Pre-construction survey knowledge base
This knowledge base is based on almost 2,900 of Premiumkeur’s own reports from 2013–2026: building inspections, foundation surveys, roof, damp and crawl space inspections and maintenance plans.
In brief. A pre-construction survey (in Dutch: nulmeting or bouwkundige vooropname) records, with photos and a short description, what your home looks like before building, demolition or foundation work starts nearby. If damage appears afterwards, you can show what is new. In 115 recent Premiumkeur surveys we found light cracks in 92 homes and heavy cracks of more than 3 mm in 35 homes, before any work had started. A survey by Premiumkeur costs from € 499 including VAT. The report can be written in English for € 100 extra.
1. What is a pre-construction survey?
It is a snapshot of the structural condition of a home or building. We photograph the facades and then, room by room, the walls, ceilings, floors, window frames and tiling. Existing damage is marked on the photos and briefly described.
The survey says nothing about the cause of the damage. Our reports state it plainly: the report is limited to the condition observed and makes no statement about cause or effect.
That is also its strength. The report is a neutral starting point that both parties can refer back to later.
Still buying the home? Then start with an inspection before you sign: see Pre-Purchase Inspection Amsterdam or, for an older building, Pre-Purchase Building Survey Amsterdam.
2. When do you need one?
In our reports we see these reasons:
- foundation repair on the neighbouring building;
- renovation of the home above or next to yours;
- new construction or a building project in the street;
- major work on the street, quay or sewers.
Often every home in a street is surveyed at the same time. Our reports show 12 series of three or more surveys on a single day. The largest was eleven homes in Amsterdam-Centrum on one day in March 2026.
Have the survey done before work begins. In one 2021 report we had to note that the report was only made after the work had already started. That makes the evidence much weaker.
3. Who orders the survey?
The survey can be ordered by a resident or owner, by an owners’ association (VvE) or by the party that is going to build. The report is the same in every case: a factual record of the condition, with no judgement on who is liable later.
Is your home being surveyed on behalf of the neighbours’ contractor? Ask for a copy of the report. If in doubt, you can have your own independent survey done.
4. How we carry out a survey
- We start with the facades, then the stairwell, then the home from top to bottom.
- In each room we take overview and detail photos. Existing damage is marked with red arrows, lines or frames.
- We photograph with an iPhone 17 Pro (48 megapixels, 8x optical zoom), so we can zoom in later. The photos are stored on our own server.
- Cracks are classified in four categories: hairline (about 0.1 mm), light (0.5 to 1 mm), moderate (1 to 3 mm) and heavy (more than 3 mm).
- Hairline cracks in plaster and joints between materials are not recorded separately. They cannot be clearly linked to work nearby.
The survey is visual. We do not use ladders, scaffolding or measuring equipment and do not place crack gauges or levelling bolts as standard. Measuring settlement is a separate investigation with levelling bolts (meetbouten).
Anything we cannot see, for example because the owner does not allow photos in a room, is stated in the report.
5. What we record: existing damage before the work
These figures come from 115 Premiumkeur surveys from 2025 and 2026 in which findings were described room by room. They show how much damage is already there before any work starts.
| Finding | In how many of the 115 homes | Example from a report |
|---|---|---|
| Light cracking (0.5 to 1 mm) | 92 | Light crack above a window frame |
| Discolouration | 80 | Discolouration on the underside of a balcony |
| Gaps or open joints | 61 | Wide joint between decorative mouldings |
| Moderate cracking (1 to 3 mm) | 58 | Diagonal crack in a balcony |
| Damp patches | 48 | Damp patches on a balcony ceiling |
| Traces of old leaks | 47 | Dried drip marks |
| Tiling cracked, loose or bulging | 42 | Diagonal crack through tiling |
| Mould | 38 | Heavy mould growth |
| Heavy cracking (more than 3 mm) | 35 | Stepped crack in brickwork at a window frame |
| Cracked window, including stained glass | 28 | Crack in the corner of a pane |
| Leaning or out of plumb | 13 | Wall visibly out of plumb |
| Sticking door | 8 | Door dragging on the floor |
In 74 of the 115 homes at least one room had no defects.
The lesson: almost every old house already has cracks. Without a survey it is impossible to say afterwards which crack was caused by the work and which was already there.
6. Which homes we survey
Our database of our own reports (October 2026) holds over 200 pre-construction surveys. About 140 were in Amsterdam, mainly in West, Zuid and Centrum, and most of the rest in the Haarlem, Gooi, Utrecht and Zaanstreek regions.
They are mostly old buildings. Where the year of construction is known, 28% were built before 1900 and 43% between 1900 and 1950. The oldest dates from 1575. Almost half belong to an owners’ association.
That fits Amsterdam: old buildings on wooden piles are sensitive to vibrations and foundation work nearby. More in our foundation investigation knowledge base.
7. Case studies from our reports
The cases are anonymous: no addresses, no names and no names of contractors.
Case 1: heavy crack on the neighbour’s side, Amsterdam-West, September 2025
- Situation: terraced house from 1888 with a VvE. The survey was for planned foundation repair on the neighbouring building.
- Findings: a heavy crack in the wall on the neighbour’s side, behind a cupboard, previously filled. Earlier facade repairs at the rear. The rest of the building in very good condition.
