Fin MacDonald

The pre drywall inspection is the first required site inspection in the LEED for Homes process. A green rater will need to visit the site to inspect the wall cavity. This step is crucial because once the drywall goes up it is impossible to inspect and verify many of the requirements for certification. This step must be completed and any home looking to pursue LEED certification must enroll before the drywall goes up to allow for this inspection. I recently helped with a pre drywall inspection on a building targeting LEED Platinum.

The inspection involves checking to make sure that the insulation is properly installed in the wall cavity. If it is batting insulation it must not be compressed or it won’t prevent air from moving and will perform poorly. Other insulation types should evenly fill the cavity. It is also important to check that the vapour barrier is in place and properly sealed. Any insulation problems that are identified during the inspection can be fixed before the drywall is applied.

It is also required that all ductwork be sealed to prevent contamination with construction debris. Ducts contaminated with dust and other debris will need to be cleaned, which is very difficult, or they will have adverse effects on the indoor air quality. Duct sealing is required by LEED and the pre drywall inspection will make sure that this step is completed.

Any LEED checklist items that are located behind the walls must also be verified at this time. For example, if the home was hoping to earn points for having pipes insulated this would have to be verified now, while the pipes are still visible.

The wall cavities need to be inspected before the drywall covers them up for good.