New Build Reality Check

A builder tells a buyer, straight up, that if an inspection finds something that isn’t a code violation, they probably won’t fix it. That message sounds confident, but to us it signals the opposite: a commitment to the bare minimum, not to quality, durability, or customer care. We unpack why “meets code” is not the same as “built well,” and why hiring an independent home inspector on a new build is still one of the best ways to protect yourself.

We dig into what a pre-drywall inspection can reveal before the walls hide everything, from damaged trusses and compromised framing to the kinds of trade shortcuts that can turn into sagging floors and cracking finishes a year later. We also talk about the stuff that’s easy to dismiss but hard to fix later: “temporary” decks that end up permanent, missing flashing, wood too close to soil, and grading that invites water toward the house. Even when a builder won’t repair every item, awareness gives you leverage: you can negotiate, document, plan maintenance, or decide to walk away.

Then we get practical about buyer pressure and paperwork. If a contract tries to waive inspection rights, or a builder won’t allow you on site, won’t allow testing, or insists you sign before you verify conditions, we explain why that’s a serious red flag. We also cover a common new construction headache: attic ventilation that technically hits a ratio but still runs dangerously hot, creating condensation and mold, plus a key warranty tip so you don’t accidentally void coverage by fixing the wrong thing at the wrong time.

If you’re buying new construction, share this with a friend who’s under contract, subscribe for more home inspection advice, and leave a review with the biggest red flag you’ve seen from a builder.

Transcript

A Builder Tries To Deter Inspections

SPEAKER_02 0:00

This then.

SPEAKER_03 0:00

All right, Laura, you have something to read. No names, of course, but got something to read. And this is regarding an inspection on a new build.

SPEAKER_02 0:08

It was a pre-drywall. Okay. So the text that the builder sent to the client said that they had talked to the construction manager when they met him and they wanted to go over things in regards to getting an inspection. So he said that oftentimes the only things that someone finds in an outside inspection are things that are not a violation of code, in which case they will not fix it, or that they had already planned to fix. They wanted to be up front. How nice of them with us that if it isn't something they legally have to fix, they probably won't. So is it worth it to have a second set of eyes or just a waste of money if the builder is already meeting their legal standards? Well, how do you know they're meeting their legal standards? Yeah.

SPEAKER_03 0:57

I would say it is 100% worth having it because they there's an issue and it's all right.

Code Is A Bare Minimum

SPEAKER_03 1:06

First of all, code is minimum standard. That is the lowest quality allowed by law.

SPEAKER_02 1:12

And actually, as I recall, doesn't code default to warranty manufacturer to the manufacturer's installation? Yes. So we don't inspect to code, but we do inspect to manufacturer's installation instructions.

SPEAKER_03 1:26

Well, we we can, but here's the difficult that we have to know who's the manufacturer of that, we'll say siding. Who's the manufacturer of that siding? And do we have the manual?

SPEAKER_02 1:40

And we have called and gotten that several times on a couple of different houses we've done because there have been issues.

SPEAKER_03 1:46

We have that done that done that before when we're able to got the information.

SPEAKER_02 1:53

Yeah, so we can see see the stuff on it.

SPEAKER_03 1:55

So, but my first thought when you're reading that, if it's not it's not a violation of code, they're not gonna fix it. What shady customer service that is from the builder? I'm gonna ignore your concerns because legally I don't have to be able to do that.

SPEAKER_02 2:14

I don't have to care.

SPEAKER_03 2:15

I don't have to care. That is terrible customer service, and I would never buy a house from any any builder that that had something like that.

What You Miss Without Site Access

SPEAKER_02 2:24

Or that told me that I couldn't go to the house until they told me I could. I've heard that lately too. That like people are building houses, spending hundreds of thousands of dollars to build a house, and they're not allowed to go and watch it be built. Nope.

SPEAKER_03 2:38

Yeah, that's I would want to know. In fact, where was I at the other day? And there are beer cans up in the attic.

SPEAKER_02 2:44

Oh, that's encouraging.

SPEAKER_03 2:46

And it is not an old house. Like old house, okay. Dude, me worksight. Work site. It's a worksight. If I'm drinking a beer Sunday and I just want to toss it somewhere, knowing I'm gonna clean up later on.

SPEAKER_02 3:01

Work site.

SPEAKER_03 3:02

That's my prerogative. It's a worksight. That's that's my prerogative. And you and when I was building the sauna, worksite. I build a wood-fired sauna.

SPEAKER_02 3:12

Ask him how square it is when you see him.

SPEAKER_03 3:14

It is it is well. The base is square. I cut two pieces of wood too short. So now there's like a really subtle curve, and I know it's there. But worksight. Work site. So all right, whole a homeowner drinking a beer and decides just to leave it somewhere. That's one thing. That's one thing.

