The Before-Drywall Checklist: The Last Day You Can See Inside Your Walls

During construction Checklist From a builder

The Before-Drywall Checklist: The Last Day You Can See Inside Your Walls

There is one afternoon on every build when the house is framed, wired, plumbed and insulated and you can still see all of it. The next morning the drywaller arrives. Spend that afternoon on site with this list and a camera.

Short version: Walk every room with the drawings and the electrical plan. Check outlet and switch locations, blocking for everything you will ever hang, plumbing and duct locations against the plan, the vapour barrier and insulation, and the things nobody will ever see again: wire runs, future rough-ins, access to shut-offs. Photograph every wall, floor to ceiling, with the room name on a card. It takes two hours and it is the best two hours of the build.

Why this walk and not another

Drywall is the point of no return for anything inside the wall. Moving an outlet after drywall is a patch, a paint touch-up and an electrician’s minimum charge; before drywall it is ten minutes. Adding blocking for a grab bar after drywall is a renovation; before, it is a scrap of 2×6. The insulation inspection covers the Code; this walk covers the way you are going to live in the house. The stage checklists cover the other stages.

Room by room

  1. Stand where the furniture will be. Is there an outlet where the bedside tables go, where the TV goes, where the desk goes? Is the switch on the side of the door you will actually enter from? Lighting and outlet planning is the long version of this one item.
  2. Blocking. Solid wood behind the drywall wherever something heavy will hang: TV mounts, towel bars, grab bars in every bathroom (even if you are 35), curtain rods at wide windows, closet systems, the range hood, upper cabinets, a chandelier.
  3. Plumbing. Fixture rough-ins where the plan shows them and at the right heights; shut-offs reachable; the shower valve centred on the shower, not the wall; the tub drain where the tub will actually sit; hose bibs where you will use them; a rough-in for the future basement bath.
  4. Heating and ventilation. Supply and return locations against the mechanical design; radiant loops pressure-tested and the test gauge photographed; HRV ducts in every bedroom and bathroom; bathroom and kitchen exhausts ducted outside; dryer vent short and smooth.
  5. Electrical and low-voltage. ESA rough-in sticker; panel location and spare capacity; data cable to every room you might work in; conduit to the attic and the basement for whatever comes later; security and camera wiring; EV charger rough-in in the garage; outdoor outlets at the deck and the front.
  6. Vapour barrier and insulation. Every seam taped or sealed, every box sealed, the rim joist done, acoustic sealant at the plates, insulation full depth with no voids, the attic hatch insulated. The inspector checks this too; check it anyway.
  7. Framing you can still fix. Door swings that will hit each other, a window header that will interfere with the blind, a bulkhead you were not told about, a stair handrail that has nothing to fasten to.
  8. Access. Shut-offs, cleanouts, the sump, the HRV, the water heater: can a person get to them without a flashlight and a contortionist?

The photographs

Every wall of every room, floor to ceiling, with a card showing the room name and the date in the first shot. Then close-ups of anything you might want to find later: the stud behind the future TV, the wire run to the island, the spot where the plumbing stack turns. Put them in a folder named for the house and give a copy to whoever will own it next. Thirty years from now, somebody drilling for a shelf will thank you.

What to do with what you find

Make a list on site with the builder, in writing, and agree who fixes what and whether anything is a change. Most of what this walk finds is a ten-minute fix and no charge; some of it is a change order, and it is a far cheaper change order now than next month. Do not let the drywall start until the list is cleared. A day’s delay here is nothing; it is the only day you get. Verbal change orders explains why the list goes in writing even for the small things.

Related guides on this site

stage checklists new home constructionlighting and outlet planning before drywallBuilding inspections, every stageVerbal change ordershrv vs erv ontarioForever home featuresDocumenting your projectfinal walkthrough checklist new home

Sources and further reading

Questions people ask

What should I check before drywall is installed?

Outlet, switch and fixture locations against how you will use each room; blocking for anything heavy; plumbing and duct locations against the plan; radiant pressure test; HRV and exhaust ducting; vapour barrier and insulation; access to shut-offs; and photographs of every wall.

Why photograph the walls before drywall?

So you know where every stud, wire and pipe is for the life of the house, and so you have evidence of what was built if there is ever a dispute. Dated photos with the room name are enough.

Can I still move an outlet before drywall?

Yes, usually in minutes and at little or no cost. After drywall it is a patch, paint and an electrician's minimum charge. This walk is when to do it.

Building in Simcoe County or on Georgian Bay?

We are ICFhome.ca, a family builder in Tiny Township with 45 years of custom homes behind us. Pick the path that matches where you are.

Send plans for reviewBallpark estimateBook a callVisit the showhome

Reviewed and updated October 2026. Costs are Ontario ranges, not quotes; code references are to the Ontario Building Code in force at that date.