What does this rainscreen cladding final checklist cover?

15 items across 5 sections, covering panel alignment and reveals, attachment, joints and venting kept open, corners and cut-outs, 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 cladding foreman with the GC's superintendent, walking the finished elevation before turnover.

When in the schedule should this walk happen?

After panels are installed and trims and sealants are complete, before the owner's walk and before staging comes down.

Why do these items ask for a photo?

11 of the 15 items call for photo evidence, 13 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 rainscreen cladding final inspection?

Panels installed with uneven reveals and lippage that read as a wavy elevation once the light rakes across it. Fastener spacing or panel engagement short of the manufacturer's layout, so panels rattle or work loose in wind. Sealant run at joints that were designed to be open, sealing the drainage cavity shut and defeating the rainscreen.

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

Rainscreen cladding

Rainscreen cladding final inspection checklist

Rainscreen cladding 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 the applicable building/energy 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.

Panel alignment and reveals

Panels flat, aligned with consistent reveals
Even joint reveals across the elevation, panels in plane with no lippage, coursing lined up around corners and openings.
Panel faces sighted for bow between supports
Looking along the face in raking light, no panel bowed or pillowed between girts; bowed panels logged by gridline for the manufacturer's review.
Panel color and texture blended across production lots
No visible shift in color, grain or texture between lots on an elevation; lots placed or mixed as the approved layout or architect's direction shows.

Attachment

Panels engaged and fastened to the layout
Clips and fasteners complete on the specified spacing, panels fully engaged, no loose or rattling panels, edges captured as detailed.
Panel fixings allow the movement the manufacturer details
Face-fastener holes oversized or clip slots set as the manufacturer shows, fixed points only where detailed, so no panel is locked against thermal movement.
Fixings held back from panel edges and corners
Fasteners, rivets and clip notches kept at the edge distance the panel manufacturer lists, with no cracked, chipped or crushed panel at a fixing.

Joints and venting kept open

Designed-open joints and vents left open
Open joints and vent gaps clear, sealant only where the detail calls for it, drainage cavity not sealed shut at the finish.
Joint treatment matches the approved open- or closed-joint system
Open joints carry any backer profile or joint strip the system shows; closed joints have gasket or sealant continuous; the treatment matches the submittal.
Insect screens intact at the base and top after the last panels
Screen still in place behind the base and head openings, not crushed or torn by the final panels, and not clogged with sealant, mortar or debris.
Materials seen through open joints are the UV-rated finish
On open-joint systems, the barrier, insulation and girts visible through joints show the UV-rated or colored face the approved system calls for, no torn membrane.
No photo

Corners and cut-outs

Outside and inside corners closed as the system details
Corner trims or mitered panel corners tight and fastened as the manufacturer shows, no open corner exposing the cavity or insulation.
Panel cut-outs at penetrations sized, trimmed and edge-treated
Cut-outs at lights, vents and pipes neatly sized with trim or escutcheon, clear of the penetration's flashing, cut edges sealed or treated per the manufacturer.

Cladding closeout records

Cavity barrier inspection recorded where the code plan requires
Where cavity fire barriers are shown, the AHJ or special inspector's result for them is logged by elevation before the cavity closed.
No photo
Panel care and replacement-ordering data in the turnover package
Cleaning method, approved cleaners, and the product, color and lot needed to order a matching replacement panel logged for the owner.
No photo
Spare panels, clips and trims handed over where specified
Where the spec calls for extra stock, spare panels, clips and trims labeled by color and lot and stored where the owner directs, with a signed receipt.
No photo

What usually sends this back

The failures are almost always the evidence, not the work

Panels installed with uneven reveals and lippage that read as a wavy elevation once the light rakes across it.
Fastener spacing or panel engagement short of the manufacturer's layout, so panels rattle or work loose in wind.
Sealant run at joints that were designed to be open, sealing the drainage cavity shut and defeating the rainscreen.

Common questions

6 answers

What does this rainscreen cladding final checklist cover?: 15 items across 5 sections, covering panel alignment and reveals, attachment, joints and venting kept open, corners and cut-outs, 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 cladding foreman with the GC's superintendent, walking the finished elevation before turnover.
When in the schedule should this walk happen?: After panels are installed and trims and sealants are complete, before the owner's walk and before staging comes down.
Why do these items ask for a photo?: 11 of the 15 items call for photo evidence, 13 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 rainscreen cladding final inspection?: Panels installed with uneven reveals and lippage that read as a wavy elevation once the light rakes across it. Fastener spacing or panel engagement short of the manufacturer's layout, so panels rattle or work loose in wind. Sealant run at joints that were designed to be open, sealing the drainage cavity shut and defeating the rainscreen.
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

Rainscreen cladding Rough-inRainscreen cladding rough-in inspection checklistGirts, clips and furring set on a continuous water-resistive barrier, with the barrier tied into openings before panels start15 items11 photos Rainscreen cladding Pre-coverRainscreen cladding pre-cover inspection checklistThe last look before panels: drainage cavity open and vented, WRB continuous, and flashings lapped to drain out14 items10 photos Rainscreen cladding PunchRainscreen cladding punch checklistCloseout callbacks for scratched panels, misaligned reveals and blocked vents on the finished cladding8 items3 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 13 required photos exist. Approved walks roll into a branded turnover package with a tamper evident record behind every line.