I am a part of a few new construction groups on Facebook. These groups are great for helping people get answers to questions regarding their new home. One post I have been seeing a lot of recently with these cold exterior temperatures is with people’s basement foundation walls being wet. This is an extremely common issue on new homes and it’s nothing to worry about! […]
In this article I will be talking about new construction foundation cracks. I will discuss what you should know about them, whether they are a concern or not, and how to deal with them. Your first thought may be “My house is brand new, how is there a crack in the foundation already?”. While I agree with this thought, it is extremely common for a […]
I do a lot of new construction home inspections, more so than typical. This year alone I’ve done at least 40 so far. I decided to compile this list of common problems I run into on new construction builds. This list is in no particular order. 1. Sump Pump Installation Issues The sump pump is discharging inches from the foundation. Builders simply don’t run the […]
As an inspector I have inspected and seen countless new construction homes. Everywhere from totally custom builds to the bare builder with no options. I have also built a home myself using a well known local builder in 2020. This is a list of upgrades/options I recommend getting when building a new home. 1. Vaulted Ceilings in Living Areas Don’t skip this. It not only […]
I had the pleasure of inspecting a new construction build recently. The deck was one of the worst new deck builds I’ve ever inspected and it somehow managed to pass city inspection (I found that out later). I wanted to go over exactly what was wrong with this deck by listing out the issues and going into explanation of why these things are issues. The […]
A common defect I see in homes, especially newer homes, is the wrong fastener being used to secure kitchen cabinets to walls. I commonly see drywall screws used rather than proper cabinet screws. What’s the difference between the two and why is it an issue? Let’s dive in! Drywall screws are made to serve one purpose and that is to secure full sheets or partial […]
I do a fair amount of new construction inspections. On occasion the builder has push back on my report when I write up defects/items on their new house. The common quotes from them are “It meets code” or “That’s not Code”. Yes that may be true, BUT… Code is a minimum. Code is the absolute bare minimum that is required by law for a new […]