A quality checklist, stage by stage

You don't need to be an engineer. You need to be present at the right moments and ask the right questions. Owners who build without being involved are the ones most often let down.

Keep a simple site diary. Note the date, the stage, what you checked and who was there. Add photos. This record helps with bank releases, contractor payments and any dispute later.

• Soil test done before structural design. A lab test with two to four boreholes costs roughly ₹5,000–40,000, depending on city and depth.
• Foundation designed for this site, not copied from another. A high water table or loose soil changes the design.
• Marking checked against the approved plan and setbacks before digging.
• Footing sizes and depths match the structural drawings.
• Anti-termite treatment and damp-proof course done at plinth level.

• Bar sizes, spacing and laps match the drawings. Count them.
• Cover blocks are in place so steel doesn't touch the formwork.
• Formwork is firm, level and doesn't leak.
• Concrete is placed and compacted without long breaks.
• Curing starts promptly and continues for the full period.

A slab cycle, from shuttering to the next floor, usually takes 21–28 days. A contractor who wants to go much faster is cutting curing time.

• Brick or block walls are in line and plumb, with joints filled.
• Lintels are over every opening.
• All electrical conduits, boxes and concealed pipes are in before plaster. Check them against the drawings.
• Pressure-test plumbing lines before they are covered.
• Take dated photos of every wall with services before plaster goes on.

• Waterproof bathrooms, sunken areas, the terrace and the sump before tiling.
• Do a ponding test: block the drain, fill the area with water, and leave it for the time your contractor or product specifies. Check the ceiling below for damp.
• Tile floors to the correct slope towards drains.
• Tap tiles to listen for hollow spots. Check joints are even.
• Allow 5–10% extra tiles for wastage, more for diagonal layouts.

• Walls are dry and sound before putty and primer.
• Paint goes on in the agreed coats, from sealed tins of the agreed product.
• Every switch, socket, tap and flush works.
• Doors and windows open, close and lock smoothly.
• Walk every room with a written snag list, and agree a date to fix each item.

Before you accept the house, check that the completion and occupancy certificates are in hand. Without them, water, power and sewer connections may be refused.

Keep back a retention of about 5–10% of the contract until the defects period ends, commonly 6–12 months. Snags that appear in the first monsoon are the ones that matter most.