13 Jun New Construction Home Inspections: Are They Necessary?

In the midst of the last recession that crippled the U.S. real estate economy, new construction home inspections virtually disappeared. For several years, there was too much available housing inventory at too low a price to make newly constructed homes competitive on cost. Essentially, buying a prebuilt house was more attractive to homebuyers than building one.
However, now with skyrocketing real estate markets in many parts of the country, new construction is back in full swing and once again raises a question for new homebuyers: should I bother hiring a home inspector for new construction?
If you’re considering whether or not you should hire a home inspector for a newly constructed home, here are some common mistakes that can happen with new constructions that may help you make up your mind.

Common Mistakes with New Home Construction

• Incorrect installation of the roof, which may result in having to be completely replaced.
• The mechanical room or space being built too small and cannot fit all the appliances, including the furnace, water heater, pressure tank, etc.
• The home is not correctly insulated, which results in tearing out finished walls and ceilings to fix it. This can be especially true in some inaccessible sections of the roof.
• The siding of the house is improperly installed and ends up needing to be replaced.
• The basement walls were not insulated, which is particularly important in areas with colder climates.
• Crawl space ventilation is not installed, resulting in water from condensation to build up and cause a lot more damage.
• Improper insulation around recessed lighting, which can result in air leaks and heat loss.
• A leaky booster pump, which could cascade into a whole list of repairs to be made including having to replace hardwood floors.
• Structural issues, such as with a damaged roof truss system or an unusual floor frame configuration could require structural engineers to be called in to evaluate.

You may be getting the picture of why it’s strongly recommended to get a home inspection on new construction. A house is a complex system of many variables that if done incorrectly or simply left out, could result in future damage to the home and you stuck paying for the bill.
According to the National Association of Home Builders, more than 3,000 components are used in constructing a house. That is a lot of parts and that number does not even include the fine detail of how critical components such as screws, nails, adhesives, and sealants are selected and installed.
Roughly 20 different sub-contractors most likely install these 3,000 components and each sub-contractor may employ as many as 4 to 5 different employees to work on the house. Upon completion, your house could have seen more than 100 different people working with these 3,000 components, including sub-contractors for things such as roofing, framing, painting, drywall, electrical, flooring, appliances, insulation, etc.

If you need to schedule a home inspection or have questions please contact us at 941-779-7170 or click here to email us.