Things to Watch Out For in Your New Construction Home

Every week, the detail-oriented folks at Green Scene Home Inspections will give CandysDirt.com readers an education in inspection. Want to see what they see? Tune in  for “Upon Closer Inspection.”

Do I really need an inspection on a new construction home?

If you’re buying a newly constructed home, you might think to yourself, why would I need a home inspection? The truth is, you probably need a home inspection even more on a new construction home.

A newly built home hasn’t been tested by having someone live in it to find all the little problems and missed details from construction, so having an inspector put the home’s systems through some stress is a great idea before you move in. 

Here are some examples of issues we’ve found with new homes.

This brand new townhome had missing window sills on four exterior windows. It seems like kind of a major oversight.

The plumbing on this luxury bathtub is not connected. That would have been a heck of a mess instead of a relaxing bath. The inspector said he’s seen this on a number of new construction homes.

Oops. 

When the guy who installed the sprinkler system and the guy who installed the fence don’t communicate. We see this specific problem all the time.  

These are all pretty small issues, but they can add up to big headaches for a new homeowner.