New Construction Homes: The Good, The Bad, And The Ugly

When we inspect new construction homes, our inspectors evaluate systems that haven’t been tested by homeowners living in them yet, so we’re making sure that the home has been set up properly and that all systems are functioning as they should. Sometimes everything is working spectacularly, but sometimes mistakes have been made, or something has gone wrong between construction and the time the property has been purchased, and a repair is needed.

Today we’re looking at examples from new home construction inspections that show you the good, the bad, and the ugly home inspection finds from brand new homes:

The Good: Security Hinges

Here’s an example of a time when an inspector found something he would normally call out as deficient but it turned out to be a good thing. Normally, exterior doors are set up to swing inward so the hinges are on the inside. This way the hinges aren’t accessible to intruders who could easily slip the pin and remove the door to enter. These newer security hinges make that maneuver impossible, so you can have your exterior doors swing outward, giving you a little extra space around those doors inside. Neat.

Good: Main Disconnect & Electrical Panel

If you ever wanted a primer on how your electrical panel should look, what the various components are, and what they do, save this video. Inspector Brian gives you a quick rundown on all the elements of the main disconnect on the exterior of the home, and the panel box inside the home.

The Bad: Water Leak in a Brand New Home

In this video, Inspector Adrian notices water collecting at the foundation line that shouldn’t be there, and tracks it down to the bathroom on the other side of the wall. A slow leak has been doing damage to the floor and baseboards, and leaking through to the other side of the wall and the foundation. They will have to open up the wall to see the extent of the damage.

The Ugly: Framing Mistakes

This right here is why you want to hire a phase inspector if you are building a home from the ground up. If a mistake like this doesn’t get caught during framing, you’re going to end up with major structural problems later on.

Shopping for new construction homes is a great option in today’s market where inventory is still relatively low, and there aren’t as many existing homes on the market as you might hope. But don’t skip the home inspection! Just because the home is new, doesn’t mean it’s perfect.