Interior design handover checklist

Handover is part of the job

CIDQ, which writes the NCIDQ exam, lists project closeout in its definition of interior design, alongside contract administration tasks like punch list reports and field observation. On a residential project, closeout usually comes down to one moment: the day your client takes the room back. What they are handed that day decides whether the next call is about a new room or about which white is on the hallway walls.

Before the handover meeting

• Punch list closed, or datedEvery open item with who owns it and when it will be done. Anything still on order gets an expected date.
• Substitutions confirmedGo through every CHANGE TO or substitute note on the spec sheet and record what actually went in. The record should say what is on the wall, not what was first specified.
• Warranty start dates knownOn projects run on AIA documents, the G704 certificate's instructions say warranties required by the contract start on the date of substantial completion. Write that date down for your client.
• Prices out of the client copyYour working schedule carries net costs, trade sources and markups. The handover copy should carry what each item is, not what it cost you.

The handover meeting, step by step

1. 1. Walk the rooms togetherCheck the punch list items as done or dated, room by room, with your client.
2. 2. Show the finish recordGo through what is in each room and where the record lives, so your client knows where to look later.
3. 3. Point out the care notes that matter mostThe stone that etches, the fabric that is solvent-clean only, the floor that hates a steam mop.
4. 4. Show where the leftovers arePaint, tile and fabric, labeled with room and code.
5. 5. Hand over warranties and contactsEach warranty with its start date, and who to call for what.
6. 6. Book the follow-upPut a date on the calendar before you leave.

What goes in the handover record

The finish record, by room

For each room: paint brand, color name and code, and sheen for walls, ceiling and trim; flooring; tile and grout color; counters and stone; window treatments; light fittings with bulb type; faucets, sinks and hardware with their finish. Our finish schedule guide covers the columns.

Furniture and fabrics

Each upholstered piece with its maker, fabric, color and cleaning code, and each rug with its fiber. A client who knows the sofa is an S-code fabric does not reach for water-based cleaner.

Care notes

Short, specific instructions for the materials in this house, from each maker's own guidance. Our care guide covers what to include for fabrics, stone, paint and wood floors.

Warranties and manuals

For every item that has them: the warranty, its start date and any registration step, and the manual.

Leftover materials

Where the leftover paint, tile and fabric are stored, labeled with room and code. Sherwin-Williams recommends using leftover paint from the original project for touch-ups, kept sealed in a cool, dry place.

Contacts

Your studio first, then the trades and workrooms who did the work, and how your client should reach them: through you, or direct.

After the handover

Book a short visit a few months out, once the room has been lived in: a loose cabinet pull, a fabric that is pilling, a lamp that needs a different bulb. It closes the project well, and it is a natural moment to talk about the next room.

Questions people ask