and ducts inside the open framing. Inspectors look at it, and then it gets covered. Wait until their sign-off so you photograph the final layout, not a work in progress.
• Second pass: after insulation, right before drywall. You'll see where insulation covers things and any last changes.

Ask your builder for the schedule so you know the window. It can be short, sometimes a day or two. Remodeling a single room works the same way: shoot once the new wiring and pipes are in and before you close the wall.

What to capture

• Every wall, straight-on, from floor to ceiling, in every room, including closets and the garage.
• Every ceiling. Joists (the horizontal beams above you), ducts, plumbing, and wiring run here too.
• The electrical panel (the breaker box), open with the cover off if your electrician allows, plus the labels.
• Junction boxes, which are the small boxes where wires join, and any spot where several wires meet.
• Plumbing shutoff valves, water heater connections, and where pipes enter the house.
• Gas lines and the shutoff.
• Ductwork and vents for heating, cooling, bath fans, and the range hood.
• Anything unusual: extra blocking (solid wood added inside a wall to hold a TV or grab bar), conduit (empty pipe for future wires), speaker or network cable.
• Exterior walls and the underside of the roof or floor above, if exposed.

Step by step

1. Mark first. Use painter's tape or a marker on the subfloor to mark stud positions (the upright framing pieces) and the paths of key runs, such as "water line here." Labels on the floor let you measure from them later.
2. Start the video. Say the date and the room out loud. Narrate each wall as you go: "Kitchen, north wall, left to right."
3. Walk slowly. Move about as slowly as feels silly. Fast footage blurs and tells you nothing.
4. Keep a tape measure in frame. Hold or hang one against the wall so you can read distances from the floor and corners later.
5. Take stills too. For each wall, take one photo straight on, standing back as far as the room allows. Then take close-ups of boxes, valves, and anything odd.
6. Do the ceilings. Tilt up and pan slowly. Say "ceiling, above the hallway" and so on.
7. Sketch the plan. Draw a quick floor plan on paper, mark the rooms, and photograph it. Note where the panel, shutoffs, and main runs are.
8. Repeat after insulation. A shorter second pass is enough.

Phone tips

• Light: turn on every light you can, and bring a flashlight or work light. Shadows hide wires.
• Lens: use the regular lens for most shots. The wide lens helps in tight closets but can bend straight lines, so avoid it for measuring.
• Video plus stills: video gives context; stills are easier to zoom into and search. Do both.
• Quality: 4K is not required. Standard HD is fine if it is steady and well lit.
• Steady hands: hold the phone with both hands, and keep it horizontal.
• Wipe the lens. Construction dust is everywhere.

Name, store, and share the files

Footage you can't find is no better than footage you never took. Create one folder for the house and name things so they sort in order:

• Back up to cloud storage as soon as you finish, not just the camera roll.
• Share the folder with your spouse or partner, and send your builder a link so they have a copy too.
• Keep a copy on a computer or drive. Print the stud-and-run sketch and keep it with your house papers.
• If your phone offers it, turn on location and date stamps. Dates help when you have several passes.

Common mistakes

• Shooting before the inspections pass, then the layout changes.
• Filming too fast, or with no labels, so you can't tell the rooms apart.
• Forgetting ceilings, and floors that will be covered.
• No measuring tape in view, so you can't tell how far anything is from a corner.
• Leaving the files only on the phone, then losing or upgrading the phone.
• Not telling the builder you're coming. Ask, so you aren't in the way and are safe on site.

Printable checklist

• Rough-in inspections passed
• Stud positions and key runs marked on the subfloor
• Video of each room, narrated, with tape measure in frame
• Straight-on photo of each wall, and each ceiling
• Close-ups: panel, junction boxes, shutoffs, gas, ducts
• Floor plan sketch photographed
• Second pass after insulation
• Files named, backed up, and shared

Use your browser's print option to save or print this page.