New Build Homes – Is A Building Inspection Really Needed?

Why You Should Get A Building Inspection For A New Build Home

Many people ask; “Why does a newly constructed home need a building inspection?” “Isn’t a newly constructed home perfect and safe?” But there are many reasons why it is a good idea.

6 Reasons To Get A Building Inspection For A New Build Home:

Builders and their contractors are often very busy, and working to a tight deadline for completion. Sometimes things can get missed or not finished well.
Often new builds get tendered out to the lowest bidder, and in a competitive environment that can sometimes mean the budget and time are tight toward the end of the build reducing quality.
Council inspectors are busy and often time pressured too, their focus is on the building meeting the code and the consent given. They spend little time on site over the whole build.
There could be problems with the home that are not necessarily building code violations, yet have serious consequences for the new home owner.
Issues can happen where two or more different trades have been involved to complete a part of the build (eg: plumber and builder, or roofer and bricklayer), and the finish is not reviewed properly by all once the job was completed.
An independent home inspector is able to provide fresh eyes to the build, and has no ‘baggage’ of being involved in the build.

Some examples of issues picked up in newly and recently built homes:

Building Inspection

Clockwise from top left:

Poor installation of the cladding and flashing has allowed water to penetrate and a crack in the cladding has developed.
A lack of coordination between bricklayer and roofer has resulted in the seal between the brick mortar and the lead flashing not being finished correctly leaving a large gap for water to get out.
The pipe has not been fused correctly during soldering resulting in a leak.
Cement has not been cleaned up by roofers, leading to gutter erosion, leaking and blockage.

Include A Building Inspection Clause In Your New Build

Home buyers of newly constructed homes may not be aware they may have a building inspection clause included with their new home contract. Fact is, a new home buyer can greatly benefit from using a professional home inspector during the construction and completion of their new home.