A free punch list template for construction closeout

What each column is for

• Item. A permanent number. Sorting, filtering and re-issuing must not renumber anything, or the closeout meeting turns into an argument about which item 23 is meant.
• Location. Floor, room and, on larger jobs, a grid reference. The test is whether a superintendent who missed the walk could find it from the row alone.
• Deficiency. The observed condition, stated as fact and measured where a tolerance applies. Not an opinion about workmanship.
• Corrective action. What done looks like. Without it, the sub decides, and the item comes back on the next walk.
• Responsible sub. One named subcontractor or trade per item. If two are involved, split it into two items.
• Priority and due. Substantial completion items before the rest. A date, not “ASAP”.
• Complete and verified. Two separate facts. The trade reports complete; the issuer verifies on the re-walk and dates it.

Running the punch walk

Walk by area, not by trade, using the same route every time so the list follows the geography of the building. Have the drawings and the previous list with you. Number as you go, write the location before the deficiency, and photograph every item twice: a wide shot with a fixed reference in frame and a close shot of the condition.

Keep opinions off the list. A deficiency the owner cannot point to in the contract documents will be refused, and one refused item makes the rest easier to refuse. The vocabulary differences between a punch list, a snag list and a defect list are covered in punch list vs snag list, and the way to write an entry that gets closed on the first visit is in how to write a defect report.

One list per subcontractor

The complete list goes to the general contractor. Each subcontractor should receive only their own items. A drywall crew handed a 90 item list with six drywall items reads none of it, and the six survive to the next walk. On paper this means copying rows out by trade, which is the job people skip.

The same list with photos

Site Audit records the same columns on an Android phone with the photographs attached to the item, as many as it needs, each with a caption and markup. It generates the punch list as a PDF with a summary table and a page per item, and the Pro version produces one filtered PDF per subcontractor in a tap, plus a CSV of the register for the project tracker.

The free version covers one complete project, PDF included. Pro is a one time purchase, not a per user subscription. The punch list app page covers the workflow, and the sample report shows what the output looks like.