Free checklist
Curtain wallCurtain wall rough-in inspection checklist
Curtain wall rough-in is the last time the work is fully visible. Once the cover inspection passes and the walls, ceilings and slabs close, every defect left behind becomes a demolition bill. This checklist walks the rough-in in the order the work goes in, with the photo each item needs before it gets buried. Work is commonly verified against AAMA guidance, 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.
Slab edge and embeds
Slab-edge line surveyed and embeds located to the schedule
Edge of slab checked against the control line, each embed or cast-in plate found within the position tolerance the anchor schedule calls out.
Slab-edge condition sound where anchors land
No spalls, honeycomb or thin cover at the plate; edge concrete solid enough to develop the anchor.
Out-of-tolerance embeds logged and sent to the wall engineer
Each embed outside the schedule's tolerance listed with floor, gridline and measured offset, and the delegated engineer's fix recorded before anchors go on.
No photo
Anchorage
Anchor type, size and weld or bolt-up per the anchor schedule
Anchor assembly matches the engineered schedule for that spandrel, weld size and length or bolt torque verified before load.
Shim stacks and adjustment within the allowed range
Shim material and stack height inside the range the detail permits in and out, up and across, nothing bridged with unauthorized packing.
Anchor hardware marks match the approved submittal
Bolt head markings, clip material and finish photographed and matched to the anchor submittal, no substituted hardware from the jobsite bin.
Dead-load and slotted wind anchors set where the drawings show
Dead-load anchors at the points the shop drawings locate them; slotted wind anchors left free to slide, bolts set snug as detailed, not welded or fully tightened.
Aluminum isolated from steel at every anchor
Isolator pads, sleeves or coating in place between aluminum clips or frames and steel anchors, per the approved anchor details.
Anchor weld or bolt inspection report on file for the floor
The special inspector's or testing agency's report for this floor's anchor welds or bolt-up logged before units are hung on them.
No photo
Slab-edge safing and smoke seal
Perimeter fire-safing packed continuous at the slab edge
Safing insulation full-depth and continuous in the gap between the slab edge and the back of the wall, no open lengths left behind the anchors.
Smoke seal installed over the safing before units cover it
Continuous smoke seal over the safing at each floor line, tooled tight to slab and back-pan while the joint is still reachable.
Listed perimeter joint design matched to the spandrel details
The listed perimeter joint design the safing will follow checked against the anchor clips, spandrel backer and design joint width on the shop drawings before units are set.
No photo
Material staged for setting
Delivered units and glass marked to the setting drawings
Unit or member marks matched to the setting drawings for the floor, glass labels checked against the glass schedule before each lite is set.
Stored units racked, protected and back from the slab edge
Units or frames in their racks with finishes and glass protected, stacks set back from open slab edges and secured against wind.
What usually sends this back
The failures are almost always the evidence, not the work
- Embeds cast in the wrong position, so anchors get shimmed and stacked past the range the schedule allows instead of the plate being relocated.
- Slab-edge safing and the smoke seal detailed but left open where the setting crew needed working room, then never closed before the units cover it.
- Anchor bolts and welds substituted or field-modified without checking the engineered anchor schedule for that spandrel condition.
Verified against
Common questions
6 answers
- What does this curtain wall rough-in checklist cover?
- 14 items across 4 sections, covering slab edge and embeds, anchorage, slab-edge safing and smoke seal, material staged for setting. 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 curtain wall foreman laying out anchors ahead of the setting crew, or the GC's superintendent releasing the slab edge floor by floor.
- When in the schedule should this walk happen?
- After the slab edge is poured and surveyed and before units are set, early enough that a mislocated embed can still be corrected with a supplemental anchor rather than field-welded blind.
- Why do these items ask for a photo?
- 11 of the 14 items call for photo evidence, 17 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 rough-in inspection?
- Embeds cast in the wrong position, so anchors get shimmed and stacked past the range the schedule allows instead of the plate being relocated. Slab-edge safing and the smoke seal detailed but left open where the setting crew needed working room, then never closed before the units cover it. Anchor bolts and welds substituted or field-modified without checking the engineered anchor schedule for that spandrel condition.
- 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 17 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.