Document Everything. Your Claim Depends on It.
A contractor rips out your water-damaged cabinets before you photograph them. Now you need to prove they were semi-custom with dovetail drawers and soft-close hinges. Without photos, your adjuster prices stock cabinets at half the cost. That's $6,000 gone because nobody took pictures first.
Shoot first, clean later
Before you mop a single drop of water or move a single piece of furniture, take photos and video. Every room that was affected, even if the damage looks minor. Wide shots showing the full scope.
Close-ups of water lines on walls, staining on ceilings, buckled flooring, standing water. Multiple angles of every area. Use your phone with location and timestamps enabled.
Take at least 50-100 photos for any significant claim. More is always better. You can't over-document.
Prove what you had, not just what broke
This is where most people fall short. Photograph the quality indicators of your materials. Open cabinet doors and shoot the drawer joints.
Dovetail means semi-custom, stapled butt joints mean stock. Photograph flooring cross-sections where they meet transitions. Capture countertop edge profiles from the side.
Get brand names on appliances and fixtures. These details determine whether your adjuster prices builder-grade materials at $200/linear foot or semi-custom at $600/linear foot. Once the old materials are torn out, the evidence is gone.
Every bit of it.
- Cabinet drawer construction (dovetail vs. stapled)
- Flooring type and plank width (solid vs. engineered vs. laminate)
- Countertop material, grade, and edge profile
- Hardware finish and type (soft-close, full extension)
- Brand names and model numbers on appliances
Build a paper trail from day one
Write down what happened and when. Date and time you discovered the damage. What you did in response.
When you called insurance. When the adjuster visited and what they said. Keep a log of every phone call and email with your insurer, including the person's name.
This timeline becomes your strongest weapon if there are delays or disputes. Save every receipt: emergency mitigation costs, temporary repairs, hotel stays, meals. Digital copies are fine.
Organize them by date in a dedicated folder.
Protect your evidence
Email all photos to yourself so they're backed up in the cloud. Don't delete any photos, even ones that seem duplicative. If you hire a public adjusterPublic Adjusters: When Hiring One Pays for ItselfA public adjuster is a licensed professional who represents you, the homeowner, in your insurance claim. They understand Xactimate, building codes,...
Read more → or contractor, share all documentation with them.
Never let demolition begin before documentation is complete. If your contractor shows up ready to tear out cabinets and you haven't photographed the interior construction details, stop them. Five minutes of photos can be worth thousands of dollars in your settlement.
Quick-check your estimate
- Photograph all damage before cleaning up or moving anything
- Take wide shots of each room, then close-ups of specific damage
- Capture material quality details: cabinet joints, flooring cross-sections, countertop edges
- Record video walkthroughs with verbal narration of each room
- Start a written log of every call, email, and interaction with your insurer
- Email copies of all photos to yourself immediately as a cloud backup
See how this applies to your property
Upload photos of your damage and get a detailed analysis showing exactly where your estimate may fall short.