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new construction problems: "We Won't Fix Anything Unless It's A Code Violation" - 08/13/11 06:07 AM
More new construction fun! And guess who it's with ... again? And the same tricks - late afternoon phone call, the inspection needed to be done the next day, enormous amounts of insurance information - same old, same old.
The buyer called me in a panic. We had previously corresponded many times, but she did had not been told the requirements the builder has pertaining to inspectors and inspections not realizing things were far enough along to have the inspection. Even though I had warned her, she did not believe me (they seldom do). I told her to call the lady … (91 comments)
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new construction problems: New Construction With A Basement Bathroom Rough In - 07/29/11 06:46 AM
Many people are buying new construction these days and not finishing the basement. They think they can do it better, cheaper or with more flair than the builder will deliver. Here is an example of new construction with a basement bathroom rough in.
This is a final inspection just prior to the buyer taking occupancy.
I did not do a pre-drywall inspection.
This is the "rough in" left for this buyer to finish into a bathroom.
What impresses me is this:
1. There is no third drain for a sink or tub. Only two drains were placed in the floor.
2. … (49 comments)
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new construction problems: A Good Wood Door Will Not Stay "Good" Unless It Is Finished Professionally - 07/27/11 07:17 AM
Nothing is more important to the longevity of any wood product than its finish. These are true words - a good wood door will not stay "good" unless it is finished properly.
This is just one portion of a front door on a house I inspected for a one-year warranty.
This is an expensive house and that is a good wood door.
AND THAT IS A JUNIOR HIGH SCHOOL FINISH JOB. My eighth grade shop teacher would give me a D for that work.
The job was done with a small brush. Brush strokes are seen everywhere. The single coat is … (17 comments)
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new construction problems: On New Construction The Finish Work Is Crucial - Remember The Golden Rule? - 07/02/11 07:23 AM
When good money is spent for a new home everything should be pleasing to the eye. Materials selection, fixtures, finish carpentry, the final product - all should demonstrate pride in workmanship which leads to pride in ownership. The final walk through with the client should be a REVEAL - look what we have done for you!
Unfortunately with so much modern, new construction, this is not the case.
A large, covered porch outside the master bedroom is a feature most of us would drool over. A nice retreat, private, comfortable furniture and it can be enjoyed in any weather. What could … (46 comments)
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new construction problems: There MUST Be Continuity For Load Transfer - Danger, Danger, Danger! - 06/30/11 08:23 AM
There is almost never an inspection on new construction that does not stir up a bees hive! So often I run into things that I KNOW an architect did not design. It is the supervisor and subcontractors on site that are very, very relevant to the final product people buy and end up living in.
Nice house. Pretty porch arrangement. That upper veranda comes off of the master bedroom. Very nice porch.
Very unusually, I could see the underside of the upper porch from the front stoop. There was no covering.
And in that underside I could see how two of … (15 comments)
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new construction problems: "DAMMIT!! That's Not Your Job." - 06/29/11 06:18 AM
I wasn't there long. And it began easy enough.
Some clients that I had done a new construction inspection for had been having enough communication problems with their builder that they asked me to go back to check just a few things from my report that were to be fixed. They weren't confident that it had been done.
The supervisor met me at the door and was very friendly.
The more I did though, the more adversarial he became.
One problem was very erratic air flow from the HVAC ducts on every level, ranging from 25 cubic feet per minute to … (30 comments)
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new construction problems: Vent Tape - 04/22/11 07:11 AM
When HVAC duct insulation breaks, or you are trying to tape together two pieces to create one nice long tube you can use in new construction ***, it is best practice to use Vent Tape.
Yes, Vent Tape is the perfect product for such an application. It is MADE to tape vents together.
Be sure you use the right thing for the right job, and you will never go wrong!
This was the first time I have seen Vent Tape used, and...
Oh, wait a minute.
Now that I read it closely it isn't Vent Tape at all.
It's Venture … (18 comments)
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new construction problems: Home Inspections In The Rain - 04/21/11 05:44 AM
Sometimes people will call me to ask if our scheduled home inspection should be canceled because it's a rainy day. Of course I say NO! When it's raining and water is flowing, on, off and around a house, you can see things not otherwise manifest!
Take this house for instance. When I got there it had been raining all night and well into the morning. It was raining hard at the time I arrived. Taking the time to carry my things to the front porch, I noticed this leaking under the front porch roof.
There isn't any reason why water should … (59 comments)
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new construction problems: Duct, Duct, OBtuse - 03/02/11 08:50 AM
Have you ever played duck, duck, goose? Everyone sits in a circle, and one stands to walk around the circle touching everyone on the head. At each touch the word "duck" is said, which means you can remain sitting, or the word "goose!" If goose is said when your head is touched, you must chase the toucher around the circle, catching them before they get to your position. If you don't, you must sit in the middle of the circle until the chased person is finally caught.
Substitute the word "OBtuse" for "goose." OBtuse is an adjective, and means to be … (40 comments)
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new construction problems: Coming Out Of The Closet - 02/25/11 06:04 AM
Closets in new construction are sometimes very large, particularly the master bedroom closet. In this case the closet is in the shape of a capital H, and large enough for a sizable slumber party.
That means it's going to hold lots of stuff!
That being the case, it is important that the racks are strong. Because? Because gravity works, every time.
So it's important that they are installed properly.
You want the racks to be level so they can be used for storage.
And each of the support arms should be screwed into a stud.
