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After the Roofers Leave: Final Walkthrough, Cleanup, and Punch List

  • Published November 7, 2026

Walk the finished job with the crew lead or project manager before you make the final payment: sweep the yard for nails, check the roof edges from the ground, look at the attic from inside, and collect the closeout documents. Anything still open goes on a written punch list with a completion date.

The walkthrough is your last point of leverage. Once the final payment clears, a missing document or a loose piece of flashing becomes a request instead of a condition.

Schedule the Walkthrough Before the Crew Leaves

Set the walkthrough for the last work day, in daylight, while the crew and the container are still on site. Problems found while the ladders are still up can be fixed that afternoon; problems found next week need a return trip.

Ask for someone with authority to fix things, ideally the crew lead or the project manager who wrote the scope, not the driver picking up the container. Bring:

  • The contract, the scope of work and any signed change orders.
  • The approved product and color, and your HOA approval letter if you have one.
  • A phone camera, binoculars and a flashlight.

If rain is forecast in the days after completion, plan a second, short attic check after the first rain. A dry first day proves nothing about a flashing detail that has not yet seen water. Where the walkthrough falls among the other stages is shown in the re-roof sequence that ends with cleanup and final inspection.

Yard, Driveway and Gutters: Cleanup and Magnet Sweep

Tear-off sends nails, shingle pieces and granules off every edge of the roof. Check the site in the same order the debris fell:

  1. Along the drip line. Walk the full perimeter of the house where the eaves drip, including beds and under shrubs. Ask the crew to run a magnetic sweeper there, then on the lawn, the driveway, the walkways and the street in front of the house.
  2. Gutters and downspouts. Look for shingle pieces, nails and wrappers in the gutters, and ask the crew to run water through them, or watch the first rain from the ground, to confirm the downspouts flow.
  3. Driveway and lawn. Check where the container sat for cracks, ruts or stains.
  4. Siding, windows and landscaping. Look for scuffs, cracked glass, bent screens and crushed plants along the work side of the house.
  5. The attic floor. Tear-off can drop debris through gaps in old decking. Look for shingle grit and nails on insulation and stored items.
  6. The street and neighbors’ edges. Debris does not stop at the property line.

Write down anything not right and photograph it before the crew leaves.

What You Can Check From the Ground and the Attic

You do not need to climb to judge the visible workmanship. Stay on the ground and in the attic, and use binoculars for the roof.

From the ground:

  • Drip edge at eaves and rakes. DOE’s Building America guidance on asphalt shingle roofs calls for drip edge at eaves and rakes, with the starter overhanging the metal by 1/4 to 3/4 inch, and by no more than a quarter inch for the starter and shingles on a roof built to the IBHS FORTIFIED standard. You cannot measure fractions of an inch from the yard, but you can see whether metal edge runs along every eave and rake, and whether the shingle edge looks even rather than drooping past the metal. If your contract or local code includes drip edge, a missing run is a punch list item; what drip edge does explains why it matters.
  • Kickouts where roofs meet walls. DOE’s guide to step and kick-out flashing puts a kickout at the end of each roof-wall intersection, where it turns roof water off the siding and into the gutter. Find every spot where a roof edge stops against a wall and look for that angled piece; kickout flashing shows what it looks like.
  • Courses and ridge. Shingle rows should run straight and parallel, and the ridge cap should run continuously without gaps.
  • Scoped items. Count the vents, pipe boots and skylights the contract said would be replaced, and confirm each looks new.

If the attic insulation is loose, pebble-like vermiculite, EPA’s page on vermiculite attic insulation advises treating it as possibly containing asbestos and leaving it undisturbed, so check for daylight and new stains from the hatch and ask the roofer to photograph anything farther in. Otherwise, from the attic, with a flashlight, stepping only on joists or boards laid across them and watching for new nail tips through the deck overhead:

  • Daylight. Some daylight is expected along a ridge vent slot if the scope included a ridge vent. Daylight elsewhere through the deck needs an explanation.
  • Wet spots. Look at the underside of the deck around chimneys, pipes and valleys, and repeat after the first rain.
  • Disturbed items. Check that bath fan ducts are still connected and that insulation was not pulled away from the eaves.

