New Home Inspection.

By Pete Busch

This week I though I would do a quick blog on why you should have your brand new home inspected. Its perceived that new homes will not have anything wrong with them but that is hardly ever the case.  These days homes are build in a very short time using many different contractors. It is very difficult to coordinate the timing of the entire construction process due to sub contractors schedules, weather, and material availability. This is when things can get overlooked.

While doing a new home inspection in Maple Grove Minnesota below is a list of the items I found.

1.  50% of the window locks did not work, this is a major security risk
2. The grade around the entire house was too high, in this case the rain water runoff was directed towards the rear of the house. There is no excuse for this and most likely would have gone unnoticed until there was a water problem in the basement. At this point re grading would be done on the home owners dime.
3. There was a gas leak at the furnace. This goes without saying is very dangerous.
4. The water heater was partially venting into the basement, this also goes without saying is very dangerous.
5. The deck was improperly installed having an unsafe improperly constructed guard rail. The guard rail would have been okay for a couple of years but would soon loosen possibly causing a fall.
6. One room was lacking air flow in the HVAC system. In a new home and in this particular home this most likely would have gone unnoticed for a while.
7. This home had a high radon level. Fortunately new homes are now built with a passive radon system installed so mitigation is not as extensive as homes that need a retrofit system installed.

These are serious issues that are not only unsafe, they would be on your dime to fix if not bought up within the time frame of your builders warranty period.  Do not hesitate to have your brand new home inspected. A home, new or old, is your largest expense, taking shortcuts in the purchase process is never in your best interest.

Pete Busch
Minnesota Home Inspector