I'll be doing this soon as well. I did a search and found a good thread that should help you out. If you scroll down about half way, there's a nice checklist. Good luck and happy moving!

Here is a link that might be useful: Previous thread

We are (hopefully) going to be doing this in a few weeks, here is a preliminary list :

- open and closer every window - make sure they move freely and seal
- open and close every door - make sure they move freely and seal (check all bottom transoms for proper seals, check locks and dead bolts to make sure they work).
- open and close every water spicket, test out the steam shower
- check every ceiling and wall to locate areas where drywall need to be pointed up
- turn on every light switch
- test every outlet
- look over all wiring in the basement & service panels
- open and close every garage door several times to make sure they are adjusted properly
- turn on every fireplace - make sure they work and vent properly

DW will probably:

- check around every piece of molding looking for cracks
- check over every square inch of painted surface
- open and close every cabinet door, look over every cabinet for scratches, make sure we have all shelves and hardware
- inspect every square inch of granite looking for defects and areas that need buffing
- turn on all appliances and check to make sure they work
- inspect every square inch of outside painting where we expected them to have done some tocuh ups (there is one spot that if she's sees it not fixed - after telling them at least a doxen times - heads will roll!).
- look over all of the light and plumbing fixtures she worked so hard at picking out - look for scratches and defects

That's the list I came up with in 5 minutes drafting this post. There will be others added, I am sure. Our walk through will probably take a FULL day.

Don't laugh - we made the mistake of glossing over things in the last house we bought (not a custom house) - and that was a big mistake. This time we are bringing food and water, our cameras with plenty of batteries, and a very long sheet of paper to document everything. The builder is going to hate us when we are done.

Sniffdog,
Better the builder hates you than you hate the builder. Because if it's that way it means he's slime and won't finish his work.

kats...sooo true.

A GC that will finish their work willingly is a contradiction in terms.

As to punch lists? Here are a few to consider after the punchlist from...

1) If there are gas appliances, turn them all off including pilots but make sure the gas valves to the appliances are on. Go to the meter and look at the 1/2 or 1/4 pound gauge for 5-10 minutes. If it does not move, there are no gas leaks. How do I know about this trick? When we tried to turn on our hot water heaters (in my opinion, GC did not do it b/c he did not want to pay for the gas usage probably), they had major gas leaks between the valves and the hot water heaters.

2) Turn on all HVAC and make sure they are operating and heating and cooling (actually measure the temp from the vents to be sure)... guess again! Gauges are not necessary, just use the back of the hand, if the air coming from the vent is warmer than room temp, heat is working, if cooler, AC is working.

3) Operate ALL plumbing fixtures to be sure they work, there are no knocks when turning valves on and off and the fixtures are consistent in operation (valves/sink stoppers open the same, etc). Make sure toilets flush and STOP running.

4) All electrical fixtures/outlets operate as expected including all 2/3/4 way switches.

5) make sure any all venting requirement of gas appliances meet manufacturer's specs (not just code). If it does not meet manufacturer's spec, all bets are off. (YEP! guess again)

6) check any special additions to make sure they are consistent with spec's.

7)Inspect all sheetrock seems closely. Look for cracks in butt joints, bed joints and corners.

8) Look closely for nail pops in sheetrock especially in the ceilings where the ceilings meet the walls.

9) Confirm all combustibles are removed from the access/service panels/areas of gas log fireplaces. (Yes..guess again)

10. Make sure gas and electrical service are adequate for your house.

11. Make sure vent hood is actually hooked up and venting to the outside.

12. Make sure GC confirms all gas valves meet code (guess again). They MUSt be accessible without moving the appliance or they will turn off your gas.

13. Check for any leaks if you can get it to rain. It did here finally and we discovered more leaks.

14. make sure all appliances work (includng hot water heaters).

15. Everything in the previous posts (all good points).

16. Try to hold at least 5% on GC for 90 days to be safe. I trusted our GC and he pretty much wrote us off within 2 weeks of paying him in full after a 16 month $1MM project. We have experienced many of the items listed above after payoff!

17. If I think of more, I will let you know.

GOOD LUCK!

Did anyone save the previous thread that auburnfan mentioned? It seems to have fallen off the list. Thanks!

The first thing to do is ask the builder if he or his subs have checked all of the things on your list. If he hasn't, set a date to conduct the walkthrough after he has done so.

When a builder sets a date for the final walkthrough he is saying he has checked everything and it all works as intended. You shouldn't be able to find anything wrong.

If the contractor doesn't understand his responsibility, hire a professional home inspector and get the job done right.