A New Zealand tradesperson is pioneering the use of 3D and 360-degree scanning technology in residential construction — and the results are changing how builders think about documentation, liability, and client communication.
Rob Horrocks, a certified plumber, drainlayer, and gasfitter, founded 3D Three60 to commercialise Matterport camera technology for NZ building projects. The system uses infrared and lidar scanners to create high-definition virtual tours that capture exactly what’s been built — walls, framing, plumbing, electrical runs, and insulation — before the lining goes on.
What Pre-Line Scanning Does
Think of it as Google Street View for inside your walls. Once a scan is complete, anyone with access to the virtual tour can navigate through the build, measure distances, identify exactly where pipes and cables run, and confirm what was actually installed versus what was specified.
This is enormously valuable in the short term for consent inspections and subcontractor coordination. In the long term, it’s a permanent record that can be accessed decades later when a homeowner wants to renovate, a plumber needs to find a pipe, or a dispute arises about what was built.
Filling a Gap in the NZ Market
Pre-line 3D scanning is common in commercial construction and well-established in overseas residential markets. In New Zealand, it has been largely absent outside one-off cases involving high-end architects or large commercial projects. 3D Three60 is filling that gap with an independent scanning service that any builder can engage.
Horrocks’s background as a plumber and drainlayer gives him a practical understanding of how to position scan points for maximum coverage — particularly in the service areas that matter most when things go wrong later.
Protection for Builders and Homeowners
For builders, a pre-line scan provides clear evidence of what was installed and how. In the event of a warranty claim or dispute — which can arise years after completion — the scan record is far more reliable than memory, photos taken on a phone, or records that may have been lost.
For homeowners, a scan gives them something most never have: a complete record of their home’s internal structure before it disappears behind the walls. This has real value when planning future modifications, identifying the cause of a leak, or simply understanding what’s in the walls before drilling into them.
Cost and Access
Pre-line scanning is priced per visit and is typically a small fraction of the overall build cost. As the technology becomes more widely known, builders are beginning to include it as a standard offering to clients rather than an optional extra — particularly in the mid-to-high end of the residential market where documentation and liability management are priorities.