PRECISION
Home Inspection
Precisely the home inspectors you need
Serving Philadelphia, Bucks, Montgomery, Chester and Delaware Counties
for over 20 years
PRECISION NEW CONSTRUCTION INSPECTIONS
Why inspect a newly constructed house?
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Because mistakes are actually common, and this is the largest investment you will ever make; it is wise to have a professional evaluation to ensure it is as close to perfect as possible. Builders can use the wrong materials, overlook custom items, leave items unfinished when they try to rush a job, or simply not live up to your expectations – a private home inspection is your guarantee against such problems!
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A Precision Home Inspection ensures you have a highly-trained expert, evaluating everything from the pour of the foundation, to the quality of the framing, to the tiniest cosmetic imperfections in the finish work. We research and use international building and safety standards, manufacturers’ specifications, and the NAHB “Residential Construction Performance Guidelines” to ensure everything in your home is as it should be. And, if it isn’t, we have the knowledge and resources to back up our findings and recommendations.
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We can inspect a home at any stage of construction and offer a variety of alternatives to meet your specific needs.
Foundation Inspection
This function is most often performed by local township code officials, but sometimes local officials are too lax, or buyers’ don’t trust the cozy relationship between developers and township officials and want their own evaluation. This inspection is highly time-sensitive for poured concrete foundations, and is ideally performed immediately before and immediately after the pour of the foundation.
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Inspection of proper installations of footings and rebar is performed as early as possible, prior to the pour of the concrete. Evaluation of the quality of the pour and application of the exterior dampproofing is performed when forms are removed, but prior to backfilling.
Clients typically do not attend these inspections as they must be scheduled on short notice and many builders do not permit clients to be present (for safety and liability reasons). For this reason, we take plenty of pictures and hold a phone conference with you to discuss the inspection. (just $100)
Pre-Drywall/Framing Inspection
This inspection is ideally performed after all rough-ins are complete but prior to insulation and drywall installation. Changes in weather, material delivery schedules, and subcontractor availability mean that this is a window of time that changes frequently. Precision Home Inspection knows this, and allows for maximum scheduling flexibility to ensure we can get the job done.
This stage incorporates some parts of the foundation inspection and fully evaluates the framing and rough-ins for all systems (electric, plumbing, HVAC).
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Foundation walls are inspected for visible quality indicators. Framing is inspected for quality of lumber, installation, and defects. Fire stop application, rough-in locations, verification of custom installations, and other details of structure, plumbing, cooling, heating, electrical and roofing are inspected.
This stage is often not attended by clients, as many builders do not allow clients access to the worksite (for safety and liability reasons), and the rapidly changing nature of the construction schedule makes it difficult to coordinate schedules, even in optimal circumstances. (only $250!)
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Pre-Closing/Final Inspection
This is the most common stage of new construction inspection. All final installations and visible/accessible components are inspected. While it may seem that this might be “cleaner” than a home inspection for an older home, the high level of cosmetic detail makes it more time consuming and more intense.
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We produce two versions of the report for this stage: a punchlist highlighting issues to be corrected (most useful for the builder and subcontractors), and a full report with photos and a detailed explanation of findings including references and supporting material from international codes, manufacturers’ specs, and industry standards.
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Clients are encouraged to be part of this process, when possible (again, some builders do not permit clients to have access to the site). It is ideally scheduled after 100 perfect completion of all finish work, and prior to closing and final walkthrough (as much as possible).
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Builder’s Warranty Inspection
Builders typically provide a one year warranty with a new home. This covers a wide variety of potential problems, including cosmetic issues like drywall cracking and nail pops. These are common as homes settle and experience thermal expansion and contraction for the first time. While some issues (like a leak or faulty appliance) need to be addressed immediately, most of the lesser and cosmetic issues are typically resolved one time only, near the end of the warranty period.
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About 1 month prior to the expiration of the one-year warranty (11 months after closing), a One-Year Warranty Inspection is conducted to produce a list of items covered by the warranty that require correction. All components are examined and a punchlist of all incomplete, insufficient, or failing items is provided to the client and builder. (only $150!)
