Who should run this inspection?

The sheet metal foreman setting cleats and nailers, with the GC's superintendent walking the substrate before the cover metal hides it.

When in the schedule should this walk happen?

As nailers, cleats and starter conditions are fastened at parapets, gravel stops and wall lines, before coping and counterflashing cover the anchorage and the laps.

Why do these items ask for a photo?

10 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 sheet metal flashing and trim rough-in inspection?

Continuous cleats nailed short or spaced wide so the coping oil-cans and the windward edge lifts, discovered only when a gust peels the cap and no one can see how it was cleated. Wood nailers set below the membrane turn-up or left loose, so the coping has nothing solid to hook and the fasteners chase a moving target. Laps run against the flow of water or left without a cover plate at coping joints, so every seam becomes an inlet once the cover is on and the joint is buried.

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

Sheet metal flashing and trim

Sheet metal flashing and trim rough-in inspection checklist

Sheet metal flashing and trim 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 SMACNA architectural sheet metal, NRCA roofing guidance, 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.

Material, shop drawings and edge access

Coil or shop-piece markings match the approved submittal
Coil label, bundle tag or shop ticket photographed showing metal type, thickness and finish color, matched to the approved submittal for this run.
Approved shop drawings for this run on site
Current approved shop drawings show the profile, seam and joint type, cleat and fastener spacing and expansion joint locations for the run being set.
No photo
Edge work set up inside the site fall protection plan
Guardrail, warning line or anchorage the fall protection plan names is in place for this parapet or edge run before the crew lays out cleats.
No photo
Dissimilar metals and treated wood kept apart
Separator sheet, coating or compatible fasteners used where the metal would touch treated nailers or another metal, as the submittal or manufacturer requires.
No photo

Nailers and substrate

Wood nailers set solid and to height
Nailers fastened to structure at the specified height above the membrane turn-up, level and continuous so the cap and cleat have solid backing to hook and fasten.
Top of nailer or blocking pitched the way the detail sheds
Level or slope gauge on the nailer top shows the pitch the detail draws, so the finished cap will drain toward the roof and not over the wall face.
Underlayment or slip sheet on the substrate before metal sets
The membrane, underlayment or slip sheet the detail shows under the metal is lapped over the nailer and turned down, with no bare wood left where the cap will sit.

Cleats and anchorage

Continuous and fixed cleats fastened before cover
Cleat gauge and spacing matched to the run and the wind edge, fasteners driven home into solid backing, hemmed edge sized to hook the metal, not tack-set.
Fastener pattern correct for the condition
Fastener type and spacing per the detail at seams, edges and corners, no over- or under-driven fasteners that would dimple the face or leave the edge loose.
Fastener box labels match the submitted type and metal
Label photographed showing fastener material, head and length, matched to the submittal so stainless or coated fasteners go where the metal and exposure call for them.

Laps, joints and sealant conditions

Laps shingled with the flow and joints backed
End laps and step conditions lapped so water sheds over, not into, coping and counterflashing joints backed with cover plates and sealant seated before the cover closes access.
Lap sealant is the approved product, bedded inside the lap
Tube or pail label matches the submittal; the bead sits in the concealed lap where the detail shows it, not smeared over the exposed edge after the joint is closed.
Corners and end dams shop-formed or soldered, not cut and caulked
Inside and outside corners and flashing ends folded, riveted or soldered per the shop drawings, with no open cuts relying on sealant alone before the next trade covers them.
Scupper boxes flanged and set before the roofer strips in
Where the drawings show scuppers, each box is sized to the drawings, flanges set on the substrate and the wall opening sleeved, ready for the membrane strip-in.
No photo
Cover sequence confirmed with the roofer and mason for each run
Which trade laps over each flange next, and when, agreed with the super so no edge flange or through-wall leg is left exposed or buried out of order.
No photo

What usually sends this back

The failures are almost always the evidence, not the work

Continuous cleats nailed short or spaced wide so the coping oil-cans and the windward edge lifts, discovered only when a gust peels the cap and no one can see how it was cleated.
Wood nailers set below the membrane turn-up or left loose, so the coping has nothing solid to hook and the fasteners chase a moving target.
Laps run against the flow of water or left without a cover plate at coping joints, so every seam becomes an inlet once the cover is on and the joint is buried.

Common questions

6 answers

What does this sheet metal flashing and trim rough-in checklist cover?: 15 items across 4 sections, covering material, shop drawings and edge access, nailers and substrate, cleats and anchorage, laps, joints and sealant conditions. 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 sheet metal foreman setting cleats and nailers, with the GC's superintendent walking the substrate before the cover metal hides it.
When in the schedule should this walk happen?: As nailers, cleats and starter conditions are fastened at parapets, gravel stops and wall lines, before coping and counterflashing cover the anchorage and the laps.
Why do these items ask for a photo?: 10 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 sheet metal flashing and trim rough-in inspection?: Continuous cleats nailed short or spaced wide so the coping oil-cans and the windward edge lifts, discovered only when a gust peels the cap and no one can see how it was cleated. Wood nailers set below the membrane turn-up or left loose, so the coping has nothing solid to hook and the fasteners chase a moving target. Laps run against the flow of water or left without a cover plate at coping joints, so every seam becomes an inlet once the cover is on and the joint is buried.
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

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