Checklists by trade
Framing inspection checklists
Framing inspection checklists for the rough-in, pre-cover and final walks: 3 free lists, 41 items and 46 photo requirements, each item naming what to look for and the photo evidence it needs.
The framing walks, in build order
Where each walk sits in the schedule
01rough-in
Framing rough-in inspection checklist
As each wall, floor or roof section is erected, before it's loaded with sheathing or the next level of framing.
Run by: The framing foreman walking their own erection, or the GC's superintendent checking a wall or floor as it goes up.
02pre-cover
Framing pre-cover inspection checklist
After the erection walk passes, the day before sheathing is nailed on or drywall is scheduled on each area.
Run by: The GC's superintendent with the framing foreman, releasing walls and floors for sheathing or drywall.
03final
Framing final inspection checklist
After drywall substrate is up but before cabinets, fixtures and trim are installed, catching framing issues that would otherwise show up as finish defects.
Run by: The GC's superintendent walking framing-related punch items alongside the finish trades' first pass.
What most often sends framing work back
- Wall plumb checked once at the corner and assumed good along the whole run.
- Header sizes swapped in the field to use available stock, never checked against the engineered drawing.
- Shear panel nailing pattern started correctly and drifted looser toward the end of the sheet.
- Blocking added for other trades' fixtures never checked against the actual fixture locations before cover.
- MEP penetrations cut through structural members after the framing walk, weakening a stud or joist unnoticed.
- Temporary bracing removed before permanent bracing or sheathing was actually in place.
- Wavy or crowned studs discovered only after drywall is hung, showing as a bowed wall in the finished room.
- Backing for cabinets or grab bars missing entirely, found only when the installer can't find a stud.
Common questions
4 answers
- Which framing inspections do these checklists cover?
- Framing rough-in inspection checklist (rough-in): As each wall, floor or roof section is erected, before it's loaded with sheathing or the next level of framing. Framing pre-cover inspection checklist (pre-cover): After the erection walk passes, the day before sheathing is nailed on or drywall is scheduled on each area. Framing final inspection checklist (final): After drywall substrate is up but before cabinets, fixtures and trim are installed, catching framing issues that would otherwise show up as finish defects.
- Who runs a framing inspection?
- The framing foreman walking their own erection, or the GC's superintendent checking a wall or floor as it goes up. The GC's superintendent with the framing foreman, releasing walls and floors for sheathing or drywall. The GC's superintendent walking framing-related punch items alongside the finish trades' first pass.
- What most often sends framing work back?
- Wall plumb checked once at the corner and assumed good along the whole run. Header sizes swapped in the field to use available stock, never checked against the engineered drawing. Shear panel nailing pattern started correctly and drifted looser toward the end of the sheet. Blocking added for other trades' fixtures never checked against the actual fixture locations before cover.
- Can I run these checklists in RTI?
- Yes. Start a free RTI workspace and load any of the 3 lists (41 items in total). The Photo Gate holds the submit button until every mandatory item is answered and its photos are attached, and approved inspections roll into a branded turnover package with a tamper evident audit trail.
Run these lists with the Photo Gate.
Tag one area, scan it, and the submit stays locked until the photos exist.
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