Pre-construction condition survey: proof of damage starts before the work

A pre-construction condition survey records the condition of a building before construction or demolition takes place nearby. Other names are nulmeting and nulopname (baseline survey).

It can concern homes and commercial buildings. You describe and photograph the inside and the outside. The aim: to separate existing damage from damage that arises later.

A building inspection looks at defects, costs and timeframes. A pre-construction survey mainly records the state of the building at that moment.

If damage arises during the work, the question is what was already there. A pre-construction survey answers that, with a date and photos.

ProRail explains: anyone who thinks train vibrations caused damage must, under the law, prove that ProRail is the cause. An in-depth investigation includes a baseline measurement, photos and vibration measurements of at least a week.

Rijkswaterstaat names two aims for surveys in projects. First: checking whether objects in the surrounding area remain intact. Second: in case of damage, establishing its extent, for compensation.

Can vibrations damage a building? In the Netherlands, this is assessed with SBR guideline A, Schade aan bouwwerken (damage to buildings). That is what ProRail's damage protocol states.

The guideline describes how to measure vibrations on a building. It also sets out how to assess the result, with limit values for vibration velocity and vibration acceleration.

Part A was revised in November 2017 by SBRCURnet. The previous version dated from 2002, with a reissue in 2006. SBRCURnet ceased to exist at the end of 2017. CROW took over the guidelines.

New in 2017 is a checklist for the structural condition. With it, you determine whether a building is sensitive to vibrations. According to ProRail, this classification is mainly based on what you can see on the building.

Do the vibrations stay below the limit values? In ProRail's damage protocol, the chance of damage from train vibrations is then less than 1%.

The guideline is not a law. For construction and demolition work, the Bbl does refer to part B, for nuisance in a habitable area (art. 7.18). The three parts:

• Part A: damage to buildings (revised in November 2017)
• Part B: nuisance to people in buildings (the Bbl names the 2006 version)
• Part C: disturbance of equipment

Anyone who builds must take measures against danger to surrounding buildings and land. That is stated in article 7.15 of the Besluit bouwwerken leefomgeving (Bbl, the Dutch building regulations).

A risk matrix gives a risk score. From 12 points, a construction safety plan (bouwveiligheidsplan) is mandatory. That plan is submitted with the building notification (bouwmelding) or the permit application.

For an excavation, that plan also contains starting points for a monitoring plan. It must prevent danger to adjoining buildings (belendingen), that is, the buildings next door.

The central government's explanation on IPLO (its information point for building rules) does not mention the pre-construction survey itself. So check per project what the assignment or contract says.

That differs per project. Two examples from official sources show how it can work.

Take ProRail's rail project PHS Den Bosch-Vught. A specialised firm makes the appointments there, carries out the surveys and writes the reports. ProRail pays; the owner pays nothing.

In Rijkswaterstaat projects, the contractors carry out the building surveys and the monitoring. Rijkswaterstaat does not prescribe a fixed method for this.

There is an assessment guideline (beoordelingsrichtlijn) for pre-construction condition surveys: BRL 5024. A KOMO process certificate (a Dutch quality certificate for construction) is based on it. If you want that certificate for your firm, first check which version of BRL 5024 currently applies.

The report must later show the state the building was in. ProRail describes it like this: you record the inside and the outside, in text and with photos.

There is no fixed method. Rijkswaterstaat, for example, does not prescribe one.

But a colleague must be able to find the same spots again in a later survey. This way of working helps with that. It is advice, not a rule:

• Address and date of the survey
• The inside and the outside, per room and per facade
• All existing damage, with a description and a photo
• For a crack: the location and the dimensions
• What could not be inspected, and why

A large project involves many addresses at once. That puts pressure on the planning and on the delivery time. Watch out for these points:

• Many appointments with occupants in a short time
• No response: for PHS Den Bosch-Vught, then only a survey from outside
• A short delivery time: for PHS Den Bosch-Vught, within 2 weeks
• More surveys per project phase, which you must be able to compare
• The report may become evidence in a damage claim

The pre-construction condition survey is listed in Keursnel as “Binnenkort” (coming soon). You cannot create a pre-construction survey yet. We do not give a date or features yet.

Do you do pre-construction surveys? Tell us via the contact page that you are interested, and what you need.

Right now, you only do the building inspection in Keursnel. It already includes:

• Photos with arrow, circle, numbered marker or measuring line
• The time taken, from the photo itself; the original never changes
• Built to work without internet: your work waits, encrypted, on your device
• Team and roles: main admin, manager and team member
• Your own house style in the report, with a paid plan
• A fixed report version with a checksum, to share via a link you can revoke