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.
Materials and mortar
Units and mortar type match the specification
Correct unit strength and mortar type for the assembly, stored off the ground and covered.
Mortar joints full, tooled and consistent
No furrowed bed joints, head joints filled, tooling profile as specified.
Mortar batched and retempered within the allowable time
Mixing recorded; no boards of dead mortar going into the wall.
Reinforcement and grout
Vertical and horizontal reinforcement placed and positioned
Bars centred in the cell with positioners, laps as detailed.
Cells clean with cleanouts at the base of the lift
Mortar droppings removed; cleanouts photographed open before they are closed.
Grout placed in lifts and consolidated
Lift height within the limit, vibrated or puddled, reconsolidated after settlement.
Moisture management
Through-wall flashing continuous with sealed laps and end dams
Every course of flashing photographed before the next course covers it.
Weeps open at the required spacing
Clear at the flashing line; check again after the course above is laid.
Cavity clear of mortar droppings with drainage material in place
Cavity kept clean as the wall rises, not cleaned out at the end.
Tolerances and protection
Wall plumb, level and within dimensional tolerance
Check plumb and coursing at each lift; correct before the next one.
Anchors, ties and control joints installed per the design
Tie spacing measured, joints at the designed locations with the correct backing.
Wall protected from weather at the end of each day
Tops covered; cold- and hot-weather measures in place when conditions require them.
What usually sends this back
The failures are almost always the evidence, not the work
- Weeps mortared shut during the course above, so the cavity never drains.
- Grout lift heights exceeded with no cleanouts, leaving voids nobody can see.
- Flashing terminated without end dams, dumping water back into the wall.
Common questions
6 answers
- What does this masonry checklist cover?
- 12 items across 4 sections, covering materials and mortar, reinforcement and grout, moisture management, tolerances and protection. 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?
- Masonry foreman; the GC and a special inspector where the structure requires one.
- When in the schedule should this walk happen?
- Continuously as the wall rises. Grout lifts and flashing courses cannot be inspected retroactively.
- Why does every item ask for a photo?
- All 12 items call for photo evidence, 25 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 masonry inspection?
- Weeps mortared shut during the course above, so the cavity never drains. Grout lift heights exceeded with no cleanouts, leaving voids nobody can see. Flashing terminated without end dams, dumping water back into the wall.
- 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 25 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.