A daily log your crew can finish before leaving site
Six short sections a site lead will actually fill: who was on site and for how long, what got built and where, what arrived, what went wrong and who was told, who visited, and which photos were taken. Hours total themselves from start, finish and break. The filled example is a demolition day on the same fictional ensuite job as our estimate, purchase order and invoice templates.
Excel / Google Sheets compatible · blank log and a filled example day · no sign-up required
Template and page last reviewed November 4, 2026.
What is in the file
| Name | Role | Start | Finish | Break | Hours |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| D. Kaur | Site lead (in house) | 07:30 | 16:30 | 0.5 h | 8.5 h |
| M. Leblanc | Carpenter (in house) | 07:30 | 16:00 | 0.5 h | 8.0 h |
| 2 on site | Total | 16.5 h |
| Area | Work completed | Status |
|---|---|---|
| Shower | Removed wall tile, backer board and the old pan to the studs and subfloor | 100% |
| Bathroom floor | Removed floor tile and underlay to the subfloor; checked flat to 3 mm in 2 m, no soft spots | 100% |
| Behind the shower | Bottom plate and studs checked once open: dry, no rot, no repair needed. Photographed before the membrane goes on | Checked |
| Vanity and toilet | Vanity removed. Toilet left in place for the plumber to disconnect, as the scope says | Vanity 100% |
| Entry | Detail | Who was told |
|---|---|---|
| Delivery, PO-201 | Porcelain tile 58 sq ft, membrane, setting materials, grout. One box with 3 chipped tiles. Inside the 6 sq ft waste allowance; supplier told, photo taken | Supplier |
| Delay, 0.5 h lost | Disposal bin swap late: booked for 10:00, arrived 13:30. Cause: Hauler's schedule. Debris moved to the new bin 13:30 to 14:00. Next swap booked for Thursday | Client, by text at 10:20 (debris staged in the garage) |
| Entry | Detail |
|---|---|
| Client, 16:15 | Demolition-complete walk-through (scope milestone). Walls and floor open to inspection; tile layout review booked for 22 March. |
| Safety, 07:30 | Dust barrier at the ensuite door, floor protection in the hall, N95 masks for demolition. No incidents. |
| 3 photos | 2027-03-15-shower-open-to-studs.jpg, 2027-03-15-bottom-plate-dry.jpg, 2027-03-15-tile-box-chipped.jpg |
| Part of this log | Where it goes |
|---|---|
| Weather and site conditions | Weather field on the log |
| Crew on site | Crew on site (a head count). Hours per person are time entries, not part of the log |
| Work completed, by area | Work done, which can be dictated |
| Deliveries received | Materials & deliveries |
| Delays and who was told | Delays |
| Visitors, inspections and safety | Safety and Notes |
| Photos | Uploaded to the job's photos with the date taken; the log does not link to individual photos |
Four steps to a working document
Fill it on site, not from memory
A log written a week later from a few photographs is a reconstruction, and anyone relying on it later can see that. The sheet is short so that finishing it before you leave is realistic.
Be specific about what was built
"Framing" is not a log entry. "Framed second-floor partitions, north side" is. The test is whether someone reading it in two years knows what was done and where.
Record delays the day they happen
What happened, what caused it, hours lost, and who was told and when. In the example the late bin cost half an hour and the client was texted at 10:20; that last column is the one people forget.
Name the photos
List the file names on the log. A photo nobody can match to a day is a picture; one listed on the day's log is part of the record.
A daily log is a business record, not a legal instrument, and this template is not legal advice. How much weight a log carries later depends on things like whether it was written on the day, kept consistently and specific about what happened. Your contract may set its own requirements for site records and notice of delay, and those apply whatever the log says.
When the spreadsheet stops scaling
In BuildersBridge the daily log is filled from a phone against the job: weather, crew on site, and sections for work done (which can be dictated), deliveries, equipment, delays, safety and notes. Photos are saved to the job with the date they were taken, and hours per person go on time entries.
See how it works in BuildersBridgeCommon questions
What should a construction daily log include?
Date, project, weather and conditions; the crew on site with hours; work completed by area; deliveries received; delays with cause, hours lost and who was notified; visitors, inspections and safety; and the photos taken. Those cover most of the questions a log is later asked to answer.
Is a daily report the same as a daily log?
In practice, yes. Some firms call the site record a daily log and the version sent to the owner or office a daily report, but the contents are the same, which is why this is one template. If your contract names a format, use its name and fields.
Who should fill in the daily log?
Whoever was on site and knows what happened, usually the site lead or foreman. A log filled in by the office from a phone call is a summary of a summary.
Why record who was notified about a delay?
Because many contracts require written notice of a delay within a set period, and a dispute about a delay usually turns on what happened, when, why and who knew. A log written on the day helps answer those questions; it does not replace the notice your contract asks for.
How are hours worked out?
Finish less start less the break, per person, then totalled. In the example two people worked 8.5 and 8.0 hours for 16.5 on the day. Enter times as hh:mm; the formula leaves a row blank until both times are in.
Does it work in Google Sheets?
Yes. Upload the .xlsx to Google Drive and open with Sheets. The hours and totals carry over.