Outdoor Surface Problem Description Record Checklist

Write what you can see in ordinary words such as sunken, rocking, cracked, open, hollow, spread or holding water, and stop there.

A description can be examined by somebody qualified; a conclusion about which layer failed cannot, and it steers whoever reads it.

Avoid writing that the paving, the bedding or the base has failed, because which layer is producing a pattern is not visible from above.

Rocking units, ponding and ruts are very often reports on something beneath rather than complaints about what you can see.

Which layer of a construction is producing a visible pattern is a determination for a professional who can examine it on your site.

Avoid technical terms picked up from elsewhere, and write down what you observed rather than what you have read it might be called.

Borrowed vocabulary carries assumptions about cause, and it makes the record harder for a professional to work with rather than easier.

Where there is more than one thing happening, describe each separately rather than merging them into a single account of the surface.

Two patterns in different places may be unrelated, and combining them into one complaint hides the distinction.

For each pattern, describe its shape and the direction it runs, including whether it follows a straight line across the surface.

Shape and direction are two of the most informative things an owner can record, and they cost nothing to note.

Photograph and describe before making any repair, topping anything up or filling anything in, and note if something has already been done.

A repaired patch removes the evidence and sometimes creates a second pattern of its own on top of the first.

Draw a simple plan of the surface and mark each pattern on it, rather than describing positions in words alone.

A sketch makes the relationship between separate patterns visible, which a written description almost never does.

Note whether the pattern is confined to one area or appears across the whole surface, and mark the boundary of it as closely as you can.

Local and widespread patterns point in quite different directions, and the distinction is one an owner can record confidently.

Note how close the pattern is to an edge, a kerb, a wall, a step or wherever the surface meets something else.

Surfaces often begin to change at their edges and work inward, so distance from an edge is worth recording every time.

Note whether the pattern sits where vehicles or people turn, brake and stand, rather than where they simply pass.

The parts of a surface that are manoeuvred on work harder than the parts crossed, and two similar-looking areas can differ sharply.

Where anything runs in a straight line, note where that line starts and ends and whether it points towards a building or a boundary.

A line across a surface is a distinctive observation, and where it runs to is part of what makes it informative.

Where something has sunk, risen or spread, record roughly how much using something permanent nearby as a reference rather than estimating.

A comparison against a fixed feature is repeatable, whereas an estimate is not comparable with the next one you make.

Write down when you first noticed the pattern, and be clear about whether that is when it appeared or simply when you saw it.

Owners routinely conflate the two, and a professional will want to know which of them the date represents.

Record what the weather had been doing before you noticed it, including any prolonged wet period, freezing spell or extended dry weather.

Weather is frequently the trigger that makes something visible, and a note of it is part of the observation itself.

Photograph the same pattern again at intervals from the same position, and keep the earlier photographs rather than replacing them.

The comparison between rounds is what shows whether something is spreading, and it is the question you will be asked.

Note whether the pattern changes with the seasons, appearing or worsening in wet weather and easing at other times.

A pattern that comes and goes is a different observation from one that only grows, and the difference is visible only over a year.

Compare across several rounds rather than only against the last one, and note whether anything appears to be changing faster.

Slow change is invisible between consecutive visits and obvious across a longer set, which is exactly why owners miss it.

Record explicitly when a pattern looks unchanged since the previous round, rather than leaving a gap in the record.

A gap cannot be distinguished from a round that was never done, whereas a note of no change is a positive observation.

Look at the joints between units before looking at the units, and note whether any are open, empty, washed out or filled with something else.

What is between the units is part of how a surface works, and its condition is a more useful observation than the units themselves.

Where a depression exists, note the condition of the joints around it specifically rather than describing the depression alone.

The surrounding detail is part of the pattern, and recording it separately gives a professional considerably more to work with.

Walk every edge of the surface and note whether the restraint or kerb is still in position, missing, cracked or pushed outwards.

