New Construction Final Walkthrough Checklist: What to Check Before Closing

Part of the guide: The Site Inspection Checklist to Run on Every Walkthrough

The final walkthrough is your last inspection of a new home before closing. The builder's representative walks the house with you, usually one to two weeks before the closing date, and everything you find that is unfinished, damaged or not working goes on a written list that the builder signs, with a date for each fix. Builders also call it the pre-closing walkthrough, the orientation or the blue tape walk, after the painter's tape buyers stick on each defect.

It matters because your leverage drops at closing. Before it, the builder wants the sale finished; after it, every item goes through the warranty process instead. Give it two to three hours for a typical house, test everything that moves or switches on, and leave with a signed copy.

What to bring and arrange beforehand

• The paperwork: your purchase agreement, the list of options and upgrades you paid for, and the builder's limited warranty. The walkthrough checks the house against the contract, not against what looks nice.
• Time: ask for a slot of at least two hours, in daylight, with the utilities on. A walkthrough with the water or power off cannot test half of the list.
• A kit: blue painter's tape, a plug-in outlet tester with a GFCI test button (around ten dollars), a flashlight, a phone with a full battery for photos, a tape measure, and a marble or small level for floors.
• Your own inspector, if you can: many buyers hire a licensed home inspector for new construction, because passing the building department's inspections means the code minimum was met, not that the work is finished well. Check that your contract allows it and tell the builder in advance.

The checklist, area by area

Outside

• The ground slopes away from the house on every side. The International Residential Code asks for a fall of at least 6 inches within the first 10 feet (IRC R401.3); puddles against the foundation are a defect, not a quirk.
• Roof shingles flat and complete, flashing at walls and chimneys, gutters fixed and downspouts discharging away from the foundation.
• Siding, trim and caulking complete; no gaps at windows, doors and penetrations; exterior paint finished.
• Driveway, walks and patio: cracks, low spots, broken edges. Exterior lights and hose bibs work.

Garage and entry

• The garage door opener reverses when the door meets an obstruction; test with a piece of wood on the floor, never a hand or foot. Automatic reversal has been required for residential openers since 1993 (16 CFR Part 1211).
• Door between the garage and the house closes and latches on its own if your plans call for a self-closing door.
• Every exterior door locks, latches and seals; weatherstripping and thresholds in place; keys for every lock.

Every room

• Walls and ceilings under a flashlight held flat to the surface: nail pops, tape lines, dents, paint misses.
• Doors open, close and latch without rubbing; stops fitted; windows open, close, lock, and screens are in.
• Floors: scratches, gaps, squeaks, lifted edges, grout cracks; roll the marble where something looks off.
• Every outlet with the tester and every switch, including the ones that seem to do nothing (they may control an outlet).
• The options you paid for are there: flooring type, fixtures, extra outlets, upgraded trim.

Kitchen and bathrooms

• Run every faucet hot and cold, fill and drain every sink and the tub, run the shower. Then look in every cabinet under a sink for drips.
• Run the dishwasher, the disposal, the range burners and the oven, the microwave and the range hood; open the fridge and freezer.
• Press the test button on every GFCI outlet and check that it cuts power and resets. Kitchen counters, bathrooms, garage, outdoors and laundry areas need GFCI protection under the National Electrical Code (NEC 210.8).
• Caulk at the tub, shower, counters and backsplash complete; tile without cracks or hollow-sounding spots; toilets firm on the floor.

Systems

• Heating and cooling: run both, feel air at every register, check the filter is installed and the thermostat works.
• Water heater: the temperature and pressure relief valve has a discharge pipe running to a safe place (IRC P2804.6.1). Note the date on the label.
• Electrical panel: every breaker labeled. Ask where the main water shut-off is and try it.
• Smoke alarms in every bedroom, outside each sleeping area and on every level (IRC R314.3); carbon monoxide alarms where there are fuel-burning appliances or an attached garage (IRC R315). Press each test button.
• Attic, if there is safe access: insulation evenly spread, bath fans ducted outside, no daylight through the roof deck.

How to record what you find

The builder's representative often writes the list. Keep your own as well, because yours is the one with your photos and your wording.

1. Number every item and put a piece of tape on it, so the trade can find it without you.
2. Two photos per item: one wide enough to show the room and the wall, one close enough to show the defect. Close-ups alone are useless a month later.
3. Write what "fixed" looks like: "repaint the hallway ceiling patch to match", not "ceiling".
4. Get a date next to each item and both signatures on the list, then a copy, on paper or by email, before you leave.

After closing: the warranty clock

Signing the walkthrough list does not end the builder's obligations. Most new homes come with a builder's limited warranty, and many follow a 1-2-10 pattern: one year for workmanship and materials, two years for the plumbing, electrical and HVAC systems, ten years for major structural defects. Read yours, because the terms, exclusions and claim process are set by that document.

Some states add rules of their own. In California, the Right to Repair Act (SB 800, Civil Code sections 895 and following) sets building standards for new homes and gives fit and finish items a one-year period (Civil Code 900). Other states have new home warranty statutes or none at all.

Two dates go in your calendar on closing day: the builder's first service request window, if it offers one, and month eleven, for an inspection before the one-year workmanship cover runs out.

Common mistakes

• Rushing. A one-hour walkthrough of a four-bedroom house tests nothing; it just looks.
• Leaving the list with the builder. If you have no copy, you have no list.
• Not running water and appliances. Leaks under sinks and dead outlets are the commonest finds and need nothing more than turning things on.
• No photos before move-in. Once the furniture arrives, a scratched floor becomes a question of who did it.
• Closing on a verbal promise. Anything the builder agrees to finish goes on the signed list with a date. If the contract allows an escrow holdback for unfinished work, ask your agent or attorney about it before closing, not after.

What to do next

Print the final walkthrough checklist or load it on your phone, book two hours in daylight, bring the tape and the outlet tester, and walk outside first. Leave with every item numbered, photographed, dated and signed. For the earlier stage, while the walls are open, see the pre-drywall inspection.

Punch List AI turns each photo into a numbered item with the room and a draft description, and produces the signed list as a PDF before you leave the house.

Questions people ask

When is the final walkthrough for a new home?

Usually one to two weeks before closing, with the utilities on. Some builders hold it a few days before; ask for enough time to have items fixed before you close.

How long should a new construction walkthrough take?

Two to three hours for a typical house if you test every outlet, tap, appliance and system. One hour is enough to look, not to test.

Should I hire a home inspector for a new build?

Many buyers do. The building department checks code minimums; an inspector checks workmanship and the systems in detail. Check that your purchase agreement allows it.

What is the blue tape walk?

The walkthrough itself: the buyer marks each defect with blue painter's tape so the trades can find it, and the builder lists it with a completion date.