New Home Inspections

It’s best to have a licensed home inspector inspect a new home during early phases of construction when more of the house is visible. But, if the house is almost complete when you decide to buy it, it’s still  important to get a home inspection on a new home. The walk-through with the builder is not enough. You need a professional looking out for you.  Here’s why you should get an inspection on your new home;

New construction homes often have all sorts of problems.  

• Building a home is a complex orchestration involving many different subcontractors and their employees each working on a different system of the house usually without regard to the other house systems. With all the separate activities occurring at the same time, it is nearly impossible for the builder to carefully check all phases of construction. 

Municipal building inspections are not the same as home inspections. 

• The job of municipal building inspectors is to check for compliance with applicable building codes. Building codes are minimum standards. While most municipal building inspectors are doing their best, factors beyond their control prevent these inspections from being enough.  

Problems found before you buy can be fixed before moving in to your new home. 

• You won't have to deal with making repairs after you move in.  

Defects can be repaired before they result in serious consequences or costly damage. 

• Safety items such as gas leaks need to be addressed. Missing attic insulation that will result in higher utility bills can be installed. Raised shingles which can lead to rotted roof sheathing can be repaired before purchasing your new home. The process of building and being a new home is daunting. Let us be your eyes and ears on the ground watching at every step of the way. 

It matters at resale. 

• When you decide to sell your new home, the buyer will likely get a home inspection.  Deficiencies that date back to the original construction will be discovered even if you never knew they existed. At this point, it’s too late to get the builder involved. You now own those problems.

What Is A New Home Construction Inspection?

• A new home construction inspection (or “in-progress” inspection) is an  independent, third party inspection to ensure that the work completed is  in compliance with plans, specifications, and the construction  schedule. Once a home is built, many conditions that could have been  observed during construction are now covered and are no longer visible  for inspection. Often a poorly installed/constructed condition that  could have been visually reviewed during a construction progress  inspection becomes covered or concealed later in the building process, causing a potential financial burden for the property owner for future  corrective action. For these reasons, it is important that a home be  inspected during construction by the buyer’s representative whenever  possible so that any reportable defects can be corrected before  completion and transfer of title.

It’s Brand New…What Could be Wrong? 

• It is not good business to forego a home inspection on a newly constructed house, regardless of how conscientious and reputable your  home builder. No home, regardless of how well it is constructed, is totally free of defects. The construction of a house involves thousands of details, performed at the hands of scores of individuals. No general contractor  can possibly oversee every one of these elements, and the very nature of  human fallibility dictates that some mistakes and oversights will  occur, even when the most talented and best-intentioned tradespeople are  involved. It is also an unfortunate aspect of modern times that some  builders/developers do not stand behind their workmanship and may not  return to fix or replace defective components installed after the sale  is complete. We will catch those mistakes before they become your mistakes. Let us save you money with an Inspect Your Nest New Home Inspection.

The Municipal Code Inspector Already Approved It. 

• Often the builder/developer will state the home has been built to “code” and that it was inspected at different stages and signed off by the local jurisdiction. However, building codes are frequently “minimum in nature” - that is, the primary intent of building regulations (codes) is to provide reasonable controls for the construction, use and occupancy of buildings. The builder is responsible to meet minimal standards at best - you may want higher standards applied to your dream house. Also,  it is an unfortunate fact of the hectic pace of construction, that local building department inspectors are often overbooked with inspections, which results in their spending a minimal amount of time at the construction job site and important details may be overlooked. Finally, jurisdictional inspectors are not concerned with workmanship as long as  all the systems and components in a new home meet minimum code requirements. Peace of Mind A professional in-progress inspection is a great value to a new construction homebuyer because the home inspector will spend whatever time it takes to evaluate every readily accessible parts of the home they can safely reach and then prepare an inspection report containing their findings. This, in turn, will provide a “fix-it” list that can be brought to the attention of the builder/developer. Additionally the homebuyer has peace of mind in knowing they took the extra step in protecting their investment by helping ensure they are made aware of any overlooked defects.In Progress Inspections A new construction progress inspection by a qualified professional allows the inspector to become the “eyes of the homebuyer” through a series of inspections that occur during different stages of the construction of their new home. Typically, these inspections are performed at the following stages:

1. Foundation form work before concrete placement
2. After installation of support posts, beams and floor joists
3. After installation of all rough framing, rough electrical wiring,  heating/cooling duct work and the building's sanitary pipe drainage and  potable water supply systems
4. Exterior siding(s) including roof coverings
5. Final "walk-through" inspection checking all visually accessible  systems and components such as: heating/cooling, electrical and plumbing  systems including safety items such as; smoke detectors, stairs,  handrails and guard railings, compliance with emergency-egress  requirements, and proper installation of safety/tempered glazing within  hazardous areas.

My Builder Says I Don’t Need a Home Inspection 

• It is important to let your builder know up front that you intend to have the work inspected by an independent third party construction  expert. This will help set a tone with the builder and let them know that you expect things to be done properly. Ideally, you will want to start communication with your inspector as soon as you sign a contract  with your builder.

• An Inspect Your Nest New Home Inspection will ensure that your new home is not only built to your personal satisfaction but also built to last a lifetime.