I'm about to do a walkthrough on my newly-constructed home - What things should I look for or be aware of?

Question

single-family home

Answer 1

Ask the contractor to inform you of your maintenance responsibilities as the home owner. (monthly/yearly, etc.)This is a compliment to him. It allows him to teach you something and most contractors are impressed with home owners that desire to maintain properly what their labor has produced. The ultimate effect is it saves them time/money because they don't have to return to the job site to do something such as "push a reset button on your dishwasher." Most importantly TAKE NOTES.

Inspect the electrical panel. Is a "passed" sticker present?"
Request all circuits be clearly labeled.

Do the locks work correctly ?

Do windows operate properly, (open, close, lock) and are all screens present?

Do you have all manufacturers warranties/paperwork on appliances?

How do I change/clean the furnace filter, if present?

Are smoke alarms present and working? TEST EACH ONE!

Where is the carbon monoxide detector located?

Was a radon detector installed?

Was a "blower door test" performed on the dwelling and if so, what were the results?

Ask for a 1 year verbal agreement on "moisture/mold/mildew mitigation" if the problem arises. Any professional contractor would say yes to this because his reputation, future income potential, and profession would be in jeopardy if problems arise in the dwelling.

Test the HOT WATER Temperature and adjust if necessary. (Up or down) Note: Some dishwasher manufactures mandate temp of 140 degrees or warranty may be voided. Important: Test at kitchen faucet, not shower/bath faucet as ANTI SCALD DEVICES MAY BE PRESENT on these valves.

Where is the Attic Access located? Does it truly seal sufficiently?

IMPORTANT. Inspect attic insulation at eaves. Be certain soffit ventilation was not blocked when insulation was installed. Insulation should not be touching the roof deck. Also, be certain attic lighting was installed and is working as most states require new construction lighting in attic arreas. Does the bathroom exhaust fan exhaust THROUGH the roof deck. Simply left to exhaust into the attic is a big NO NO. Don't ever let anyone do that to your investment or occupants health.

If a crawl space is present, was 6 mill poly installed on ground as a vapor barrier. If it's not there, respectfully insisit it be done even if it's at extra cost to youo


Use a 4 foot level to inspect sill plate & floors, especially where appliances will be or are located. Use level on countertops/bathroom vanity/tub & shower base.

Please, bring your own flash light, tape measure, thermometer and level.

Inspect prime doors for weathertight seal.

If a deck was constructed, was it sealed, and if so with what product. (When will it need to be resealed)

Ask to see copies of Inspections performed during the construction process.

I would plan on at least dedicating 2 hours to this process. @ hours now or years of giref later.

Ultimately, you are building you own "knowledge equity" of the dwelling and it's mechanical systems. This gives you the opportunity to answer ?'s should you ever decide to list and sell the property in the future.

Answer 2

You have a one year Warranty on the home, so don't fear missing something- 1. Check the doors- make sure they latch, - check the Exterior doors, no air leaks under or on the side, make sure Keys work, front and back doors- and make sure no keys are lost or missing- best to have the house Rekeyed- Check to see if all windows have a Screen.
Make sure all doors have a door stop.

2. One of the most aggravating things is Sinks, that do not drain properly, fill them and see if the drain right- check for Water Hammer- See if there are Chambers at the Washer connection- check the A/C drain, and where the Secondary line drips out.

3. Check the Attic, for Insulation level- should be 1 foot or more blown in. Check for Ridge vent or attic vents-

4. If you have stairs, make sure none of them squeek, notice the floors, no squeeks, check all Closets for Shelf and Pole- and make sure any bannisters are solid, not loose or shakey.

5. Check all windows for moisture between the Panes- and make sure they all lock.

6. If you have a Slab floor, check the perimeter for any major cracks, check the siding in particular up in the Gables for loose or uneven look- look over the Drainage, will you get a flood with a hard rain, -

7.Electrical, make sure you have bulbs in all light fixtures, check all outlets, and make sure circuits are labled,

8.Collect all Warranty information , and Cards to send and Register the Warranty on all appliances and the HVAC, make sure you keep all booklets in a File.

