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Five Common Defects Found In New Homes

July 29, 2008 // Franchising.com // Most people only hire home inspectors to inspect resale properties; however, many new homes have hidden trouble spots and should be inspected also. That's why it's important to know about hidden problems before those problems cost you money, perhaps thou­sands of dollars.

Don't take for granted that a city inspector will examine your home. According to Dan Stewart, president of Pillar To Post, North America's leading provider of home inspection services, "Munici­pal inspectors don't look at every home, particularly in some larger community developments. At best, they do a representative sampling of the houses being constructed.

Here are five of the common defects a professional home inspector you hire might find:

1. An improperly connected air conditioner pipe. A pipe may not be properly connected to the air conditioner in the basement/out­side. This will cause the air condi­tioner to not work.
2. Framing that doesn't stand up to pipes. The framing may be put in, in such a way that a plumber has difficulty installing pipes, causing the plumber to cut the framing to accommodate plumbing. This leaves the house in a weakened condition.
3. The basement hasn't been graded properly. The grading job in the basement may be inade­quately completed. The result is a leaking and poorly ventilated basement.
4. Inadequate roof flashing. Flashing details on a roof are often poorly done. A pipe might be coming out of it, or the flashing may change directions at the val­ley of the roof.
5. Work that hasn't been done right. Lack of attention to detail is often the cause of this. Ductwork may be loose; joints may not match; doors or cabinets may not open easily; floors could be crooked. The overall integrity of the home is compromised when the workmanship is poor.

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