What Belongs on a Punch List (and What Does Not)
How to write a list that finishes in one visit
The difference between a list that gets finished in a day and one that turns into three visits is almost always how it was written.
Put everything on it. The temptation is to trim the list to the important things. Do the opposite. Small items are nearly free once we are already there.
Describe the symptom, not your diagnosis. "The upstairs bathroom door will not latch" is more useful than "needs a new strike plate" — the cause is often something else.
Photograph anything you cannot describe in one sentence. A photo of the underside of a sink saves a phone call.
Flag anything behind a wall or above a ceiling. Those need a look before they can be quoted.
What needs its own trip: anything requiring a permit, anything where the fix depends on what we find, and anything needing a part that has to be ordered and matched.
Group by room, not by trade. We work room to room, and it keeps the drop cloths in one place.
Send the whole list. We will sort what happens in one visit and what needs its own.