Hope this helps-

Answer 3

I can only help you with electrical stuff.

Go to a Home Depot and buy an inexpensive A/C outlet tester. It is a plugin device with several lights. It will tell you if the outlets are wired correctly and properly grounded. Learn to use it before show up. Test every single outlet.

Also, try all switches and know which one controls which light. There are almost always one or two miswired switches in a house.

Locate the GFI (ground falut interrupter) and test it by pushing the "TEST" button. These are shock prevention device required for any outlets near water, such as kitchen and bathroom.

DON'T SIGN OFF on your new house until everything is corrected. Don't sign even if someone tells you, you must sign now and they will make all necessay corrections later. Once you sign, your bargaining power is GONE.

Answer 4

It doesn't sound like a poltergeist as they can be very messy and destructive and often throw things or move things around. There may be a spirit that used to live on the grounds before the house was built and are often disturbed with building work. They also can become active as they get energy from you. They make themselves known by noises most often and can sometimes move objects too but not usually in a dangerous way such as throwing things. You would be best to sit in the upstairs area with a friend for a while and call out to ask if anyone is there and wait for any noise which may show they are trying to contact you. You can ask questions such as is someone there and wait to see if there is noise and try to establish yes and no answers such as tap once for yes, twice for no etc. It would also be a good idea to try and find out what was there on the land before it was your home.

Answer 5

check for insulation in the basement if you live in a four season environment.check the breaker box make sure every area is clearly marked.check the foundation{if you have one}.lkook for any water marks in the cellar.make sure there aren't any exposed wires anywhere.they should be covered.check and see if any of the floors squeak.if they do then they were improperlly installed,by that i mean they were not properly nailed and glued down.you could also have an independent inspector check out the house for you.it might cost a little bit but in the end it's worth it.also check the roof from the inside out alot of times they only put tiles on withourt tar paper,which eventually cause leaks.

Answer 6

Fair warning-most superintendents are instructed to walk you through pretty quickly. Be prepared for some resistance if the superindentant thinks that you are going to spend a lot of time looking for things. One thing i have run into in the past, is homeowners often overlook checking out the tubs carefully. Only later did they find a crack or scratches on the tub-and then it is too late.

Answer 7

make sure you check the paint, and the door knobs.....sounds petty I know, but after we closed on our new home, that is when we noticed several things that were done half a s s ed. The door knob at our front door was loose and several of the inside doors were like that as well. Our paint was chipped in several places on interior walls...there were a few places that they had spackled but never sanded and painted, and they were not obvious to us during our walk through....another tip, incase you will be paying someone to install your lawn, be sure that they rake and grade the area before laying the sod, we were not home when they started putting ours down, and I noticed when they were half way done that there were no rakes, and no new dirt etc, they just started laying the sod on top of hard packed dirt, and when I asked one of them about the grading/raking he said they did it already when it was obvious they hadn't...needless to say, after 2 days all of it was dead and they had to tear it up and do it properly

Answer 8

I also recommend an inspector walk with you. Best money ever spent. An odd one that I ran into once is floors that were unlevel. A neat way to check is to bring a large exercise ball. They always roll to the low point in a room.

Answer 9

Too many things to list here.
BUT here is a website that can help:
http://www.nationalinspection.net/inspector/articles/walk-through.html

One thing they don't mention is testing shower flow for sufficient water pressure. Sometimes when the shower pipe is installed, it is accidentally crimped as it's bent. The pressure will be very low in a shower when the pipe is crimped.

Good luck in your new home!

Answer 10

scratches on cabinets, calking around tub, leaky dishwasher. problems in paint, texture. drippy air conditioner, flaws in wood flooring. incomplete trim, both floor and around doors and windows. weather stripping around windows and even front and back door. proper piping in bathroom, no leaks around toilet bowl. Cabinets properly hung and stained. Hot tub runs correctly. carpet tacked down, cedar in closets, clothes pole installed in closet. No cracks in any mirrors, mirror doors slide properly. Correct type of paints used (semigloss in bath & kitchen)