Home Inspector for New Construction

[mitchjav]

Anyone have any thoughts on hiring a home inspector to look at new construction - thinking this is a waste of money as the builder is not likely to make any changes no matter what the inspector thinks, but would like to hear people's opinions... thanks

[ATX78701]

Bought two new homes in my life. The first I did not have an inspector and just a long punch list of items for the builder. He was building on a cul de sac and I was one of the first homes, so there was a vested interest on his part to be sure everything was repaired.

The second new home i DID use an inspector. It was educational for me because I was able to add more items to my punch list based on the reports. Again, this builder was very responsive and had a vested interest with lots of properties being for sale in the neighborhood.

For me as someone who doesn’t know anything about home repair, the inspector on the second home really helped me sleep better.

[HawkeyeNFO]

If you have a construction loan, the bank will send out an inspector before they drop a line of funding to the builder. When they built my house, there was an inspection after each step (foundation, framing, exterior, electrical, etc.). Not sure how close they look at the quality of work, but there is an inspection to confirm that the job was done. Incomplete work would have meant no payment.

The builder we used also invited me to walk through with the manager after each step in the process, and I certainly could have had an inspector during that walk-through. I think the best check on quality was to see the construction in person on nearly a daily basis. On my way home from work every day, I stopped by and walked through with my camera, taking lots of pictures.

[mitchjav]

Quote:

Originally Posted by ATX78701 Bought two new homes in my life. The first I did not have an inspector and just a long punch list of items for the builder. He was building on a cul de sac and I was one fo the first homes, so there was a vested interest on his part to be sure everything was repaired. The second new home i DID use an inspector. It was educational for me because I was able to add more items to my punch list based on the reports. Again, this builder was very responsive and had a vested interest with lots of properties being for sale int eh neighborhood. For me as someone who doesn’t know anything about home repair, the inspector on the second home really helped me sleep better.

Thanks for this - at what stage did the inspector come in - rough inspection (after framing)? pre-settlement walk-thru? Both?

[ATX78701]

Quote:

Originally Posted by mitchjav Thanks for this - at what stage did the inspector come in - rough inspection (after framing)? pre-settlement walk-thru? Both?

House was completely built when I bought it so didn’t have the opportunity for any earlier inspection. I had the inspection as a condition in the sales contract. The inspection occurred before the pre-settlement walk-through.

[PaunchyPirate]

I hired an inspector when I purchased an already built model home from the builder. He found several things that I asked the builder to address. They fixed them all. It’s worth a few hundred dollars in my opinion.

[Sunset]

No idea how it would work, but not a bad idea to use one.

My old (previous) neighbor was a Church builder and the city hired him to replace their existing building inspector who was off temporarily.

My neighbor told me how various construction sites he inspected, they would try to bribe him or suggest a bribe if he would just let a bunch of stuff slide.

I noticed in my own (previous) house the wiring in the garage was not done to code, along with the brickwork flashing. I had bought the house when it was a year old, but didn't notice for a few years.

So now I have a lot LESS faith in the city building inspections, and just view it as basically a taxation mechanism.

[Jerry1]

If the house is already built, I’d get an inspection just like any other property house. If the house is being built, I think it would be great to have an inspection during the build. I had a house built once and I wish I would have done that. In my case it would have potentially saved me in two areas. My windows were not installed properly and subsequently leaked. All they needed was some flashing so the cost would have been minimal. Instead I had to prematurely replace them. Second was my electrical. Not sure if an inspector would have caught everything but there were a number of little things wrong. For example, many lights were on the same circuit as outlets. When power would be drawn, it was typical that the lights would dim. This showed up with things like small space heaters. There’s a difference in doing something safely and doing something correctly. Hard for a lay person to know.

[mountainsoft]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Sunset No idea how it would work, but not a bad idea to use one.

One would think new construction would be built and inspected to all of the latest codes. Maybe I'm just being naive. Then again, it's impossible to see everything during a quick inspection visit.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Sunset My neighbor told me how various construction sites he inspected, they would try to bribe him or suggest a bribe if he would just let a bunch of stuff slide.

A lot of people (my brother-in-law included) look at building inspectors as the enemy. They'll argue and go to great lengths to hide or distract inspectors from items that aren't up to code. Or they think they just know more than the inspector does (I did know more than some of our inspectors, but I still appreciated the second set of eyes to catch my mistakes).

Personally, when we built our house I enjoyed each inspector visit. They were all quite friendly and offered helpful advice with each visit. The guy that came out most often frequently suggested improvements that weren't really code issues, but I appreciated and used many of his ideas anyway. He really seemed to enjoy watching our progress.

Our electrical inspector cringed when he first showed up after I told him I did all the wiring myself. By the time he left he kept commenting I should teach the professionals how to do it right. Apparently the "pros" cut lots of corners.

Our funniest inspector was a new gal that had just started and came out to inspect our new garage. She showed up on our muddy construction site in high heel dress shoes. She stood about 30 feet from the garage on our gravel driveway and said, "yep, looks good".

Our final inspector was just the opposite. She took her job seriously, even climbing under the house and crawling around to check the insulation and plumbing. She definitely earned her pay that day, I was impressed.