- Advice: make the chimneys and the edge of the roof terrace watertight (a note outside the scope of the survey).
- Why it matters: there was already a heavy crack exactly on the side where work was planned. Without a survey this could not have been proven later.
Case 2: leaning ground-floor flat with heavy cracks, Amsterdam-Zuid, August 2026
- Situation: ground-floor flat with basement from 1891, with a VvE. Scaffolding stood in front of the facade.
- Findings: in several rooms the walls were visibly out of plumb. One bedroom had heavy cracks of more than 3 mm in at least eight places. A crack in stained glass and cracks in the natural stone at the entrance.
- Advice: have the lean assessed by an expert.
- Why it matters: a building that already leans is extra vulnerable. It is now on record that it was like this before the work.
Case 3: broken natural stone under a balcony, Amsterdam-West, July 2026
- Situation: apartment in a building from 1899, with a VvE.
- Findings: a fracture in the natural stone on the underside of the balcony, a crack in the balcony floor and a window frame that appears to sag.
- Advice: immediate further investigation by a specialist, and do not use the balcony until then.
- Why it matters: a survey can also bring an acute safety problem to light.
Case 4: renovation in the flat above, Amsterdam-Zuid, July 2025
- Situation: the two lower homes in a building from 1931 were surveyed before a renovation of the top flat.
- Findings: stepped repaired pointing above a bay window, moderate and heavy cracks on a balcony, a leaking drain (a drop fell during the survey) and fanlight bars no longer vertical, with a small glass fracture.
- Advice: further investigation, because an underlying structural cause cannot be ruled out.
- Why it matters: old repairs are now on record and cannot later be mistaken for new damage.
Case 5: vacant commercial building, The Hague, June 2026
- Situation: commercial building from 1895, unoccupied.
- Findings: a very heavy diagonal crack in the side facade, heavy cracks on almost every floor, traces of leaks, heavy mould, a broken window and suspected asbestos in one room.
- Advice: further structural investigation and a leak investigation to establish whether the leaks are still active.
- Why it matters: in a vacant building damage builds up unnoticed. A survey makes the starting point clear for everyone.
Case 6: Pre-construction survey before foundation work further down the street, Amsterdam-Centrum
Situation: An occupied historic building from 1823 with three storeys. Foundation work was about to start on another building in the same street, where the client lives. The client wanted the condition of this building recorded first. We carried out the pre-construction survey in June 2023, floor by floor, with photographs.
Findings:
- Front facade: fair. The house visibly leans; the brickwork is reasonably well maintained.
- First floor: moderate, with quite a few cracks. Not unusual for an old house, but all recorded.
- Second floor: fair, with shrinkage cracks and damp stains from leaks that have probably been there for some time.
- Ground floor: good, hardly any cracks, but one damp stain.
Advice: The report points out that the lean may make the building vulnerable once the foundation work down the street begins. The survey could not establish whether the building already has a new foundation. On a new foundation it would be less sensitive to damage than on an old one.
Why it matters: Existing cracks and old damp stains are now on photo before the work starts. If damage appears later, it is clear what is new and what was already there.
8. What to do if damage does occur
- Report damage immediately, in writing, to the party carrying out or commissioning the work.
- Take your own dated photos from the same spots as in the survey.
- Compare the new photos with the report. A crack that was not there before, or has widened, is then easy to see.
- You can report damage without a survey too, but a survey makes it much easier to prove, as Dutch consumer programme Kassa also points out (in Dutch).
This is not legal advice. In a dispute you can contact a lawyer or your legal expenses insurer.
9. Cost and booking
A pre-construction survey costs from € 499 including VAT. A report in English costs € 100 extra. All prices are on our services and rates page (in Dutch). What clients say: English reviews.
Want to book? Call Premiumkeur on +31 20 773 6842, send a WhatsApp to +31 6 2956 3190 or email premiumkeur@gmail.com. We can be reached by WhatsApp and email 7 days a week.
Videos of our inspections are on our YouTube channel.
A pre-construction survey is not the same as a handover inspection, which assesses work you commissioned yourself; see Handover inspection Amsterdam.
Frequently asked questions
What does a pre-construction survey cost?
At Premiumkeur from € 499 including VAT, plus € 100 for a report in English.
Is a nulmeting the same as a bouwkundige vooropname?
Yes. They are two Dutch names for the same survey.
When should I have it done?
Before work nearby starts. A survey during or after the work carries much less weight as evidence.
Does the survey say who is liable?
No. It only records the condition and makes no statement about cause or liability.
Do you measure cracks with gauges or levelling bolts?
Not as standard. We classify cracks on the photos. Measuring settlement is a separate investigation with levelling bolts.
My home is being surveyed by the neighbours’ contractor. Do I need my own survey?
First ask for a copy of that report. If you doubt it is complete, you can have your own independent survey done.
What if my home already has cracks?
That is normal in old houses. We found light cracks in 92 of 115 recent surveys. That is exactly why recording them matters.
Can I report damage without a survey?
Yes, but it is harder to prove that the damage is new.
Sources
- Damage to your home after building work nearby – Kassa (BNNVARA), 30 March 2024 (in Dutch)
- Premiumkeur’s own pre-construction survey reports, 2017 to 2026 (over 200 in the database, 132 reviewed)