St. Paul home buyers often ask if they should get a private home inspection, especially if they are buying new construction. Afterall, new construction is "perfect". No one else has lived there to beat up the house so it can't have defects. It looks shiny and clean. It doesn't have dirty carpets. It doesn't have holes in the walls. Why is a buyers inspection necessary?
Here are a few examples of findings from a private home inspection on a new house. Click on each picture to get an enlarged view.
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| Looks like there are a few missing shingles on that ridge cap. | The brand new shingles are overhanging the roof too much. They need to be trimmed. | The sharp points on the underlying shingles are supposed to be trimmed like the red line shows so the water doesn't catch on them and go under the shingles. |
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| This gas pipe is not protected from rubbing on the sharp metal hole. Eventually the sharp metal could cause a breach in the pipe and a subsequent leak. | The structural beam is supposed to be supported by 3" of cement block instead of only 2". That's one third less support of that beam. | Combustible plastic is contacting the pipe intended for the dryer vent. This is a potential fire hazard. |
Other new construction homes have found similar issues. Some have improper finish grading so a pond forms in the back yard. One had a large picture window installed with one corner one inch out from the frame. The improper installation would have voided the manufacturer's warranty on the window in the event of future problems, not to mention the possibility of water and weather intrusion into the home. Sometimes the discoveries are more minor like not securing the air conditioner electrical disconnect box which is usually on the side of the home. An easy thing to fix, but not minor if your child is the one who opens the box and puts their hand inside. In all cases the homes had passed the final city inspections.
When my previous buyer clients found defects like these in their inspections, It's pretty hard not to recommend having an inspection even when it's new construction!
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