What to Expect During Your First Construction Walkthrough

Everything is in place, and the construction has started; this is the time for your first Construction Walkthrough. This process allows a client to thoroughly understand how a project is doing. As it will ensure accurate cost estimations and avoid the risk of surprises during construction. So that is why a walkthrough is necessary for a client to know how their project is performing.

This article will help you understand what a construction walkthrough is by explaining what it is and what elements are a must to consider for an efficient walkthrough. Along with some useful and informative tips.

What is a Construction Walkthrough?

The first construction walkthrough is always crucial. This is because it will provide you with assurance that your home is built according to your specifications. This walkthrough is scheduled after the electrical and plumbing components have been installed. This way, you will be able to analyze the structural layout of your home before the drywall goes up.

Objective of a Walkthrough in Construction

Simply put, the objective of a walkthrough is to ensure that the property reflects what was agreed upon. This agreement will be between a general contractor and a client.

Who will be present during a Walkthrough?

It is important to know who will be present during a walkthrough. This will help you to prepare yourself accordingly and prepare any questions in your mind.

You can expect a project's designer, cost estimators, and other specialty trades such as electricians, plumbers, painters, etc. Thus, if you have any questions about any section, these experts will be there to assist you.

With all the experts present at the walkthrough, you need to prepare a checklist. This will ensure that you have covered everything and nothing is overlooked. Let's have a look at this checklist.

New Construction Walkthrough Checklist

Know that every construction project is different. This means that you have to prepare a new construction walkthrough checklist tailored to your specific home. But here are some general ideas about what you can include in a checklist:

1) Assess the electrical layout

An electrical system is responsible for powering your home. So, make sure that you examine an electrical system's layout. Ensure that it is as per the decided plans. Although there might be minor variations, they must be relatively close to the blueprints.

Carefully go over the budget and that it aligns with the plan.Electrical Estimating Services can help in cost management of the electrical system by creating an accurate budget.

2) Ensure Specifications are incorporated

If you have demanded a certain specification to be added, make sure that it has been incorporated. During your walkthrough, you have to ensure that what you have specified is where it should be.

Is the Flooring Done Right?

The next part of your checklist must include ensuring that the floor plan is according to your home framing. Ensure that what was discussed with the professionals is implemented during the flooring process.

3) Check Locations

Are your outlets where they are supposed to be? This means that you have to check for the locations of your outlets, such as, washer, dryer, etc.

Now that you have a checklist, you can easily steer yourself through a construction walkthrough. But it is important to mention that a walkthrough is not an inspection.

A walkthrough is not an inspection!

It is important to understand that a walkthrough is not an inspection. This is because inspections are conducted by local municipal officials. They can happen at any stage and at any time during a project. Once they have inspected the construction and made sure that everything is done according to codes and regulations, they will issue an occupancy permit.

At this point, you have a detailed understanding of a walkthrough. Let's discuss what will happen afterwards.

What Happens after a Walkthrough?

Once the walkthrough is completed, your team of professionals instantly gets to analyze what was discussed during the process. If anything is discovered that is not included in a project, then all professionals will collaborate and update accordingly.

With a SMAMEP Estimate, you do not have to worry about anything. They will make sure that the construction is done as per the agreement for all stages. They are known for their transparency in the market, as they always keep a client in the loop. Thus, making sure that the client is involved in the construction process from start to completion.

Bottom line

A Construction Walkthrough will certainly help you a great deal. That is why it is important to take notes during your walkthrough. This will not only allow you to find any issues. But you will be able to put these indiscrepancies in front of a general contractor. On top of that, this article will also guide you through an efficient walkthrough. It discusses in detail the objective of a walkthrough and what things you have to look out for during this process.