Most prospective buyers of new construction homes feel that since the house is new, they will have a builder’s warranty, so there is no need to do a home inspection. If the warranty covers anything that goes wrong for a year, why worry?
The average homeowner will catch:
- nail pops
- shrinkage cracks
- rubbing doors
- other obvious items
What about the larger issues and the inconvenience they may cause once you move into the house?
- How about the first time you use the spa tub with 30 gallons of water and the drain is not connected, you pull the plug, and the drywall ceiling in the room below comes down … along with 30 gallons of water.
- What if the hot and cold water supplies are switched? This may be a perk in the winter when the toilet is nice and toasty, but not good when getting into what you expect to be a “hot”shower only to discover that it’s cold!
- What if a sewer line is not attached in the crawl space and it isn’t discovered until the smell is identified and a nasty “mess” is located.
These items will probably be noticed and dealt with, along with the inconvenience of getting them fixed, but what other unknowns are not detected through a visual walk-through by the buyers? For instance, a flue on a gas appliance not venting properly causing carbon monoxide levels of 35ppm.
- Carbon monoxide detectors in a house will not go off for at least 1 hour at 70ppm.
- A fire fighter will not go into a house without a breathing apparatus at 25ppm.
This is a hazardous environment especially if an elderly person, baby, or someone with health issues will be living in the house.
These are just a few of the many items Pristine Home Inspections have found on new construction houses. New or old, all houses should be inspected by a qualified ASHI inspector to reduce surprises and for peace of mind.