What does this doors, frames and hardware rough-in checklist cover?

14 items across 5 sections, covering frames received and checked, frame anchorage, plumb, square and clearance, backing and blocking, and more. 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 carpentry foreman setting frames, or the GC's superintendent walking openings before the drywall crew closes the walls.

When in the schedule should this walk happen?

As hollow-metal and wood frames are set in each opening, before drywall hangs on the jamb and before masonry frames are grouted solid.

Why do these items ask for a photo?

12 of the 14 items call for photo evidence, 16 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 doors, frames and hardware rough-in inspection?

A frame set plumb but not held square racks when the wall closes, so the door binds on the strike side and no shim reaches the problem later. Masonry frames left ungrouted or grouted only at the base, discovered when the frame flexes under a heavy closer and the anchors work loose. Backing for closers, stops and continuous hinges forgotten, so hardware ends up screwed into hollow drywall and pulls out on the first hard swing.

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

Doors, frames and hardware

Doors, frames and hardware rough-in inspection checklist

Doors, frames and hardware 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 NFPA 80, the applicable building code, manufacturer's published instructions. 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.

Frames received and checked

Frame at each opening matches the door schedule
Frame size, profile, hand and throat read against the door schedule and the approved frame submittal before it is set in the opening.
Frame tag or stamped marking matched to the submittal
Manufacturer's tag, sticker or stamp on the frame photographed and matched to the gauge and material on the approved submittal; any rating label left clean.
Hardware preps in the frame suit the hardware schedule
Hinge, strike and closer preps, and any electrified preps, cut where the hardware schedule needs them; no missing mortise or wrong-hand strike.

Frame anchorage

Frame anchors correct for the wall type
Anchor type matched to stud, masonry or existing wall, spacing and count per the frame, anchors fastened not just tack-set.
Masonry frames grouted solid
Frames in masonry filled full so the profile is backed, no hollow spots that let the jamb flex under a closer.
Hollow-metal frame base anchors fastened at both jambs
Floor clips or base anchors at each jamb foot fastened into the slab or subfloor so the frame cannot kick out when the wall is boarded.
Hollow-metal frame spreaders held until the frame is anchored
Setting or shipping spreaders keep the jambs at the opening width until anchors and grout are done, and come out before the door is hung.

Plumb, square and clearance

Frame plumb, level and square in the opening
Jambs plumb, head level, diagonals equal, throat matched to the wall so the door will sit flush without twist.
Frame set to the finished-floor elevation
Frame feet at the finished-floor line so the undercut in the hardware schedule still works with the floor finish still to come.
Latch-side and push-side clearances at the opening per the plans
Wall-to-frame dimensions at the latch and push sides measured against the plans, so the accessible maneuvering space is not lost when the wall closes.

Backing and blocking

Backing set for hardware before wall closes
Blocking or reinforcement in place for closers, stops, holders and continuous hinges at the mounting heights before drywall covers the wall.
Frame boxes and raceway ready for electrified hardware
Where the hardware schedule shows electrified locks, strikes, power transfers or position switches, the frame boxes and wire path confirmed with the low-voltage installer before the wall closes.
No photo

Hand-off to the wall crew

Set frames protected before drywall and paint
Jambs wrapped or corner-guarded through board, mud and paint, primer undamaged by carts, and hinge and strike preps taped against compound.
Openings clear to close reported to the drywall foreman
Openings checked on this walk logged by room, with the drywall foreman told which are clear to board and which still need a frame fix.
No photo

What usually sends this back

The failures are almost always the evidence, not the work

A frame set plumb but not held square racks when the wall closes, so the door binds on the strike side and no shim reaches the problem later.
Masonry frames left ungrouted or grouted only at the base, discovered when the frame flexes under a heavy closer and the anchors work loose.
Backing for closers, stops and continuous hinges forgotten, so hardware ends up screwed into hollow drywall and pulls out on the first hard swing.

Verified against

NFPA 80 & 105

Common questions

6 answers

What does this doors, frames and hardware rough-in checklist cover?: 14 items across 5 sections, covering frames received and checked, frame anchorage, plumb, square and clearance, backing and blocking, and more. 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 carpentry foreman setting frames, or the GC's superintendent walking openings before the drywall crew closes the walls.
When in the schedule should this walk happen?: As hollow-metal and wood frames are set in each opening, before drywall hangs on the jamb and before masonry frames are grouted solid.
Why do these items ask for a photo?: 12 of the 14 items call for photo evidence, 16 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 doors, frames and hardware rough-in inspection?: A frame set plumb but not held square racks when the wall closes, so the door binds on the strike side and no shim reaches the problem later. Masonry frames left ungrouted or grouted only at the base, discovered when the frame flexes under a heavy closer and the anchors work loose. Backing for closers, stops and continuous hinges forgotten, so hardware ends up screwed into hollow drywall and pulls out on the first hard swing.
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.

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