01Make the area safe before collecting evidence
Do not approach a wall simply to improve a photograph when it is shedding material, moving, or affecting a route, building or occupied space. Keep people, vehicles and stored material away from the area above and below the wall, and avoid adding water or load. Record the restriction on a simple site sketch and tell affected occupants. Only an appropriate on-site reviewer should revise the keep-clear boundary after considering the actual condition and consequence area.
- Block affected walking and parking routes
- Do not stand below or load the top
- Record who received the restriction
02Photograph movement from repeatable viewpoints
Choose safe fixed viewpoints that can be found again and include a permanent feature for orientation. Capture the full wall, its ends, the grade above and below, and close views of the observed condition. Keep original files with dates and avoid editing away context. A ruler or other scale should only be placed where it is safe and does not touch or disturb the wall. Repeating the same framing makes change easier to review than unrelated close-ups.
- Overview, segment and detail images
- Consistent wall-segment names
- Original files preserved with dates
03Describe lean, bulge and displacement precisely
Use observation language: which segment appears out of alignment, where the face changes plane, whether cap units or blocks have shifted, and whether the condition appears new or longstanding. Do not convert a phone-level measurement or visual impression into a stability conclusion. Note the method and limitations of any owner measurement. A registered professional can decide whether survey, monitoring, test pits, subsurface investigation or other evidence is appropriate.
- Location and extent of visible change
- Owner-measurement method and limitations
- No unsupported cause or stability claim
04Build a crack and settlement timeline
Mark crack locations on a wall elevation and distinguish cracks in facing, mortar, concrete, paving or adjacent structures. Record opening, step, rotation or settlement observations using the same reference points over time. Add dated information about nearby excavation, paving, landscaping or load changes without claiming they caused the condition. Preserve older owner photos, repair invoices and correspondence when their dates are reliable, and identify gaps rather than inventing a continuous history.
- Wall elevation with numbered observations
- Adjacent grade and structure changes
- Reliable dates separated from recollection
05Connect erosion and water to the same record
Photograph ponding, wet zones, staining, sediment, scour, voids, displaced surface material, gutter discharge and irrigation near the wall. State the weather or watering conditions at the time. Trace only flows that can be observed; buried drainage remains unknown until records or qualified investigation establish it. Show where visible outlets discharge and whether the route could affect a neighbour, public space or the toe of another slope.
- Rain, snowmelt or irrigation context
- Observed inlet and outlet locations
- Unknown hidden drainage labelled clearly
06List nearby loads and consequence areas
On a plan, locate buildings, driveways, parked vehicles, pools, fences, stockpiles, utility features, steep slopes and public or private routes near the wall. Record approximate offsets without treating them as surveyed dimensions. The purpose is to help a reviewer understand what could influence the wall and what could be affected if conditions worsen. The design significance of each load or feature remains a professional decision based on site-specific evidence.
- Upslope and downslope uses
- Approximate offsets and elevation relationships
- Property-line uncertainty kept visible
07Send a reviewer-ready condition packet
Combine the dated photograph log, site sketch, segment names, water observations, nearby-use plan and available historic records. Begin with a short chronology containing only confirmed facts. End with explicit questions: what access restrictions apply now, what investigation is needed, which disciplines should be involved, and whether municipal contact is required. Add new entries rather than overwriting earlier ones so the reviewer can distinguish the original condition, subsequent change and professional direction.
- One indexed evidence package
- Confirmed facts separated from assumptions
- Professional directions retained with dates