Site records
Checking renovation work before anyone signs it off
Four procedures, written the way a supervisor runs them: a straight edge on plaster, a moisture reading on screed, a tapping rod on tiles, and a written register for every open item.
01.The four procedures
Each page below covers one trade handover. Every page gives the measuring method, the number the work has to meet, and the wording to use when the work fails. Read the page before the inspection, not after the argument starts.
02.Headline numbers
The table below collects the figures quoted most often during handover. Each figure is a working limit used on fit out jobs, and the contract specification overrides every line of the table when the two disagree.
Table 1. Acceptance figures used at handover
| Check | Instrument | Working limit | Page |
|---|---|---|---|
| Plaster flatness, general standard | 2 m straight edge | 5 mm gap | Plaster |
| Plaster flatness, high standard | 2 m straight edge | 3 mm gap | Plaster |
| Abrupt change in a plaster surface | 300 mm straight edge | 2 mm step | Plaster |
| Screed flatness under ceramic tile | 2 m straight edge | 5 mm gap | Screed |
| Screed moisture before ceramic tile | Surface hygrometer | 75 percent RH | Screed |
| Tile lippage, joints up to 6 mm | Feeler gauge or dial gauge | 1 mm | Tiling |
| Adhesive coverage, wet areas and floors | Lift one tile | 95 percent bed | Tiling |
| Perimeter movement joint at walls | Tape | 6 mm to 10 mm | Tiling |
Working limits collected from fit out practice. Confirm every value against the project specification before rejecting work.
Kit for a handover walk
- 2 m aluminium straight edge, checked against a known flat surface every month
- 300 mm straight edge for local steps and reveals
- Feeler gauges from 0.5 mm to 5 mm
- Rechargeable work lamp for raking light across walls and floors
- Nylon tipped tapping rod for hollow tiles and hollow render
- Surface hygrometer with sealed insulated boxes, one per 200 square metres
- Camera with a date stamp and a numbered marker card
- Printed register with room numbers already filled in
03.How these pages are written
Every figure on this site carries a measuring method next to the number, because a tolerance without a method is unenforceable. A gap of 4 mm means nothing until the length of the straight edge is stated. A moisture reading means nothing until the depth and the sealing time are stated. The about page explains the recording habits behind the four procedures.