When the support arms are supported … (73 comments)
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new construction problems: Siding Guy, Meet Vent Guy - 02/18/11 03:47 AM
Arriving at a final inspection of a new construction, to a house no where near ready for us, practically before even saying hello to Coral Gundlach, the Realtor, I playfully had to show her this! It kind of set the tone for the day...
Now, how fun is that!?
A siding guy simply wouldn't do this to his siding job.
And this vent guy simply doesn't know how to cut properly through a siding job to set a vent.
I think this is one of those post-facto things that happens when details are forgotten along the way. It indicates improper configuration … (89 comments)
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new construction problems: Drywall Screw Happy - 3 of 3 - 02/09/11 06:39 AM
This is the final post about drywall screws used in places they should not be. To reiterate, this is new construction, and all three posts came about because of a single pre-drywall inspection on a $1.5 million house.
The reasoning behind building a new house, and an expensive one, is to get what you pay for. You are hoping not to inherit pre-existing problems or those left over by previous homeowners. That is good logic.
Which brings us to drywall screws.
This is a view of the master shower, large, two shower heads, and a seat at one end.
Notice the … (48 comments)
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new construction problems: Drywall Screw Happy - 2 of 3 - 02/07/11 08:51 AM
This is the same new construction as was the previous post. Remember, my beef is professionalism and longevity of work done. Improper materials always cause things to fall apart or otherwise become damaged quicker than they should! And often AFTER the warranty expires!
And as to pre-drywall inspections, which I do a lot of, I said this: I have done enough of these to walk into a house and see where the professionals work and where they don't...
This is your basic shower stall pan. Plastic, framed, plumbed and attached.
… (36 comments)
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new construction problems: Framing The Problem - 11/29/10 07:39 AM
On new construction there are times when you can look at something and not be able to tell what the problem is! At times you have to look at things a long time and still can't see exactly what is going on.
Things look out of whack, but sometimes, when many things ALL look out of whack, it is hard to determine what it is. Such was the case on this now-famously-popular new construction!
This is one wing of the upper level of this house.
You can see two types of siding materials used here - vinyl siding … (30 comments)
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new construction problems: My Job? To Protect My Client's A$$ets! - 11/20/10 04:36 AM
New construction inspections are always a challenge. And for many reasons. There is a lot of countervailing stuff going on.
The supervisor thinks he has built the perfect house. Sometimes he tells me that. The builder doesn't want me there. Sometimes they tell me that. The client has been upset many times by the time we do our inspection. Sometimes they tell me that. And the client has been told that the house was already inspected numerous times by the County and that the supervisor was on site every day doing his routine inspections, so that superfluous home inspector isn't really … (31 comments)
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new construction problems: Don't Turn On The Furnace - 11/19/10 06:56 AM
On a recent new construction inspection I arrived much earlier than my clients. I like to do that. When they arrive I can greet them and introduce myself, and mention a couple of things about the house.
Usually the supervisor comes to the house when he sees me. Often he will say something like, "Well, you won't find anything wrong with this house!" This supervisor was no different.
I was inside this house about 10 minutes when I found three serious problems.
This is one.
The house has two furnaces, the lower level being a high efficiency, condensing gas furnace.
Very … (126 comments)
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new construction problems: In And Out Kitchen Vent - 09/03/10 07:19 AM
A recent new construction walk through was scheduled intentionally a day before the final walk through with the builder. My client had said they wanted to do our inspection after the final with the builder! To that I said , "No, no, no! You need them to include anything we find on the list of repairs they will sign and give to you." My client emailed me back a simple, "Good point." So he asked and they agreed to have us come earlier.
The kitchen vent was one of those powerful commercial types. It has five speeds and at the highest … (40 comments)
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new construction problems: Put Yer Putty! - 04/01/10 07:01 AM
How often do you look around the house and see things with gaps, holes and cracks?
And be honest, how many times have you wondered how nice it would be to have one single product that you can use to fill it and go?
Hi, Billy Jays here! Well wonder no more! All you need is Put Yer Putty!
Floor gaps in that pesky new flooring?
No problem! All you need is Put Yer Putty!
Got a plumbing leak?
All you need is Put Yer Putty!
… (12 comments)
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new construction problems: Manufacturer's Defect - 03/31/10 10:41 AM
My daughter and son-in-law bought a new house, in another state far from me. They have been in it only a few months. Some defects in things are beginning to show up. Caulking is "disintegrating" (their word), leaks are occurring, cabinets are coming off the kitchen walls (I had a blog about that, although it was a different house!), and a big problem is the flooring. It is separating. And not just their flooring, but also the house next door, built by the same builder. The problem(s) next door are said to be worse!
They have counted 15 places where … (12 comments)
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new construction problems: Here A Crack, There A Crack, Everywhere... - 03/26/10 05:41 AM
Had the sun not been in the right position I might not have seen this.
New construction, double master bathroom sink, plastic counter top with bowls.
Glancing in the mirror the reflected sun light just happened to catch a 8" long, very thin crack extending from beside the right handle to beyond the left. Had I gone in there a moment earlier, or later, the sun may not have revealed it. Without the sun it was almost invisible.
While we might not have been able to see it, and the supervisor did not know it was there, one has to … (23 comments)
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Jay Markanich - Northern VA Home Inspector
Bristow,
VA
More about me…
Jay Markanich Real Estate Inspections, LLC
Address: 12315 Sherborne Street, Bristow, VA, 20136
Office Phone: (703) 330-6388
Cell Phone: (703) 585-7560
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An experienced home inspector's look at current home inspection events and conditions along with his useful recommendations.
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