First home through builder - what to keep eye on during construction? (Austin: sales)

[rimp69]

Hey CD members!

Looking for some input here in regards to the build process of a new home. I've read some home owners when building visit the home frequently to keep an eye on things, but from my perspective im not sure what to look for other than they add the things im paying for.

For example outlets in practical areas, spackle work, ac room vents, etc. Any tips out there on what to look for when they are building? I want to ensure I can get things fixed before they area completely ignored/sealed up...

[hoffdano]

The list of things to pay attention to could be huge depending on what exactly you are paying for. Is this a custom home? Does your contract with the builder spell out in detail what will be installed in your home? Or does it just contain allowances for lighting and plumbing fixtures (for example)?

#1 - is that the builder does what they are committed to do by contract

Lots of nitty gritty details that I would pay attention to, including just a few below:

Electrical:
- where light switches are located
- separate switches for ceiling fan vs. fan light
- outlet location

Structured wiring:
- do you have it?

Plumbing
- plumbing loop for water softener?
- one outside faucet to have softened water?
- water heater location (hopefully not the attic)

So many more.....

Heating/cooling
Gutters
Attic ventilation
Attic access/ladder
Range hood - does it actually exhaust outside?
Framing (general) - do NOT let the builder get away with crooked walls

[TexasVines]

check dimensions of all rooms....ALL rooms.....builders will sometimes put walls wherever they feel is easiest for whatever reason....especially rooms on the second floor that might have a sloping ceiling that you want the walls pushed back further than normal......they will ignore the extra 2 feet where you have a build in desk designed to be located and instead just put the walls where they always do because "we always put the walls there" or "no one ever has their room go where the ceiling is that low"......yea except for those that are smart enough to locate a desk on that wall and realize that with the built in desk there people will not be hitting their head on the ceiling because the desk prevents them from walking there

check the location of ALL plumbing both piping and drains......it does not matter if the water lines for the wet bar in the middle of house are in place if the DAMN DRAIN PIPE is not in place.....if you do not discover that in time you will not have a wet bar.....and of course a drain with no pipes means maybe they can run pipes in the ceiling or rafters for water....MAYBE

check the dimensions of all bathroom fixtures.....if your dream bath has your dream tub.....but they framed the space 1' too small.....well your dream bath will now have A tub of some type because your dream tub will not fit...same with the shower....if you have a cool glass enclosure picked out and the shower is not correct well then you will be shopping for a new enclosure

any "custom" features like small areas that would normally be walled in as dead space that you are having small cabinets or closets put in for linens and the like......sure they can go back in and rip the framing out and frame it back for the cabinet, but they will want to argue over cost with you for that.....they need to eat that cost 100% if it is on the plans.....same with any wall or framing mistakes above

if you have a jennaire stove with a built in vent on a kitchen island or some other special appliance setup and they fail to run the vent for the stove in the foundation before it is poured......you will be doing without a vented stove of any type (yea the house gets t smell like BACON! every time you eat BACON!) or you will have a ceiling mounted ventahood that might block the entire open layout of the kitchen

if you have a gas log fireplace make sure the gas line is run to there

make sure any trees or other existing landscape features you want to keep are 100% market and encircled with that crappy looking orange fencing (not an issue with many subdivisions today since they 100% cleared the entire development before hand)

make sure any type of change to roof overhangs are done properly.....if you want a 4' overhang on one side of the house because of the windows and sun and ect. then there is still a chance the framer will put in the 2' overhang that they put on EVERY house in the area

make sure poured in place patios and the like are properly sized and the overhang/covered area you desire for that is properly dimensioned on the roof framing.....make sure any type of concrete texturing (like pebble) is done or you will end up with a patio that looks like a rough foundation.....of course they can "tile" that for you and try and charge you for it, but since it was not poured with tile in mind now you have some funky (and soon to probably cause some type of rot or drainage issue) with where the tile meets a wall that it should not be meeting because it was not suppose to be tiled it was suppose to be pebble washed concrete

on patios make sure there is not a slant towards the house even a slight one.....go after a rain or use a level if you have to.....make sure there are no low areas or dips especially up against a wall that will hold rain water and puddle it.....not attractive in the middle of a patio and a rot issue next to the wall

make sure the foundation is built up from the site enough that when fill dirt or other landscaping features are placed there is not an issue with water pooling next to the foundation or worse the foundation is actually below the soil line (happens ALL the time on sloping lots).....then you get to add in a french drain to your lot (usually at your expense because by the time you discover it the house is built and it is cheaper to just do it than fight the builder/developer (if they are still in business))......and even better many areas do not allow you to drain a french drain into the street or cut a curb to put one in or even to drain it onto the driveway

