Punch List Be Gone

by | Jul 13, 2012 | Uncategorized | 0 comments

Reading Time: 4 minutes

Ouch!

I have been participating in a discussion with fellow contractors about “punch lists” for a few weeks.

  • Punch Lists are forms used by contractors to verify everything has been done that they are aware of.

I have shared my forms with others and thought mine was pretty good. It made perfect sense to have one. A signed punch list actually saved me in court one time. I assumed it was a necessity until something Gerry Gerber, a fellow contractor said hit me sideways and just changed my process.

Turns Out He Was Sick and Tired of the Punch List too.

Gerry says “I love forms, and the results they provide with proper analytics. However, this is a form that should be used only if you have a client who is trying to delay payment by adding items to an ongoing punch list.
Most people hire us for the standards that we maintain for quality. I honestly feel that it is far more important to have an environment for open dialog during the remodel.
A great goal would be that your company has a zero punch list when you ask them for final payment. We, as remodelers are hired to produce a quality project, and believe it or not, we know if it was done right or not!
Our customers are not supervisors or quality control experts. Engage with them early on and open up dialog so that you get an indication if the quality you or your people are delivering matches with their expectations. If not, make personnel adjustments as quickly as possible, so you can deliver the Zero Punch List policy along with your invoice.”

Punch List Be Gone

Punch List Vanquished!

At Levco, the Punch List verification time has always been a way of doing a walk-through with the clients. At the very end, we want to verify that all of the work on the DOW (Description of Work) and the Change Orders were done satisfactorily. Like I always say “We are making sausage right in front of our clients”  It isn’t always pretty, the point is that they are going to see the progress on a daily basis. What they want and what we are doing is not unveiled until we are done.

Why not encourage them to be involved… My employees were blowing my clients off, “Oh that is a punch list item, we will get to that later”, but later turned into anxiety and frustration. The truth is, I have been frustrated that we are working on the “Punch List items “ towards the end of the project without having collected the milestone payment for substantial completion. There was no clear finish line!

Zero Punch-List

This brought up a conversation about a zero Punch List again, a popular concept in NARI CLC training. The idea is that because you are so good and checking with your client that when you are done you say TA-DA wash up and leave. I agree with Gerry that it is a good thing and a noble goal however, my frustration is that a Zero Punch List does not create a mutual agreement, and I use one on every job for consistency and familiarity with the process because there is an initial resistance to something new, and it requires practice to be great at it.

Finish Line Action Item List is Born

Rather than eliminating the concept, I created a sign-off sheet to verify that the project is complete to the clients’ satisfaction. Upon receipt of a milestone payment just prior to the finish line. My lead carpenter shares an explanation that we are almost done then shares a filled-out form which is already 2/3 of a page of things they know that need to be finished. At that meeting, the client gets to look it over and add a few items that we may have missed. Mutual signature is an affirmation that we agree that when we complete these tasks the job is done and the final payment “Finish Line payment” is due. We named it The Finish Line Action Item List and it has worked very well. Anything that comes up after that is a warranty issue.

Elements of a Completed Finish Line Action Item List

  1. Everything is done to the satisfaction of all parties that we promised to do.
  2. The final payment is due.
  3. You have transitioned to Warranty

Your comments are welcome. To ask questions or get more information about remodeling, email me directly or visit our contact page.

Disclaimer: Some of these images came from the WEB. If they are yours, and you object to them being used, please claim them and I will gladly remove and replace them at once.

Disclaimer: Some of these images came from the WEB. If they are yours, and you object to them being used, please claim them and I will gladly remove and replace them at once.

Related Posts

My New Hokey Pokey At 66

My New Hokey Pokey At 66

As I age and grow into myself, now 66, I develop a different perspective on life and my Hokey Pokey. Naturally, as we've all learned, that's what it's all about at a tender age. As slowly as the moon slips through the night sky, I sense a palpable change. Though I...

read more
Holy Cow! We Do Amazing Work

Holy Cow! We Do Amazing Work

As a business owner, doing all the behind-the-scenes things is often so time-consuming that I honestly "Don't get out much." It took a friendly reminder, and now I have a scheduled tour de force every Wednesday with my Construction Manager. We ride around and look at...

read more

Leave A Comment

0 Comments

Submit a Comment

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Recent Posts

Categories

Latest Projects

Master Suite Addition

Master Suite Addition

Master Suite AdditionThe Challenge They came up with a plan drawn by others with several significant errors. One was the size of the addition, and the other was the angle of the trusses. The clients who work remotely turned out to be excellent communicators and...

Dining Room Addition and Kitchen Remodel

Dining Room Addition and Kitchen Remodel

Dining Room Addition and Kitchen RemodelThe Challenge The home had an odd entry room with a coat closet and partition wall in the way. This room was pretty useless and annoying to the client. Then, the kitchen was blocked from the activity in the living room, and the...

Primary Suite Remodel with Deck

Primary Suite Remodel with Deck

Primary Suite Remodel & DeckThe Challenge Inaccurate plans were provided that had to get updated over the course of the project. The project is on a creek so lots of precautions were needed to keep erosion out of it.  The Idea Create a primary suite that is...

Whole House Remodel

Whole House Remodel

Whole House RemodelThe Challenge The home was in the hillside district and in the WUI which means that the home has some extra requirements as far as firesafe and extra structural requirements. There had been an addition done to the house years prior that was not...