SPEAKER_02 3:33

Then how many homeowners go up and just chug a beer and toss it?

unknown 3:36

No.

SPEAKER_02 3:37

How many homeowners actually tend to go up in the attic in the first place? Not many.

SPEAKER_03 3:41

Not many, not many. And it's a new house, so it was a worker putting the beer up there. But anyway, hopefully they were already done working with the day and they're just finishing that off. Finishing it off, put a lot of salt on the on the beer. I like put side note, I like putting salt on the on the top of the beer can so I get the electrolytes.

SPEAKER_02 4:01

Because that's what Jimmy's crave.

SPEAKER_03 4:02

That's what Jimmy's crave. Everybody's appreciated that uh idiocracy reference there, I'm sure. But the the builders saying they're only going to fix it as a violation of you know of code or legally, they don't need it, only if they legally need to do it, that's a really that's a bad reflection on that company. They're gonna

Temporary Decks That Become Permanent Problems

SPEAKER_03 4:24

they're only gonna do the minimum standards and I'll give a shit about you. Home inspectors. Now listen, even though you can't make the builder fix something, that doesn't mean you should not be aware of it.

SPEAKER_02 4:37

And that you can't walk.

SPEAKER_03 4:39

There are so many times I see the builders put these little decks on the back back stairs, okay? There's no flashing. The wood is directly on the dirt. Sometimes they're they're they're just kind of suspended there because there's no dirt underneath it, and they're they're bouncing, they're gonna flex, they're gonna move, they're gonna become disconnected from the house. Are they legally supposed to do it? Build you know, build it better. I really don't know. But I'm but I yeah, why wouldn't you take pride in your work in the first place? Well, here's the thing the building say, hey, this is a temporary deck, so we don't have to do it permanent quality.

SPEAKER_02 5:16

But at what point does it become permanent then? Well if that stays there after you're done, that becomes a permanent deck and you should do it right.

SPEAKER_03 5:24

It should, but the builders, and I don't know if that's true or not. The builders are like, hey, this is a we'll put up a temporary deck for you to replace in a year or so, and that's how they're getting with it.

SPEAKER_02 5:33

And people don't don't replace it because you know life happens.

SPEAKER_03 5:37

They either didn't read that little clause in the agreement or they forgot about it, or it's like, eh, it's still up, I don't need to worry about it. But very seldom do I see the little builder builders, the little decks they put on the back, the little stairs in the back. They're not flashed right, they're not connected right. Soil is touching the dirt. Usually negative grading underneath that thing as well, because by the time they started fixed, the guy started putting in the rough grading, they didn't really throw dirt up underneath there. So you got a low spot to bring water. The home inspection is still worth doing on a new build, whether or not the builder's gonna fix it or not.

SPEAKER_00 6:13

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Structural Damage Hidden Before Drywall

SPEAKER_02 6:38

Well, how many times have we gone in and seen huge cracks and trusses or seen where an HVAC company drilled out a huge frickin' hole in a support in the truss and completely compromised its integrity? Would the builder not fix that? I mean, you put it up to code initially, but then somebody else came in and messed it up. So are you just gonna let it sit like that? And the because I believe that the one I'm thinking of, the upstairs floor had already started sagging because that area was so unstable.

SPEAKER_03 7:12

We think it was the plumber cut away the middle section of the bit of a beam for his for the plumbing vent. Total stupid movement, makes no no sense.

SPEAKER_02 7:22

So would the builder not fix that? Based upon this text, it it it they installed it to code.

SPEAKER_03 7:28

If it was it was probably put in correctly, right? Some other tradesmen messed it up, screwed it up. The next stage of this thing was drywall, it would have been completely covered up in the four or five days. It would probably be completely covered, and then they'd be scratching their head a year later, wondering why the whole house is cracking and that's the floor is sagging. So no, you it's always worth to get the home inspection, not not only for what for the buyer's awareness to on what to fix, what to maintain, what to improve, also for their their peace of mind.

SPEAKER_02 8:04

Right. You don't know what you don't know.

SPEAKER_03 8:06

Many times we have heard people not happy with their builder.

SPEAKER_02 8:10

And that's getting more frequent.

SPEAKER_03 8:12

It's getting more frequent. Well, I feel bad for builders in some way because they're they have trouble getting hold of contractors or anybody who's gonna be able to do that.

SPEAKER_02 8:19

But that is no excuse for this statement. I understand

Contracts, Earnest Money And Walking Away

SPEAKER_02 8:24

that things are difficult. I mean, look how long it's taken us to hire people. I I mean, I get it, but at the same token, you don't treat your clients like that. You do a good job. You be proud of what you're putting out.

SPEAKER_03 8:35

That home buyer is the client, right? And they're going like, no, we're not gonna fix it unless we're not legally we need to need to.

