Skip to content
RTI

Free checklist

Shotcrete

Shotcrete rough-in inspection checklist

Shotcrete 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 ACI, the applicable building code. Confirm the edition your authority having jurisdiction has adopted.

Items
5
Photos required
10

Who runs it

The GC's superintendent with the shotcrete foreman, releasing the wall or slope before the nozzle crew starts.

When in the schedule

After reinforcement and embeds are placed and screeds or ground wires are set, before the first pass covers any of it.

The checklist

Every item, and the photo that proves it

The photo count on each row is what RTI would require before the item can be submitted. Copy the list as is, or load it into RTI and let the gate enforce it.

01

Substrate and reinforcement

  • Substrate prepared and reinforcement placed to allow encasement

    Substrate clean and sound, bars held off the face with clearance for the material to shoot behind and fully encase them, splices and laps in place.

    2 photos
  • Cover maintained over the reinforcement

    Cover to the finished face confirmed at the bars and at chairs or standoffs, so the design cover isn't lost when the surface is cut to grade.

    2 photos
02

Embeds and thickness controls

  • Embeds and blockouts set and protected

    Anchors, sleeves and blockouts placed to layout and masked or protected so they aren't buried or fouled by rebound.

    2 photos
  • Ground wires or depth screeds set for thickness

    Depth gauges, ground wires or screeds set across the surface so the crew can shoot and cut to the specified thickness.

    2 photos
03

Mix and nozzle qualification

  • Test panels shot and nozzle operators qualified

    Preconstruction test panels shot in the same orientation and mix, cores or cut sections reviewed for density and encasement before production shooting.

    2 photos

What usually sends this back

The failures are almost always the evidence, not the work

  • Rebar tied tight to the substrate with no room for the nozzle to encase it, leaving voids behind the bar.
  • No ground wires or depth screeds set, so thickness is shot by eye and comes up thin between the high spots.
  • Nozzle crew never qualified on a test panel for this mix and orientation, so a poor gun technique goes straight onto the wall.

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

Submission state

Mandatory items answered5 of 5
Photos attached7 of 10
Submit locked, 3 photos missing

The gate is enforced on the server, so it holds even if the phone is offline when the walk happens.

Verified against

Common questions

What does this shotcrete rough-in checklist cover?
5 items across 3 sections, covering substrate and reinforcement, embeds and thickness controls, mix and nozzle qualification. 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 shotcrete foreman, releasing the wall or slope before the nozzle crew starts.
When in the schedule should this walk happen?
After reinforcement and embeds are placed and screeds or ground wires are set, before the first pass covers any of it.
Why does every item ask for a photo?
10 of the 5 items call for photo evidence. 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 shotcrete rough-in inspection?
Rebar tied tight to the substrate with no room for the nozzle to encase it, leaving voids behind the bar. No ground wires or depth screeds set, so thickness is shot by eye and comes up thin between the high spots. Nozzle crew never qualified on a test panel for this mix and orientation, so a poor gun technique goes straight onto 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.