Subj: Common Findings in New Construction Inspections
Date: 02/04/2001 12:28:06 PM Eastern Standard Time

For a good part of the past year over 300 real estate and related professionals have been receiving this newsletter. For those who have taken the time from your busy schedules to read my chatter, I hope it has been a positive help in your business and your understanding of your, and your client's relationship with home inspections. For the many who have sent comments and expressed words of encouragement THANK YOU. 

Today we enter a new stage of this endeavor by adding 470 new recipients. To you I say welcome. You were not included in the original issues simply because I did not have your e-mail address. Let me encourage you to read and hopefully gain from this effort. Follow it for a month and if you aren't pleased, ask to be removed from our database. The instructions for such are at the bottom. It might interest you to know that out of those who originally began receiving this 32 issues ago, only 14 have requested to be removed. That must say something, or maybe a lot of people are hitting the delete button. 

If you are interested to know about the topics covered or to receive copies of past issues, a list can be found near the bottom. This one is a little long due to the subject covered; usually they are only a few pages. Don't be discouraged by its length. This one is packed with good information.

Common Findings in New Construction Inspections

As inspection requests for new construction continues to increase, there is tension building between the Home Inspectors, Builders and Realtors. This tension has become evident in some of my past articles as well as in comments made by all involved. Home Inspectors and many Realtors, for good cause, are of the opinion that all homes should be inspected by a reputable home inspector prior to purchase, including newly constructed homes. Many Builders and Realtors are not comfortable or pleased with this process, but some have begun to ask questions and to prepare themselves for the inevitable. Two of the questions that are being repeated are "Why should a home constructed by a quality builder, inspected and approved by the local code enforcement inspectors, with a one year warranty need to have a home inspection?" and by builders, "If my home is going to be inspected what areas should I be concerned with?"

It might interest you to know that in a recent meeting with representatives present from the Building, Home Inspection, Code Inspection and Building community it was mentioned that on the average new home construction pre-purchase inspection, inspectors are finding on average from 5 to 10 code infractions. The surprising thing about that comment was not that it was happening, but that the only ones present who were surprised were the homebuilders. 

Bruce Rudd, President of Central NC-ASHI a chapter of the American Society of Home Inspectors, was recently asked by K. T. Isenhour Construction Company, Inc., a highly regarded local firm, to make a presentation to staff relating to such issues. Bruce has graciously agreed to allow the use of his notes and handout in our newsletter today. The first part of this is from my interpretation of the portions of Bruce's notes that would be of interest to you. The hand out has embellishments and comments by me in italics so that those who may not be construction oriented can hopefully gain a full understanding of the importance of the issues addressed. 

It appears to be the perception of many Builders that Home Inspectors are morons (dumb, untrained, clueless), bitter, vindictive, confrontational showoffs. In actuality most are experienced, educated, unbiased and thorough. In reality a Home Inspector is doing his job, which is to look after the interest of his client, the homebuyer, and attempting to educate them on the condition of their proposed new home. Builders can expect to receive no slack and that the Inspector will purposefully choose to err on the side of the buyer, placing their interest first, even if it is at the expense of the Builder. The Home Inspector will attempt to make fair observations good or bad.

Some of the problems Home Inspectors are encountering with new construction is that at the time of the inspection the work is incomplete, utilities are not on and equipment has not been started or checked out by the installing subcontractor. Though the buyer has requested a radon test, the Builder does not seem to understand the importance of maintaining closed house conditions or allowing for ample time for the test.

Although many Builders judge Home Inspections as a liability, in fact one can be an asset. The home inspection process is C.Y.A for a Builder. Should a good builder desire to know his shortcomings so they can be improved? Does it make sense to have an experienced unbiased person explaining the strengths, as well as the weaknesses of the home? Doesn't it make sense to have an unbiased third party evaluation of subcontractor performance relative to other homes in the market? Does dealing with problems up front reduce the cost of warranty issues? What about "weeding out the chaff? Does the Builder desire to spend his life competing against the bad builders who can sell it for less because they do less?

