Inspection Checklist

By Engr. Khawaja Ali

This Inspection Checklist comprises of set of information required for a structural inspection and thus can be renamed as “Structural Inspection Checklist”. It includes all those things which are required for inspecting any building or structure.

INSPECTION CHECKLIST

1. GENERAL INFORMATION

Building Number: ________________ Date: _______________
Building Name: __________________
Date of last inspection: _____________
Inspectors: _______________________
______________________

2. BUILDING INFORMATION

Original use: ________________________________
Present use: _________________________________
If present use is not the original intended use, check the floor (dead) loads on the structure. If the
loads have changed, Note to what extent and location:
______________________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________________
Number of stories: ____________________
Square feet per floor: __________________

2.1 HISTORY OF THE BUILDING

Dates for:
Design: ________________Addition: ___________ alterations: __________________
Construction: ___________Maintenance: _________ Renovations: ________________

2.2 PAST DISTRESSES

Condition: Damage (repairs should be NOed):
Fire: YES / NO _______________________________
Flood: YES / NO _______________________________
Tornado: YES / NO _______________________________
Hurricane: YES / NO _______________________________
Blast: YES / NO _______________________________
Earthquake: YES / NO _______________________________
Subsidence: YES / NO _______________________________
Water table change: YES / NO _______________________________

3. OVERALL BUILDING INSPECTION

Have as-built drawings been gathered? YES / NO _______________________________
Have preliminary sketches been prepared? YES / NO _______________________________
Have all the details of equipments been gathered? YES / NO __________________________

3.1 SITE CONDITIONS AND EXTERIOR FOUNDATION CONDITIONS

3.1.1 ENVIRONMENTAL CONDITIONS

Note: Snow load damage: YES / NO _______________________________
Storm damage: YES / NO _______________________________
Wind damage YES / NO _______________________________
Seismic damage: YES / NO _______________________________

3.1.2 HAS ANY OF VEGETATION DAMAGED THE BUILDING ENVELOPE?

Tree roots: YES / NO _______________________________
Limb damage: YES / NO _______________________________
Vines: YES / NO _______________________________
Others: YES / NO _______________________________

3.1.3 SOIL CHARACTERISTICS AND SOIL MOVEMENT

Does soil appear to be eroding? YES / NO _______________________________
Is soil disturbed? YES / NO _______________________________
Is soil retained by structure?
Basement walls YES / NO _______________________________
Retaining walls YES / NO _______________________________
Are these walls
Bowing: YES / NO _______________________________
Cracking: YES / NO _______________________________
Leaking: YES / NO _______________________________
Is there evidence of settlement around the perimeter of the building?
YES / NO _______________________________
Do foundation walls extend below the nominal frost depth?
YES / NO _______________________________
Is soil making the pavement heave? YES / NO _______________________________

3.1.4 WATER DRAINAGE

Is water drainage directed away from the building? YES / NO _________________________
Is there evidence of water infiltration into the structure? YES / NO ______________________
Are active bodies of water (streams, runoff and underground springs) near the building
foundations? YES / NO ___________________________________________
Is there any evidence of algae or fungi on the building surface? YES / NO ________________

3.1.5 CHEMICAL DEPOSITS

Are there any chemical storage tanks located on the site? YES / NO ___________________
Is there any indication of chemical spill or leakage? YES / NO _________________________

3.1.6 SITE ACTIVITIES

Does the site experience vibration due to train or heavy vehicular traffic? YES / NO ________
Is there any evidence of collision with the building structure? YES / NO __________________

3.2 EXTERIOR ENVELOPE INSPECTION

3.2.1 WALLS

Are the walls load-bearing? YES / NO ___________________________________________
Are the walls surfaced with a veneer? YES / NO _____________________________________
Are the walls out of plumb? If yes, check all members and connections vertically and NOe
locations on the sketches. YES / NO ___________________________________________
Is there evidence of bulging or unevenness in the wall surface? YES / NO ________________
Are there any signs of water infiltration around openings? If yes, identify structural components
in the vicinity. YES / NO _______________________________________________________
Are there any surface defects in the walls’ materials? YES / NO ________________________

3.2.1.1 FAILURES IN WALLS

Abrasion YES / NO Location _________________________________________
Chemical deterioration YES / NO Location _____________________________
Cracking:
Longitudinal YES / NO Location ___________________________________
Transverse YES / NO Location ___________________________________
Diagonal YES / NO Location ___________________________________
Pattern YES / NO Location ___________________________________
Crazing YES / NO Location ___________________________________
Discoloration YES / NO Location ___________________________________
Disintegration YES / NO Location ___________________________________
Distortion YES / NO Location ___________________________________
Efflorescence YES / NO Location ___________________________________
Exudation YES / NO Location ___________________________________
Honeycombing YES / NO Location _____________________________
Peeling YES / NO Location ___________________________________
Reinforcement corrosion YES / NO Location _______________________
Sand streak ing YES / NO Location _____________________________
Spalling YES / NO Location ___________________________________

3.2.2 OPENING

Is there sagging above the opening? YES / NO _____________________________________
Are there diagonal cracks at the corners of any of the openings? YES / NO ________________
Is there evidence of water penetration? YES / NO ____________________________________
Is there evidence of abrasion or impact at openings? YES / NO _________________________

3.2.3 ROOF

Does water pond on the roof? YES / NO ___________________________________________
If yes, is the roof drain clogged? YES / NO _________________________________________
Are there defects in the roof surface? YES / NO _____________________________________
Is there evidence of sag in the roof structure? YES / NO _______________________________

