Do I need my newly constructed home inspected?
Many people ask me “I’m building a new home do I need a new construction home inspection?”, The answer is “yes, you do!”
“But the builder tells me they have so many built-in quality control inspections plus the city/county sends out an inspector.”
Those are very good points. The city/county inspector in most cases does come out for multiple phases of the construction process and inspects the progress. Many builders also have some sort of quality control. Some builders and local inspectors are the best at what they do and truly set out to deliver a great product. Unfortunately, we are all human and make mistakes. Many times we lose focus or have different agendas. We get distracted and life throws us curve balls. Sometimes we are forced to deal with one issue, which completely distracts or diverts our attention from 3 other problems occurring. Basically, the construction management side of the build can get overwhelmed and worn out with babysitting their trades and small things slip through the cracks. Sometimes large things slip through the cracks which are obvious and the builder just doesn’t look for that issue in their quality check. We are human and we make errors.
That’s why you hire a third party home inspector whose has one agenda, to look for errors and point them out. Your home inspector as it pertains to new construction, is interested in making sure you are getting a home that will have little to no issues. That is our number one priority. We want to make sure the buyer and the builder are aware of current and potential issues. A quality control person for the builder has an agenda. They want to make sure the home meets the minimum standards set by the report form they have to turn in. On one of my more recent inspections the builders quality control person came through the final phase and spent 30 minutes on site. I’m sure he hit all of the boxes on his form, but his time spent on site is minimal compared to a licensed home inspector. While he spent 30 minutes on site, I spent 3.5 hours on site. I took the time to review the home from top to bottom and discuss what I was seeing with my clients. I also explained what I felt were the big issues and what were the small issues and how most builders would or would not resolve some items. So when you hire a home inspector you get a detailed inspection and a report along with someone who is on your side to ensure a better built home.
From improper roof ventilation, to missing supply air ducts, to improperly operating heating and cooling systems, to improperly wired electrical, the list of potential issues is endless. Those are just a few of the recently found issues I have discovered on new construction homes in the Nashville area. That’s not to say every home has issues. If they do have issues, they are not always big issues. It’s in everyone’s best interest to have a third party come in to inspect the home. A new construction home inspection provides a level of quality control for the builder and the buyer. Which in the end leads to a satisfied buyer with less warranty claims.
 Framing was not secured for plumbing shut off. |
 Ductwork installation was incomplete and rooms were missing supply ducts. |
 New construction pre-drywall, the window flashing was installed improperly on the house wrap and the windows were not set properly in the framed rough opening. |
 This beam was not properly and installed and was twisting. This home passed the local framing inspection. The issue was not found by the local code inspector but found on our new construction inspection. |
 On this new construction home inspection the beam splice was not properly shimmed. Another issue which passed the code inspection but found on the final home inspection. |
 On this new construction home inspection the beam was not properly shimmed and the joist was unsupported. Another issue which passed the code inspection but found on the final home inspection. |