Here is the handout with comments in italics by me. Most of these are code compliance issues, not the whim or opinion of the Inspector as they are often called. Many of these issues are commonly and repeatably written up on local new construction by me and every other inspector. I have attempted to set out the results of failure to deal with these issues 

NEW CONSTRUCTION HOME INSPECTIONS
COMMON FINDINGS

EXTERIOR:

1. Weep holes in brick veneer - missing or buried. Failure to allow a path for moisture to be directed out from the cavity of a brick veneer wall or for air to infiltrate for drying can lead to disastrous results similar to the problems related to EIFS. Trapped moisture causes wood rot, attracts wood destroying insects and can infiltrate and damage interior finishes. 
2. Steel lintels unpainted and window & door perimeters not caulked (brick veneer). Unpainted lintels rust increasing in size causing cracks in masonry walls, rusted lintels will ultimately fail, not to mention their unsightly appearance. Un-caulked openings allow for water, air, pollution and insect penetration. 
3. Garage floors not sloped. Garage floor slopes are not just about water they are about fuel spills. If a gas tank ruptures, you want the fuel to be dispersed to the outside, not to pool in the garage for you to fall in or a spark to explode.
4. Garage door opener safety reverses set too tight. Leads to serious injury from small children, and even adults, becoming trapped and crushed by the door. 
5. Missing garage door spring safety cables. When the spring breaks, if not restrained by a safety cable, it goes flying across the garage damaging whatever it strikes like your new car, not to mention you or your children.
6. Door hinge anchor screws missing. Can lead to poor door operation and damage to the door and frame.
7. Wood decks attached to cantilevers. Cantilevers are seldom, if ever, designed or intended to accept the load of an attached deck. This can lead to failure of the deck and/or floor system.
8. Deck post diagonal bracing missing or improperly attached. Can lead to deck collapse during your 4th of July cookout.
9. Deck stair stringers bearing on dirt and or not ledgered or bracketed at top. Leads to moisture and or insect damage at grade and/or collapse of the stairs when your waddling Aunt Bertha finally arrives near the top. 
10. Spacing of porch/deck pickets. Must be 4" at the closest point and not more that 6" anywhere else. Small child falls and is seriously injured. 
11. Incorrect grade slope. Grade is required to be 4" below the top of the masonry foundation on brick veneer, 8" below if siding and 6" below siding. Grade must slope away from the house a minimum of 6" in the first 10 feet and adequately move storm water off of the site. If you see standing water or a wet interior basement wall, something is wrong and you are looking at potential rot, attack from wood destroying insects and moisture damage to structure and interior finishes both above as well as below grade.

ROOFING:

1. Three nailed roofing (from racking). Roofing shingles require four nails and in some cases six. Fail to nail correctly and you will experience leaks and probably be roofing your yard as the shingles blow off.
2. Missing and/or inadequate valley underlayment. Leads to leaks from ice damning during winter weather conditions and in some cases during extremely heavy wind blown rains.
3. Missing roof / wall flashings - brick veneer. LEAKS!
4. Improper slope - gutters. Water runs over behind the gutter or at the ends damaging the soffits, trim and wall, sometimes entering the wall and damaging door and window headers.
5. Unsecured pipe boot flashings. LEAKS!
6. Exposed nail heads and nail pops. LEAKS!
7. No siding clearance at roof / wall joints. Siding will rot out prematurely.
8. Nails, toe boards, debris left on roof and in gutters. LEAKS and stopped up downspouts.
9. No sheathing cut for ridge vents. Poor ventilation in the attic leading to high heat and moisture, structural, sheathing and roofing damage. 

ATTICS:

1. Unbraced splices in hip/valley rafters. Roof sagging and/or failure and collapse.
2. Unbraced intersections at hips, valleys, and ridges. Roof sagging and/or failure and collapse.
3. Missing steel angles where veneer is loaded on sloped roofs. Cracking of the wood supported brick veneer, brick wall sliding down the roof slope taking the adjacent wall with it, possible failure and collapse. 
4. Inadequate tie down where rafters are perpendicular to joists. Failure of the roof structural system. 
5. Blocked or inadequate insulation baffles in sloped ceilings. Poor ventilation in the attic leading to high heat and moisture, structural, sheathing and roofing damage.
6. Inadequate depth of ridge boards. Splitting at the ends and failure of rafters.
7. Recessed lighting buried in insulation. (non-rated lighting) Fire hazard
8. Missing collar ties. Leads to sagging and/or separation of the rafters.
9. Inadequate "back-nailing". Failure of joints
10. Missing "ply-clips". Causes roof sheathing to sag between support members causing your roof to look like an ocean.
11. Cut/modified trusses. Failure of the roof structure leading sagging and possible collapse.

