Buying A New Build? Watch Out For These Problems

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.”

If you’re buying a new build, 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 build.

As we’ve said before, 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. 

The beautiful, new energy-efficient window above was not installed properly and the inside seal is buckling. A good thing for the builder to fix before you sign those papers.

This new build has a design flaw. The return air vent and the air register are placed too close to each other right over the hot stove. Really hot air from above the range will be going into the HVAC making it work harder to cool the air down and then “return” it to the home. 

This roof was installed three days before this photo was taken. The roofer said, “It was flat when I left!” Wavy shingles are sometimes caused when the felt underlay gets wet while the shingles are being laid.

The video (taken in 2017 in a newly constructed home) shows some of the “unfinished business” you sometimes find in new homes.