New Construction Home Inspection
Do I need a home inspection on my new construction?
New construction home inspection might at first seem unnecessary. Everything was approved by the local building department inspectors, therefore everything should be okay with the house that I’m having built. Home inspections cost money, so I’m wasting my money by having a property inspection done on something that’s brand new. Right?
When inspecting new construction, a home inspector will often not find any issues with the house. Other times those inspecting new real estate will find quite a few items that need attention. We are all humans, mistakes can happen. We need to meet our deadlines, or sometimes a contractor deems something “good enough.” But these should not be an excuse; a person is making the biggest investment in their life when purchasing the home.
Furthermore, another reason to have a new construction home inspection is the advice that the buyer is getting from the home inspector. The home inspector will advise the buyer about the routine maintenance, talk about ways to improve some of the systems in the house that the builder is not required to do, and answer questions about the new systems in the house that the clients didn’t have in the previous home.
It’s a good idea to have a home inspection company take a look at the house, even if the house is a new construction. For additional details, please contact us at 248.688.8004
Here are some examples of problems I’ve found during new construction home inspections:
- Broken roof trusses
- Missing siding
- Ducts completely unattached
- Contractors installed too little insulation in the attic
- Raised roof shingles, allowing water to penetrate underneath the shingles
- Loose outlets, or outlets without power
- Missing caulking
New Construction Home Inspection Defect Photos
This new construction inspection in Rochester Hills, MI shows that most of the insulation in the attic was 18 inches. One area of the attic (about 1/3) had only 12 inches of insulation installed. Therefore six inches of insulation was missing.
This new property inspection in Shelby Township discovered that the roof was improperly installed with a gap. Water could penetrate. While all the roof was properly installed, this small issue can cause bigger issues if not fixed.
This issue was found in a new construction in Troy. The humidifier water supply line was not connected.
The shower floor was not properly caulked between the floor and the wall tiles. As a result of this issue, water can penetrate behind the wall.