Renovation checklist: from the first plan to the final walkthrough
Most renovation problems start as something nobody wrote down: a scope item, a selection, a change, a promise about the dust. This checklist goes through a remodel in order, so the decisions are made and recorded before they turn into arguments.
Printable renovation checklist: PDFWordExcel
The checklist
Seven stages, from planning to close-out. Tick each one as it's done.
Plan and scope: scope written room by room · selections made: fixtures, tile, cabinets, counters, appliances · lead times checked · budget with a contingency · drawings or plans if needed
Contract and paperwork: written contract with scope, price and dates · payment schedule tied to milestones · change order process agreed · license and insurance checked · permits: who pulls them, which inspections · lien waivers with payments, where used
Before work starts: photos of existing conditions, inside and out · floor protection and dust walls · working hours, parking, dumpster and materials · crew bathroom, keys and codes · water, gas and electrical shut-offs located · lead-safe rules if built before 1978; asbestos tested if needed
Demolition and rough-in: surprises photographed · changes signed before the extra work · rough inspections passed · pre-drywall walk done
Finishes: deliveries checked on arrival · finishes match the selections · finished surfaces protected
Close-out: punch list walked and agreed · punch list complete · final inspections passed, permits closed · manuals, warranties and paint colors handed over · final cleaning · final payment and final lien waiver · after photos from the same spots as before
Plan and scope
Write the scope room by room: what is removed, what is built, what is kept. "Redo the bathroom" means something different to everyone; "remove the tub, tile the shower to the ceiling, new vanity and toilet, keep the window" doesn't. Decide the selections, such as fixtures, tile, cabinets, counters and appliances, before work starts, and check their lead times. A tile that takes eight weeks to arrive holds up everything after it.
Keep a contingency in the budget for what you find when the walls open. In older homes, rot, old wiring and plumbing surprises are common, and they are cheaper to fix while everything is open than to work around.
Contract and paperwork
- A written contract with the scope, the price, the start and finish dates and what happens if they slip.
- A payment schedule tied to milestones, not dates: for example a deposit, then payments at rough-in and at finishes, with the last payment after the punch list.
- How changes are handled. Every change written down, priced and signed before the work. The change order template shows how.
- License and insurance checked, as your state or city requires.
- Permits: who pulls them, and which inspections the job needs.
- Lien waivers from the contractor and the main subs and suppliers as payments are made, where your state uses them.
Before the work starts
- Photos of the existing conditions, inside and out, including the driveway, the lawn and the rooms the crew will walk through. They protect the homeowner and the contractor equally.
- Protection and dust: floor protection on the paths, plastic and zip walls around the work area, and covered or closed vents.
- Logistics: working hours, parking, where the dumpster and materials go, which bathroom the crew uses, keys and codes.
- Shut-offs: where the water, gas and electrical shut-offs are, and who to call if something leaks.
- Lead and asbestos. In US homes built before 1978, work that disturbs painted surfaces has to follow the EPA's lead-safe rules, done by a certified firm. Older materials such as some floor tiles, pipe insulation and textured ceilings may contain asbestos; test before demolition.
Demolition and rough-in
Demolition is when the surprises show up. Photograph anything unexpected, decide what to do about it, and put it in a change order before the extra work. After the framing, electrical, plumbing and mechanical work, the building department's rough inspections come before anything is closed up, and a pre-drywall walk checks that what was built matches the plans.
Finishes
Check deliveries against the order the day they arrive: the right color, size and count, and nothing broken. Damage reported at delivery is the supplier's problem; damage found a month later is everyone's. As the finishes go in, compare them to the selections, and keep finished surfaces protected while other trades are still working.
Close-out
- Walk the job together and agree one punch list.
- Final inspections passed and the permits closed.
- Manuals, warranties and paint colors handed over.
- Final cleaning, inside and out.
- Final payment after the punch list is done, against a final lien waiver where your state uses them.
- After photos of every room, from the same spots as the before photos.
Doing it in FieldPix
For contractors, FieldPix keeps a renovation in one place: before and after photos stamped with the date, time and location, notes written from what you say on the walkthrough, proposals the client signs on your phone or by link, a punch list of tasks with the photo on each, and invoices the client pays by card. There's no renovation checklist built in, but you can build this one as your own checklist and load it on every job. Punch lists in FieldPix · invoices and payments.
