(pronounced PUNCH-list)

You will also see this as two separate words (punch list), as well as a shortened form (a punch), or even as a verb (to punch). So what is it, already? It’s the term — used in both commercial and residential design — to describe the process of physically reviewing the near finished product / final phase of a project and the subsequent “to do” list that results. As a designer, you might perform a punch with the client and the general contractor at the very end of construction (before furniture is installed) to review quality of finish work and needed clean up, and then you might write up another punchlist later for the furniture installation company. The idea is to have spelled out all of the items that the general contractor / furniture installer needs to complete before the client takes possession of the space. It can be very frustrating when a general contractor calls for a “punch” too early because then there are just so many things to write down and monitor, but it happens all the time.