Punch list

How a punch list works

A punch list is built near the end of the job, when the work is close to substantial completion. The contractor does an internal walk first, fixes what it finds, and then walks with the client, the architect or the owner’s representative to create the official list. Anything not right gets written down, room by room.

A useful punch list records more than a description. Each item should have:

• A number, so items can be referred to without confusion.
• A location, such as “primary bath, north wall.”
• A short, specific description of what’s wrong and what done looks like.
• The trade or person responsible.
• A target date and a status.
• A photo before and after the fix.

Once items are fixed, the client or architect checks them off. On commercial jobs, the architect often attaches the punch list to the certificate of substantial completion, and final completion comes when every item is closed. The same logic applies on residential jobs, even when the paperwork is simpler.

Format matters less than discipline. A shared spreadsheet, a punch app or a printed list on a clipboard all work, as long as there’s one current version, every item has a photo, and everyone knows which items are closed. Two lists kept by two people is how items get missed.

Money is usually tied to the list. Many contracts release most retainage at substantial completion and hold back an amount for open punch items until they’re finished. The contract sets how that holdback is calculated and when it’s released, so read that clause before the punch walk.

Punch items versus change orders and warranty claims

Not every item raised at the end of a job belongs on the punch list. Sorting them correctly keeps the list short and keeps new work billable.

Photos taken at the punch walk help separate these later. If a scratch appears after move-in, photos showing the floor was clean at the walk-through settle the question.

Why the punch list matters to each party

For contractors

The punch list stands between you and your final payment. A list that closes in a week or two gets you paid and moves your crew to the next job. A list that drags on ties up your retainage, pulls crews back for small trips, and turns a client who was happy into one who remembers the ending.

For homeowners and clients

The punch walk is your chance to point out everything before the job is closed. Items you note in writing get fixed as part of the contract; items you notice later may fall under the warranty, with its own terms and timing.

For subcontractors

Your retainage often waits on the whole job’s punch list, not just your items. Finishing your items quickly, with photos, keeps you from being the reason the list stays open.

How to run a punch list step by step

1. Walk the job yourself before the client does, and fix what you can before the official walk.
2. Schedule the punch walk with the client or architect, with good light and every room accessible.
3. Write each item with a number, location, description, responsible trade and photo.
4. Agree the list in writing at the end of the walk, and note that later requests will be handled separately.
5. Move new requests to change orders and possible damage by others to its own note.
6. Assign dates, schedule the trades together, and order any parts right away.
7. Have the client sign off items as they’re finished, then submit for any retainage or holdback tied to the list.

The aim is to close the list in one or two return trips, not ten. Grouping items by trade and ordering missing parts the day of the walk does most of the work.

The shortest punch lists start long before the end. Checking each phase as it finishes, such as trim before paint and paint before hardware, catches problems while the right trade is still on site and the fix is easy.

Punch list and retainage release example

Say a remodeler has a $180,000 kitchen and addition contract with 10% retainage held from each progress payment. By substantial completion, all base work has been billed. The client has paid $162,000 and holds $18,000 in retainage. For illustration, the contract releases retainage at substantial completion except $4,000, which the client keeps until the punch list is complete.

The punch walk produces 23 items. The client releases $18,000 − $4,000 = $14,000. Within nine days the crew finishes 21 items, but two depend on a cabinet door that’s backordered for a month. The remodeler sends photos of the finished items and asks, in writing, to release all but $1,000 of the holdback. The client agrees and signs the change.

The payments add up: $162,000 + $14,000 + $3,000 + $1,000 = $180,000, the full contract. Without the written agreement, the whole $4,000 would have waited a month on two items worth far less. Final lien waivers and closeout documents would follow the last payment, as the contract requires.

Common punch list mistakes

• Skipping the internal walk, so the client finds the obvious items first.
• Leaving the list open-ended, so new items keep appearing for weeks.
• Writing vague items like “touch up paint” without a location.
• Treating new requests as punch items and doing them for free.
• Waiting to order missing parts until the list is otherwise done.
• Finishing items without photos or the client’s sign-off.
• Letting the whole holdback wait on one item that depends on a backordered part, instead of asking to release the rest.

A punch list is the last impression a client has of the job. Close it quickly, document every item, and the final payment and referrals tend to follow.