Ouch!
I have been participating in a discussion with fellow contractors about “punch lists” for a few weeks.
- Punch Lists are forms used by contractors to verify everything has been done.
I have shared my forms with others and thought mine was pretty good. It made perfect sense to have one. A signed punch list actually saved me in court one time. I assumed it was a necessity until something Gerry Gerber, a fellow contractor said hit me sideways and just changed my process.
Turns out he was sick and tired of the Punch List too.
Gerry says “I love forms, and the results they provide with proper analytics. However, this is a form that should be used only if you have a client who is trying to delay payment by adding items to an ongoing punch list.
Most people hire us for the standards that we maintain for quality. I honestly feel that it is far more important to have an environment for open dialog during the remodel.
A great goal would be that your company has a zero punch list when you ask them for final payment. We, as remodelers are hired to produce a quality project, and believe it or not, we know if it was done right or not!
Our customers are not supervisors or quality control experts. Engage with them early on and open up dialog so that you get an indication if the quality you or your people are delivering matches with their expectations. If not, make personnel adjustments as quickly as possible, so you can deliver the Zero Punch List policy along with your invoice.”
Punch List Be Gone
Punch list vanquished!
At Levco, the Punch List verification time has always been a way of doing a walk through with the clients. At the very end, we want to verify that all of the work on the DOW (Description of Work) and the Change Orders were done satisfactorily. Like I always say “We are making sausage right in front of our clients” It isn’t always pretty, the point is that they are going to see the progress on a daily basis. What they want and what we are doing is not unveiled until we are done.
Why not encourage them to be involved… My employees were blowing my clients off, “Oh that is a punch list item, we will get to that later”, but later turned into anxiety and frustration. The truth is, I have been frustrated that we are working on the “Punch List items “ towards the end of the project without having collected the milestone payment for substantial completion. It was a real paradigm shifter for me and my employees but I am not opposed to shaking up the remodeling process here in Boise Idaho.
Finish line Action Item List is born
I created a new sign off sheet to verify that the project is complete to the clients satisfaction. Upon receipt of the milestone payment just prior the the finish line. My lead carpenter fills out 2/3 of a page of things they know that need to be finished then the client gets to look it over and add a few items that we may have missed. Signature is affirmation that we agree that when we complete these tasks the job is done and the final payment “Finish Line milestone” is due. We named it The Finish Line Action Item List and it has worked very well. Anything that comes up after that is a warranty issue.
Your comments are welcome. To ask questions or get more information about remodeling, email me directly or visit our contact page.
