Site Survey Notes to Design Brief

Turns a surveyor's rough site notes into an organized design brief the designer can work from without calling the surveyor.

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Before and after

BEFORE · what the owner typed

Elkshire Solar. Survey for Ariel Pham at design. Customer Annette Myers, 1398 Crowshire Rd, Slateglen, cell 330-555-0104. Survey done by Antonio OBrien. She wants to cover most of her bill, uses about 11,200 kwh a year per her bills. Battery maybe later, not now. No panels on the front of the house. Roof 1 rear, faces S, 6/12, comp shingle about 12 yrs old, 34 x 15 ft, 2 box vents and 1 plumbing stack. Rafters 2x6 at 24 oc, sagging a bit mid span on the left side. Roof 2 garage, faces W, 4/12, comp shingle, 20 x 14, clear of obstructions. No attic access so no rafter info. Roof 3 front faces E, skipped, customer doesn't want panels there. Big oak at back SW corner, shades left side of roof 1 in the afternoon. She might trim it, not sure. Main panel inside garage, 200A main, 200A bus, 2 open slots. Meter outside on garage wall, left side. Utility not confirmed. Panel photo taken. Attic over house: junction box near the hatch with no cover, wires exposed. 2 cracked shingles on roof 1 near ridge. Side yard gate locked, she has to let us in. Dog named Moxley, friendly but loose in the yard.

AFTER · what the skill produced

DESIGN BRIEF

Job basics

Customer: Annette Myers, 1398 Crowshire Rd, Slateglen
Phone: 330-555-0104
Surveyed by: Antonio OBrien, Elkshire Solar
Brief for: Ariel Pham

Customer goals

Cover most of her electric bill. Her bills show about 11,200 kWh used per year.
Battery maybe later, not now.
No panels on the front of the house.

Roof planes

Roof 1 (rear): faces south, 6/12 pitch, composition shingle about 12 years old, 34 x 15 ft. Obstructions: 2 box vents and 1 plumbing stack. Rafters are 2x6 at 24 inches on center, with some sagging mid span on the left side.
Roof 2 (garage): faces west, 4/12 pitch, composition shingle (age not noted), 20 x 14 ft. No obstructions. No attic access, so no rafter information.
Roof 3 (front): faces east. Skipped because the customer does not want panels there.

Shading

A large oak at the back southwest corner shades the left side of Roof 1 in the afternoon. The customer may trim it but is not sure.

Electrical

Main panel is inside the garage: 200A main, 200A bus, 2 open slots. A panel photo was taken.
Meter is outside on the left side of the garage wall.
Utility details are not confirmed.

Access and site notes

The side yard gate is locked. The customer must let the crew in.
A friendly dog named Moxley is loose in the yard.

Findings
Safety concern, recommended now

In the attic over the house, a junction box near the hatch has no cover and the wires are exposed. We recommend a licensed electrician look at it.

Recommended now

Two cracked shingles on Roof 1 near the ridge.
Roof 1 rafters are sagging mid span on the left side. We recommend a structural engineer look at it.

Also recommended

Roof 1 shingles are about 12 years old. We recommend the customer and designer talk about roof condition before panels go on.

Missing from the survey

Rafter size and spacing for Roof 2
Age of the Roof 2 shingles
Roof 3 measurements (skipped by request)
Utility name and interconnection details
Whether the oak will be trimmed

For licensed professional review

Sagging mid span on the left side of the Roof 1 rafters, for a structural engineer
Exposed junction box wiring in the attic, for a licensed electrician
Panel and open slot details, for the designer to confirm with the utility and local building office

Questions for the owner

Did Antonio take roof measurements or photos of Roof 2's framing from another spot, such as from above?
Which utility serves this address?
Do you want the brief to mention a target system size or budget? None was given.

What it does

Turns a surveyor's rough site notes into an organized design brief the designer can work from without calling the surveyor. It shows what was measured, what was found, and what is still missing.

Use it when: Use when a solar company needs to turn site survey notes, photos lists, or a surveyor's rough jottings into a clear design brief for the designer or engineer, such as: write up this survey, make a design brief, or hand this site off to design.