punch-list-builder

name

punch-list-builder

description

Turn walkthrough notes, photos, or voice-memo transcripts into a proper construction punch list with location, trade, and spec reference per item. Use when asked to build a punch list, clean up walkthrough notes, organise a deficiency list, prep for substantial completion, or track punch items to closeout. Produces a numbered punch list grouped by location with severity tiers, responsible subcontractor, back-charge candidates, and closeout/retainage linkage.

Punch List Builder Skill

"Fix paint in hallway" closes nothing. A punch item that closes reads: Level 2, Corridor 2C, north wall — drywall finish fails Level 4 requirement per spec 09 29 00; responsible: [drywall sub]; verify: repaint entire wall section, re-inspect under raking light. This skill converts messy walkthrough notes into that — a numbered, trade-assigned, spec-referenced punch list an owner's rep can sign off against and a super can actually run subs from.

What This Skill Produces

• A numbered punch list grouped by location (building → level → room), one deficiency per item
• Per item: location, trade, responsible subcontractor, spec/drawing reference, severity tier, acceptance criterion
• A back-charge candidate flag on damage-by-others and repeat-failure items
• Trade-by-trade rollup for distributing scoped lists to each sub
• Closeout linkage — items tied to substantial completion, retainage release, or warranty

Required Inputs

Ask for what's missing; from raw notes alone, build the list and tag inferred fields [verify]:

• Walkthrough notes — however rough: bullets, transcript, photo captions
• Location scheme — building/level/room numbering used on the drawings (so items are findable)
• Sub list by trade (who to assign items to) — if absent, assign by trade and mark sub [assign]
• Spec sections / finish schedule available for referencing (optional but sharply raises defensibility)
• Project stage — pre-punch, substantial completion punch, or final/warranty walk — it sets the severity bar

Severity & Assignment Framework

Tier every item:

Tier	Definition	Consequence
A — Blocks completion	Life-safety, code, non-functional systems, missing inspections	Blocks substantial completion / certificate of occupancy
B — Blocks acceptance	Doesn't meet contract documents — wrong product, failed finish tolerance, incomplete scope	Blocks final payment / retainage for that trade
C — Cosmetic	Touch-up, adjustment, cleaning within spec tolerance	Track to zero, but don't hold the project on it

Never let a Tier A hide inside a room's list of C's — pull Tier A items to the top summary.

Assign one responsible party per item. "GC to coordinate" is not an assignee. Where trades overlap (e.g. scratched frame — painter or the trade who scratched it?), assign the most likely party and flag the dispute.

Back-charge screening. Flag as back-charge candidates: damage to completed work by another trade, rework of previously-accepted work, and items a sub was already directed to fix once. Note the evidence needed (photo, prior notice date) — a back-charge without paper is a gift.

Closeout linkage. Mark which items gate substantial completion (Tier A), which gate retainage release per trade (Tier B), and which convert to warranty items if the owner accepts occupancy first.

Output Format

Punch List: [Project] — [Walk date, stage, attendees]

1. Summary — item counts by tier and by trade; the Tier A list in full. 2. Punch items by location — table per area:

#	Location	Description of deficiency	Spec/Dwg ref	Trade	Responsible sub	Tier	Back-charge?	Acceptance criterion	Status

3. Trade rollups — per-sub extract with item numbers and due date field. 4. Back-charge candidates — item #, basis, evidence held/needed. 5. Closeout linkage — items gating substantial completion; items gating retainage by trade; warranty conversions.

Quality Checks

• Every item names a findable location using the project's numbering — no "hallway near the thing"
• One deficiency per item — compound notes are split so each can close independently
• Each item has exactly one responsible party (or a flagged dispute), never "various" or left blank
• Spec or drawing reference present where documents were provided; [verify] where inferred
• Every item has an acceptance criterion — what "done" looks like at re-inspection
• Tier A items surfaced in the summary, not buried in room lists

Anti-Patterns

• Do not write subjective items ("looks bad") — describe the deficiency against a spec, tolerance, or the approved mockup
• Do not bundle five defects into one line — bundled items never fully close
• Do not assign items to "GC" as a default — the punch list is how work reaches the sub who owes it
• Do not treat the punch list as append-forever — new-found items after the walk go on a dated supplement, not silently inserted
• Do not flag a back-charge without naming the evidence — an unsupported back-charge poisons the sub relationship for nothing