Countertop RFI Checklist Before Fabrication

An RFI should close a fabrication decision. It should not merely announce that the drawings are confusing.

Before the final shop-drawing review, run this list by room and top mark. Group related questions so the design team can answer a complete condition once.

Scope and document conflicts

• Top appears on plan but not elevation or schedule.
• Material code resolves to different products in different documents.
• Countertop is shown in both millwork and countertop scope.
• Alternate or owner-furnished condition is not assigned.
• Revision changed one view but not the related detail.

Use the plan/elevation/detail guide to document the conflict precisely.

Material and appearance

• Manufacturer, product, grade, color, or finish is incomplete.
• Substrate or finished thickness is missing.
• Edge profile conflicts with material capability.
• Finished ends, backsplash ends, or seam expectations are unclear.
• Substitution lacks technical evidence or a revised detail.

ANSI/AWI 1236 general and aesthetic requirements provide useful review topics where the standard applies (AWI general requirements, AWI aesthetic requirements).

Dimensions and field conditions

• Plan and elevation dimensions disagree.
• Cabinets/walls are not ready for required field verification.
• Scribe, wall gap, or corner condition is undefined.
• Finished-floor or casework elevation affects top height.
• Piece cannot reach the room in the shown configuration.

Cutouts, seams, and supports

• Sink/equipment model or current template is missing.
• Cutout conflicts with drawer, bracket, plumbing, or seam.
• Overhang has no support detail.
• Material around cutout does not meet manufacturer guidance.
• Seam location is not approved or cannot be installed.

AWI structural requirements address relevant support, joint, and cutout conditions (AWI structural requirements).

Accessibility

• Accessible use is not identified.
• Top height, clear floor space, knee/toe clearance, bracket, or sink bowl conflicts.
• Transaction-counter approach is unclear.
• Material/edge change alters the approved section.

Use the U.S. Access Board standards as the federal source and route the interpretation through the project design professional (ADA Standards).

Write the RFI so it can be answered

Use this structure:

1. Location: sheet, detail, room, and top marks.
2. Conflict: quote or mark the two instructions that disagree.
3. Impact: material order, dimension, support, cutout, accessibility, schedule, or cost.
4. Proposed resolution: one buildable option, if appropriate.
5. Attachments: marked plans, photos, product data, or revised sketch.
6. Need-by date: tied to submittal/procurement/release.

Close the loop

An answered RFI is not complete until the response is incorporated into the shop drawings, material schedule, cutout schedule, and release revision. The shop-drawing checklist is the final gate.

No open answer should live only in an email while the shop cuts from an older PDF.