A punch list is the list of work that still has to be finished or corrected before a job is complete and final payment is released. This generator gives each item a number, a location, a description, the trade responsible, a priority and a status, and turns the list into a clean PDF for the walkthrough, a spreadsheet file for tracking, or a printout for the clipboard. It saves in your browser as you go, so you can add items on site and finish at the office.
Location first — building, floor, room and wall or elevation — so whoever picks it up can find it without asking. Then a description specific enough to verify: not "fix paint" but "touch up paint on north wall behind door, scuff at 1.2 m".
Assign each item to one trade or person, give it a priority, and track its status. An item is not closed until the person who raised it has checked it, which is why the list has a verified column.
Most contractors do an internal walk before the client sees the work, so obvious items are closed before the formal punch walk. On larger projects, rolling punch lists by area — each floor or unit as it finishes — stop the list becoming hundreds of items at the end.
Agree the date for completing the list and the value held back for it in writing. The final payment or retainage release is usually tied to a signed-off punch list, so the list and its sign-off are part of the job record.
Photos save arguments. Number each photo with the item number so the PDF and the photo folder match. Take a second photo when the item is closed.
When the list is complete, have the client or their representative sign and date it. The generator adds signature lines to the PDF for that.
A list of work that does not yet meet the contract — unfinished, damaged or incorrect items — produced near the end of a job. The contractor completes each item, it is checked, and the list is signed off before final payment.
Usually the owner or their architect or representative during a walkthrough, often after the contractor's own internal walk. On smaller residential jobs the contractor and homeowner often walk it together.
Yes. The generator works in a phone browser, saves as you type, and exports a PDF you can share straight from the phone.
The Export spreadsheet button downloads a CSV file that opens in Excel or Google Sheets. For a formatted, reusable workbook, see the punch list template below.