I hear the comment “Why should I get a inspection on a new home? It is under warranty and it’s new.” Anyone who does not get a professional inspection on any home purchase is taking a big risk on a big investment. I find most problems in the attic where it is out of sight out of mind. You say warranty? If you do not know what to look for what good is the warranty? Defects can take more than a year to surface.
Recently I was asked to perform a radon test on a new constructed home. The buyers felt no need to do an inspection. Well when I was at the home picking up the radon test I noticed a major defect. The plumbers cut completely through an engineered I joist, see photo below. This can be disastrous. Cutting the top and bottom cord significantly weakens the structure of the home. I was not inspecting this home and still noticed this defect. How? Because I am a trained professional. This is also not the first time I have found this condition. I have actually found this three other times! Considering the fact that I don’t inspect many new construction homes, this really concerns me.
I have also found defects in the attics of new homes, such as missing insulation. I inspected a five year old home that had no insulation, there were measuring sticks, but absolutely not a speck of insulation In another home the water heater vent was disconnected in the attic. It looked great on the roof, it looked great at the water heater, but it went into the attic and did not connect to the roof vent. This could cause severe mold and rot and could even cause death due to carbon monoxide poisoning. No warranty will cover that. Most people never go into the attic, so without an inspection will never know this condition exists.
Any new dishwasher is also a concern of mine. Plumbers install them without testing. I find many new dishwashers that leak. You may say hey that is under warranty and I agree, but will they cover the damage done to the flooring or basement ceiling?
Once I found poor flashing at the chimney on a new home and brought it to the buyer’s attention, but the buyer did not do anything about it. Two months later the dining room ceiling was leaking. The home owner told me it took the builder six months to fix it. So yes, it was covered under the builder’s warranty, yet the owners had to live in a new home for six months with buckets on the dining room floor catching water from the ceiling. The warranty unfortunately does not mean they will be there tomorrow.
I have found many other issues in new construction. If you are planning on buying a home that is old, new or “as is” don’t make the mistake of not hiring a Professional Home Inspector. You can take that to the bank.
John Rocco
Pillar To Post Professional Home Inspection