SPEAKER_02 8:42

Unless legally you've you force us into this, there's unless there's a way that you force us into this.

SPEAKER_03 8:47

Well, it reminds me though a couple weeks ago, I was in a court case. I was an expert witness regarding a roofer who once again this is a ventilation issue because they don't understand. They decide not to learn about proper ventilation, or they don't care. But anyway, this thing had lots of rot to it. And mold. This this this roofer, instead of getting sued, could have gone, yeah, let me let me let me fix this. No, no, they anyway. So we'll we'll wait on that court case, see how that one settles out. I'm certainly like the roofers gonna lose on that one.

SPEAKER_02 9:22

They should.

SPEAKER_03 9:23

I don't see any reason. I don't see any reason why they wouldn't lose that case. So anyway, builders, new builds, always getting expected, just because the builders are not gonna do anything.

SPEAKER_02 9:35

Does not mean you should not know. It also gives you the ability to walk out. It may be harder because I'm sure you've put earnest money down, I'm sure you've done all of that stuff. But isn't it better to walk with just a little bit of money lost as opposed to actually buying the house and then being trapped in it?

SPEAKER_03 9:54

Well, remember the builders and the builders' reps all have incentive to sell you a house.

SPEAKER_02 9:59

Yes, they get paid on commission.

SPEAKER_03 10:00

There was this one house I did, I did mold testing. They want me doing it was a pre-dry wall. They want me doing the inspection, but they were really concerned about moisture and mold.

SPEAKER_02 10:13

Oh, I went and I did the mold testing for you.

SPEAKER_03 10:15

Maybe this I this has been a couple times we've done something like this. So I get there and the buyer, she was not in contract for the place.

SPEAKER_01 10:25

Oh, no, I'm thinking of it.

SPEAKER_03 10:28

And the and the sales rep saying, No, no, you don't want to spend money on a home inspection. You got you want something on contract for so go ahead, give us your sign the contract here and give us the earnest money or whatever, the down payment, and then you go get inspection. And the girl's like, No, I'm done. I'm getting this looked at first, and moisture, and there was actually more what looked like mold growing in the place. So she canceled, but the sales rep not happy often sadly often enough, yeah. They have incentive to sell you and and not really taking too much into account whether it's the best thing for you.

SPEAKER_02 11:05

So always first of all, be careful what you sign. You make sure you read over every freaking contract, over every word of it. Do not sign away your rights for inspections. I have heard people that have done that. You do not want to do that. So make make sure that you're reading what you're signing. Put down minimal amounts of money if you can do that, so that you know, if it comes down to it and you have to walk, it's a livable walk.

SPEAKER_03 11:34

To me, that's a big red flag. If the uh builder is telling you, no, you you can't have anybody come in and do inspections. Now,

Builders Blocking Tests And Inspections

SPEAKER_03 11:43

the the company, the builder says, Listen, you can have me inspect, but I don't want anybody climbing the roof. Okay, I get it. They still own the site, they don't want anybody getting hurt, and it's probably like their liability, perhaps, if somebody fell off. I get that. I get that's I don't mind that.

SPEAKER_02 12:00

Well, that's why we have workarounds for that, so we don't have to get on the roof.

SPEAKER_03 12:03

That's right. We have we have multiple ways to look at the roof. So that that I don't mind. But when they say no, you can't have any inspections or you can't come to this house until we tell you. Tell the buyer, I'm like, Yeah, you can't look at you can't look at our processor show up. I'm like, no, that's right.

SPEAKER_02 12:18

You need to walk. No, you need to run from that builder. If any builder tells you you can't get inspections or you can't be there at the property while it's being built, you need to just walk, find another one.

SPEAKER_03 12:32

So actually, that'd be a good thing for builders advertised. Listen, we want you to have home inspectors here because it's listen, Laura's laugh at that one. No, seriously. If I was a builder, so am I if I was a builder, I would say, yes, I want you to hire a home inspector because I'm proud of the work we do and I'm gonna showcase how well we do, how well we do things, and also that we have nothing to hide. That's a builder who would get recommendations from everybody.

SPEAKER_02 12:59

Or here you go. If you're a builder and you're not afraid of your work because you do a good job, contact us and we'll do quality control for you.

SPEAKER_03 13:07

Yeah, contact habitation investigation. We've done that before. Yeah, we have for a couple builders. They they they yeah, it's like overall, they want to know where the plumbing's at and all that. That's fine. Um, but a builder tells you you can't have somebody. Did we have a builder one time when we a client tells us that the builder said they could not do air quality testing, could not do mold testing at their new builds?

SPEAKER_01 13:30

Yeah, that's been a bit. I can't remember who that was.

SPEAKER_03 13:33

I know some apartment buildings. If you're renting an apartment building in the contract, you cannot do mold testing.

