Final walkthrough checklist for a kitchen or bath remodel

Short answer: The final walkthrough is where the contractor and the owner walk the finished room together and write down what is left. The goal is one list both sides agree on before anyone leaves.

By Goodhands Apps · Updated November 13, 2026 · 5 min read · En español

This checklist is for the person running the job. It is general information, not legal advice.

Before you walk

Close the permit. If the job was permitted, the building department has its own last step. The International Residential Code, as one city that adopts it quotes it, says the final inspection "shall be made after the permitted work is complete and prior to occupancy." That sentence is about the permit. It says nothing about paint lines or cabinet reveals. Those are contract matters, and they are what your walkthrough is for. Rules differ by city and county, so ask your own building department.

Bring the paperwork. Bring the contract, the selections and every change order. California's contractor board tells homeowners that changes to the contract "need to be in writing and signed by both parties." A signed change order settles what was agreed.

Set the room up. Power on. Water on. All protection and tape off. Lights on and a flashlight in hand. Walk in daylight if you can.

Every room: go one surface at a time

• Floor. Chips, lippage, grout gaps, squeaks, transitions, base and shoe tight to the floor.
• Walls. Paint holidays, cut lines, patches that show under a raking light, switch and outlet plates on and straight.
• Doors and windows. Open, close, latch and lock each one. Check stops, strikes and weatherstrip.
• Caulk. Every joint where two materials meet: counter to splash, tub to tile, trim to wall.

Kitchen checklist

• Cabinets. Open every door and drawer. Check reveals, soft-close, bumpers, shelf pins, toe kick, fillers, crown. Look for finish damage on the ends.
• Counters. Seams, overhangs, the sink cutout, the joint to the splash. Check that the top is not scratched.
• Sink and faucet. Run hot and cold. Fill the bowl and drain it while you watch the trap and supplies with a flashlight. EPA's leak check for WaterSense labeled homes is simply "no visible leaks" from kitchen and other sink faucets, and from fixtures and appliances such as dishwashers. That sheet is a program specification, not a building code.
• Disposal and dishwasher. Run both. Start the dishwasher first so it drains while you check the rest.
• Receptacles. Test every GFCI. The Consumer Product Safety Commission's fact sheet lists kitchens and bathrooms among the places where the National Electrical Code requires GFCIs. Its test: plug in a lamp, press the test button and the light should go out, then press reset and the light should come back on. The fact sheet dates from 2010. Your local code edition decides what is required today.
• Range. Check that it is secured. A CPSC staff report says most manufacturers provide an anti-tip bracket to be used at installation, and that in the tip-over incidents it reviewed the ranges were unsecured. Follow the range's installation manual for how to check.
• Hood and appliances. Fan on each speed, lights on, filter in. Each appliance powers up. Film off. Manuals in one drawer.

Bath checklist

• Toilet. Flush it. Rock it gently; it should not move. Then do the dye test from the WaterSense sheet: put a dye tablet or a few drops of food coloring in the tank, wait 5 to 10 minutes without flushing, and look for color in the bowl. Color means the flapper or flush valve seal is leaking.
• Tub and shower. Run the shower. Per the same sheet, send flow to the showerhead, wait one minute, and check the tub spout for more than a few drips. Check that the drain holds and releases. Look at every tile joint and corner.
• Vanity and faucet. Same as the kitchen sink: run, fill, drain, flashlight on the trap.
• Exhaust fan. Turn it on and confirm where it goes. The Department of Energy's Building America guide says to vent the fan "directly to the outside, not into an attic or crawlspace" and gives a rough check: the fan "should have enough suction to hold a tissue."
• Receptacles. Test the GFCI the same way as in the kitchen.
• Glass and accessories. Shower door swings and seals. Towel bars and paper holder are tight.

Houses built before 1978

If the house was built before 1978 and the job disturbed paint, federal lead rules apply. EPA's Renovation, Repair and Painting rule requires firms paid to do that work to be certified and to use lead-safe work practices. Know whether that covers your job before you walk it.

Write it up before anyone leaves

• One line per item: where, what, who fixes it, by when.
• One photo per item, taken on the spot.
• Agree on the list in the room. Both sides sign and date it.
• Set a date to re-walk with the same list.

What the owner has been told about final payment

Expect the owner to hold the last check until the list is closed. The Federal Trade Commission tells homeowners to "never make the final payment until the work is done and you're satisfied with it." California's contractor board says to avoid making the final payment "until you're satisfied with the work." Neither source defines "satisfied." Your contract should. Tie final payment to the signed list, not to a feeling.

Punchwalk, an Android app for walking a job and sending the list as a PDF, is coming soon to Google Play.