One of the most important stages of building a new construction home is just before the drywall goes up. At this point, the framing, plumbing, electrical and heating system elements are in place and about to be covered up with drywall!! Just before the drywall is installed you can still make changes if needed without tremendous cost. You can walk through and see where you might need to change the placement of an electrical outlet or overhead lights. This is somewhat of a “last chance” to catch issues that pertain to how you need to use your home. Once the drywall is up, finishes get installed and changes are harder and more costly to make. More importantly, however, this is the stage to catch human error in the build, because you won’t be able to see what’s behind walls and ceilings once they are in place. Part three in our four-part series on new construction delves deeper into the common mistakes found during the pre-drywall phase.
Of course, an expert in construction is required for this stage. It’s critical that your own home inspector walks through the home during the pre-drywall phase. County inspectors check that the structure meets city and county codes, but the biggest hole in that process is that plumbers, electricians, HVAC installers, and a host of other mechanical contractors often perform work after the county inspection check is done. These contractors’ work often involves cutting a frame here and there to place wiring or ducts. A bad cut through the wrong part of a frame can compromise the structure of your house. An experienced home inspector looking out for your interests will catch the error so that you can have it corrected.
Other common building errors that can be caught by your inspector include:
∙ Walls and trim that are not plumb or are significantly bowed
∙ Windows and doors that were not installed square and will not function properly
∙ Missing joist hangers, wrong or missing hanger nails
∙ Incorrect joist hangers for the type of joist used
∙ Broken roof trusses and rafters
∙ Damaged or incorrectly installed gusset or nailing plate for the roof truss
∙ End joints in top plates of wall framing not offset properly
∙ Entire engineered floor joist cut through
∙ Anchor bolts, nuts or washers missing
All of these errors compromise the integrity of your home. People make mistakes, but someone else’s oversight shouldn’t cost you in safety or expensive repairs down the road. Paying an expert to look out for your best interest is well worth the cost in assurance that your home has been thoroughly examined for proper construction.