SPEAKER_02 13:39

Or air quality. Which that's don't run. If they have that in their contract, run too.

SPEAKER_03 13:45

There's a history reason as to why they're doing that. So anyway, I think that's it for

Attic Ventilation Failures In New Builds

SPEAKER_03 13:49

this one. Always get it inspected. Doesn't matter if somebody's gonna fix the stuff or not immediately for you. It's stuff you need to know. Like one thing we come across. Oh, Laura, you got one, you got something.

SPEAKER_02 13:59

Do you remember those little um the those after show things when we were kids? Knowledge is power.

SPEAKER_03 14:07

After school specials.

SPEAKER_02 14:11

Knowledge is power was one of those songs, I think.

SPEAKER_03 14:13

Are you talking about schoolhouse rock?

SPEAKER_02 14:14

Yeah, schoolhouse rock. That's it. Knowledge knowledge is power. If you don't know, you can't protect yourself. You can't fix it, you can't do anything, and you're stuck figuring it out down the road. If you know going in what's going on, you can protect yourself.

SPEAKER_03 14:29

Well, here's another one we come across for new builds is the the attic ventilation is not good. What's good, this attic ventilation? We will find a house, uh, solvent vent, ridge vent, great combination. But the ridge vent is stupidly short on that ridge. It's not long enough. But here's what's going on. They go, and we report that they go, yeah, we had our engineer looked at it, and and this this meets the one square foot of ventilation per uh per 300 square feet of attic floor space. Like floor, not air. That or roof surface, the steeper roof, the more roof surface you have um that's point upward to heat up by the sun. But we've been in attics that are the general guideline is 30 degrees, and the air inside the attic is like 30 degrees higher than the outside air, there's not enough ventilation to it. We have found attic spaces that were like 160 degrees, 140 degrees, and it's like 90 degrees outside. Obviously, it's way over that 30 degree threshold. So, like today, it's gonna be 80, 80 degrees today. So you get 110, that's pushing it. That that's right there that 30, and it variations a little bit on the roof surface, which is why we don't measure the underside of the roof. I mean, we measure halfway up the wood, so we're getting the center air temperature.

SPEAKER_02 15:54

Right.

SPEAKER_03 15:55

That that's how we do that. But we've had new bills that were too hot in there because that 30-degree range, and then the builder says, now we this is built to the one for every 300. Well, you know what? You may be meeting and minimum standards, that doesn't mean it's best practice.

SPEAKER_02 16:14

Well, I remember a couple that had really short ridge vents, and so we called it out in the pre-drywall, go in during the final walkthrough, and there's already condensation stains and mold forming because the ridge vent was too short and they wouldn't fix it. And so called out again with more damage at this point. So, what do you think's gonna happen in a few years?

SPEAKER_03 16:38

The builder, here's here's what here's what probably should happen is the builders well, the builder should fix it. Most likely the builder's not gonna do it because they met their minimum legal you know standard, which I bet they really didn't if you if you read the manufacturer's instructions on those things. But so after the builder's one-year warranty, this is the owner should then on his own dime at this point, increase the ventilation, increase the length of that ridge vent, so now it does have proper ventilation. This is one of the things where I builders not gonna fix it, but you as a homeowner now know that, so you know what to fix to keep your roof working well for you.

SPEAKER_02 17:20

I I will say one thing about that, one caveat. If you have a warranty from your builder, I would let that warranty expire before I fix that because any work done on that roof is going to void that

Warranty Timing And Final Takeaways

SPEAKER_02 17:34

warranty. So wait for the year and then have someone come out and replace that ridge vent and make it right because otherwise you're gonna void your whole warranty and you don't want to do that.

SPEAKER_03 17:44

Yeah. So anyway, buying a home that's you know, have one constructed, always get it inspected.

SPEAKER_02 17:50

And they're trying to put them up so fast.

SPEAKER_03 17:52

And I They're trying to, but they can't find quality people.

SPEAKER_02 17:55

Well, and and that's why we're seeing so many problems, and that's why they don't want people to come and inspect. So make sure, get it inspected. Knowledge is power.

SPEAKER_03 18:04

Well, the house I inspected yesterday, final walk through inspection, it was good. There's some issues, of course. Like some things I had to wander up with. What were they thinking? They're like they're installing a uh they added another sump pump to this place.

SPEAKER_01 18:17

Oh.

SPEAKER_03 18:18

So like the one is not enough. So I'm like, something there's a history of some water going into this place. So whether they let the grading be bad for way too long before they fixed it, I don't know what what the issue is. But anyway, there's two sump pumps in this place now. Okay, so there's always something that's gonna pop up that you need to be aware of to help maintain the value in your house. All right, that's it. Thanks, everybody.