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Final Walkthrough Process: What to Expect When Your Wantagh General Contractor Completes Your Project

The Final Walkthrough: Your Last Chance to Ensure Your Wantagh Home Project Meets Perfection

The completion of your home improvement project marks an exciting milestone, but before you can fully celebrate, there’s one crucial step remaining: the final walkthrough. This comprehensive inspection process serves as your last opportunity to ensure that every detail of your renovation or construction project meets your expectations and contractual agreements.

What Is a Final Walkthrough?

The final walkthrough is a guided tour of your completed home before the general contractor packs up their tools and receives final payment. It’s the last opportunity to request fixes before you move on to your final loan closing. This process also determines at what moment site ownership is transferred from the general contractor to the homeowner.

The walkthrough is where you will scrutinize every detail of the project in the presence of your contractor. It is an essential step for utmost customer satisfaction. This isn’t simply a casual tour—it’s a methodical inspection designed to identify any issues that need addressing before project completion.

Understanding Project Completion Stages

Before the final walkthrough occurs, your project typically progresses through several completion phases. Substantial completion occurs when your project is nearly finished and ready for occupancy (i.e. everything is functional, but touch-ups may still be pending). Final completion happens once you are completely satisfied with your project and all final deficiencies have been addressed.

Usually, a final walkthrough is done on the substantial completion date to identify any project task that remains to be done. This list of tasks is called a final deficiency or punch list.

The Punch List Process

A punch list is generated near the end of a construction project and includes all of the tiny details that need to be fixed before a final walkthrough can take place. Basically, it’s the final to-do list for the developer. From outlets to vanity handles and drywall repair to appliance issues, the punch list will keep your expectations top-of-mind and help your developer stay accountable.

A common misconception is that the items on this list may be viewed as being mistakes. However, deficiencies are a normal occurrence, which happen during any construction project. A long deficiency list is not necessarily a sign of poor workmanship. On the contrary, since this is the final step before successfully completing your project, a thorough inspection to uncover any hidden defects demonstrates the willingness of a general contractor to deliver quality results.

What to Expect During Your Final Walkthrough

The general contractor and owner then conduct a final walkthrough to ensure that everything meets the agreed-upon specifications. They literally walk through the job site and inspect all aspects of the structure to ensure it meets the quality standards as well as any contractual obligations.

During your walkthrough, you should systematically inspect every aspect of your project, including:

Ask your general contractor to explain warranties, manuals, and maintenance info for any applicable appliances. This is often the last thing on many homeowners’ minds, but appliances are getting more and more advanced and will require a brief introduction to understand. From Wi-Fi ready refrigerators to smart thermostats, the technology can be daunting to learn without a mentor.

Preparing for Your Final Walkthrough

It is important to be prepared for the final walkthrough with a checklist, detailing everything you need to examine. Like any goal-oriented meeting that covers a lot of ground, it’s a good idea to come to your final walkthrough with a list of questions, your own punch list, or all of the above. Remember, a little bit of advanced preparation helps ensure you won’t forget to ask specific questions or address any concerns; it also helps ensure you won’t overlook any details.

While you may be anxious to have the whole process over with, the walkthrough stage is essential. If you feel intimidated by the task, you can always hire a 3rd party inspector to tag along. This will provide an extra set of experienced eyes to help spot any discrepancies.

Working with Quality Contractors in Wantagh

When working with a reputable General Contractor Wantagh, NY, the final walkthrough process should be thorough and professional. High quality work and customer service are a top priority. Every phone call gets answered – before, during and after the work is done.

Ray Coleman Home Improvement is your number one whole house renovations contractor in Wantagh, New York. With over 50 years of experience, trust Ray Coleman Home Improvement to get the job done right! We truly value the state of all our clients homes. That’s why we are 100% licensed and insured to protect your safety and ours! Our team is dedicated to providing you with a reliable and professional service to meet all your needs.

Communication Is Key

Most importantly, it is crucial for you to speak your mind during the walkthrough phase. Don’t feel guilty about scrutinizing a certain aspect of the work. Contractors live by their reputation, and would much rather fix something they missed, rather than have you complain about it for years to come.

If something feels a bit off, don’t be afraid to say so — a good contractor always strives to exceed expectations, and would rather have the chance to address a problem or concern than leave you feeling less than satisfied with the outcome of the project.

Post-Walkthrough Process

After the final walkthrough is complete you will have to deliver this itemized punch-list to the GC so that they can rectify the issues. They may push back on some issues so in some cases it’s a matter of picking your battles. Typically trades will have 48 hours to complete their punch out work. If a trade does not complete their work within the given timeline, then the builder will schedule an internal punch out person to complete the work.

The items on the punch list must be completed before the general contractor can receive payment for the job. Once the final punch list has been completed, those documents have been signed and issued, a cessation of labor is then filed, when the construction project will reach its completion. The owner will make the final payment to the contractor, and the job is done.

The Importance of Documentation

Documenting a project is very important for legal and training reasons. If no pictures were taken during the construction phase, it’s important to photograph your renovations at the end of the project. General contractors will often hire professional photographers to do the final photoshoot. These pictures will serve for promotional purposes, but can also come in handy for warranties and future disputes, if required.

The final walkthrough represents the culmination of your home improvement journey. By understanding what to expect and coming prepared, you can ensure that your project meets your vision and that any remaining issues are addressed promptly. Remember, this is your opportunity to achieve complete satisfaction with your investment, so take the time to be thorough and communicate openly with your contractor throughout the process.

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