How to do a punch walk in 8 steps
Book the walk, walk every room in the same order, write each item so a trade can fix it without you, and send the list the same day. Then walk again to close it.
- Set the date and who comes. Book the walk when the contractor says the area is ready. Invite the owner or their rep, the general contractor's superintendent, and the trades with the most open work.
- Bring the current drawings and the last list. Check that your set is the latest revision. Bring the list from any earlier walk, and a blank punch list template on paper or on your tablet.
- Walk in a fixed order. Floor by floor, room by room, and clockwise around each room: door, walls, windows, ceiling, floor, fixtures. A fixed order is how you avoid missing a wall.
- Write each item so it can be fixed without you. Trade, room, exact spot, what is wrong and what done looks like. "Electrician. Room 204, north wall, next to the vanity: outlet cover missing. Install a white cover plate."
- Photo every item. One photo that shows the problem and enough of the room to find it. Write the photo number next to the item.
- Agree on owners and dates on site. Assign each item to a trade or a company and agree on a due date while everyone is still standing in the room.
- Send the report the same day. Group the items by room for the owner and by trade for the contractor. Every day you wait, people forget what you meant.
- Back check and close. Walk again when the contractor says the items are done. Close what is fixed, add a note to what is not, and send the updated list.
A punch list is the list you write on this walk. The rest of this guide covers the parts that decide whether the list gets closed fast: who is in the room, how you word each item, what to check in each room, and what you do after the walk.
Who comes on the walk and who owns the list
The short answer: the contractor usually writes the first list, the architect or owner's rep adds to it on the walk, and the contractor owns the fixes.
| Who | Role on the walk |
|---|---|
| Architect or owner's rep | Usually runs the formal walk on a commercial job, checks the contractor's list and adds items |
| Owner | Walks along, adds what matters to them, and agrees on what done looks like |
| General contractor's superintendent | Often walks first and writes the first list, answers questions on site, agrees on owners and dates, and sends items to the trades |
| Trades | Join for their own items, mostly on large jobs or for disputed work |
| Remodeler or builder | Runs the walk with the homeowner on residential work and writes the list |
When the contractor walks first and fixes what it finds, the formal walk is shorter. Your contract may say who prepares the list and when, so check it. This guide describes the job, not the contract.
How to write a punch item that gets fixed
A good item answers four questions: where, what is wrong, who fixes it, and what done looks like. A vague item gets a call back, a second visit or a fix in the wrong place.
| Vague | Clear |
|---|---|
| Paint | Painter. Room 204, north wall above the vanity: roller marks and a patch that shows. Repaint the full wall. |
| Door | Carpenter. Room 202 entry door rubs the frame at the top corner and does not latch. Adjust so it closes and latches without force. |
| Caulk | Plumber. Room 204 bath: gap where the vanity top meets the wall. Remove old caulk and recaulk in white. |
| Outlet | Electrician. Room 206 kitchen, island: outlet cover missing on the east side. Install a cover plate to match. |
| Ceiling | Ceiling installer. Room 203 conference: two stained tiles next to the supply diffuser. Replace both and check for a leak above. |
Four habits help:
- Use room numbers from the drawings, not "the back office".
- One problem per item, so a trade can close it on its own.
- Name the trade, even if the contractor reassigns it later.
- Flag safety and blocking items first, such as a loose handrail or a door that will not lock, so they get fixed before the rest.
Punch walk checklist by room
Use this as a reminder of where to look. It is not complete, and every job has its own items. To write the items down, use the free punch list template.
Every room
- Paint touch up, roller marks and patches that show.
- Drywall dents, nail pops and cracked corners.
- Doors that rub, do not latch, or miss stops and hardware.
- Outlet and switch cover plates, and lights that work.
- Floor scratches, gaps at transitions and missing base.
Kitchen
- Cabinet doors and drawers in line and closing.
- Countertop seams, caulk at the backsplash, sink and faucet leaks.
- Appliances in place and working, with protective film removed.
Bathroom
- Caulk at the tub, shower, vanity and floor.
- Grout gaps, cracked tiles and loose accessories.
- Water pressure, drains and fixtures that do not drip.
Corridors and stairs
- Wall damage at cart and furniture height.
- Handrails secure, signs in place, and doors that close on their own where designed to.
Exterior
- Sealant at windows and doors, and damaged trim.
- Grading, downspouts and splash blocks.
- Paint and finish touch up where equipment hit the walls.
After the walk: the report and the back check
The walk is the fast part. The slow part is the evening at the desk, matching clipboard notes to photos in the camera roll and to clouds on a marked up PDF. Then the trades need a printout, an email thread or an account in some app before they can see their three items.
Two rules keep the list moving:
- Send it the same day, while everyone still remembers each item.
- Make it easy for trades to reply. Ask them to send a photo of the fix when they mark an item done. Then your back check is a check, not a hunt.
On the back check, walk the same order as the first walk. Close fixed items with the date. Add a short note and a new photo to items that are not fixed, and send the updated list.
Doing it on an iPad
If you walk with an iPad and the drawing set, we are building Walkmic for this walk and for the site visits before it. Walkmic is a field report app in development for architects doing construction administration, planned for iPad, iPhone and Android. The punch list is one part of the report. The beta is planned for early 2027.
The plan: open the drawing set, walk and talk. Where you see an item, tap the room and say what you see. AI will draft the item with the room, the trade and the severity, and you confirm it. Each item will carry its pin and its photo. Around the items, AI will draft the rest of the field report: the people on site, the work in progress and your observations. You will review every line and sign it. The report is meant to be ready before you leave. The contractor, the trades and the owner will open it from one link in any browser, with no account.
Until then, use the steps above with a paper list. For the reports you write after regular site visits, use the free field report template. If you used Revu for iPad, see what to use on site now. If you want the beta invite, join the waitlist.