BASEMENT/CRAWL SPACE:

1. Inadequate sill anchoring. Can allow the wood structure of the house to be moved off of the foundation during high winds or earth movement.
2. Unbolted steel girder support posts. Can allow the post to collapse possible bringing the house with it, or the wood structure of the house to be moved off of the post during high winds or earth movement. 
3. Trades damage - cut/notched members. Can lead to structural sagging, failure or collapse.
4. Inadequate ledgering - cantilevers, hearths. Can lead to structural sagging, failure or collapse.
5. Breeched fire separation. Fire and fire escape hazard.
6. Inadequate load-bearing partition walls - 2 x 4 studs 16 O.C. or not sheathed. Walls must be designed to support the load applied to them. Failure to follow proper design parameters can lead to, sagging, structural failure and or collapse.
7. Blocking missing at joist intersections over drop girders. May allow the joist to turn over leading to sagging and/or collapse.
8. Untreated wood in contact with masonry on piers and at girder ends. Leads to high moisture causing wood rot and attracting wood destroying insects. 
9. Wood debris and trash in crawl spaces (often under plastic) Leads to wood rot and attracting wood destroying insects. 
10. Inadequate crawl space drainage/damp-proofing. Leads to high moisture causing wood rot and attracting wood destroying insects. 
11. Headers/lintels omitted over ductwork plenums. Causes cracks in the wall above.

PLUMBING:

1. Leaking hose bibs. Leads to damage from freezing.
2. Plastic piping too close to water heaters. Pipe will fail and burst.
3. Inadequately supported piping. Causes joints to fail, leak or burst.
4. Test caps left on vent stacks. Plumbing fixtures will not drain properly; traps will not hold water allowing sewer gas into the home.
5. Hot & Cold reversed at faucets. Leads to burns especially when hot water heater temperatures are set to high.
6. Loose shower heads, tub spouts, faucets. Causes leaks leading to structural and finish damage.
7. Unsealed sewage ejector sumps. Allows sewer gas to escape into the home and can allow sewage to flood the home.
8. Crimp fittings upstream of pressure regulator. Leaks and joint failure.
9. Laundry sinks and/or pedestal sinks not secured. Leads to damage at pipe connections, leaks and collapse of pedestal sinks.

ELECTRICAL:

1. Loose exterior outlets. Allows water to enter the junction box creating an unsafe condition and damage to the components.
2. Dedicated equipment on GFCI. (condensate pumps, door openers, refrigerators, freezers) When the GFCI trips, condensate water floods your house, the garage door opener will not work trapping you outside in the rain or trapping a person under the door, refrigerators and freezers turn off leading to a smelly mess or sickness from spoiled food.
3. Concealed whirlpool GFCI's. Difficult to reset when they trip or to verify their existence and correct operation.
4. Inoperative GFCI circuits. Can lead to electrical shock and even death.
5. Inoperative smoke detector interlocks. You will not be advised when a remote part of your home is on fire.
6. Missing breaker lock-out bracket on direct wired dish washers and water heaters. 
7. Unterminated wiring for future lamp posts. Can lead to electrical shock and even death.
8. Oversized compressor breakers. Can cause damage to the compressor if allowed to draw more current than it is designed for. Voids warranty.

