Here’s Why You Need to Have a New Construction Home Inspection
Over 100,000 new homes are constructed every year.
For many people, a new home represents a dream that is coming true. It’s an expensive and time-intensive process to have a new construction home built.
If you’ve had or are considering a new construction home, there are a lot of things you need to check over. Some of these things range from the materials used in construction to the location. Whatever you decide, don’t forget to have a new construction home inspection done.
New Construction Home Inspection
For many people, it is natural to assume that a brand-new house won’t have any trouble at all. The reality is that homes are like anything else. Accidents and mistakes do happen. Not all of these accidents and mistakes are noticed or caught by the builders of the home.
Hiring a skilled home inspector to come through and check all aspects of your house is of vital importance. If there is a problem, you should know about it as soon as possible. You can then act to correct the issue before more damage is done, or you pay for something substandard.
New construction home inspections check for construction, environmental, and other issues that could impact your new home. As seen in this checklist, the inspector will go over every part of the home and the surrounding property.
Home Inspectors
When people think of home inspectors, they often think of buying a house that has already been lived in. Before purchasing a home, a vast majority of people use a home inspector to check for problems. This helps to protect people from purchasing a house that might need extensive remodeling.
Home inspectors help to save people money in this regard by assisting them to avoid distressed properties. For some people, this isn’t a big deal, but for those who are spending the time and money to have a new home built, any problem can break a budget.
When it comes to new construction home inspections, most people believe that a simple visual inspection will suffice. The reality is modern homes are built to look very nice. This look will cover up any deeper issues, and you won’t be able to spot them easily.
This is why having an experienced and knowledgeable inspector is so important for any building. You wouldn’t take possession of a thirty-year home without having it inspected, why would you want to incur the financial risk of a new home without one?
The answer is often that you wouldn’t choose to accept any financial risk after spending so much on your home. Home inspectors are also very important if the area where the new home is constructed has any environmental issues. An experienced inspector knows what to look for in the area they work in.
New Construction Homes
No matter where you live, or where you choose to build your new home, prices for new home construction are high. The low estimate for most areas is well over $300,000. Chances are, if you’re building a new home to your specifications, they will be even more expensive.
For most people, this price equals many years of income. Even couples can find it financially impossible to have a new home built. Despite the price tag, people are drawn to new homes for a variety of reasons. One of the most common reasons is customizing a home for themselves and their families.
New homes are both beautiful and efficient. They tend to be better insulated and more technologically advanced than older homes. The techniques used by modern builders are very advanced and represent the cutting edge of construction technology.
Having a new home is also a symbol of success. No one who doesn’t devote themselves to succeeding and having ambition is able to afford a new home. If you find yourself in a position where you can, the important thing is to remember that new construction home inspections are there for you.
Problems With New Homes
There are a surprising number of issues in the first year after a home is built. While some of these issues are related to building mistakes and substandard materials, some of them aren’t. Some issues arise because builders hurry through and could even fail to double-check the work being done.
For construction companies, time is money. The longer they work on your home, the less money they will make that year. They have huge crews of people that can complete a house faster than ever before. Paying for those crews means that if they have overruns on cost, they lose money.
1. Wiring Issues
One of the big areas in which new homes can suffer is in the wiring. If the wiring job is not done in the proper way, it can lead to big trouble for the house. Homes can burn down, and property can be destroyed by not having the wiring installed correctly.
2. Grading of the Property
Something that many people don’t consider is the propensity for water damage. If you live in an area that experiences regular or even torrential rainfall, this can become a big problem. The grade of the land around your home should slope away from the foundation.
If the grade is not proper, water can become trapped against the foundation. While this may not spell any immediate damage, it will serve to break down your foundation and waterproofing. Once water has been against the foundation long enough, terrible structural problems can occur.
This is different from building on a slope which requires additional steps to be taken. Any house or building should be built to repel and keep water away. The last thing you want is moisture building up in crawl spaces or areas under the home. This attracts pests, mold, and other unsavory things.
3. House Settling
Settling is the enemy of anyone who has ever built a foundation. The ground under the house settles to accommodate the weight of the house, and thus shifts. This can cause cracks to form in the foundation, and even lead to water being allowed to leak into the home.
Proper impaction testing and preparation can help mitigate this to some extent. A well-built foundation will also help to minimize the impact of the house settling. If this process is not done right, you could even have floors that aren’t level.
4. Moisture in the House
If a home is not built with a good vapor shield, or moisture shield, you can have big problems. As moisture builds up, it can lead to rot in the wood, and also warping of the wood. This can make floors uneven, roofs can sag, and it can even lead to extensive structural damage.
A proper new construction home inspection will check for issues in all areas of your home. Finding these issues out soon is the best way to take steps to avoid any risk. If you fail to notice these issues, they can even lead to health-related problems like mold growth and respiratory illness.
5. Condensation in Windows
If there is any sign of condensation in a new window, the window has to be replaced. This is because modern double-pane or better windows have a sheet of argon injected into them. This inert gas is what helps the window insulate so well.
If that argon is not there, or gets displaced due to damage or improper installation, the window will not serve to help insulate or protect your home.
6. Improper Plumbing
It is of vital importance to have plumbing done right. If plumbing is not installed correctly, you can have water damage, sewer backup, and a host of other issues. There’s nothing more disappointing than moving into a new home and discovering that you have to call a plumber out to fix something that should have been done before the house was completed.
Plenty of Other Problems
There are a ton of problems faced by homes, some of which you can’t even do anything about. The inspector is going to check the attic, the crawlspace or basement, and everywhere else. They will look for issues with plumbing, wiring, and even the construction of the roof itself.
Having all of these areas of the house checked out is the only way you can be sure that your home is what you paid for. If they aren’t, you can have the builders come back and repair them to your satisfaction or hire someone who can get them fixed before they cause any more trouble.
It is important that when devoting so much of your life to a project, both time and money, you get what you want. The only way to be sure of that is by having an inspection done. A new construction home inspection is one of the most important steps you can take.
Failing to do so could result in tremendous financial damage. You may even have to rebuild sections of the house due to fires, water damage, or other structural issues that occur because of problems that were missed. Protect yourself, your family, and your investment by getting an inspection done.
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