Free Construction Punch List Template

A construction punch list template is the list of everything still wrong or unfinished when the job is nearly done: the scratched tub, the missing cover plate, the door that won't latch. Closing that list is how you get from "almost finished" to a customer who signs off and pays the last invoice. This free sheet numbers 25 items, tracks who fixes each one and by when, and counts what is still open.

When you need one

At the walkthrough near the end of the job, with the customer or the owner's representative, and again before handover. Many contractors also have the foreman walk the job first, so the customer doesn't find the obvious things. On a small repair, a list in a text message may be enough. Once several trades are involved, or the last payment depends on the list, write it down and get it signed.

On many contracts the final payment, or the release of a holdback, waits on this list being closed. Whether holdbacks apply and how they are released depends on your province and your contract, so check your province's rules.

What's in the template

• Header. Company, project, site address, customer contact, walkthrough date, walked by, customer or owner, and target completion date.
• 25 numbered lines. Location or room, item to fix, trade or person responsible, priority (A, B or C), photo reference, date found, due date, date completed, and the initials of whoever checked the fix.
• Running counts. Items listed counts the lines with an item written in. Items completed counts the lines with a completion date. Items still open is the difference. These work in the Excel file; the CSV has the same columns without the counts.
• Priority legend. A is a safety issue or blocks occupancy, B must be fixed before handover, C is cosmetic and gets fixed when convenient.
• Acceptance. "All items above are completed and accepted", with signature and date lines for the contractor and the owner or customer.

How to fill it in so the list actually closes

1. One deficiency per line. The counts work line by line. "Touch up paint, hall and bedroom 2" is either all done or not done. Split it into two lines and each one closes when it is fixed.
2. Write it so a stranger can find it. "Bedroom 2, north wall, 3 nail pops left of the window", not "drywall". The person fixing it was probably not at the walkthrough.
3. Name a trade on every line. The lines without a name are the ones still open in three weeks.
4. Photograph each item when you find it. Write the photo number in the photo column. A photo dated at the walkthrough ends the "that was already there" argument.
5. Date it only when it is done, and have someone else check it. Items completed counts the dates, so a date on an unfixed item makes the sheet lie. The trade that did the fix shouldn't initial its own work.
6. Freeze the list once it is agreed. Anything the customer adds after the walkthrough is a new request. Decide whether it is warranty or extra work, and if it is extra, write a change order instead of sneaking it onto line 26.
7. Get the signature when the open count reaches zero. Not "next time we're by". A signed, dated sheet is what you attach to the final invoice.

What to keep on file

Keep the first copy from the walkthrough, which shows what was agreed, and the signed final copy, with the before and after photos. Keep them for at least the warranty period on the job. Warranty and record-keeping rules vary by province and by contract, so check yours.

Paper, Excel or JobSnap

For a punch list, this sheet is the right tool, and the signed acceptance line is the part that matters: print it, walk it and get it signed.

Where the app helps is the walkthrough itself. Write the deficiencies in a JobSnap note with a checklist, or record it out loud as you walk, and link it to the job. Take the pictures with the jobsite camera: each one lands on the job with the date and the name of the person who took it. Draw an arrow or a circle on a photo to show exactly which nail pop, then select several photos and send them to the customer or a sub from your phone's share menu. A note stays private until you share it with your team or send someone a link. When the list is agreed, copy it onto this sheet for the signatures. Renovators who run several small jobs at once will find the setup on the renovation page.