What confines a surface at its perimeter is easy to overlook and is frequently where a pattern begins.

Look specifically at the units immediately around covers, gullies, drainage furniture and any fixed frame, and photograph each one separately.

Anything fixed into a surface that relies on small movements becomes a hard point, and the area around it behaves differently.

Note what is happening where the surface meets a wall, a doorway, a step or another surface, and record each junction separately.

Junctions are where different constructions meet, and a great deal of what an owner can usefully record happens there.

Note any tree, hedge or established planting near the pattern, and record how close it is rather than whether you think it is responsible.

Proximity is an observation; attributing the pattern to roots is a conclusion, and the two should not be written as one line.

Anything concerning an established tree belongs with a qualified arboricultural professional, and protection must be confirmed locally.

Walk across the area attentively and note anywhere that sounds hollow, moves underfoot or feels different from the surface around it.

Inspecting by eye alone misses a great deal, and how something responds underfoot is an observation an owner can make reliably.

Note which specific units rock or move when stepped on, and mark them on the sketch rather than describing the area generally.

Which units move, and where they sit relative to everything else, is more useful than the fact that some of them do.

Note how the surface behaves when it is wet, including anywhere that becomes noticeably slippery or holds water underfoot.

Wet behaviour is part of the description and it is only observable at the right moment, so it is worth a deliberate visit.

Where a surface has become hazardous underfoot, keep people off it and seek qualified advice rather than continuing to observe it.

Pay particular attention to how the surface responds near its edges and around fixed objects, and record what you find there.

These are the positions where a difference in response most often shows first, and they are the easiest to walk past.

Record which parts of the surface respond normally as well as which do not, so the extent of the pattern is bounded.

Bounding a pattern is as useful as describing it, because it tells whoever reads the record where it stops.

Go out during or after rain and mark on the sketch exactly where water stands, rather than recording only that it ponds somewhere.

Position is the useful part, and it can only be recorded while the water is actually there.

Note roughly how long water takes to disappear after rain has stopped, and record that alongside the date and the weather.

How long water stands is a more informative observation than the fact that it stood, and it can be repeated consistently.

Trace where water runs on the surface and where it ends up, including whether it reaches a gully, a soft area, a wall or a neighbour.

Following the water is something an owner is far better placed to do than anybody visiting on a dry day.

Note whether any gully, channel or outlet serving the surface is discharging, blocked, silted or covered over by planting or stored items.

An outlet that has stopped working looks exactly like one that is working unless somebody looks while it is raining.

Do not open or enter any chamber; ask the contractor or the relevant provider to establish whether an outlet is working.

Note whether the way water behaves has changed from how it used to, and when you first noticed that change.

A change in water behaviour is frequently the earliest visible sign of something and is easy to record without any interpretation.

Note any change in what crosses or stands on the surface, including a second vehicle, a heavier vehicle, deliveries or a skip.

A change of use is one of the commonest things to precede a change in a surface, and only the owner knows it happened.

Record any work carried out at the property or next door, including digging, a new extension, a trench or a new surface.

Work that had nothing to do with this surface is frequently the thing that preceded the pattern, and the dates matter.

Note any change to drainage, downpipes, gutters or where water is directed, however minor it seemed at the time.

Redirecting water is a small job with a large effect, and it is rarely connected to a surface pattern by anybody but the owner.

Record any planting added or removed near the surface and roughly when, including any substantial tree or hedge that was taken out.

Both adding and removing planting change what happens in the ground nearby, and the record of when is what makes it useful.

Note any change of level nearby, including ground raised, lowered, a new bed or a new bank, and when it happened.

Level changes near a surface are easy to forget because they are usually described as landscaping rather than as groundworks.

Give the whole record to whoever you ask to look at the surface, and say plainly that it is a description rather than a diagnosis.

Saying so explicitly invites an examination rather than agreement with a conclusion you have already reached.