When building a new home when should I hire an inspector? (Martin: buyer, construction)

[Lizzy5]

If I were to build a home with a builder who has been building in GA since 1987 when should I hire a home inspector? Do I hire one to do periodic inspections throughout the building process or should I just get one at the end when the home is completed?

[kagmypts]

It depends on when in the building process you buy your house. The most important inspection would be immediately prior to drywall... this way the inspector can really see what is happening. By the time the house is finished, the drywall and other finishing touches can really hide some serious problems (if they exist). However, it still not a bad idea to get two inspections. Good luck!

[scgraham]

Originally Posted by Lizzy5

If I were to build a home with a builder who has been building in GA since 1987 when should I hire a home inspector? Do I hire one to do periodic inspections throughout the building process or should I just get one at the end when the home is completed?

You can hire and inspector for the foundation, pre-drywall & final; however, don’t just hire an inspector out of the yellow pages. Your buyer's agent should be able to point you to a truly qualified new homes inspector. It doesn’t take much to be an inspector so you want one who is highly recommended because of performance.

[kagmypts]

If you need the recommendation for a good inspector, I can give you one. As scgraham said above, do not hire one out of the Yellow Pages. A good inspector can potentially save you a ton of money, but a bad/ineffective inspector can be the biggest waste of money. Unfortunately most inspectors fall into the latter category. Good luck!

[atlantamoi]

I had it done twice when my new home was built. I do think it's important, but the $300 I paid (in '02) for such a quick runthrough before drywall was painful. There just wasn't much for him to look at. I should have haggled the price down beforehand. Better to be safe than sorry, though.

[vecchio]

I just used a TREMENDOUS inspector - he saved me from a $400,000 DISASTER shined up to look like a gut rehab in Martin's Lake. Please email me if you want his name and number and I'll pass it along - I am new here and was not sure if it violates anything to post his info in open forum, but he was phenomenal - a former builder with great credentials - he found things that were really nitpicky but definitely worthy of attention.

Good luck!
~V.

[K'ledgeBldr]

Originally Posted by Lizzy5

If I were to build a home with a builder who has been building in GA since 1987 when should I hire a home inspector? Do I hire one to do periodic inspections throughout the building process or should I just get one at the end when the home is completed?

First off, Are we talking about a small custom-type builder, or are you referring to a large tract-type builder? Not that it really matters, but it could have potential bearing.
If it is a small custom-type builder, is this home going to be designed specifically for you, or are you building a home from a design catalog? Is this the "dream home", "my last home"?
If this is the case, hire a P.E. one with a background in structural engineerinig. He/she can make inspections at critical intervals (i.e., footing, foundation, framing, mechanicals, etc.).
If it's one of the large tract-type builders- you could probably hire a private inspector to do a pre-drywall inspection and final and be good. Or you could do the same thing I mentioned before.
The reason I give a private inspector a nod on the large builder house is because they build the same plans over and over and have worked out any problems (remember, they still have to go through the inspection process with the local county or municipality).
Personally, I'd go with the P.E. (yes, it will cost a bit more) P.E.'s are able to work through potential pitfalls and offer advice for correction. A private inspector can't technically.
Your only limitation for P.E.'s is this- most counties and municipalities have "approved lists", those engineers (P.E.'s) that are "allowed" to work in their jurisdiction. Get a copy of the list from the building dept., and start your interview process. Tell them what your need is, and ask for references that were residential.
Most engineering firms have several engineers working for them- ask that one do the whole job. Meet with this person. Can you work with this person? Try to meet with the engineer at every inspection; and make sure that, if there are any corrections to be made that the correction is observed before proceeding to the next phase.
This could go on and on; I hope you're getting the picture.
Good Luck-

[gentlearts]

Don't new homes need to have periodic inspections by the city during construction? Isn't this good enough? We have built two houses, and never had independent inspections done for either one. Did we miss the boat? I've never heard of this.

[rfisher983]

Yes but the city inspector some times isn't good. My parent’s home was inspected one of these and their basement flooded due to poor down sprout placement.

[K'ledgeBldr]

Originally Posted by gentlearts

Don't new homes need to have periodic inspections by the city during construction? Isn't this good enough? We have built two houses, and never had independent inspections done for either one. Did we miss the boat? I've never heard of this.

As I stated above- yes, there are inspections by the local county or municipality. However, with that said here's the real scoop- Most of the inspectors that are hired by county/city are from construction backgrounds and/or licensed in a mechanical trade. They are required to get certification in code enforcement. So far, so good (?), not by a long shot. The most common complaint about county/city inspectors is the inconsistant interpretation of the code. One will say, it says this; another says, it says that. Another problem is time (not exactly a problem now), They would be so loaded with inspections for the day that they could only spend a few minutes on each job site. Think things got over-looked, oh yeah! These are just a couple of reasons for wanting an independent observer doing an inspection.

Originally Posted by rfisher983

Yes but the city inspector some times isn't good. My parent’s home was inspected one of these and their basement flooded due to poor down sprout placement.

I think you'd be stretching the truth to blame that on a city inspector. Must counties and/or cities don't even require gutters. And if they did, the placement of a downspout is not the reason for flooding- it's the grade around the house. Which in-it-self is an item for an inspector, but it can be hard to eyeball a 6"/10' slope from a house.