NEW HOME CONSTRUCTION (also called phase inspections)
Very often, purchasers of newly constructed homes believe that there is no reason for their
new home to be independently inspected at the pre-drywall stag and / or just prior to closing,
by a competent private sector professional building inspector. After all, new homes are so
beautiful!
Buyers may believe, due to the local building inspection department having inspected the
house on multiple "mini-inspections" during its construction, that nothing could have been
missed. Or, they may feel that because the builder or developer is providing some type of
warranty, that it will cover everything. Unfortunately, this is not always true....and when it is
true, it usually costs more time and especially frustration to repair a defect if your furniture
and other possessions are already in the home. And....If the defect is a structural,
plumbing or a roof leak......well, you don't even want to think about it! Although local
building department inspectors usually have your best interest in mind, they neither catch
everything nor do they inspect the roof, per our experience and research. You should also
know that manufacturer warranties do not cover every component for every condition which
might affect them. The simple fact is that a new home should be in new condition! We
are here for your peace of mind!
Usually, builders and developers have a greater incentive to make repairs or corrections
before closing. An independent inspection by AHI Home Inspection prior to closing will help
you find defective components, improper installations or other new construction issues and
will also provide you with very valuable maintenance information to help you manage
maintenance costs and help you better understand the workings of your home for years to
come.
Below are some of the conditions and defects that have been found while
conducting these phase inspections and new finished home inspections:
· Missing attic insulation or no attic insulation (See Pictures Below)
· Improper wiring; defective GFCI's or electrical outlets
· Roof leaks; damaged roofing; improper flashings; damage shingles (See Pictures Below)
· Damaged or loose plumbing components; plumbing leaks (See Pictures Below)
· Reversed hot and cold water lines
· Poor installation of stud walls, siding and or structural components
Damage to structural components by sub-contractor is common! (See Pictures Below)
· Windows installed incorrectly; damaged windows; seal issues (See Pictures Below)
· Gas fireplace exhaust flue installed upside down & not connected; gas leakage
· Loose stair railings; improperly constructed stairways
· Improper soil grading
· Missing hardware; incomplete trim work
· Improperly secured cabinets; damaged cabinets
· Leaking appliances
This is not a complete list of the conditions that we have found in newly constructed homes,
nor do we find most of them in every new home we inspect. In fact, we are only human and
may not see things in new or older homes that were not visible at the time of the inspection.
However, we provide our services by adhering to the ASHI Standards of Practice for
Professional Home Inspectors and our Clients have been consistently very satisfied that
inspection items are found prior to the time they signed off on their new home. Keep in mind
that most builders and developers do their best to build a quality home for their Clients. The
conditions found by Assure Home Inspection are typically the result of the complex logistics
of new home construction and the time constraints put on city building inspectors. There are
a large number of trades people (subcontractors) involved in the construction process and
they often work on the home at different intervals, rather than all at once. When the
inspection issues are brought to the builders attention, they typically will simply add them to
their own "punch list" of final detail work and they will be taken care of by the appropriate
subcontractor.
NORMAL AHI PHASE INSPECTION "CHAIN OF EVENTS"
1) Client (or Realtor) calls Assure to ask questions and schedule an inspection. Hopefully,
this is at least a couple of weeks prior to the preferred inspection date (but if not, we'll do our
best and can usually accommodate!).
2) Assure provides to Builder any reasonable paperwork they require upon request.
(Usually, this is only requested for pre-drywall phase inspections.)
3) Assure helps coordinate the inspection date and time between Home Buyer, Building
Superintendent, Realtor or others involved.
4) Home buyer is not required to attend the inspection, but we do recommend at least
attending near the end of the inspection to go over a summary, sign the inspection
agreement and make payment for the inspection. Assure accepts checks, cash and Visa,
Mastercard and American Express cards for payment. Credit card payments can be
completed by phone, and we do perform a lot of inspections for Clients who cannot attend,
or prefer not to attend. By State guidelines, any inspection agreement should be signed by
the end of the inspection. The agreement is accessible on our website (home page, "forms"
button) to view and print, sign and fax to Assure, if necessary.
5) Your AHI Inspector will complete the on-site inspection, provide the on-site verbal
summary if Client attends, then will provide the inspection report within 24 hours to Client
(and Builder, if so required). The reports can be accessed from our website, or faxed to the
Client and Builder. On-site inspections usually last between 2-4 hours, depending on the
size of the home and other factors. Most of our inspections begin around 9am or 2pm, but
again...we're flexible! We're here for your peace of mind.
NEW CONSTRUCTION INFORMATION CHECKLIST FOR BUYER
AHI Home Inspection recommends that all purchasers of newly constructed homes obtain as
much of the applicable information outlined below as possible from their builder or developer:
· Blueprints
· Engineering documents
· Soil reports
· Well or septic documents, if applicable
· Copy of the Certificate of Occupancy (after home finished)
· Copy of signed-off permits
· Warranties for the following:
· Water heaters and heating system components
· Fireplaces and components
· Air conditioning equipment
· Kitchen appliances
· Plumbing fixtures and fixture trim
· Electrical devices and fixtures
· Cabinets and counter tops
· Windows and doors, including garage doors and garage door openers
· Floor covering materials and installation
· Roof covering materials and installation
· Surface finishes; wallpaper, paint, stain, etc.
· Siding and veneers
· Masonry work
· Security systems
· Landscape irrigation systems and materials
· Builder's warranties
Your Builder may be able to provide you with many of the items listed above (and probably
will have already done so) or can provide you with the names of the manufacturers so that
you can write and obtain any specific warranty information on any products in your home
that you do not have.
Keep all of these documents together and in a place where you can locate them. They may
be helpful to you and to the next buyer of your home!
CALL FOR PHASE INSPECTION PRICING
North and South Carolina Cites Served!
Charlotte NC | Concord NC | Cornelius| Fort Mill SC | Hickory NC | Lake Norman NC | Huntersville
NC | Davidson NC | Matthews NC | Mint Hill NC | Mooresville NC | Indian Trail NC | Waxhaw NC |
Weddington NC | Lincolnton NC | Cornelius NC | Troutman NC | Statesville NC | Denver NC |
Ballantyne | Conover NC | Gastonia NC | Kannapolis NC |
North and South Carolina Counties served: Mecklengburg, Iredell, Lincoln,Gaston,
Union, Cabarrus, Rowan, York, Lancaster, Alexander, Cleveland