When to perform a home inspection on new construction?
A new construction home can inspect at any time within one year. Why under one year? Because often the house is under warranty.
1. Before you took possession of the home or Pre-Delivery Inspection.
2. Somewhere between a month and a year after moving into the house.
Pre-Delivery Inspection or PDI:
 PDI is a walkthrough of a newly built home with a builder’s representative. Don’t forget he is working for the builder, so his best interest is always the builder, not you. For a new homeowner, the run-through with the builder is not enough. It’s crucial to get an unbiased opinion from a certified professional who can make sure that no issue gets neglect, either major or minor.
Somewhere between a month and a year:
As a Civil Engineer, I know and understand that soil beneath the house settles within the first few years because of the weight of the home. There are various types of soils; some have more compressive strength (load-bearing capacity) than others. But less or more, they all settle. Some settle uniformly (less dangerous), others settle differentially or gradually (more dangerous). But, when the soil settles, the house settles with it. If the settlement is less and uniform, this will probably cause no harm to the structure. But on the other hand, if the settlement is significant and differential, structural cracks can occur, door and window frames could jam, glasses can break. Let’s not dig deep into engineering stuff and focus on the home inspection.
As a smart homeowner, you must hire a certified home inspector to inspect your home after 30 days if you didn’t have it checked at the pre-delivery stage. If it got inspected at the PDI stage, you better have it to inspect again near the first anniversary. Because until your home is under warranty, you can enjoy the benefits of free repairs. But this could be possible only if you brought them to the builder’s attention. Either you want a Pre-Delivery Inspection, or you want to get your home inspected within one year of taking charge. Aman Home Inspection is here to assist you. Your dream house is just a step away, book your inspection today.
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New Home Defects or Issues:
Constructing a home is a complicated process that involves several subcontractors and trade persons. Each individual is working on a different house system, which makes cooperation difficult. While many separate activities are happening side by side, it is quite possible to miss details that could result in deficiencies. Some of the issues that inspectors repeatedly found on newer homes are:
• Switches not working
• Hot water faucets connected to cold water pipes and vice versa, leaking pipes
• Thermostats not working
• Missing paint
• Shrinkage cracks
• Incorrectly fitted doors and windows
• Missing Flashing on doors and windows, window leaks
• Improper ground slope and poor drainage that could lead to the flooded basement and many structural problems
• Expansion and contraction of wood framing with moisture changes
• Inadequately supported roof framing or defective roof trusses etc.
• Missing nuts/washers on sill plates
• Cut sections of floor joists/structural supports
• Missing electrical receptacles at essential locations
• Wrong size air conditioning and heating units
• Ducts not properly attached to heating and cooling units
• Ducts filled with dirt
• Flue pipe absent on furnace and drier
• Missing ridge vent
• Missing or insufficient insulation that means less comfort and more energy cost
• Cabinets not satisfactorily secured
• Handrails not appropriately secured, inadequate space between spindles
• Roof shingles not installed correctly
• Missing a fire stopper on garage door
• Garage door doesn’t work
• Missing or improper siding
• Incorrectly installed sump pumps
• Inversely installed hot and cold water taps
• Leaks in plumbing pipes
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These are just a few deficiencies that home inspectors found on newer homes. Still, the actual list is way longer than you could even imagine. It’s not unusual for home inspectors to discover unfinished projects. That includes; missing insulation, guardrails, thermostats, electrical cover plates, and hardware pieces etc. If you ought to take possession of your new home or if it’s still under warranty, call Aman Home Inspection to book an inspection. The house of your dreams is just a step away.
