Short version
A site diary is a page a day that answers one question: what happened on this site today, and who was there?
Kept properly, it is the cheapest insurance a contractor has. It is what wins an extension of time, gets a variation paid, and stops liquidated damages being deducted for delay that was not yours. Kept badly, or not at all, every argument becomes your word against theirs.
This guide covers what to write, the habits that make a diary hold up, and how it supports claims under NEC, JCT and AS 4000. Download the free printable site diary (A4 PDF) to start today.
We make Daily Site Log, a site diary and daily report app. This is general information, not legal advice. Your contract may require specific records or notice procedures.
What to record every day
A good diary entry is short, factual and complete. These are the sections that matter, in the order most site managers fill them in.
1. Date, weather and site conditions
Date and day number, morning and afternoon weather, temperature, rainfall, wind, and ground conditions. Note where the figures come from (a site rain gauge or the nearest Met Office or Bureau of Meteorology station). Weather is the most common cause of delay claims, and the hardest to prove after the fact.
2. Labour on site
By trade and by company, with numbers and hours: "Groundworks, Smith Civils, 6 operatives, 07:30–16:30." Include your own staff and every subcontractor. Labour numbers are what later prove a delay cost something.
3. Plant and equipment
What was on site, how many hours it worked, and what was standing idle or broken down, and why. Idle plant with a reason is evidence. Idle plant without a reason looks like poor planning.
4. Deliveries
Material, supplier, time, quantity, docket number, and condition. Write down shortages, damage, and late arrivals with times. A delivery due at 07:00 that arrived at 10:05 is a three-hour delay with a named cause.
5. Work completed
Where, what and how much. Use gridlines, levels and room numbers rather than "carried on with first floor". Tomorrow's plan helps too; it shows what you expected to do.
6. Instructions received and visitors
Every instruction on site, especially verbal ones: who gave it, when, and what was said. "10:40 — client's PM (J. Patel) instructed relocation of door D12 300 mm east." Then confirm it in writing the same day. Most unpaid variations started life as a verbal instruction nobody wrote down.
7. Delays and disruptions
For each one: start and end time, what work stopped, why, who was responsible, and what crews and plant were affected. This is the section claims are built on. Our construction delays guide explains how delays are classified and why the party responsible matters.
8. Health and safety
Toolbox talks, inductions, inspections, near misses, accidents and the actions taken. The diary is often the first place an investigator looks.
9. Photos and signature
How many photos were taken and where they are stored. Then sign and print your name. An unsigned diary is easy to dismiss.
How the diary supports claims
The diary does not make a claim on its own. It is the evidence behind the notice that does. The common forms each have their own procedure.
| Contract | What the diary supports | What to watch |
|---|---|---|
| NEC4 | Early warnings, compensation events, and the programme record | Compensation events must be notified within 8 weeks of becoming aware (clause 61.3), with exceptions. Late notice can mean no change to the price or completion date. |
| JCT 2016 | Relevant events (extension of time) and relevant matters (loss and expense) | Notice is due forthwith once delay becomes reasonably apparent (clause 2.27). Loss and expense has its own notice requirements. |
| AS 4000 (Australia) | Extension of time claims and variations | Extension claims generally have short time limits, typically 28 days of when the contractor should have become aware. Check clause 34 of your version. |
| FIDIC 2017 | Notices of claim and contemporary records | Notice within 28 days (sub-clause 20.2.1) and contemporary records to support it. |
In every case the question is the same: can you show, from records made at the time, what happened, when, and what effect it had? A diary written on the day answers that. A diary reconstructed for the claim is easily attacked.
Habits that make a diary hold up
- Write it on the day. Ideally before you leave site. Memory fades fast, and an entry dated after the event carries far less weight.
- The person who saw the work writes or signs it.
- Facts, not opinions. "Scaffold not ready at 08:00; ready 11:15" beats "scaffolders useless again".
- No gaps. If there was no work, write "No work: site closed, rain" rather than leaving a blank day.
- Never alter it later. On paper, strike through mistakes with one line and initial them. Never tear out a page. Digitally, use a system that keeps the original entry.
- Record times. Start and end times turn a complaint into a measurable delay.
- Confirm verbal instructions in writing the same day, and note in the diary that you did.
- Keep it. For at least the limitation period: commonly 6 years for a simple contract and 12 years for a deed in England and Wales, and often 6 to 10 years in Australia and New Zealand depending on the state and claim.
Paper or digital?
Paper diaries work, and our free template is designed for site use. But paper has real weaknesses: it gets wet, lost or left in a van; photos live somewhere else; and you cannot search two years of diaries for "scaffold" when a claim lands.
A digital site diary fixes that, provided it is still written on the day. Look for:
- Automatic time stamps on each entry, and photos stamped with time and GPS location.
- No silent edits. Changes after submission should be impossible or visible.
- Works without signal, saving on the phone and uploading later.
- Delays recorded with a responsible party, not only free text.
- A PDF you can send to the client or attach to a claim.
Daily Site Log does all of these. You talk through the day, the diary fills itself in for you to check, photos are stamped, and each submitted record is sealed with a fingerprint anyone can verify. It is free for one project. Start free, or see a sample diary entry first.
Free printable site diary template
The construction site diary template is an A4 PDF with a cover page explaining how to keep the diary, then seven daily pages with sections for weather, labour, plant, deliveries, delays, instructions and visitors, safety, work completed and a signature. Print as many daily pages as you need and keep them in order in a ring binder.
If you also want a running record of every delay and the notice you sent, use the delay log template alongside it.
Sources
- Fenwick Elliott — Notices under NEC4 and FIDIC 2017
- Building — Extensions of time after the event
- Limitation Act 1980 (England and Wales), sections 5 and 8
Frequently asked questions
Who should keep the site diary?
The person in charge on site who sees the work every day: the site manager, foreman or site agent. On larger projects each package manager may keep their own. If an administrator types it up, the person who saw the work should check and sign it the same day.
Is a site diary a legal requirement?
Usually not by law, but many contracts and project specifications require daily records, and courts and adjudicators rely heavily on them. A diary written at the time by someone with first-hand knowledge is some of the most persuasive evidence there is in a delay or variation dispute. This is general information, not legal advice.
What is the difference between a site diary and a daily report?
Mostly who it is for. The diary is the contractor's own running record; a daily report is the version sent to the client or project manager. Many contractors keep both. In the US the same document is usually called a daily log. Our daily log guide compares the terms.
Can I keep a site diary on my phone?
Yes, and it is often better evidence than paper: entries are timestamped, photos carry the time and location, nothing can be torn out, and you can search years of records in seconds. What matters is that it is written on the day and cannot be quietly changed later.
How long should a site diary be kept?
At least as long as claims can be brought. In England and Wales that is commonly 6 years for a simple contract and 12 years for a deed, and longer for some defects claims. Australian and New Zealand limits vary by state and type of claim, often 6 to 10 years. Check your contract's records clause too.