How to Generate an As-Built Report from Field Data

What an As-Built Report Contains

An as-built report is a formal record of what was constructed versus what was designed. For grading and earthwork, it centers on elevation data: where was the ground actually finished, and how does that compare to the approved design plan? The report needs to be specific enough that an engineer reviewing it can determine compliance without going to the field.

A complete as-built report includes: benchmark documentation, the approved plan reference, a table of shot locations with design and as-built elevations, deviations, pass/fail status, photographs, and corrective action notes where applicable. Missing any of these elements creates gaps in the documentation that can trigger rejection from the building department or engineer.

Step 1: Set Up Your Field Data Structure

Before collecting field data, establish a consistent naming convention for your shot locations. Common conventions include lot numbers (LOT-42-FL for lot 42, front left), station numbers (STA-12+50-CL for a road centerline shot at station 12+50), or grid coordinates. Consistent naming is critical — the report is only as clear as the location identifiers in it.

Load your design elevations into Sitemark before going to the field. This allows real-time deviation calculations as shots are logged, instead of requiring a manual comparison step in the office. For large projects, design elevations can be imported from a CSV file or entered in the web interface. For smaller jobs, entering them directly in the app before starting the survey takes 10–15 minutes for a typical commercial pad.

Step 2: Collect Field Shots

With design elevations loaded, go to the field and log as-built elevations at each required location. The shot entry sequence in Sitemark is: select the shot location, enter the measured elevation, optionally add a photo, and save. The app immediately shows the deviation and pass/fail status. Continue through all locations in a logical sequence — working in rows or grids minimizes back-tracking.

Always shoot more than the minimum required locations. Minimum shots might satisfy the formal report requirement, but additional data points provide better spatial coverage and catch problems that could be missed with sparse sampling. On a 10,000 SF commercial pad, shooting 20 points instead of 5 takes an extra 15 minutes and produces a much more defensible as-built record.

Step 3: Review and Resolve Deviations

After logging all shots, open the deviation summary in Sitemark. Any shot outside your tolerance threshold is flagged. For each flagged location, there are two paths: verify the shot by taking a second reading, or proceed to corrective action if the deviation is confirmed.

When a deviation is confirmed, document it before re-grading. Record the location, the deviation magnitude and direction (high or low), and the area affected. Once re-graded, log a new shot for that location. The as-built report will show both the original failing shot and the corrected shot, which is the documentation pattern required by most engineers and building departments for corrective actions.

Step 4: Export the As-Built Report

From the Sitemark job dashboard, generate the as-built report. The export includes: job header with project name, address, and date; benchmark information; reference to the approved design plan; the full shot table with design elevation, as-built elevation, deviation, and pass/fail for every location; inline photographs attached to specific shots; and any corrective action notes entered during the survey.

The report is formatted as a professional PDF suitable for direct submission to owners, building departments, and engineers. In most cases it can be distributed the same afternoon as the field survey — compared to the traditional workflow where the same report might take 2–3 days to produce from paper field notes and spreadsheets.

As-Built Reports by Project Type

• Residential subdivision pads — Lot elevation surveys for PE certification. Minimum 5 shots per lot, deviation table by lot number, drainage compliance statement. Required before building permits are issued in most jurisdictions.
• Commercial site grading — Finish grade verification across the building pad, parking lot subgrade, and drainage features. As-built submitted to project engineer and owner's testing lab for compliance review.
• Roadway subgrade — Subgrade elevation shots at regular stations (typically 50 ft) before paving. As-built submitted to the inspector for paving authorization. Tolerance typically ±0.05 ft.
• Solar farm finish grade — Interrow drainage slope verification and pile location elevation survey. As-built submitted to the EPC contractor and engineer of record before racking installation.
• Utility corridor earthwork — Trench bottom and backfill elevation verification at manholes, junction structures, and transitions. As-built required for utility acceptance by the municipality.

Common As-Built Report Mistakes

• Referencing the wrong plan version — The as-built must reference the current approved grading plan by plan number and revision date. Using a superseded plan version is a common rejection trigger.
• Missing the benchmark documentation — Engineers need to verify your benchmark. Include the benchmark ID, elevation, datum, and verification date in every as-built report.
• Reporting only passing shots — Include all shots in the report, not just the ones that passed. Selectively omitting failing shots is a documentation integrity issue that can create significant liability.
• No corrective action documentation — If shots were re-graded and re-surveyed, both the original failure and the corrected result must appear in the report.