10/12/2026
Yes yes yes!
Trust me, you will need to look back at your photos!
Drywall is about to cover up a ridiculous amount of information you may want later.
Before it does, grab your plans, your phone, and your most obnoxiously detail-oriented personality and do ONE really thorough walkthrough.
Go room by room and check:
โ Electrical: Are outlets and switches where you expected? Think about furniture, TVs, nightstands, appliances and anything requiring dedicated power.
โ Plumbing: Verify locations while you can still SEE the pipesโespecially anything you specifically requested.
โ Blocking: TVs, heavy mirrors, shelving, grab bars, towel bars or anything else you planned extra support for.
โ Low voltage: Internet/data, security cameras, doorbells, speakers or other wiring you requested.
โ Special features: Niches, recessed areas, wall-mounted fixtures and anything else that needed planning inside the wall.
And thenโฆ
PHOTOGRAPH EVERYTHING.
Not random close-ups youโll never identify again. Take straight-on photos of entire walls so you have context, then detailed shots. For important locations, include a tape measure or another reference so you can tell exactly where something is.
Organize those photos by ROOM and back them up somewhere you can actually find them five years from now.
Because eventually youโll want to mount a TV, add shelving or drill one innocent little hole into a wallโฆ
โฆand knowing exactly where the plumbing and electrical are suddenly becomes VERY important.
We learned that particular lesson in a previous house by successfully finding a ยฝ-inch PEX water line with a drill bit.
Would not recommend.
What else would you check before drywall? Add it below so we can build a giant pre-drywall checklist.