What does this curtain wall final checklist cover?

15 items across 4 sections, covering alignment and framing, glass, gaskets, seals and drainage, water test and safing. 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 GC's superintendent with the curtain wall foreman, walking finished elevations before the owner's punch walk.

When in the schedule should this walk happen?

After units are set and glazed and perimeter sealant has cured, before the swing stage or lift comes down and before turnover walks begin.

Why do these items ask for a photo?

13 of the 15 items call for photo evidence, 21 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 curtain wall final inspection?

Water test run on a convenient low bay while the upper floors and the corners that actually leak are never wetted. Pressure plates and cover caps torqued by feel, some left loose enough that the gasket never compresses across the joint. Weep paths bridged by perimeter sealant, so the drained cavity holds water the system was designed to shed.

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.

Free checklist

Curtain wall

Curtain wall final inspection checklist

Curtain wall final inspection is where the punch list is either short or expensive. This checklist walks the finished work the way an owner or AHJ will see it: devices on, systems running, everything labeled. Each item gets the photo that closes it instead of reopening it. Work is commonly verified against AAMA guidance, manufacturer's published instructions, the applicable building code. Confirm the edition your authority having jurisdiction has adopted.

Start free with this checklist Download as PDF

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.

Alignment and framing

Mullions plumb, level and in plane across the elevation
Mullion lines checked for plumb and in-and-out plane, joint reveals consistent, no stepped units at floor lines.
Pressure plates and cover caps seated and fastened
Plates continuous with fasteners set to the spacing the system calls for, caps snapped fully home, no sprung or short segments.
Stack and movement joints at floor lines left free to move
Joint gap at each floor line at the dimension on the shop drawings, no sealant, fasteners or interior trim bridging it.

Glass

Glass free of cracks, chipped edges and coating defects
Each lite viewed from inside and out; any crack, edge chip, scratch through the coating or failed insulating-glass seal logged by floor and bay.
Glass tint and spandrel read consistently across the elevation
Elevation viewed from the ground in daylight, no spandrel read-through, sagging shadow box or a lite of visibly different tint in the field.

Gaskets, seals and drainage

Gaskets continuous and compressed at the pressure plate
Gasket runs unbroken with corners cut and seated, visible compression against the glass edge, no rolled or pinched lengths.
Weep paths open through the drained cavity
Weep holes and baffles clear at the horizontals, drainage path to the exterior face unobstructed, no sealant bridging the weeps.
Perimeter sealant continuous and tooled to the adjacent construction
Full contact at the interface with backer rod at the correct depth, no voids or skips at heads, jambs and sills.
Transition membrane tied to the adjacent wall's barrier
At jambs, heads and sills the curtain wall's transition membrane lapped and adhered to the adjoining air and water barrier, no gaps where the two systems meet.
Perimeter sealant adhesion checks logged
Field adhesion pulls per the sealant manufacturer's method recorded by location and substrate, any failed spots cut out and re-sealed.
No photo

Water test and safing

Field water test performed on an agreed sample of the wall
Test run per the specified method on the agreed sample including a corner and an intermediate floor line, interior side watched and photographed during the test.
Any leaks traced, repaired and re-tested on the same area
Entry point identified rather than the interior symptom chased, repair photographed, re-test documented on the same panel.
Perimeter safing and firestop complete at every floor line
Slab-edge safing and smoke seal confirmed continuous around the full perimeter, no lengths left open behind finished units.
Spandrel insulation and safing-line backer in place at each floor
Viewed from inside at the floor line: spandrel insulation held by its pins or clips, with the stiffener or backer the listed joint design shows, so the safing bears against it.
Water test report and retest results filed
The tester's report with method, test area, observations and any retests logged for the architect's review.
No photo

What usually sends this back

The failures are almost always the evidence, not the work

Water test run on a convenient low bay while the upper floors and the corners that actually leak are never wetted.
Pressure plates and cover caps torqued by feel, some left loose enough that the gasket never compresses across the joint.
Weep paths bridged by perimeter sealant, so the drained cavity holds water the system was designed to shed.

Verified against

AAMA fenestration standards

Common questions

6 answers

What does this curtain wall final checklist cover?: 15 items across 4 sections, covering alignment and framing, glass, gaskets, seals and drainage, water test and safing. 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 GC's superintendent with the curtain wall foreman, walking finished elevations before the owner's punch walk.
When in the schedule should this walk happen?: After units are set and glazed and perimeter sealant has cured, before the swing stage or lift comes down and before turnover walks begin.
Why do these items ask for a photo?: 13 of the 15 items call for photo evidence, 21 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 curtain wall final inspection?: Water test run on a convenient low bay while the upper floors and the corners that actually leak are never wetted. Pressure plates and cover caps torqued by feel, some left loose enough that the gasket never compresses across the joint. Weep paths bridged by perimeter sealant, so the drained cavity holds water the system was designed to shed.
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

Curtain wall Rough-inCurtain wall rough-in inspection checklistEmbeds, anchors and slab-edge safing verified against the anchor schedule before units are hung14 items17 photos Curtain wall PunchCurtain wall punch checklistCloseout walk for scratched glass and finishes, failed seals traced and re-tested, and operable hardware10 items10 photos

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 21 required photos exist. Approved walks roll into a branded turnover package with a tamper evident record behind every line.