What does this rainscreen cladding rough-in checklist cover?

15 items across 5 sections, covering subframe materials and layout, water-resistive barrier tie-in, clips, girts and furring, fastener penetrations, 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 crew setting the sub-framing, or the GC's superintendent walking the wall before the drainage cavity is closed by panels.

When in the schedule should this walk happen?

After the WRB is on the sheathing and clips and furring are laid out, before the first panels go up and cover the cavity.

Why do these items ask for a photo?

9 of the 15 items call for photo evidence, 11 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 rough-in inspection?

Clips and fasteners driven through the WRB with no sealing detail, so every fastener becomes a leak path into the sheathing. Furring set out of plane so the finished panels wave, telegraphing every high and low clip across the elevation. The WRB left unlapped or untied at window and door openings, so the drainage plane dumps water behind the sill instead of out.

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 rough-in inspection checklist

Rainscreen cladding 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 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.

Subframe materials and layout

Clip, girt and isolator labels match the approved submittal
Box and bundle labels for clips, girts, thermal isolators and fasteners read the product, alloy or coating and gauge listed on the approved submittal.
Clip spacing at corner and edge zones taken from the shop drawings
Approved shop drawings on hand show clip spacing and girt span for this elevation, including the tighter spacing at corners, parapets and wall edges.
No photo
Scaffold or lift set for this elevation per the site plan
Scaffold, mast climber or lift located where the site logistics plan shows, with tie points planned so ties do not land where panels will close over them.
No photo

Water-resistive barrier tie-in

WRB continuous and shingle-lapped into openings
Barrier lapped over the sheathing in weatherboard fashion, tied into window and door flashing, no reverse laps or open seams behind the sub-framing.
Barrier trade's release for this wall on file before clips go on
The barrier installer or GC has released the elevation, with any open membrane items listed, so clips are not set over unfinished or uncured barrier.
No photo
Barrier undamaged at every clip and bracket location
No tears, blisters or fishmouths where clips will bear; damaged spots marked and repaired by the barrier crew before the clip covers them.

Clips, girts and furring

Clips and furring anchored true to plane and on layout
Clips and girts fastened to structure on the specified spacing, furring shimmed to a true plane, thermal spacers where the detail calls for them.
Clip-to-wall bearing matches the system detail at every clip
Thermal isolator pad or sleeve, or the bare bearing the detail shows, seated full under each clip; no cracked isolators or pads pushed aside by the fastener.
Clip fasteners land in studs, slab edge or backup framing
Fastener type and embedment per the approved shop drawings, driven into the structure the detail names; fasteners that missed framing marked and replaced.
Girt splices and slotted holes left free for thermal movement
Girt ends gapped at splices as the manufacturer details, slotted-hole fasteners set so the girt can slide, fixed points only where the shop drawings show them.

Fastener penetrations

WRB penetrations at fasteners sealed per the detail
Fasteners through the barrier sealed or gasketed where the assembly requires it, no unsealed punctures left in the drainage plane.
Barrier checked for abandoned fastener holes around each clip
Holes left by pulled, stripped or relocated fasteners found and patched with the barrier maker's tape or sealant before the clip or insulation hides them.

Continuous insulation

Insulation board labels match the approved submittal
Bundle labels show the board type, thickness and facing on the approved submittal and the thickness drawn on the wall section.
No photo
Boards cut tight around clips with joints butted
Insulation notched neatly around each clip and bracket, joints butted with no open gaps, staggered or taped where the insulation manufacturer calls for it.
No photo
Insulation retainers on the manufacturer's pattern
Boards held with the specified washers, pins or clips on the pattern the manufacturer lists, flat to the barrier with no bowing out toward the cavity.
No photo

What usually sends this back

The failures are almost always the evidence, not the work

Clips and fasteners driven through the WRB with no sealing detail, so every fastener becomes a leak path into the sheathing.
Furring set out of plane so the finished panels wave, telegraphing every high and low clip across the elevation.
The WRB left unlapped or untied at window and door openings, so the drainage plane dumps water behind the sill instead of out.

Common questions

6 answers

What does this rainscreen cladding rough-in checklist cover?: 15 items across 5 sections, covering subframe materials and layout, water-resistive barrier tie-in, clips, girts and furring, fastener penetrations, 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 crew setting the sub-framing, or the GC's superintendent walking the wall before the drainage cavity is closed by panels.
When in the schedule should this walk happen?: After the WRB is on the sheathing and clips and furring are laid out, before the first panels go up and cover the cavity.
Why do these items ask for a photo?: 9 of the 15 items call for photo evidence, 11 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 rough-in inspection?: Clips and fasteners driven through the WRB with no sealing detail, so every fastener becomes a leak path into the sheathing. Furring set out of plane so the finished panels wave, telegraphing every high and low clip across the elevation. The WRB left unlapped or untied at window and door openings, so the drainage plane dumps water behind the sill instead of out.
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 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 FinalRainscreen cladding final inspection checklistPanels installed flat, aligned and fastened with clean joints and open vents as the finished exterior skin15 items13 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 11 required photos exist. Approved walks roll into a branded turnover package with a tamper evident record behind every line.