New Construction Home Inspections
A Closer Look Home Inspection Service provides New Construction Home Inspections that are designed to help individuals purchasing new residential construction to get a home with the fewest possible problems. No home is perfect, but providing 3rd party inspections at different phases can result in a home that is better built and more energy efficent.
The New Construction Home Inspection includes all the items in
the Structural / Mechanical Home Inspection as well as close
inspection of cabinets, fit and finish items around the house and
operation of all windows. The inspection also includes select
references to the International Residential Code (IRC) and Texas
Residential Construction Commission Performance Standards to help
resolve any dispute about the need for a repair on a newly
constructed house. The foundation and framing inspection reports are
delivered via email only. The punch list inspection report is
delivered onsite and/or via email. New Construction home inspection services are available for; A newly constructed home incorporates
many of the latest technology and newest designs in home
construction. Everything is brand new and ready for you to move in
when you sign the closing papers. The house may have met or past the
quality control inspections of the builder and may have been
inspected several times by the city Building Inspector.
So why does it need a
third party inspection? This is a common question that can be best answered with some
information about the building process and real estate transaction. A lot is
riding on your purchase and you want to get it right with a minimum of problems
down the road. A little money spent now may prevent costly outlays to make
needed repairs after you live in the house a few years or go to sell your home
to another buyer. The
Builder is someone who purchases one or more lots in the
development to build houses to sell. The Builder may actually
be numerous people who collectively work together to get the house built. The days of a Builder actually building the house are pretty
much over. Now the Builder assigns a Supervisor who will
oversee the construction of several houses in the subdivision. The
actual construction of the house is performed by various trade
persons who are often the lowest bid Contractor for that job. The
Supervisor coordinates the construction between the Contractors and
may know very little about the construction trade. In the
February 2004 issue of Journal of Light Construction,
the Chairman of the New Jersey State Commission of Investigation
states, "Builders large and small, their bottom lines increasingly
defined by speed and volume rather than quality and craftsmanship,
are churning out second-rate structures by unsupervised
subcontractors using unskilled, untrained laborers. Rampant code
violations go undetected because individuals charged with conducting
inspections are unqualified or corrupt or, sadly, both, or are
simply overwhelmed by their workload." The article also found "a
systematic lack of quality control by builders who are producing too
many homes too fast, with not enough trained workers and inadequate
oversight." Similar articles can be found in other publications
like the January 2004 issue of Consumer Reports "House wrecked" and
local newspapers. Please review these articles for more information. Builders may use the tactic of allowing you to
have your own inspector, but contend that they are under no
obligation to fix anything mentioned in his or her report. If the issues
observed in the report are obvious code violations, your builder is obligated by
the laws of the State of Texas to bring these items into compliance. Builders
are notorious for playing a scheduling game where he fails to give you any or
adequate notice of readiness for inspection and upgrades. The builder may inform
you that the home is ready to be inspected at a particular phase when it is
actually not ready. Your inspector will be unable to perform the full inspection
for that particular phase and will still charge you for the trip. After a couple of incomplete
phase inspections that can incur additional fees, you may simply decide to
forego the inspections and rely solely upon the Builder and
Municipal Building Inspector. Builders are
registered by the
Texas Residential
Construction Commission (TRCC).
There are no training, education or testing requirements to becoming a
Builder. All you need to do is fill out the application and send in the $125 fee and you
can be a builder also. Someone who knows nothing about
construction, building codes or manufacturer’s installation
instructions may be supervising the construction of your new house. This is a significant concern when the quality of the
construction is an issue. The TRCC has a dispute resolution process
that provides an inspection and arbitrational process to resolve
construction problems between the builder and buyer. The TRCC has
published
Performance Standards that determine the
acceptable quality of the construction of the house. These Standards
are available by following the above link. The entire process is
designed to keep problems out of a court of law. It is important
that everything be address up front in the process before closing. The Real
Estate Sales Agent or Broker are professionals who represent
their clients’ interest during the negotiation and transaction
process during a real estate transaction. They may have considerable
knowledge and experience about the real estate market and industry
that can increase the value of the purchase. They are licensed and
regulated by the
Texas Real Estate Commission (TREC)
and subject to laws, regulations and ethical conduct rules that are
designed to protect the public. In comparison, the Sales Agent in
the Builders office may not be licensed, regulated or bound by TREC or a
Code of Ethics. It is important that all communications with the
Builder be in writing. The
Professional Home Inspector is a 3rd party specialist
who is licensed and regulated by TREC. A Real Estate Inspector
is someone in training for their Professional Inspector’s license.
There are published
Standards of Practice that dictate what is
to be covered in the typical home inspection. The Home Inspector may have special
knowledge and tools that are used to evaluate the condition of
property at the time of the transaction. They are limited by
conditions of the property and access to different areas of the
house while performing their visual inspection. For example, a Framing Inspection
on a new house would provide visible to the interior section of a
wall. These are components that would not be visible at any later
point in time. If you catch problems before the wall is closed up and
you can improve the energy efficiency of the house and prevent
structural problems that could cause cosmetic damage later. Phased Inspections A New Construction Inspection is
intended to provide a review of the building systems as they are
constructed. A phased construction inspection will visually examine
the building under construction at three to five separate milestone
events. These inspections evaluate the quality, workmanship and
execution of the design and construction. The milestone events
are:
Your Builder may tell you that they do not allow 3rd
party inspectors. If they attempt to use this argument to control the
transaction, then we strongly
recommend that you pursue purchasing a house from another Builder.
Regardless what their company "allows" you have a rights as a
consumer under Federal Law to inspect your purchase. Builders and Supervisor may employ a
3rd party Home Inspection Company as an independent firm that inspects all of
their houses for their clients. This could be a blatant and obvious
conflict of interest. Some Builders will even use "independent
inspection companies" that are simply the builders' employees being
paid by the builder to act as third-party inspectors.
|
Foundation Phase |
Foundation layout, footings, perimeter walls, rebar, supports and materials |
|
Rough Framing Phase |
Framing layout, connections, materials and execution |
|
Utility Rough-In Phase |
Utility Layout, coordination of utilities, sizing, materials and execution (Optional) |
|
Pre-Drywall Phase |
Insulation, utility connections, coordination of utilities, appliance and cabinetry (Optional) |
|
Pre-Closing Phase |
Punch list development |