Punch Lists

I was working with a client today and the construction on their home has been going on for awhile. They are renovating the whole house practically and that takes time, especially when permits are involved and many trades having to schedule around one another.

So we were talking and she keeps pointing out items that need to be addressed or fixed painting wise. Some items make sense to fix right away.  We had a big issue with the doors, door frames and windows...basically any trim that was painted white, except for the crown, which was new to the home and any "newer" frames, doors, etc.  Any of the old wood/paint was having a peeling problem, even after us prepping it properly.  It took a few tries to figure out how to combat this problem, but FINALLY it's resolved! (Hooray). Something like this you want to fix immediately, but when light fixtures have to be moved around, quarter round needs to be placed in, furniture still moved into place, etc. it doesn't make sense to "finish" a room. This is where punch lists come into play. I would say when a job is about 90% complete and you can basically move into a space, is when it's a good time to make a punch list. 

A punch list is basically a list of items that need to be completed, just like a normal To-Do list.  You walk room by room, floor by floor looking at all the odds and ends that need to be finished up. It gives great satisfaction to cross each one off the list. If you try to start pointing out items to be completed before most of the work is done, you end up fixing the same thing over and over again.  Definition of insanity for sure. So when in doubt, just keep tabs on the work being done and once you're 90% there, then deal with items that have not been addressed. Time is money. And most of us don't have it to waste.