look at where downspouts are to be located.....where will that water run to.....will it drain away from the house.....or will it drain into a low spot in the back year and sit there.....will it cause a mini-grand canyon when it does drain because so much volume is going down a major slope

if you have a "fancy" roof line with a lot of different angles and elevations make sure that it is framed properly so that some "valley" in the middle of the roof is created that has no outlet to any edge of the roof/gutter.....happens more often than you would believe...make sure that there are not places on your roof where the slope runs into/slopes to a vertical wall...if it is designed like that find a new "architect" if it is not designed like that get it corrected......vertical walls should only have roofs that slope away from them or that slope perpendicular to them (and of course towards the ground)....never towards them period

check dimensions of ALL doors....if you want a 3' wide exterior door because you have a baby grand you need to move in don't be surprised if you have a 2'-10" exterior door "because"......you will find the reason for a lot of stupid mistakes going against CLEARLY marked plans is "because" or "that is how the house next door is" or "the model house is like this".....the reality is the builder probably has a 2'-10" door they are probably trying to pawn off on some chump from the last time they screwed up.....if you have a full sized washer and dryer make sure you do not get a 2'-4" laundry room door

make sure all laundry room connections are in place....if you have a gas dryer make sure there is gas.....if 220V electric make sure the 220V electric is in place not just 110V.....if you happen to have a 110V dryer make sure that is there.....and of course 110V to run the washing machine.....drains for the washer in place...check it

make sure all closets are proper size especially if working with a closet designer on your dream closet.....again it happens more often than you would imagine that a framer will frame in 100% dead space and cut a closet 2' less wide "because".....there goes your dream closet setup and of course who the hell just frames in 2'X2' of dead space when it could be part of a closet for no freaking reason.....well besides home framers of course because they do so ALL the time....ALL the time....home framers seem to LOVE dead space.....yes dead space does happen especially in very fancy homes.....but often that dead space can be utilized by ANYONE with a brain and even more so they will just frame in dead space for NO REASON.....why is that wall there......oh I don't know because.....well tear it out.....but it is a wall there.....tear it out....uh.....yes YOU tear it out.....or move it two feet back like on the plan.....but WE framed it there.....YOU can MOVE IT.....uh.....HERE LET ME SHOW YOU.....picks up hammer and starts tearing mystery wall out.....see LIKE THAT.....oh you want the wall all the way back there....DUH!...oh ok we can do that....DUH!

check heights of windows....if you have a sitting window especially....heights of windows off the ground and heights of windows below the ceiling....if you have a kids toy box or some type of built in that goes below a window....well if that window is framed 6" too low...there goes that idea.....if you have some crown molding or some type of upper wall paper border and the window is 6" too high.....well now your border or molding looks like crap where there is a gap or where there is a cut out or other "rigged" thing done

make sure any window that might look out onto a roof is framed to be above that portion of where the roof will be....or at best you will have a much smaller window at worst no window

make sure all heating and mechanicals are framed to be where you want them....if you want the water heater in the garage why would it be framed into what you had as a closet in the laundry room.....well "because" that is why...who needs a closet or cabinet in the laundry room just put all your detergents on the machines....or better yet it is Austin keep it weird and don't use detergents!

my parents had a house built where they did not realize there was no way to run an air vent to 25% of the house until it was framed....luckily a small "fur down" was able to be built in the ceiling of the entry way up against the front wall that did not look bad or stupid at all and the air line was run through it....make sure all air vents are where you want them....if there is only one place in a bed room to locate a bed because of the layout or the bed size and the air vent is suppose to blow away from the bed instead of right onto it....well make sure that is so

measure all plug heights if having plug heights even in a single room (or more so throughout the house) is something that will bother you.....same with switches.....if you have 3 way switches for some rooms where a light can be turned on at either entrance to a room....make sure those are in place before drywall goes up....if you will have a fan and a light and want both on a switch instead of controlled only at the fan unit make sure 2 switches are in place not one......especially if the fan is 20 feet in the air...

look at wiring to see that all the lights you want on a particular switch are on that switch.....after all who needs to turn on the garage light or the outside light when you turn on the lights over the wet bar....apparently the electrician thought someone did!

if you have pocket doors make sure someone did not drive a nail through one so it either won't open/close or it has a hole in it.....make sure space is framed to fully hold the recess for the pocket....or at best you will get a smaller door or at worst you will get a pocket door that does not fully go into the pocket or even better is no pocket door....and in some places that can mean "door wars" as two or three doors bang into each other or something else as they are opened or closed because of course that was a poor area for anything, but a pocket door and would have been a GREAT design....if only it had a pocket door!....but alas...

