Many home builders are master craftsmen and produce high quality homes capable of passing even the most rigorous home inspections with flying colors. However, an unfortunate fact of the real estate market is that a significant minority of home builders are incompetent or blatantly disregard standards for material quality and workmanship. This means that a shocking number of new homes will fail or barely pass professional home inspections.
My advice: don’t let the newness of a home fool you into thinking it is in top shape. If bad building practices were used during its construction, a recently-finished house can be riddled with more problems than one built decades earlier.
If you are looking to purchase a new home, be on the lookout for the following deficiencies (among others). Failure to notice them or raise any concerns you may have about your potential new home’s construction could cost you thousands of dollars -- if not tens of thousands -- in the long run.
Cracks in structural concrete
Time (generally around four weeks) and a controlled, slightly moist environment is required for concrete to achieve suitable strength and hardness before additional construction goes on above and around it. Construction companies who are overly concerned with completing a project in as short a time span as possible sometimes do not give concrete either of these. Hairline cracks and structural weakness in foundations and basement and garage floors can result.
The following types of hairline cracks tend to occur when concrete is cured poorly: Shrinkage: caused by parts of concrete closer to air shrinking faster due to water evaporation than the parts farther away from air. Thermal: caused by fluctuations in temperature when the concrete is drying.
Poor concrete curing practices are both dangerous, in that structural failures caused by weak concrete can endanger a house’s inhabits, and expensive, because repairing low-quality concrete can easily cost more than $10,000. The latter is compounded by the fact that concrete cracks can produce other problems, i.e. cracks in foundations causing wet basements and water damage.
Poor drainage away from house
Poor drainage results when inadequate measures are taken to ensure that water will naturally flow away from a house. Expensive repairs are sometimes required when this simple concept is forgotten or disregarded.
Drainage issues are most common in large housing developments where pre-construction plot inspection is minimal and little time is spent on directing water flow at each individual house. For example, incompetent construction companies sometimes forget that water from the houses they build on top of a hill will flow down onto the ones they build at the bottom. Failing to compensate for this fact by not outfitting the houses at the bottom of the hill with extra drainage can (and frequently does) result in costly damage.
Low quality appliances and equipment
Low quality appliances and equipment -- from water heaters to garage door openers -- cause problems for new homeowners on two fronts. First, they tend to function poorly. Many home builders who fixate on reducing costs install equipment and appliances which operate below what consumers want, i.e. water heaters only capable of providing enough hot water for a 10 minute shower. Second, low-quality appliances and equipment tend to fail after relatively short periods of time. While it is sometimes possible to troubleshoot appliances yourself, professional repairs are required more often than not. This forces homebuyers to shell out thousands of dollars years before they should, driving up the real cost of their new home.
Some appliance and equipment manufacturers do a good job concealing low quality by making their products look attractive. Remember: a water heater is not guaranteed to work well even if it is sleek and shiny; in fact, manufacturers of the highest quality equipment tend to spend the least time on making their products aesthetically pleasing. Do not be afraid to get a professional opinion if you think a house’s appliances might be shoddy, even if they’re new.
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