Trade walkthroughs
How to inspect framing
Framing is the last honest look you get at the structure before it disappears behind sheathing, insulation, and drywall. A framing inspection is really a pre-cover inspection: you're confirming the bones match the structural drawings and that every connection, hold-down, and piece of backing is in place while it can still be seen and fixed.
For the framing lead checking their crew's work and the superintendent running the pre-drywall inspection before other trades close it in.
Step by step
Check layout against the structural drawings
Walk the floor with the plans: wall locations, opening sizes, member spacing, and header schedules should match. Catch a mislocated bearing wall or a wrong header now, not when the finish trades hit it.
Verify members, grade, and sizing
Confirm joist, stud, beam, and header sizes and grades match the schedule, and that engineered lumber (LVL, I-joists, trusses) is the specified product installed per its layout. Look for splits, notching, and boring beyond what the code and manufacturer allow.
Inspect connections, fasteners, and hardware
Check nailing patterns, hangers, straps, and hold-downs against the schedule — right connector, right fasteners, all holes filled. Under-nailed shear walls and missing hold-downs are the framing defects inspectors write up most.
Confirm bearing, blocking, and backing
Verify members bear where they're supposed to, that fire and draft blocking is in, and that blocking and backing is installed for everything the other trades and finishes need to land on — cabinets, grab bars, railings, fixtures.
Check openings, headers, and shear walls
At every opening confirm the header, king and jack studs, and rough opening dimensions. Verify shear wall sheathing, edge nailing, and any strapping or blocking at panel edges — the load path only works if it's continuous.
Verify plumb, level, and tolerance
Check walls for plumb, floors for level, and framing for the alignment the finish work depends on. Note anything outside the allowable tolerance now; drywall and cabinets will telegraph a bowed or out-of-plumb wall.
Coordinate MEP rough-in before sign-off
Confirm plumbers, electricians, and HVAC haven't over-notched or over-bored structural members, and that any needed drilling is reinforced per the drawings. Framing shouldn't be closed until the structural impact of the rough-ins is checked.
Document and release for cover
Photograph connections, hold-downs, and blocking against the checklist, log any nonconformances, and don't release the walls for insulation or drywall until they're cleared. Once it's covered, the photos are the record.
What gets missed
- Letting drywall start before hold-downs, straps, and shear-wall nailing are verified and photographed.
- Missing blocking and backing for grab bars, cabinets, and railings until the finish trade can't land them.
- Overlooking notched or bored members where MEP crews ran pipe and cable through structure.
- Accepting an out-of-plumb or bowed wall that will telegraph through the finish.
- Confusing the building department's framing inspection with your own QC walk — you owe both.
Questions people ask
- What's the difference between a framing inspection and a pre-drywall inspection?
- They overlap. The framing inspection focuses on the structure and connections; the pre-drywall walk adds the MEP rough-ins and blocking so everything behind the wall is verified before it's covered. On many jobs they're run together.
- Who signs off framing?
- Your QC walk verifies the work against the drawings, and the building department runs its own framing inspection where required. For engineered connections a special inspector may be involved. Record your walk regardless of who else inspects.
Terms worth knowing
Checklists that make this a one-tap job
Free, field-ready checklists, each with the photo every item needs before it can be submitted.
Related guides
- How to inspect insulation before coverInspect insulation and its air and vapor barriers before drywall covers them — coverage, fit, continuity, and the gaps that become thermal and moisture problems.
- How to inspect structural steelInspect steel erection in order — anchor bolts, plumb and level, bolted and welded connections — against the erection drawings and the inspection plan.
- How to inspect drywall before closeRun the pre-drywall walk while the walls are open, then inspect board install: backing, fastening, board type, joints and finish level, with proof at each stage.
Reading the steps is one thing. Proving you walked them is the job.
RTI holds the submit button until every mandatory item is answered and the photos are attached, then chains the record so it can be proven untouched later.