Most construction firms know jobsite cameras are great for providing 24×7 surveillance and creating time-lapses of the construction process, but can they improve pre-construction processes, too? The short answer: Yes!
In fact, there are multiple opportunities for contractors to use construction cameras during pre-construction. For example, the imagery can help foster collaboration and improve the estimating process with subcontractors. Photo and video footage is a necessity for liability issues such as property damage claims. And, they can be used to live-stream groundbreaking ceremonies. Let’s take a look at each of these applications in a bit more detail.
Project Documentation For Liability
It’s not uncommon for property damage claims to be made against contractors on remodels and other types of projects. That’s why it’s imperative to properly document project sites during pre-construction to protect your team from future claims.
American Family Insurance reports that contractors performing excavation and trenching, pile driving, use of heavy construction equipment, blasting for demolition and other operations should perform a pre-construction survey in the form of photo and video. Best practices recommend that contractors label and time-stamp photos and footage for future reference.
Construction cameras make it easy to create pre-construction survey documentation. Advanced cameras can create 360-degree panoramic images and, unlike cellphone photos, the data-rich images tell the complete story in high-resolution detail. Imagery can be time-stamped and used for overlay comparisons to track progress or verify property damage claims. Also, if unintended property damage occurs during a project, you’ll have visual documentation to pinpoint the cause and time of the incident.
Communicate Remodel Conditions with Subcontractors During Estimating
One of the essential pieces of pre-construction is identifying potential issues on a jobsite. For most remodel and retrofit jobs, subcontractors and estimators do not have the luxury of walking a jobsite to identify problems. And there’s only so much that as-built documentation can communicate about the existing structure.
Identifying potential issues during the pre-construction phase of a remodel can save both the contractor and owner money and time, which is why communication and proper documentation are crucial. According to JBKnowledge, using construction cameras and 360-degree imagery can streamline documentation and speed up as-built designs. What’s more, footage can be linked to the as-built drawings firms share with project teams and subcontractors, enhancing collaboration and the ability to detect issues.
For example, firms can integrate photos and videos with new mobile apps to assist with plan management and takeoffs. About 59% of construction companies are doing this already. They simply attach the footage to blueprints and drawings, so estimating teams can evaluate the actual conditions without being onsite.
For the best results, construction cameras using DSLR cameras provide much higher-quality imagery. These cameras can create 360-degree panoramas with a high dynamic range inside and outside, which means no information will be lost. Additionally, the accompanying software of construction cameras provide advanced capabilities. TrueLook’s solutions, for example, enable firms to mark up and add text and to photos to highlight potential issues, making it easier to convey details about the project to team members who have visited the construction site. This enables project teams to identify potential problems and plan accordingly.
Host a Livestream Ground Breaking Ceremony
Currently, only 9% of AEC firms use live-streamed video for marketing, yet 24% of firms intend to implement live-streaming in the next three years to capture events such as groundbreaking ceremonies. Forward-thinking firms can get ahead of the trend and start live-streaming now, using the cameras they plan to install on the jobsite. Firms can also showcase live-stream video on their website, Facebook or YouTube, raising awareness for the new construction project and their brand, and helping to drive more new business.
What Else Can Construction Cameras do?
Do you need more ideas for how construction cameras can protect your jobsite and improve productivity and efficiency? TrueLook cameras offer a broad array of features that can be leveraged for a wide range of uses. Check out all the features of TrueLook cameras or watch a live demo.