3.2.4 FOUNDATION

Are there any cracks in the foundation wall? YES / NO _______________________________
Are there cracks near wall support joints? YES / NO _______________________________
Are the piers aligned? YES / NO ___________________________________________
Is there any settlement? YES / NO ___________________________________________

3.3 INTERIOR SPACES

Are the floors and ceilings
Sagging? YES / NO ___________________________________________
Cracking? YES / NO ___________________________________________
Are partitions
Bulging? YES / NO ___________________________________________
Cracking? YES / NO ___________________________________________
Discoloring? YES / NO ___________________________________________

4. COMPONENT INSPECTION

4.1 COLUMNS

Are columns properly aligned? YES / NO ___________________________________
Is there evidence of impact? YES / NO ____________________________________
Is there any cracking? YES / NO __________________________________________
Is the member distorted in any manner? YES / NO ____________________________
Did you verify section sizes at midspan and ends? YES / NO ____________________

4.2 FAILURES IN COLUMNS

Abrasion YES / NO Location _________________________________________
Chemical deterioration YES / NO Location _____________________________
Cracking:
Longitudinal YES / NO Location ___________________________________
Transverse YES / NO Location ___________________________________
Diagonal YES / NO Location ___________________________________
Pattern YES / NO Location ___________________________________
Crazing YES / NO Location ___________________________________
Discoloration YES / NO Location ___________________________________
Disintegration YES / NO Location ___________________________________
Distortion YES / NO Location ___________________________________
Efflorescence YES / NO Location ___________________________________
Flow lines YES / NO Location ________________________________________
Honeycombing YES / NO Location __________________________________
Peeling YES / NO Location ________________________________________
Reinforcement corrosion YES / NO Location ____________________________
Sand streak ing YES / NO Location __________________________________
Spalling YES / NO Location ________________________________________

4.3 WALLS

Are the walls load-bearing? YES / NO ___________________________________________
Are the walls out of plumb? If yes, check all members and connections vertically and NOe
locations on the sketches. YES / NO ___________________________________________
Is there evidence of bulging or unevenness in the wall surface? YES / NO ________________
Are there any signs of water infiltration around openings? If yes, identify structural components
in the vicinity. YES / NO _______________________________________________________
Are there any surface defects in the walls’ materials? YES / NO ________________________

4.3.1 FAILURES IN WALLS

Abrasion YES / NO Location _________________________________________
Chemical deterioration YES / NO Location _____________________________
Cracking:
Longitudinal YES / NO Location ___________________________________
Transverse YES / NO Location ___________________________________
Diagonal YES / NO Location ___________________________________
Pattern YES / NO Location ___________________________________
Crazing YES / NO Location ___________________________________
Discoloration YES / NO Location _________________________________________
Disintegration YES / NO Location _________________________________________
Distortion YES / NO Location _________________________________________
Efflorescence YES / NO Location _________________________________________
Exudation YES / NO Location _________________________________________
Honeycombing YES / NO Location _____________________________
Peeling YES / NO Location ___________________________________
Reinforcement corrosion YES / NO Location _______________________
Sand streak ing YES / NO Location _____________________________
Spalling YES / NO Location ___________________________________

4.4 BEAMS AND GIRDERS

Is there any deflection? YES / NO _____________________________________
Is there any cracking? YES / NO _____________________________________
Diagonal ? YES / NO _____________________________________
Longitudinal? YES / NO _____________________________________
Transverse? YES / NO _____________________________________
Other? YES / NO _____________________________________
Did you verify section sizes at ends and midspan? YES / NO ___________________
Is there corrosion of steel at connections? YES / NO _________________________
Is there adequate lateral support of framing members? YES / NO _____________
If NO, did you check for evidence of movement of the members? YES / NO _________
Is there any abrasion due to stress concentration? YES / NO ______________________
Crazing YES / NO Location ___________________________________
Discoloration YES / NO Location ___________________________________
Disintegration YES / NO Location ___________________________________
Distortion YES / NO Location ___________________________________
Efflorescence YES / NO Location ___________________________________
Spalling YES / NO Location ___________________________________
Chemical deterioration YES / NO Location _____________________________

4.5 CONNECTIONS

Is there any cracking at intersections of beams, columns and slabs? YES / NO _______
Are there surface defects? YES / NO ________________________________________

4.6 SLABS

Is there any circumferential cracking? YES / NO __________________________________
Is there cracking at column base? YES / NO _____________________________________
Is there any sign of settlement? YES / NO _______________________________________
Is there any floor/wall separation or settlement? YES / NO __________________________
Abrasion YES / NO Location ______________________________________
Chemical deterioration YES / NO Location __________________________
Cracking:
Longitudinal YES / NO Location _________________________________
Transverse YES / NO Location _________________________________
Diagonal YES / NO Location _________________________________
Pattern YES / NO Location _________________________________
Crazing YES / NO Location _________________________________
Discoloration YES / NO Location _______________________________________
Disintegration YES / NO Location _______________________________________
Distortion YES / NO Location _______________________________________
Efflorescence YES / NO Location _______________________________________
Exudation YES / NO Location _______________________________________
Honeycombing YES / NO Location _________________________________
Peeling YES / NO Location _______________________________________
Reinforcement corrosion YES / NO Location ___________________________
Sand streak ing YES / NO Location _________________________________
Spalling YES / NO Location _______________________________________
Others YES / NO Location _______________________________________