[skipro33]

Do it. I just read recently in a nearby town, how, after 3 years since new constructed neighborhood, the copper pipes have sprung leaks. Something is eating the copper. Likely an electrolysis issue.
Also read of another subdivision where a worker got upset with their employer and blew the whistle on the corners they were forced to take on plumbing. The shear labor just to access the plumbing is going to bankrupt the contractor most likely. Good luck getting anyone but yourself to cover the expense. Maybe home owners? Which is an idea; can you ask your insurer about shoddy construction coverage on a new home? Sorta like replacement cost insurance for a new car first year.

[RetireeRobert]

Good inspectors don't cost, they pay. Or whatever the saying is I am trying to paraphrase.


I believe there is an inspector accreditation organization. Find an inspection firm in your city which has the chops and the creds, and hire them.

House is the major investment most of us ever make in one lifetime, so a trained set of eyes who is on "our side" and who reports only to us, just makes sense.

[pb4uski]

We built a house in 2010-2011... the only time that we ever built. The builder was a high school friend who had a great reputation in the area for quality building and as a square shooter. Our contract was for materials at his cost (or for some things I could provide my own items) and $x per hour for him and his crew of 1 with a maximum ceiling for labor costs.

I played GC and separately hired subs for demolition, electrical, plumbing, heating, air exchange system, spray foam insulation, flooring, tile, woodstove, etc.

I have a reasonable amount of knowledge of construction from other projects that I have done over the years... enough to be able to ask the right questions when something looked amiss and assess the reasonableness of the answers.

All-in-all the project went very well. When we were planning the project we expected to use a number of subs that he had worked with in the past that were 1/2 hour away but it turned out that many of them didn't have availability when we needed them or were out of line costwise so it ended up that all the subs that we used were subs that I found locally. I had one sub doing the tiling that didn't work out and I ended up firing after he completed the first of three phases of the work.

In our rural area there are no inspections of electrical, plumbing, etc. like there are in many parts of the country. The impression that I have is that the trades are read the riot act that if they are ever found to be cutting corners that they will lose their licenses... so they don't.

[Bamaman]

There are home inspectors. And then there are great home inspectors. Contractors and real estate agents are afraid of what they'll find wrong with homes.

After having a couple of homes inspected 16 months ago, a problem is realtors that don't know anything about construction. And they don't know how to relate problems between the sellers and the buyers.

The result of a home inspection can make or break a deal. And many of the items buyers demand that they be fixed are just little inconsequential items. Like a screen put over the inside of a roof vent--a 30 second fix. Then they'll always get you for any tiny electrical issue like putting double circuits on one breaker when neither circuit is ever used. The buyer's agent often doesn't know what's important.

My home inspector was excellent, and he spotted mold underneath the master bath shower pan. I got a $3,000 allowance for it and some minor roofing repairs, and I made some good money doing the repairs myself.

But if someone is somewhat technical and looking for a new career in mid life, going to school to be a home inspector would be a great way to be self employed. At $300-400 per inspection, 2021 is going to be a very profitable year with so many millennials getting into bidding wars on starter homes (under $250K.) Inspectors are blitzed with work.

[The Cosmic Avenger]

Quote:

Originally Posted by RetireeRobert Good inspectors don't cost, they pay. Or whatever the saying is I am trying to paraphrase. I believe there is an inspector accreditation organization. Find an inspection firm in your city which has the chops and the creds, and hire them. House is the major investment most of us ever make in one lifetime, so a trained set of eyes who is on "our side" and who reports only to us, just makes sense.

Seconded. And with new construction, I suggest having an inspector come at a few different times, as they should be able to quickly spot plumbing and electrical issues that might be very difficult to find once the walls are finished. Even if it's up to code but the work seems sloppy, your inspector will see a lot more if they can look once the plumbing and/or wiring are done but before the drywall is put up.

[RetireeRobert]

Quote:

Originally Posted by The Cosmic Avenger .... suggest having an inspector come at a few different times, as they should be able to quickly spot plumbing and electrical issues that might be very difficult to find once the walls are finished. Even if it's up to code but the work seems sloppy, your inspector will see a lot more if they can look once the plumbing and/or wiring are done but before the drywall is put up.

What he said!

[mitchjav]

OP here.

So, we've decided to go forward with a home inspector for both the pre-drywall inspection and the final inspection. Along with the final inspection they're suggesting a Radon inspection and possibly, a sewer scope. Any thoughts on these additional inspections?

[Music Lover]

Quote:

Originally Posted by mitchjav OP here. So, we've decided to go forward with a home inspector for both the pre-drywall inspection and the final inspection. Along with the final inspection they're suggesting a Radon inspection and possibly, a sewer scope. Any thoughts on these additional inspections?

I don't have an opinion on a sewer scope or radon inspection, but if you have access to the house before drywall stage take pictures of every wall in every room. It's nice to have a record of where the electrical and plumbing is for future reference. You can also take measurements for stud locations.

[zinger1457]

Quote:

Originally Posted by mitchjav So, we've decided to go forward with a home inspector for both the pre-drywall inspection and the final inspection. Along with the final inspection they're suggesting a Radon inspection and possibly, a sewer scope. Any thoughts on these additional inspections?

It's important to know if your home has high radon levels but doubt you would be able to hold the builder liable if it does since it's naturally occurring. You can buy radon test kits online for ~$30 then mail it back to a lab to get the results.