These checks match what a homeowner can safely see in the ground-and-attic roof inspection. Workmanship details such as nailing and underlayment laps are only visible while the work is in progress; the sequence and its checkpoints are in how asphalt shingles are installed.

The Closeout Document Package

The roof will outlast your memory of this week. The documents are what prove later what was installed, by whom, and under what terms.

Document Who issues it What you will use it for
Final invoice listing products, colors and scope Contractor Proof of installation date and materials for warranty claims, insurance and a future sale
Signed change orders and deck repair count Contractor Shows what was added and what you were charged for
Manufacturer warranty documents, and registration confirmation if registration applies Manufacturer, or the contractor where it handles registration Needed to file a manufacturer warranty claim
Written workmanship warranty with its start date Contractor Covers installation errors for the term the contractor offers
Lien releases from the contractor, subcontractors and suppliers Each party that could claim a lien Evidence that parties who could file a lien on the property have been paid
Permit final inspection record, if a permit was required Building department Public record of the replacement date
Photos of the deck, underlayment and flashing during the work Contractor or crew Shows work that is now covered
A product label or bundle wrapper From the job site Identifies the exact product for future repairs and matching

Registration rules differ by manufacturer, so ask instead of assuming. As of November 2026, GAF’s residential warranties page states that its base Shingle and Accessory Limited Warranty and Roofing System Limited Warranty do not require registration, while its enhanced warranties must be registered, a step the page assigns to the GAF Certified Contractor. If your contract promises an enhanced warranty from any manufacturer, ask for the registration confirmation in the closeout package.

Workmanship coverage has no fixed term. NRCA’s roofing resources page notes that “Many contractors offer one or two years of coverage; however, there is no industry standard.” That makes the written document the only reliable statement of what yours covers. How the two kinds of warranty differ is explained in roof warranties.

Lien releases follow state law. In California, the CSLB’s guide on how to prevent a mechanics lien says to get a signed conditional release from possible lien claimants before making a payment, and an unconditional release after it; by law you may withhold the next payment until you receive the unconditional releases for the previous one. Other states use different forms and rules, covered in mechanic’s liens and lien waivers.

If an insurance claim is paying for the roof, ask your insurer which completion documents it needs and add them to this package; how replacement cost holdbacks are released explains why they matter.

Writing the Punch List and Acceptance

A punch list turns “a few things” into items someone can close. Write each one so a stranger could find it:

  1. Location and problem. “Missing kickout at the left end of the garage roof where it meets the house wall,” not “flashing issue.”
  2. Photo. Take one and attach it.
  3. Who fixes it and by when. A name and a date for each item.
  4. How you will confirm it. A photo from the crew, a return visit, or your own ground check.

Both of you sign and date the list. If the contractor asks you to sign an acceptance or completion form, sign one that lists the open items as exceptions, or wait until they are closed. Do not sign a form that says the work is complete while items are still open.

When to Release Final Payment

The FTC’s post-disaster advice makes a good rule for any job. In Four ways to avoid scams after a weather-related disaster, it warns against paying in cash and says to pay only after the work is finished and you are satisfied with it.

Use this rule. If the punch list is closed and the document package is in hand, release the final payment and get a receipt. If items are still open, get written completion dates for each before you pay, and follow the payment terms your contract set for holding back money against open work; how those terms should be written before signing is covered in roofing deposits and payment schedules. In California, collect the conditional lien releases before the payment and the unconditional ones after. If the dates pass and the items stay open, the complaint and dispute steps take over.

Sign acceptance only against a closed punch list and a complete document package, then file the package where you keep your deed.

This guide is general information for U.S. homeowners, not legal, insurance, tax, or engineering advice. Codes, laws, and policy terms vary by location and change over time; confirm details with your local building department, your insurer, or a licensed professional.

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