Xay Dung Viet Phu

Site records

Checking renovation work before anyone signs it off

Four procedures, written the way a site supervisor runs them: a 2 m straight edge laid on plaster, a hygrometer sealed to a screed for 72 hours, a nylon rod tapped across finished tiles, and a numbered register that carries every open item to a dated sign off.

Section drawing of a plastered wall checked with a straight edge next to a tile setting out grid and a floor build up of slab, membrane, insulation, screed and tile
The three checks that catch most renovation defects: wall flatness, tile setting out, floor build up.

01.What do the four renovation inspection procedures cover?

Four procedures cover the four handovers where renovation defects concentrate: plaster flatness measured under a 2 m straight edge, screed thickness and moisture measured before any finish goes down, tile lippage measured across each joint with a feeler gauge, and a written punch list that carries every open item to a dated sign off.

Each procedure page names the instrument, the reference length the instrument works over, the acceptance figure, and the wording that turns a failed reading into a priced repair. Read the procedure page the evening before the inspection. An inspection is a poor moment to start arguing about what the limit should have been.

02.Which acceptance figures get quoted at a renovation handover?

Eight figures account for most renovation handover disputes: plaster gaps of 3 mm to 5 mm under a 2 m edge, screed flatness of 5 mm under the same edge, screed moisture at 75 percent RH before ceramic tile, tile lippage of 1 mm on 3 mm to 6 mm joints, and adhesive coverage of 95 percent in wet areas.

Every figure in the table below is a working limit used on fit out jobs, and the contract specification overrides any line of the table where the two disagree. The straight edge length column matters as much as the limit column, because a 5 mm gap under a 2 m edge and a 5 mm gap under a 300 mm edge describe two different defects.

Table 1. Acceptance figures used at handover

CheckInstrument and methodStraight edge length (mm)Working limit (mm, or percent where marked)Procedure page
Plaster flatness, matt emulsion in a corridorLargest feeler blade that enters the gap without force20005Plaster
Plaster flatness, satin or gloss paintLargest feeler blade that enters the gap without force20003Plaster
Abrupt step at a bead, reveal or board jointFeeler blade under a short edge held across the step3002Plaster
Screed flatness under ceramic tile, grade SR2Largest feeler blade that enters the gap without force20005Screed
Screed moisture before ceramic tileHygrometer box sealed to the surface for 72 hoursNone75 percent RHScreed
Tile lippage, joints 3 mm to 6 mm wideFeeler gauge under a short edge laid across the joint3001Tiling
Adhesive bed coverage, wet areas and floorsLift one tile and measure the contact area on the backNone95 percentTiling
Perimeter movement joint where tiling meets a wallSteel tape at five positions along the perimeterNone6 to 10Tiling

Working limits collected from fit out practice, not from a quoted standard clause. Confirm every value against the project specification before rejecting any work.

Kit for a handover walk

  • 2 m aluminium straight edge, sighted against a known flat surface every 30 days
  • 300 mm straight edge for local steps at beads, reveals and tile joints
  • Feeler gauge set covering 0.05 mm to 5 mm in 0.05 mm steps
  • Crack width gauge card reading 0.1 mm to 2 mm
  • Work lamp on a low stand, held within 300 mm of the surface for raking light
  • Nylon tipped tapping rod for hollow tiles and hollow render
  • Surface hygrometer boxes, one per 200 square metres of floor
  • Digital thermohygrometer reading to 0.1 degrees Celsius and 1 percent RH
  • Camera with a date stamp and numbered marker cards from 001 upward
  • Printed register with every room number already filled in

03.Why does every tolerance on this site carry a measuring method?

A tolerance without a measuring method cannot be enforced against a trade. A gap of 4 mm means nothing until the straight edge length is stated next to the gap, and a screed reading of 78 percent RH means nothing until the hygrometer sealing time and the room temperature appear beside the reading.

Every table on this site therefore prints the instrument, the reference length and the unit in the column heading. The about page lists the instruments, the reading resolution of each instrument, and the recording habits behind the four procedures.