Free checklist
Below-grade waterproofingBelow-grade waterproofing punch checklist
Below-grade waterproofing punch is where small misses become callbacks after the crew has demobilized. This checklist walks the finished work the way the owner and the next trade will see it, with the photo that closes each item instead of a note that reopens it. Work is commonly verified against manufacturer's published instructions, the applicable building code. Confirm the edition your authority having jurisdiction has adopted.
The checklist
Every item, and the photo evidence it needs
The photo count on each row is what RTI would require before the item can be submitted. Work the list here and watch the gate hold, or load it into RTI and let it enforce the real thing.
Interior-side check
Tie-hole and joint lines checked from inside
From the room side, the form-tie grid, wall-to-footing joint and pour joints looked at for damp, efflorescence or rust staining, each finding marked on the plan.
Damp spots matched to the pre-backfill photo record
Each damp area's gridline and height compared with the wall photos taken before backfill, to narrow down the likely breach before anyone digs.
No photo
Repair and drainage
Backfill damage located and repaired
Damaged area exposed, membrane repaired with the detailed patch and reprotected, repair photographed before it's re-covered.
No photoDrainage tie-in verified
Footing drain and drainage mat confirmed connected and draining to the outfall, no crushed or clogged pipe at the tie-in.
Any dig to the wall made inside a protected cut
Re-excavation sloped, benched or shored and cleared by the competent person before anyone goes down; the repair is observed from the edge or protected access.
No photoRepair side and product logged on the punch
Whether the fix was made from the exposed outside face or from inside by injection or crystalline, with the product, location and the manufacturer's agreement noted.
No photoBackfill settlement along the wall checked
Grade along each foundation wall looked at for settled trenches or washouts that hold water against the wall, and low spots topped up.
Signoff
Area closed before it's re-covered
All punch items on the affected wall closed with photos before backfill is replaced and the area is released.
Owner told which walls carry the membrane
Turnover notes mark the waterproofed walls and warn that new cores, anchors or deep landscape digging there need the membrane detailed first.
No photo
What usually sends this back
The failures are almost always the evidence, not the work
- A leak chased at the interior wet spot while the actual breach in the membrane is somewhere else along the wall.
- Footing drain choked with fines or disconnected at the tie-in, so water stacks against the wall no matter how good the membrane is.
Common questions
6 answers
- What does this below-grade waterproofing punch checklist cover?
- 9 items across 3 sections, covering interior-side check, repair and drainage, signoff. Each item spells out what the person walking the job is actually looking for, not just a box to tick.
- Who should run this inspection?
- The waterproofing foreman on a callback, or the GC's superintendent closing envelope punch below grade.
- When in the schedule should this walk happen?
- During closeout or after a leak shows up, while there's still access to the affected area of wall.
- Why do these items ask for a photo?
- 4 of the 9 items call for photo evidence, 4 photos in all. A checklist answer without the photo is a claim; the photo is what makes the record worth something in a dispute and lets a reviewer approve work without re-walking the job.
- What most often fails a below-grade waterproofing punch inspection?
- A leak chased at the interior wet spot while the actual breach in the membrane is somewhere else along the wall. Footing drain choked with fines or disconnected at the tie-in, so water stacks against the wall no matter how good the membrane is.
- Can I use this checklist in RTI?
- Yes. Start a free RTI workspace, build this list as a checklist, and the Photo Gate holds the submit button until every mandatory item is answered and its photos are attached. Approved inspections roll into a branded turnover package with a tamper evident audit trail.
Related checklists
Run it with the Photo Gate
A checklist nobody can submit half-finished
Load this list into RTI, stick a QR tag on the area it covers, and the submit button stays locked until every mandatory item is answered and the 4 required photos exist. Approved walks roll into a branded turnover package with a tamper evident record behind every line.
See all 508 checklists · 6741 items and 5984 photo requirements in total.