Interior finishes punch list items on multifamily projects fall into two categories: items that could not have been prevented and items that reflect a process failure somewhere in the installation sequence. The ratio of preventable to unpreventable items tells you a great deal about the quality of the finishes subcontractor managing the scope.
A finishes package installed by a well-organized sub with a pre-installation quality check process produces a small first-walk punch list, typically under five items per unit on a well-run Class A project. A finishes package installed by a production sub who does not check work before the superintendent’s walk produces a longer punch list with items that were visible and closeable before the walk, but went unreported.
Understanding the most common punch items by division, and what installation processes prevent them, helps GCs evaluate subcontractor performance and structure pre-walk inspections.
Most common flooring punch items (Division 9)
LVP gaps at transitions. LVP that was not cut precisely at transition strips leaves visible gaps between the flooring and the transition strip. Preventable with precise measurement and a second-person check before the transition strip is installed.
Lippage at tile joints. Tile installed over a substrate with unresolved flatness variation produces lippage, a height difference between adjacent tiles at the grout joint. Prevented by substrate flatness inspection and correction before tile installation. Not correctable after tile is grouted without removing and replacing the affected tiles.
Flooring damage from subsequent trades. Scratches, dents, and staining from trades working in the unit after flooring installation. Prevented by scheduling flooring late in the unit sequence and requiring subsequent trades to protect the floor. When damage occurs, the flooring sub must document the cause before it becomes a disputed liability.
Grout joint inconsistency in wet areas. Grout joints that vary in width or are not straight across the run. Preventable with spacer use during tile installation and alignment checks every few rows.
Most common cabinet punch items (Division 6)
Cabinet reveal inconsistency. Frameless cabinet doors that are not aligned, producing inconsistent spacing between door edges at adjacent cabinets. Prevented by alignment checks during installation, not at final walk.
Cabinet hardware not matching specification. Hardware in the wrong finish or wrong style delivered to the unit. Prevented by confirming the hardware specification before procurement and verifying hardware against the unit type matrix at delivery.
Upper cabinet height inconsistency. Upper cabinets mounted at inconsistent heights across units of the same type. Prevented by setting a consistent reference height for the project and confirming against that reference in each unit.
Most common Division 10 punch items
Wire shelving not level. End brackets set at different heights produce a visibly sloped shelf. Prevented by confirming level before engaging all brackets along the run.
Accessory not in the correct location per unit type matrix. Towel bar mounted on the wrong wall, robe hook on the wrong side of the door. Prevented by reviewing the unit type matrix before mobilizing to each unit and checking against the matrix during installation.
ADA signage mounted at incorrect height. Sign installed above the 60-inch maximum to the top of the highest character. Prevented by confirming the mounting height plan against the sign dimensions and the finished floor elevation before installation.
Most common Division 8 punch items
Shower door not sealing at threshold. A gap at the bottom sweep that allows water to escape the shower area. Prevented by confirming that the floor slope direction toward the drain is correct before the enclosure is installed.
Mirror not level. A vanity mirror installed without confirming level produces a visibly tilted reflection. Prevented by checking level with a longer level bar, not the installer’s eye, before securing the mirror.
Hardware finish not matching specification. Enclosure hardware in the wrong finish. Prevented by confirming the hardware finish specification before ordering and verifying against the unit type matrix at delivery.
Most common Division 11 punch items
Blind or shade installed crooked. A mounting bracket not level produces a blind that hangs visibly off-square. Prevented by confirming level at both mounting brackets before securing.
Blind damaged from paint overspray. Paint on an installed blind from a paint crew that worked in the unit after window treatment installation. Prevented by installing window treatments after paint is confirmed complete, not before.
Roller shade not retracting fully. A motorized shade that does not retract to the full open position. Prevented by programming and testing the shade limits immediately after installation, before the superintendent’s walk.
The pre-walk unit inspection process
A finishes sub who conducts their own pre-walk inspection of each unit before the superintendent’s first walk produces a significantly shorter punch list than one who relies on the superintendent’s walk to identify items.
The pre-walk inspection should be conducted by a different person than the installer, using a checklist specific to each unit type. The checklist should cover: flooring alignment and transitions, cabinet reveal and hardware, accessory locations and hardware finish, mirror level and mounting height, window treatment installation and operation, and any items specific to accessible units.
Items identified in the pre-walk inspection should be closed before the superintendent’s walk. This process adds a small amount of time to the installation schedule and removes a significant number of items from the first-walk punch list.
How Innergy manages punch list on multifamily projects
Innergy conducts a pre-walk unit inspection on every floor before the superintendent’s first walk. Items identified in the pre-walk are closed before the walk. First-walk punch lists on Innergy projects are consistently shorter than industry average because we check our own work before presenting it. For full seven-division interior finishes scope in TX, WA, OR, CO, UT, or NM, contact us and we respond within one business day.