Building envelope inspection checklist

It is a check that the layer meant to stop air leaking through the walls is continuous before it is hidden: membrane and sheathing joints taped, window and door frames sealed to it, and every pipe, duct and bracket through it sealed. In England, Approved Document L Volume 1 (paragraph 3.22) says the drawings should show where the air barrier is, services through it should be sealed with grommets or collars and air-sealing tape, and window and door frames should be taped to the opening. This form records each transition with photos.

Source: Approved Document L, Volume 1: Dwellings, 2026 edition (England), paragraphs 3.22, 6.2 to 6.8 and Table 3.1.

In England, Approved Document L says an air pressure test should be carried out on every new dwelling (Volume 1, paragraph 6.5), and buildings other than dwellings must be pressure tested apart from the exceptions in Volume 2, paragraph 6.6, using CIBSE TM23. Table 3.1 in both volumes gives a limiting air permeability of 8.0 m3/(h.m2) at 50 Pa; the target in your energy calculation may be lower. In the US, residential codes require a blower door test, but the limit depends on the edition, state and climate zone, so enter the target your code sets.

Sources: Approved Document L, Volume 1: Dwellings, 2026 edition (England), paragraphs 3.22, 6.2 to 6.8 and Table 3.1, Approved Document L, Volume 2: Buildings other than dwellings, 2026 edition (England), paragraphs 6.5 and 6.6 and Table 3.1 and Pima County, Arizona, Residential Energy Testing (air leakage testing from the 2012 International Residential Code).

Pima County, Arizona publishes the air leakage rules it uses from the 2012 International Residential Code: the house is tested with a blower door at 50 pascals, at any time after all penetrations of the building thermal envelope are made, against a maximum rate in air changes per hour set by climate zone, and a written report goes to the code official. Other jurisdictions use other editions and amendments. The form records the tester, units, target and result, and flags a result above the target.

Source: Pima County, Arizona, Residential Energy Testing (air leakage testing from the 2012 International Residential Code).

In England, Approved Document B (Volume 2, paragraph 9.3; Volume 1 section 8 for flats) says cavity barriers should close the edges of cavities, including around windows, doors and service openings, and go at the junction of an external cavity wall with every compartment floor and compartment wall. Paragraph 9.15 says they should be tightly fitted to a rigid construction and mechanically fixed. Cavity barriers are not the same as fire-stopping; record each fire stopping seal on the fire stopping installation record.

Source: Approved Document B (fire safety), Volume 2, 2019 edition incorporating 2020, 2022, 2025 and 2026 amendments, section 9 cavities.

No. A facade inspection usually looks at the condition of an existing building's outside walls. This form is for walls under construction, checking membranes, the air barrier, openings and cavities before they are covered. For the inside face before boarding, use the pre-drywall inspection checklist, and for below-ground or roof waterproofing the waterproofing inspection checklist.

No. It is a record of what was seen, measured and photographed on each elevation, the test results entered, the actions and who signed. It does not certify airtightness, weathertightness or fire safety; the air tester's certificate, the building control body or building department and the designers deal with those.