Why to get a Home Inspection for New Construction!
I am amazed how many Buyers do not get a home inspection. This includes buyers that have a new custom home built or when they buy a new spec house. I do see why the buyer might feel it is not needed or persuaded that they don’t need to have one. If you think about it you have a nice shiny new penny what could actually be wrong? I had a new construction inspection earlier this year. What I found will most likely give you a second thought about not having a home inspection. And keep this in mind the home was in the 400k.
Here are 5 things that I found that were a major concern for this brand new house!
Leaking Exhaust Vent
This home was big and it had a furnace in the basement and a 2nd furnace in the attic. So I fired up the furnace for the 2nd floor and I was looking it over, I saw water leaking out of the exhaust vent. Well, this is not good, why do we have condensate leaking in a PVC connection? It wasn’t cemented together to prevent leakage.
So why is this such a concern? Well if water can be getting through that connection then carbon monoxide could also be getting through. This can be extremely dangerous!
Bad Gas Line Support
The gas line that was going to that leaking furnace had zip ties to hold up the gas line! I don’t think I need to discuss why this is a safety concern. Don’t forget this is a brand new house that nobody has lived in yet.
Sewer Vent does not go through the roof
Looking around in the attic I found the sewer vent. To my amazement, I found the vent with a cap on it. Now I have found sewer vent pipes in the past that terminated in the attic. If this doesn’t go through the roof you will find this is a no-no! To see this in a brand new house is amazing. What it looks like is the plumber most likely was doing a pressure test on the drain system and forgot to remove his cap!
No Air Gap
The home had a water filtration system, this system has a back-flush that cleans out the water filtration that is being used, and sends it into a drain. Now when it enters the drain there should be an air gap to prevent cross-contamination from the drain back into the water system! This drain was just stuck into the pipe, no air gap device installed.
No Ground Wire
The electrical panel had no ground wire and no ground rods outside. Now if this home got struck by lightning then you can only imagine what could happen!
Now, there were only 5 problems that I felt were a major concern with the home. Now this home I was told had received its CO certificate. This is the town saying that the home is ready to be occupied! Keep what I found in mind when you decide not to get a home inspection on a new home!
What are your thoughts and experienced please leave a comment below.
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In New Hampshire The home is inspected by the the towns building department. Some towns dont have one but I believe this town does. In that State of New Hampshire you do not need to be licensed to build homes.