Pre-Closing Punch List Crew for Builders — Before the Walkthrough
Closing is Friday, the walkthrough is Wednesday, and the super's list has forty items nobody on the schedule wants. We take the list and hand it back checked off.
JMB Builders runs a pre-closing punch list crew for builders across the Twin Cities metro. Send the list from your final inspection and we clear the carpentry side before the buyer walkthrough: doors adjusted to latch, strikes moved, trim gaps filled and caulked, casing renailed, cabinet doors and drawers aligned, hardware tightened, closet shelving fixed, shoe mould and transitions finished. Priced per house or per item, with a marked-up list and photos back to the super the same day.
- Priced per house or per item on the list
- Doors, trim, caulk, cabinets, hardware, shelving
- Marked-up list with photos back the same day
- Paint touch-up quoted as its own line
- Licensed MN contractor BC809005
Every new house has a list at the end. The trim crew is on the next house, the door hanger finished weeks ago, the cabinet installer is done, and the super is walking rooms with blue tape. Bedroom door does not latch. Gap at the crown in the dining room. Caulk missing at the tub trim. Drawer front crooked. Closet rod loose. Shoe mould missing behind the door. None of it is big; all of it has to be done before a buyer walks through with a flashlight.
We run that list as one crew with one truck. The super sends the list and photos, we price it per house or per item, and we work it room by room with the parts on board: hinge and strike adjustments, latches and bolts, filler, caulk, casing nails, cabinet hinge adjustment, shelving brackets, shoe and transitions. Every item gets a check mark and a photo, and the list goes back marked up the same day so the super knows what is closed and what belongs to another trade.
The items that are not carpentry get flagged, not ignored. A cracked outlet cover, a dripping faucet or a thermostat problem goes to the electrician, the plumber or the HVAC contractor; a paint touch-up we can do as its own line or leave for the painter. The goal is a list with nothing left on it on walkthrough day.
What you supply
- The punch list, in whatever form you use, with the address and the walkthrough date
- Photos of anything that needs a part we might not carry: a specific hinge finish, a matching trim profile, cabinet touch-up
- Lockbox or super access, and the house cleared of other trades where we are working
- Touch-up paint and stain left on site if you want us to hit the paint items as their own line
What JMB supplies
- A crew with the common parts on the truck: hinges, strikes, latches, screws, filler, caulk, shoe mould, shelf brackets, door bumpers
- Door adjustment: hinges shimmed or bent, strikes moved or filed, latches and deadbolts aligned so every door closes and locks
- Trim: gaps filled and caulked, casing and base renailed and set, missing shoe and transitions cut and installed, miters closed
- Cabinet doors and drawer fronts aligned, loose pulls tightened, missing bumpers added
- Closet shelving and rods refastened, bath accessories tightened, attic hatch and access panels fitted
- Items outside carpentry flagged to the right trade with a photo, not left on the list
- The list back to the super the same day, marked up with photos, in the job folder
- Paint and stain touch-up as its own line, or leave it for your painter
How it is priced: per project
Quoted in writing from your photos within one business day. What moves the number:
- Length of the list and how many rooms it covers
- Doors that need more than adjustment: a jamb reset or a slab that has to come off and be planed
- Trim items that need new material cut to match vs. fill and caulk
- Cabinet and hardware items, which go fast but add up on a big kitchen
- Whether paint and stain touch-up is on our line or the painter's
- Same-day or next-day turnaround ahead of the walkthrough date
Send the list and the walkthrough date. A per-house price with the days we need comes back within one business day; a short list can be priced per item instead.
How long it takes
A typical punch list: one day with two people, scheduled two or three days before the walkthrough so there is room for the items we flag to another trade. A long list on a big house: two days.
How your project works
- 1
Send photos, get a written quote
Send three photos of the space and a sentence about what you want. You get a clear, itemized quote within one business day. We only come out to measure first when the job needs a tape measure — no pressure, no games.
- 2
Pick materials, or bring your own
We help you choose profiles and materials that fit the house and the budget, or match your existing millwork exactly — or you buy the door or trim yourself and we install it. Everything is confirmed before the crew is scheduled.