is the framing in the kitchen the proper dimensions....are the walls for cabinets level and straight.....are the cabinets level and straight

check ceiling heights there was a recent thread on this very forum where someone wanted a 10 foot ceiling and got a 9 foot ceiling....some rooms this would not matter, but in a large living room it could be terrible as far as room feel and future value of the house for resale

watch to make sure they put flashing in the valleys of the roofs....watch to make sure the shingles are going on straight and level.....if a roof looks cockeyed for some reason.....check it or get it checked before the shingles go on and you have a little row of shingles that increases in exposure as it goes across the roof

if you have unique shower tiles in thickness make sure to go over and over and over and over and over and over that your shower tiles are unique so you do not end up with a screwed up drain because it was built for the "standard" tile or "because"...really ANY tiles that goes for

if you want rounded edge kitchen tiles then make sure it is not tiled with the sharp edge of two times meeting at the edge....if you want a rounded edge back splash tile make sure it is not started where there will be no room for the corner piece

if you want ANY tile or flooring (or wall treatment) ANYWHERE to to be laid so that the spacer strip is laid against a particular wall or laid in a particular area then make sure the tile starts out right to make that happen.....hint.....if they start the full pieces of tile on the east wall and the east wall is where you wanted the filler strip to be.....guess what it will be on the west wall.....because they started with full pieces of tile on the east instead of the west

if you do not want your wallpaper to have cut corners and instead you want it to be folded into the corners......guess what day you need to make sure you or someone you trust is there....yep the day the wall paper person is there

same with any special trim or wall treatments....if you want to make sure they are done how you want them done make sure you are there when it starts.....or it will just be done...

here is a big big big one....if you have a window in the shower make sure it is framed and installed so that the lip of the window frame is WELL ABOVE the tile or whatever sill you have for that window....nothing worse than a shower window that collects water in the frame because it was framed so that the frame fell below the final sill height....UNACCEPTABLE PERIOD and will cause you years of trouble is not rectified properly

make sure all walls with outside exposure are properly insulated....even that little goofy space right over there....where they either ran out of insulation before they got to it or they did not feel like climbing in to there to get it done...same in the ceiling.....so you either you or someone with a brain that you trust may well have to climb up in the attic and have a good look around

here is another biggie....make sure everything that needs to be vented through the roof has a vent before the shingles go on.....if you have an on demand water heater that has a specific type of vent why is there a vent for a regular water heater there.....well because....is there a vent for the ventahood.....a vent for your decorative gas "fireplace" next to your dream bathtub

when things are "rolling" if you are not there every other day at least you could have issues....when finish out is going on if you are not there when it gets started for each item you WILL have issues (plural)....if something is custom, different than the model, moved from where it is in the model, you want it a specific way, different than "the norm"......you need to double and triple check it period

if you have a brick exterior or stone exterior....make sure the foundation is poured with that in mind....again happens ALL THE TIME...make sure the brick you wanted is the brick delivered....happens all the time

same thing with the bathroom tile and thickness goes for any flooring anywhere in the house.....thick tile in the hallway and standard thickness wood in the living room and carpet in the hall.....someone needs to make sure all that meets level BEFORE it is discovered there will be a little (ugly as hell and sure to cause you issues forever) little trim piece here and a filler strip there and a little part ground down at an angle there

measure 100% of the foundation of the house when the forms are laid up to make sure the overall dimensions are correct ESPECIALLY if you have some unique features like cabinet sizes or builtins in the rooms.....if you have questions ASK and point out why it is important....DOCUMENT who you spoke with about it and when and about what.....again not everyone can read a blue print and not everyone can understand how much ledge space is needed for brink and what framing + dead space + drywall + some treatment will need to add up to to make sure the dimensions of the room are proper once all drywall and treatments are up.....for a "normal" home a quarter inch here or even half inch or inch there won't matter (other than you are not getting what you designed/paid for) because one inch over the length of the long side of a house can add up to $ soon.....1" off of each room along 48' of one side of a house in 4 square feet....hardly noticeable in many cases (especially if rooms are large, but of rooms are 11"X11" well it can make a slight difference) , but if you are paying $120 per square foot or more you just paid $480 for something you did not get

on a 3,000 sqft house (say it is 30 X 100) if you are short an inch on two sides you are short 10.83 square feet and you paid $1,300 for something you did not get

