Severance Library

The Problem

After construction was complete, the City of Severance came back claiming $80,000 in road damage caused by Fransen Pittman's (FP) construction activity. The roads showed cracks, potholes, and deterioration that the city said was new damage from heavy equipment and construction traffic.

FP was facing a massive change order — one of those "your problem, you pay" moments that every contractor dreads. Without proof of what the roads looked like before construction started, they were in a weak negotiating position.

The Solution

Before anyone stepped on site, Wet Dog Drones had documented the existing road conditions with timestamped, georeferenced orthomosaics. Every crack, every pothole, every imperfection — captured and stored with metadata that can't be disputed.

The Result

Armed with pre-construction documentation showing existing road damage, FP negotiated from a position of strength. Instead of paying $80,000, they split the difference.

"I was the hero because I saved a big chunk of money. The drone documentation made all the difference."

The Lesson

Every project needs baseline documentation before ground is broken. Roads, curbs, landscaping, site conditions — if it's not documented, it doesn't exist in a dispute. For a fraction of the potential change order cost, FP had insurance that paid for itself 10x over.