New construction inspections

10 years ago

Buying a new construction home, and I am well aware this is a serious expense. I have no problem spending a good deal of money to be absolutely 100% sure it is as close to perfect as possible.

For that I need to make sure I get the right experts to take a look. The question is what experts should I get?

Just a really good inspector or should I hire other experts to go through the house?

I was thinking about hiring the inspector for pre-drywall and getting an hvac company I trust to go through the system, but not sure if that is just extra work.

What about foundation? Do I need a different person? Can they inspect at pre-drywall or do they have to do it at initial pour?

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Comments (5)

User
10 years ago
For a home that isn't built, use your architect for the full services that they can provide. They can act as your advocate/inspector on site during the build. For a lot of things, it does zero good to look at the construction after the fact when the poor quality work is already behind thewalls ans invisible.
scotkight
Original Author
10 years ago
Builder built, not custom.
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User
10 years ago
With the fox guarding the henhouse, your best bet is to select the builder very carefully. You're relying on his reputation for quality. There's not a lot you can do as far as inspections go for a home where you don't own the land and your bank isn't dispersing the funds at set milestones. That's leverage that create an incentive towards doing things right. When he owns the land and is financing the build, you either take it or leave it.
nosoccermom
10 years ago
Agree with the others; however, you can have an inspection just before closing (we did). There was a long list of small items, which the builder fixed, some of which we may not have found ourselves. However, for the big items like quality of materials or workmanship, it depends. If it's an individual builder you're dealing with, you may be able to specify certain things IF you know what is important. For example, we talked to an architect friend and then specified certain upgraded materials, including caulk quality, extra sound insulation, certain pipes, upgraded furnace and water heater. We were also able to stop by and check on the tiling and kitchen installation and had them redo some tiles that were all crooked, but I'm sure that there are probably quite a few things behind the walls and ceilings that the builder wouldn't allow in his own house :) Bu tif you feel that you need to check the foundation and whatever, then maybe that builder isn't the right choice.
scotkight
Original Author
10 years ago
We are already setup to do a before the drywall goes in inspection, then another before final closing. I'm working with them to upgrade a few things, like hvac from 93 to 96% modulating and 16 seer AC. Windows are also being upgraded a bit.

What I am trying to understand is if I need more inspections that are a good choice money spend. Should I bring anyone else besides just an inspector when I do my before the drywall goes up inspection? Or should I just let them inspect and bring someone else in if they find an issue?

Are there any things I need to have inspected before the above inspection?