A common misconception being circulated today is the notion that newly constructed homes do not need a professional home inspection. After all, the builder has assured you at the walk-through that everything is OK and the house has been "passed" by the local building department. It is not uncommon for a local city code inspector to have 75-100 properties to check in a day, allowing as little as 5 minutes per home to complete their check. This is hardly enough time to actually inspect, for instance, all of the details of a home in the “rough-in” stage; rough plumbing, electrical, and HVAC.   

One big difference in home building today is the way the home building companies are structured. The nationally recognized, award winning builder is really no better than the local workforce and the supervision watching over them. The builder can fall back on their corporate size and (past) reputation all they want, but you are at the mercy of the of the people who are actually swinging the hammers, pulling the cable, and the supervision of those crews.

Building contractors of the past used a significant number of their total workforce from employees of the company. They had staff crews of electricians, plumbers, framers, concrete specialists, and roofers. Today, the typical builder now employs a small number of supervisory personnel that basically sets up a trailer, coordinates sub-contractors and schedules walkthroughs. Today, the number of employees for the builder can often be counted on one hand.  So, who is looking out for you the buyer?  Who is demanding that the low bid sub-contractors working on your new home perform to manufacturer's recommendations, nationally recognized building standards, and widely accepted construction techniques? 

As the consumer, you need an advocate. You need an un-biased third party, who works only for you, to provide you with a detailed report on all the visible components of the home. This report will tell you what was installed properly, as well as those items that were not installed properly or may be defective. The inspector working for the city or state often has just a few minutes to look at each home due to the heavy work load they must check, so many items can slip through undetected. My typical new home inspection process can start with the layout of the foundation, and carry through in phases to the final walk-through just before closing.

During the first phase of construction, the rebar going into the foundation is important to see before the foundation is poured to assure the walls and floor will be structurally sound. Also, at this stage much of the sewer and supply pipes that connect to the city or septic/well systems are visible. I have inspected homes where these pipes have not been connected properly resulting in sewage pouring out under the basement floor as an example. An important component of the electrical grounding system called the “ufer ground” is installed into the foundation rebar system, and is visible at this time as well. Once the concrete is poured these critical components of the home will be imbedded and no longer visible.

 During the framing stage of a home there are a number of items to track. The correct sizing of the structural members and the connections of these members are visible at this time. A common method of creating a supporting post or beam is by joining multiple framing members together (several 2 x 4‘s nailed and glued together to create a post to carry a beam as an example). In many situations these post or beam units need metal strapping to secure the connections. These are visible at this time as well. Another important item to check on at this stage are the anchor bolts from the foundation that secure the bottom plate of the walls to the foundation. This is also the time to make sure that all load bearing areas have in fact been supported properly to carry and distribute the loads placed on them.  

I inspect a new home in exactly the same manner as one that was built 50 years ago; systematically and professionally.  The big difference, however, is in the expectations of the buyer. The new home buyer is in a position to demand near-perfection. I have watched clients of mine spend, literally, hours going around a new home with a roll of blue masking tape, marking scratches, dents, chips, runs, etc. Meanwhile, I am checking in the attic, up on the roof, inside the electric panel and operating the mechanicals. As long as you have the builder and his supporting cast of sub-contractors "on the hook" before and during the warranty period, you are well served by having the home thoroughly inspected by a qualified, professional inspector.  The documentation I provide will send a strong message to the builder that you are paying attention and expect the house to exhibit proper building component applications and techniques. True, we all make mistakes, but the supervisor of the project (in many instances today is the builder) gets paid for catching those mistakes before they are passed on to the unsuspecting consumer.  What is my recommended course of action?  Schedule a professional, certified home inspection with an InterNACHI inspector immediately.