What does this selective demolition final checklist cover?

14 items across 4 sections, covering extent of removal, structure to remain, cleanup and protection, findings and handoff. 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 GC's superintendent with the demo foreman and, where structure was touched, the following trade's foreman.

When in the schedule should this walk happen?

After demolition is complete in the area and debris is cleared, before the follow-on trade is released to start new work.

Why do these items ask for a photo?

8 of the 14 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 selective demolition final inspection?

Removal stopped short of the limit line in one corner, leaving the follow-on trade to demo the remainder off the clock. A slab or stud left gouged or cracked from over-aggressive removal, discovered only when the new work won't sit flat. Debris hauled from the room but left piled in the corridor or stairwell, blocking the next crew.

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

Selective demolition

Selective demolition final inspection checklist

Selective demolition 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 code, the project specifications. Confirm the edition your authority having jurisdiction has adopted.

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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.

Extent of removal

Demolition complete to the limit line shown
Everything within the demo limits removed, nothing left standing inside the line, and the line itself matches the drawings.
Surfaces prepped for the new work
Substrates cleaned back to sound material, fasteners and adhesive residue removed, surface flat and ready for the following trade.
Abandoned utilities cut back and capped at the limit
Pipe, conduit and duct abandoned by the demo are cut back and capped by the owning trades at the limit line, with no open pipe ends or loose conductors; observed, not handled.

Structure to remain

Elements to remain undamaged
Beams, columns, slabs and walls that stay checked for gouging, cracking or over-cutting from the removal.
Openings and edges left clean and true
Cut edges at new openings straight and square where the drawings call for it, no ragged over-break beyond the opening.
No photo
Engineer's observation of structural removals on file
Where a beam, slab or bearing wall was cut or removed, the engineer of record's field observation or letter is on file before the follow-on trade builds against it.
No photo
Demolition shoring left up until released in writing
Temporary shoring and bracing from the demolition plan stay installed until the engineer's written release allows removal; none is pulled early to clear room for the next trade.
No photo

Cleanup and protection

Debris removed from the area and egress paths
Room, corridors and stairs clear of demo debris, nothing staged in the path the next crew or occupants use.
Open penetrations and shafts protected
New openings, floor holes and shafts covered or barricaded so no one steps through and no debris drops.
HEPA cleanup finished before dust barriers come down
Floors, ledges, tops of remaining equipment and ceiling grid in the area HEPA-vacuumed before dust partitions and return-air seals are taken down.
Holes left in walls and floors to remain logged for closure
Openings left where pipe, duct, conduit or fixtures came out of walls, floors and ceilings to remain are logged by location, including rated assemblies, for the trade that closes them.

Findings and handoff

Suspect material uncovered during removal reported, not disturbed
Anything uncovered that is not on the survey and could be hazardous (pipe wrap, mastic, old flooring) left in place, isolated and reported for the owner's hazardous-materials consultant to sample.
No photo
Salvage list reconciled with the owner's representative
Each tagged salvage or owner-retained item is in storage or turned over, checked off on the salvage list, with anything missing or damaged noted.
No photo
Area released to the follow-on trade in writing
The release note names the area, the open items and what the follow-on foreman was shown on the walk, so the next crew starts from a recorded condition.
No photo

What usually sends this back

The failures are almost always the evidence, not the work

Removal stopped short of the limit line in one corner, leaving the follow-on trade to demo the remainder off the clock.
A slab or stud left gouged or cracked from over-aggressive removal, discovered only when the new work won't sit flat.
Debris hauled from the room but left piled in the corridor or stairwell, blocking the next crew.

Common questions

6 answers

What does this selective demolition final checklist cover?: 14 items across 4 sections, covering extent of removal, structure to remain, cleanup and protection, findings and handoff. 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 GC's superintendent with the demo foreman and, where structure was touched, the following trade's foreman.
When in the schedule should this walk happen?: After demolition is complete in the area and debris is cleared, before the follow-on trade is released to start new work.
Why do these items ask for a photo?: 8 of the 14 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 selective demolition final inspection?: Removal stopped short of the limit line in one corner, leaving the follow-on trade to demo the remainder off the clock. A slab or stud left gouged or cracked from over-aggressive removal, discovered only when the new work won't sit flat. Debris hauled from the room but left piled in the corridor or stairwell, blocking the next crew.
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

Selective demolition Rough-inSelective demolition rough-in inspection checklistUtilities, shoring, hazmat clearance and salvage confirmed before anything comes down15 items9 photos Selective demolition PunchSelective demolition punch checklistCloseout walk for over-demolition, protection removal and damage to adjacent work9 items5 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.