HEAT / AIR CONDITIONING:

1. Gas leaks (usually at pipe unions or regulators). Fire and health hazard
2. Gas shut-off valves missing near appliances. Makes it difficult to turn off the gas in the event of a leak or fire
3. Leaking joints in duct plenums. Allows conditioned air to escape or to be diluted with unconditioned air causing inefficient operation of the system and potential health hazards depending on where they are located. 
4. Inadequate combustion air for gas appliances in confined spaces. Causes poor performance of the burners and back drafting which can lead to health hazards, carbon monoxide poisoning and death.
5. Gas appliance exhaust vents over or behind A/C compressors. Damages and shortens the life of the unit. Increases operating cost.
6. Missing vehicle impact barriers for gas appliances. Inadvertent bumping by vehicles can damage units.
7. Inadequate temperature drop/rise on heat pumps. Poor performance, high cost leading to damage to the system.
8. Construction trash and debris in ductwork and clogged evaporator coils. Poor performance of the system, excessive dust and possible damage to the system.
9. Poorly constructed filter compartment doors. Allows leakage of unconditioned possibly polluted air into the system.

INTERIOR:

1. No access and/or ventilation to whirlpool pump/motor. Inability to service the unit without damaging finishes. Possible damage to the equipment.
2. Untempered glazing around tubs. Potential fall injury from broken glass.
3. Missing doorstops and untrimmed interior doors. Poor door operation and possible damage.
4. Disconnected/broken window counter balances. Potential injury form falling widow sash.
5. Squeaking sub-flooring. General irritation and embarrassment 
6. Damaged fiberglass tubs/showers. LEAKS!
7. Pinch points on stair handrails. Possible injury from catching body parts or clothing causing falls or impeding escape during an emergency.
8. Unsecured appliances (wall ovens, dishwashers, ranges) Danger of appliances falling, being damaged from movement or pinching body parts and clothing.
9. Missing weather stripping on side attic accesses. Heat or Cooling loss 
10. Interior doors drag, won't latch, missing doorstops. General irritation, but can lead to injury, damage or impede escape.

After reading this if you aren't convinced that inspections are important on new construction you need to read it again. Also be aware these are the common things we find. You don't want to even think about the uncommon issues.

Over the past year there have been many changes in the local home inspection community. Thought I would bring you up to date. 

There are two organizations in North Carolina, which represent home inspectors. The largest is the NCLHIA (North Carolina Licensed Home Inspectors Association) represented locally by the Triad-NCLHIA chapter. The other is NC-ASHI (North Carolina - American Society of Home Inspectors), which was a chapter of the national ASHI. This year NC-ASHI broke up into local chapters with this area represented by Central NC-ASHI. Recently there is a movement to merge portions of the operations of these two organizations lead by Central NC-ASHI, which with in the past few weeks began this process locally with Triad-NCLHIA. 

To put it simply, in order for home inspectors to begin to speak with a single voice in NC, the ASHI members are joining NCLHIA of which many were already members. Locally, and hopefully soon all over the state, meetings will be merged together and we will be able to deal more efficiently with issues relating to your concerns.

As part of this effort, and to deal with the tension, which is increasing between Homebuilders and Home Inspectors, there was a meeting with representatives from the Home Builders Association of Winston-Salem, local Realtors, the Winston-Salem/Forsyth County Inspection Division and Home Inspectors to begin communications among the interested parties. Among others, two major things have come from that effort. The members of the two home inspector organizations and the Home Builders are in the process of forming a joint task force to work together to improve our relationship. The other is that the Home Builders are participating in an effort by the ASHI organization to provide a forum for our members to improve there understanding of the North Carolina Code. Encourage builders and home inspectors you know to attend. If you are interested in better understanding code requirements you are welcome to participate. 

North Carolina - American Society of Home Inspectors
May 4, 5 & 6, 2001
Spring 2001 Educational Conference
Presents: RESIDENTIAL BUILDING CODE REVIEW
CABO, Volume VII, Chapters 1-10
Koury Convention Center, Greensboro

A Unique, Cooperative Learning Experience

Finally, a seminar in which Home Inspectors, Home Builders, and Code Officials can participate together - receiving the same information from the same, excellent speakers, with lots of time built-in for discussions, debates, and getting to know each other.

Registration Fee is $175.00

For additional information on the conference or to determine if openings are available contact Dick Reynolds conference coordinator at (336) 996-8044 or Fax (336) 996-7179 

Thought for the week