What To Expect A New Home Builder in Clayton To Correct On A Final Walk Thru?

What To Expect A New Home Builder in Clayton To Correct On A Final Walk Thru?

Choosing a builder for your new home

So you have just bought a new new house, brand spanking new, never been lived in, built just for you, can you expect it to be perfect? Well you can certainly expect it to be free of major defects, glaring mistakes, improper installation of appliances, fixtures, doors, windows etc. You can expect to find a home in the correct position on the lot although the final walk thru is a tad late for that. You can expect to find the correct exterior materials, stone, brick, siding, shake, and in the color you chose. You can expect hardwood floors if thats what you paid for or tile or carpet. You should expect the paint color to be what you agreed on, the correct cabinets, granite, the right light fixtures.

Now a lot of these items, in fact all of them need to be discussed way before the house is even started and agreed on by all parties and signed off on, so there are no surprises. Will there be mistakes even though it clearly says one thing and something else goes in it’s place, of course! Remember we are all human, prone to error and mistakes and there is a long chain of suppliers and tradesmen that are involved in the construction of your home from the time you sign off on it to the installation, the key is to find them early and have them fixed.

For example, a house we just had built here in Clayton, NC for some clients was supposed to come with a three panel French Door with two operable doors , when it arrived it had only one door that opened, same size, same color, same everything...except only one door opened. The sub contractor never checked to see, he was told to install a door and he installed a door. Then he uninstalled a door and when the correct door came in he installed the correct door. This is why it is imperative to keep detailed notes and use pictures all the time if possible and schedule a series of visits with your builder and your buyers agent to tour the house during the stages of construction.

Have an inspection done, just because it's new doesn't mean it is free from defects, some of which could be extremely costly to repair after the fact. Remember most new construction these days is done by sub contractors, so you may have a contract with a builder to build your new home  but the people who actually do the work are subs, separate companies that could be a one man operation or a crew of ten. They very likely will do the work on your house and the next day be working for another builder on someone else's house. So if the plumber installs his lines and later the electrician comes in and punctures a pipe without knowing it, well the plumbers gone, you better find that leak before you buy the house.

So can you expect your new home to be perfect? Well here’s the thing, paint is still applied by a brush and brushes leave brush strokes so you are going to find some, it’s inevitable. And when it is sprayed on the walls keep in mind it is a liquid and there may be drops. Hardwood floors come from a tree and while I think all trees are perfect, it is unlikely you will find completely flawless floors throughout the house. Tile comes in different sizes and so do rooms and tubs and showers, they don’t always match perfectly. A quality craftsman will ensure you don’t notice it ...much.

Sub- Contractors on a building site in Clayton,NC 27527

I try to set the expectations up front with my clients,when you do a final walk thru, you can expect to find some minor flaws, ask the builder to fix them, can you ask the builder to remove every brush stroke and replace every board with a knot in it ? I don’t think so, maybe if you are paying a couple of million dollars for your home sure but remember it’s a home not a shrine and God forbid you put a couple of kids or a dog in it, they’ll ruin it for you.

 Builders build tens of houses a year you might only ever build one in your lifetime, have someone in your corner, in North Carolina it doesn't cost you anything! 

Get a Buyers Agent... like me, find the right builder that you feel comfortable with, it makes things go a lot smoother.