Walk the property before the first hose is hooked up. Photograph every side wide, then get close on anything already wrong, such as chalky siding, stains, cracked concrete, fogged windows, brown plants and loose fixtures. The PDF lists 12 shots and takes about five minutes. Shoot the same spots after the wash, and if the customer isn't home, text them the before photos first and write down the time.
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What Skipping the Photos Costs
"But not taking a before photo means you're liable since you can't prove you didn't do it."
TexasPressureWashing, PressureWashingResource forum, Oct 2020
dcbrock wrote about a customer's dying tree with "no before pics" and took $200 off her driveway to settle it (Jun 2024). In the same thread PMG put a number on the worst case, "it cost me around 5k to replace." The objection is getting a crew to do it. In the thread behind the quote above, mikehallyall, an owner, wrote "Good luck getting every employee to take before an after pictures of every piece of a house." A fixed list handles that. A helper shoots the same twelve things you would. What to do once a complaint arrives is on the damage claims page.
The Before and After Photos Checklist, Shot by Shot
Turn the phone's date and time stamp on before the pre-job walkaround starts, and shoot before any water or chemical touches the house. If the customer is home, walk the property together, point at each condition and get their initials on the sheet.
| # | Shot | What to get in the frame |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Every side, wide | Whole wall from roofline to ground on the front, left, back and right. Stand back far enough. |
| 2 | Oxidation and chalking | Close-up of chalky siding or gutters. Rub a finger across it and photograph the chalk. |
| 3 | Existing stains | Rust, oil, irrigation and fertilizer, close up with something in the frame for scale. |
| 4 | Cracked or spalled concrete | Cracks, spalling, old etching or wand marks on the flatwork. |
| 5 | Window seals | Fogged glass between panes, cracked glazing, gaps around frames. |
| 6 | Damaged screens | Torn, bent, brittle or missing screens. |
| 7 | Loose paint and broken items | Peeling paint, cracked siding or trim, loose shutters or downspouts. |
| 8 | Plants and trees near the work | Beds along the walls, shrubs and trees by the house. Anything already brown. |
| 9 | Outlets, lights and fixtures | Outlet covers, lights, cameras and doorbells, noting any already broken or open. |
| 10 | Cars and items nearby | Vehicles, furniture and grills near the work area, and where they were moved. |
| 11 | Gutters | Tiger striping, dents, loose sections, missing end caps. |
| 12 | Roof edge | Shingle edges, lifted or missing shingles and granule loss, from the ground or a ladder. |
The same conditions belong in writing on your estimate, so the customer has seen them twice.
After Photos, and the Customer Who Isn't Home
The after list reuses the same spots, so every pair lines up. Shoot each side wide again, take the flatwork from the same angle and get every treated stain close up, then do the gutter faces and the rinsed plant beds, with outlets closed and cars and items back where they were. Walk the result with the customer, or text them the photos. For a customer who isn't home, the sheet also has a box for before photos texted or emailed ahead of the wash, with the time written in.
Dallsheep's rule in the waivers thread (Jun 2022) was "Take pictures of everything and keep them on your phone for a while", because photos are there "to cover your butt". A camera roll has no address on it. It also goes when the phone does. QuoteIQ's Beginner plan ($99.99/mo as listed in October 2026) keeps before and after photos on the job record, with a ghost overlay that lines up the after shot.
Questions Owners Ask
Can a helper shoot these?
Yes. The list is fixed, so anyone on the crew can shoot the same twelve things.
Do I need the customer's initials?
The sheet has a line for pre-existing conditions shown to the customer. Photos prove the condition and initials show they saw it. The wording on what you aren't responsible for belongs in your service agreement.
How long should I keep the photos?
JAtkinson's rule was to keep them "filed indefinitely." File them under the customer's address, with the camera roll as a backup.
Sources
- PressureWashingResource, "Brick efflorescence after house wash", Oct 13, 2020: TexasPressureWashing on liability; mikehallyall on crews and photos.
- PressureWashingResource, "Killed a tree, maybe", Jun 7, 2024: dcbrock's settlement and PMG's replacement cost.
- PressureWashingResource, "What kind of liability waivers / disclosures do you use", Jun 25, 2022: Dallsheep and JAtkinson on keeping photos.
- QuoteIQ, "Pricing", read Oct 12, 2026: Beginner plan price; QuoteIQ Cam with before and after photos and ghost overlay.