This guidance provides a practical checklist for the key stage inspections required as part of the Protek warranty process. To avoid delays or missed details, it’s important to capture clear photographic evidence of each stage — particularly if certain elements are no longer visible when the surveyor attends site.
Foundations
- Site context: Include surrounding features like rivers, cliffs, pylons, or buildings that may impact the unit. Note anything out of the ordinary, e.g. a supermarket or school near a residential development.
- Trees and vegetation: Photograph all trees, shrubs and vegetation within 20 metres of the property — including those on neighbouring land. Where possible, identify species and height.
- Excavations: Show all open trenches. Record changes in soil colour or composition, water presence, roots, steps or day joints, and any signs of movement. Note unusual designs or measures such as wells, gabions, or tyres.
- Steelwork: Capture reinforcement, laps, links, cover and chairs.
- Piling: Provide images of layout, pile caps, cages, links, cover and formwork.
- Drainage: Photograph any exposed drainage internally or externally.
Damp-Proof Course/Membrane (DPM)
- Show the membrane laid over the entire floor area before it’s covered with insulation or concrete.
- All service penetrations must be complete and sealed, ready for the slab pour.
- Include photos of laps, taped joints (including overlaps with the DPC).
- Capture any uncovered drainage.
Cavities and Structural Elements
- General elevations of the property.
- For partial fill cavity insulation, include images of clean cavities, ties and drips, and insulation properly clipped at correct centres and reveals.
- Lintels, beams, steels, joists and their bearings, plus bracing, noggins, and struts.
- Show insulation brand and thickness, reveals with ties, trays, stop-ends, weep holes, vertical DPCs, and movement joints.
- Include key elements like rafters, trusses, bracing, restraint straps, flat roof decking, hips, valleys, and ridges.
- Roof coverings.
- Any exposed drainage.
Completions
- General overview: All elevations, roofs, openings, and areas where walls meet the ground. Include lofts with insulation, roof structure, strapping, and internal openings (windows, doors).
- Roof: Show ridge fixings, verges, cross-ventilation, flat roofs, balconies, upstands and falls. Flashings, valleys, gutters, and downpipes.
- Chimneys & flues: Capture as much as possible, including terminal positions and weatherproofing.
- Drainage: Photograph manholes/chambers before, during and after testing. Include debris checks, backfalls, benching and channels. Record evidence of testing and flow.
- Waste treatment: Any foul/stormwater tanks, treatment systems or outfalls.
- External services: Show all wall penetrations, DPC levels, finished ground levels, steps or ramps.
- Plant & services: Boilers, stoves, flue terminals, MVHR systems, heat pumps, solar panels or PV arrays, and wet rooms.
Got questions about our key stage inspection guidance? Get in touch with us.