Home inspection for a new home.
If you are buying a newly constructed home, one may wonder if a home inspection is needed. We believe it is important to have ANY home inspected no matter how new or old it is.
Many people mistakenly believe that they don’t need a home inspection on a new house. The misconception is understandable because as consumers we have been conditioned to believe that consumer products of all types will be delivered without defects. Unfortunately this is not true, especially in the new construction market.
Quality control programs in new construction vary widely in the field and many contractors do it by the seat of their pants if at all. They usually get away with this because they have learned from experience what kind of mistakes are going to show up as a problem during the warranty period, if a home inspection is not performed. As a result there are likely to be hidden defects that will show up later in the life of the house, after the builder warranty has expired.
Homeowners often encounter these problems after the first year or two not knowing they are related to construction error if they do not initially have a home inspection performed. For instance, brick veneer is installed on about 90% of the new houses built in this area. Most people do not realize that brick is not waterproof. To compensate for this, construction standards, including the building codes, require a drainage plane behind the brick along with flashing and weep holes that will guide any water that penetrates the brick, back to the outside.
It is not uncommon nowadays to see brick veneer installed without all the required flashing. As a result water may enter the interior wall and ceiling space and cause all kinds of problems including damage to walls, ceilings and floors and issues with mold, mildew and fungus.
Again, most homeowners don’t realize that the problems they see even 5 or 6 years after they move in are the result of code violations. If you are looking to purchase a newly constructed home, please make sure a home inspection is performed.