- 3
Clean, precise installation
The crew shows up on time, protects floors and furniture, and installs with tight joints and consistent reveals. Photos of the finished work go in your job folder.
- 4
Walkthrough and invoice
We walk the finished work with you. If anything is not right, we fix it before we call the job done. Then one invoice, paid by check or direct deposit — no card fees, no payment links.
Situations and options
Whole-house punch list, one price
The super's full list, priced per house from the list and photos. We work it room by room, close every carpentry item, flag the rest to the right trade, and hand the marked-up list back with photos the same day.
Doors and hardware only
Every door in the house cycled and adjusted: hinges shimmed, strikes moved, latches and deadbolts aligned, bumpers and stops added, closet doors tracked and aligned. Priced per door when the rest of the list belongs to someone else.
Trim and caulk pass
Gaps at crown, casing and base filled and caulked, loose pieces renailed and set, missing shoe and transitions installed, miters closed. Left primed at repairs for the painter, or touched up on our line.
Walkthrough follow-up items
The short list the buyer adds at the walkthrough, done before closing or in the first week after. Same crew, same parts on the truck, priced per item, with photos back to the super so the file is closed.
Pre-Closing Punch List Crew for Builders — Before the Walkthrough: questions, answered
Do you finish a builder's punch list before the buyer walkthrough?
Yes. JMB Builders runs a pre-closing punch list crew for builders across the Twin Cities metro. The super sends the list and the walkthrough date; we clear the carpentry items in one visit, doors, trim, caulk, cabinets, hardware and shelving, and hand the list back marked up with photos the same day. Items that belong to the electrician, plumber or painter are flagged to them with a photo so nothing is left on the list. Priced per house or per item.
What is on a typical new construction punch list that a carpenter can fix?
Doors that do not latch or rub, strikes that miss the latch, deadbolts that bind, closet doors off track, gaps at crown and casing miters, base that pulled away from the wall, missing shoe mould behind doors, caulk missing at tub and window trim, cabinet doors and drawer fronts out of line, loose pulls, a closet rod or shelf that was never fastened, an attic hatch that does not sit. Those are the items we carry parts for and close in one pass.
How fast can you turn a punch list around?
Send the list and the walkthrough date, and we price it within one business day and schedule the visit two or three days ahead of the walkthrough. A typical list is one day with two people; a long list on a big house is two. Scheduling it a few days early leaves room for the items we flag to another trade to get done before the buyer shows up.
Do you do paint touch-up on the punch list?
We can, as its own line. If the builder leaves the touch-up paint and stain on site, we hit the filled nail holes, caulk lines and scuffs while we are in the room. If your painter is coming back anyway, we leave the repairs filled, sanded and primed and mark them for the painter on the list. Either way it is stated on the quote so there is no question who owns the paint.
What if an item on the list is not carpentry?
It gets flagged, not skipped. A cracked cover plate, a loose faucet, a register that rattles or a thermostat that reads wrong goes on the marked-up list with a photo and the trade it belongs to, and the super sends it on. Electrical, plumbing, gas and HVAC are licensed trades and we do not touch them. The point of the list coming back the same day is that those items still have time before the walkthrough.
Can the same crew do the one-year warranty items later?
Yes. The same crew that closes the pre-closing list can come back at the one-year walkthrough for nail pops, trim gaps that opened as the house dried, and doors that moved. It helps that we already know the house. Both are priced per house or per item, with photos in the job folder either way.
Recent JMB work, from our job log
59 installs recorded across 30 Twin Cities communities since Dec 2025. Window and door installs for homeowners and for the builders and dealers we sub for. Counts come straight from our job log; no customer names.
Get a written quote for this job
Three photos and a sentence is enough. You hear back within one business day. Or text the photos to 763-204-2099.
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Read morePage reviewed September 26, 2026 · JMB Builders LLC, MN license BC809005 · All builders pages
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Based in Zimmerman, scheduling across the Twin Cities metro. Closest first: