New home owners may feel that a newly constructed home does not require inspection because their local building inspector checks their property before issuing a “Certificate of Occupancy”.  The fact is; a new homebuyer can benefit greatly from using a professional home inspector during the construction and completion of their new home.

This type of inspection should be done in two phases. The first phase of this type of inspection is done once the house in under roof; the trades are completed with their work just prior to the drywall being installed. I look at standard construction practices for this area and verify they have been followed. A key part of this inspection is to review your plan and the extras you requested to ensure they are roughed in accordingly. It is not uncommon for something to get overlooked.

The second phase takes place just prior to closing and preferably before your final walk through. All areas of the finished home are reviewed to ensure they operate as designed.

"Why does a newly constructed home need an inspection?"
It is reasonable to assume state or local government officials overseen the builder and contractors; and that the local town or city building inspectors inspect the property. To some degree this is true; however, few if any municipal inspectors spend anywhere near enough time in the home to completely check all elements of a home inspection. Home inspection but an objective expert will uncover code violations missed but routine municipality inspections; that may have serious consequences for you as the new home owner

Even if the contractor you choose to build your new home/ property is renowned for quality work; the majority of construction tasks (foundation, framing, plumbing, electrical, etc.) are usually subcontracted out to the lowest bidder, with speed, not quality being an important consideration for the builder. It's nearly impossible for the builder to monitor all phases of the home construction with so many separate activities going on at the same time.

If your builder does not allow you to bring a private home inspector on site, this should raise a couple of questions:
Why won't the builder allow the home inspector on site?
What does the builder have to hide?
At this point you should be thinking hard about proceeding with the purchase and you should also be consulting with your attorney.

Most new builders offer a warranty period for the new homeowner, however, there are usually many items not covered by the warranty as well as limitations that you should be made aware of. If you have missed the opportunity to have an inspection completed during the construction phase and final walk through, there may be time to have one done now.

Contact Peak Home Inspections today to discuss a home inspection on your new construction property.