Free site diary template

What a site diary is for

A site diary is the day’s record of one job: who was on site, what got done, what arrived, what held you up, who visited and what was said. Filled in on the day and signed, it is the best evidence you will have when somebody remembers things differently.

It earns its keep in four ways:

• Disputes. When a client or main contractor argues about what happened, notes written at the time usually carry far more weight than memories pieced together months later.
• Getting paid for extra work. The diary shows who asked for what, and when. That backs up a variation, and it reminds you of the small extras you would otherwise forget to charge for.
• Delays and extra time. Hours lost to weather, late information, other trades or access problems, written down on the day, are what a claim for more time (an extension of time) is built on.
• Safety. Inductions, toolbox talks, near misses and incidents recorded on the day show you were running a safe site, and help if anything is ever investigated.

It also helps you run the job. A few weeks of diaries show where the hours really went, which is worth knowing when you price the next one.

What to write in each section

Use one diary per job per day. Keep entries short and specific: numbers, times and places beat adjectives.

Job details and diary number

The job name, client, site address and your reference, the date, and the day of the week (circle it). Number the days in order, 1, 2, 3 and so on, so a missing day stands out.

Weather

Morning and afternoon conditions, the temperature range, wind and rain. Then the ground and site conditions, such as “waterlogged, no access for the digger” or “frost until 10:00”. Weather only matters to a claim when it stops or slows the work, so say when it did.

Labour on site

Every trade and company on site, not just your own team: how many people and how many hours each. Multiply them for the total hours. If a trade that was booked didn’t turn up, write that down too.

Plant and equipment

What was on site, how many, the hours worked, and whether it was working or standing idle. Idle hired plant costs money, and you will want proof of it if the delay wasn’t your fault.

Work carried out

What, where and how far. “Blockwork to first lift, rear elevation, gridlines 1 to 4” beats “blockwork”. Note anything finished, tested, inspected or covered up.

Deliveries

The item, the supplier and the delivery note or docket number. Note anything short, damaged, late or sent back.

Delays and hours lost

The cause, what happened, when it started and stopped, the hours lost and how many people it affected. Typical causes are the weather, the client, missing design information, other trades, materials, access and plant.

Instructions and extra work

Who asked for what, and when, including things said in passing on site. If it is extra work, give it a variation number and get it signed on a variation order form before you start.

Visitors and inspections

The time, name, company and why they came: the client, the architect or engineer, building control, inspectors, suppliers.

Photos taken

Number each photo, note the time and say what it shows and where. Make sure the photos themselves show the date and time.

Health and safety

Incidents, injuries and near misses (or tick “none”), the day’s toolbox talk and who gave it, and any safety problems and what was done about them.

Notes and sign-off

Phone calls, emails and anything to chase go in the notes. Then sign and date the diary at the end of the day. If the client or the main contractor’s site manager will sign it as received, even better.

Good habits that make a diary stand up

• Write it on the day, on site. A week written up on Friday night is easy to pick apart. If you have to fill in a day afterwards, say so and date it.
• Stick to facts. “Scaffold not ready at 08:00, ready 10:30, two bricklayers stood for 2.5 hours” is evidence. “Scaffolders useless again” isn’t.
• Use pen, and don’t rub anything out. Cross out with a single line so the original can still be read, and initial it. Add anything you forgot as a dated note.
• Sign every day. A signed record is harder to argue with than loose notes.
• Take photos with the date and time on them, and list them in the diary so each one can be found again.
• Keep copies. Photograph or scan each page that day, and keep the paper somewhere dry. The one diary that gets lost is usually the one that mattered.
• Keep them for years. Claims can come long after the job: in England and Wales, the usual time limit for a claim on a simple contract is six years, and twelve for a contract signed as a deed. Other countries set their own limits.

Common mistakes

• Gaps. No entry for quiet days, rained-off days or days you weren’t there. “Rained off, nobody on site” is a record too.
• Vague entries such as “general works” or “usual gang”.
• Leaving out small delays. They add up, and you can’t prove them later.
• Not writing down spoken instructions. “Just move that socket while you’re there” is how unpaid extra work starts.
• Only counting your own team. Other trades on site, and the ones who didn’t show, often explain a delay.
• Writing days up later as if they were written on the day.
• No copies. Paper gets wet, lost or thrown out with the rubbish at the end of the job.

Notes for your region

Most building contracts say how and when you must give notice of delays and extra work, and those time limits matter more than any template. Read the notice clauses before you start.

• United KingdomJCT contracts (including the Minor Works and Home Owner contracts) and NEC contracts are the usual families. Under NEC4, a contractor who doesn’t notify a compensation event within eight weeks of becoming aware of it can lose the extra time and money for it, so record events as they happen.
• IrelandPrivate work often uses the RIAI contracts (the Yellow form with quantities, the Blue form without). Public work uses the government’s Public Works Contracts.
• AustraliaCommercial work often uses the AS 4000 family of contracts (such as AS 4000 and AS 4902), and homes are often built on HIA or Master Builders contracts. Check the notice clauses for how quickly a claim for more time must be made.
• New ZealandNZS 3910 (revised in 2023) and NZS 3915 are common on commercial work, and the NZIA contract where an architect runs the job. Residential building work of $30,000 or more, including GST, needs a written contract.
• South AfricaBuilding work is usually on JBCC agreements (the Principal Building Agreement or the Minor Works Agreement), and civil and public work often on the GCC or NEC. Under the Construction Regulations 2014, contractors must give everyone health and safety induction training before they enter the site, and keep the induction records on site.

General guidance, not legal advice. Check your contract.