Raise it once, with the location and the dimension already in it
For Builders, trades and site supervisors. A question sent to a consultant with three photos and no location comes back as a question. The reply asks which grid line, which level, which way you were facing — and the trade waiting on the answer loses another day. The cost of a badly raised RFI is almost never the answer; it is the round trip.
The ReportAI Field App is free and works with no signal, which matters in a basement or a frame that has no coverage yet. Capture the condition against its position on the plan, dimension it on the photograph, say what you need in your own words, and send one file that answers the obvious questions before they are asked.
How it works on site
1. Load the plan for the area you are working in
Upload the drawing for that level or elevation, or sketch the area if the drawing is not to hand. Everything you capture afterwards hangs off it.
2. Pin the condition where it actually is
A numbered pin with a compass direction, a severity and its own notes. The direction is what lets the consultant orient themselves without asking you to go back and take another photo.
3. Dimension it on the photograph
Set a scale, then measure lengths, angles and areas directly on the image. A photograph with a 40 mm callout on it answers a question that a photograph without one only raises. Sixteen annotation tools are free, including cloud, callout, polyline and crop.
4. Record the question, do not type it
Say what you need decided while you are looking at it — what you found, what the drawing shows, and what you are asking for. It comes back transcribed on Android and desktop Chrome, and you correct the text before anything leaves the phone.
5. Set the status you are prepared to record
Each finding carries a severity and an approval state — approved, not approved, or approved with conditions. Recording your own call is not the same as making someone else's: the app keeps your position straight, it does not decide anything.
6. Send it before you leave site
A ZIP with a folder per section containing original and annotated photographs, the marked-up plan and a project file, or a summary report saved straight to PDF. Unlimited on the free plan, so there is no reason to batch them up.
What makes an RFI come back answered
Consultants are not slow because they are unwilling. They are slow because most of what arrives is missing the one thing they need to answer it.
- Instead of “Beam doesn't fit — please advise”, write “Grid C/4, level 1: supplied beam is 180 mm deep, opening measures 165 mm clear. Photograph 03 shows the measurement. Can the opening be increased or is a different section required?”
- Instead of “Crack in the slab”, write “Slab on ground, north-east corner: crack approximately 2 m long, measured 3 mm at its widest. Photograph 07 is the wide view, 08 is the close-up with the scale.”
- Instead of “Bracket looks wrong”, write “Post bracket at grid B/2: corrosion visible on the base plate and one fixing missing. Recorded as Major, not approved. Requesting inspection before the frame is closed up.”
Every one of those is a location, a measurement, a photograph reference and a specific question. The app supplies the first three as a by-product of how you capture, so the only thing left to write is the question.
What this costs
Free — everything above:
- Unlimited photographs and annotation
- Plans and numbered directional pins
- Scale, measurement, angle and area tools on the photograph
- Severity and approval state per finding
- Voice notes, transcribed on most devices
- Fully offline — basements, frames, new estates
- Unlimited ZIP, Word and PDF exports
Pro, if you need it:
- A section per level or elevation in one job, each with its own plan
- Indicative floor levels with contours and CSV export
- Sending jobs to a reportai.au account for the office
- A free account is required.
- A free job covers one section — one level or one elevation. Pro splits a job into as many as the building needs.
- ReportAI records and organises what you captured. It does not assign work to anyone or track whether an item was fixed.
Questions
Is it free for a builder or a subcontractor?
Yes. The field app's documentation tools are free, with no photo limit, no daily limit and no export limit. A free account is required. The 3-reports-a-day figure that sometimes gets quoted applies to AI report generation on the website, not to the app.
Does it work with no signal on site?
Yes. Capture, plans, pins, photographs, annotation and audio recording all work offline and are kept on the device. Two things need a connection: speech-to-text transcription, and anything involving your account. Recording always works; transcribing generally does not.
Can I assign a defect to a subcontractor and track whether it was fixed?
No. ReportAI documents a finding and hands it over as a file — it does not assign items to people or track their status, and other products do that better. Use it for the capture and the handover, and keep whatever system you already use for chasing the work.
Can I use it for stage or frame inspections?
Yes, and building surveyors do. Pins with severity, annotated photographs and notes against plan locations are exactly that workflow. One storey fits a free job; a whole building in a single job needs Pro, which adds a section per level.
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reportai.au is a report documentation tool. It does not carry out inspections, does not assess or certify the condition of any building, and does not provide engineering services. Reports are AI-assisted drafts prepared for the inspecting engineer to check, correct, and sign off. All professional judgement remains yours.
Aiman Salem, trading as ReportAi.au · ABN 95 973 765 172 · admin@reportai.au · Prices in Australian dollars.