again when the forms are laid up measure....if you do not understand the blueprints or how walls and brick VS wood and air gap and framing (2X4s are not actually 2' X 4" they are smaller) and dry wall and the like all adds up through out the house ASK.....bathroom walls with a toilet drain in them are thicker than regular walls.....YOU are paying do not let your builder or their employees or their subs be dismissive of you.....if they flat will not deal with you go to the developer or an architect of you have one.....and make sure you have documented that you discussed the issue with them especially repeatedly and if you are not sure and think it might be a big deal for you (or them) in the end......if you are concerned and they are blowing you off take a video camera and record as you discuss the issue with them and as they either blow you off or tell you it is all going to work out.....the higher end and more custom the house is and the more important some feature or aspect or especially the more costly you think the mistake might be the more I would recommend this......because at the end of the day when it is a $12,000 "fix" for something you feel is extremely important to you and they are telling you is a non issue and you are withholding final payments and heading to court the more proof you have the more likely it is they will either fix it or walk away without final payment and you with clear title and less than what you wanted

also make sure to measure the foundation again after it is poured......things get moved at the last minute and not even maliciously just "because"

yes I understand the above seems daunting, but I have seen 100% of those mistakes made multiple times and I have had those discussions multiple times and that was with houses that were really not extremely high end...so the more high end your home is....the more important some aspect is and the more unique VS others around it something is the more YOU need to be on top of it or YOU will have an issue to deal with and at best you will have to throw a fit to get it done at worst it will be too late and it can't get done and then you will need to decide if you have recourse or if recourse it worth it.....and of course YOU will live with it either way

[LongTimeAustinite]

Bring someone out who knows what to look for. Unless you're the type that knows about building things you might not see problems unless they are obvious.

When we built I went out every day. I found a couple of leaking plumbing joints. I saw that they were not going to use 12 gauge wire throughout. Even still they put 15 amp breakers in the panel when 12 gauge could handle 20 amp breakers. If you don't know what to look for then bring a friend who does.

Also. Bring your video camera and video everything before the dry wall goes up. It's nice to have a reference as to where everything is if you need it later. Do the same for the outside of the house. Where the water line is, septic, sprinkler lines, etc.

[Austin97]

Originally Posted by hoffdano

The list of things to pay attention to could be huge depending on what exactly you are paying for. Is this a custom home? Does your contract with the builder spell out in detail what will be installed in your home? Or does it just contain allowances for lighting and plumbing fixtures (for example)?

#1 - is that the builder does what they are committed to do by contract

Lots of nitty gritty details that I would pay attention to, including just a few below:

Electrical:
- where light switches are located
- separate switches for ceiling fan vs. fan light
- outlet location

Structured wiring:
- do you have it?

Plumbing
- plumbing loop for water softener?
- one outside faucet to have softened water?
- water heater location (hopefully not the attic)

So many more.....

Heating/cooling
Gutters
Attic ventilation
Attic access/ladder
Range hood - does it actually exhaust outside?
Framing (general) - do NOT let the builder get away with crooked walls

I would hire someone on contract that is a prime contractor to monitor what the others are saying.

[centralaustinite]

yup, if you were smart, you have written the contract to allow your own inspector at key points during the construction (foundation, framing, rough-in, etc) and made draws (if you are financing the construction) dependent on those inspections.

If you just have a sale contract, you may or may not have the right to your own inspector but you should still hire your own and have him look it over, at least once, preferably when everything is roughed in and before the walls are closed.

Did your contract include detailed specs? Make sure everything is done as specified.
good luck!

[thedwightguy]

Originally Posted by rimp69

Hey CD members!

Looking for some input here in regards to the build process of a new home. I've read some home owners when building visit the home frequently to keep an eye on things, but from my perspective im not sure what to look for other than they add the things im paying for.

For example outlets in practical areas, spackle work, ac room vents, etc. Any tips out there on what to look for when they are building? I want to ensure I can get things fixed before they area completely ignored/sealed up...

Had a buddy buy his first housr for cash, and was walked through the display home (of five choices) and thought he had bought THAT plan. When walking through the build he got the feeling it was a little smaller, and found out he had signed for a different plan. (EXTRA MONEY to the sales and Realtor?? about 40 GRAND in 1988 money.

Since he had signed, and the Realty company/builder is NOT a member of the Real Estate Board, his options were few. Inflation and rising house prices and the fact that he bought for cash kept him out of a real problem, but watch out.

Do you walkthroughs with a tape measure and the set of plans you have. YOu DO have a set of plans, right??

[RoamingTX]

Originally Posted by thedwightguy

Had a buddy buy his first housr for cash, and was walked through the display home (of five choices) and thought he had bought THAT plan. When walking through the build he got the feeling it was a little smaller, and found out he had signed for a different plan. (EXTRA MONEY to the sales and Realtor?? about 40 GRAND in 1988 money.

Since he had signed, and the Realty company/builder is NOT a member of the Real Estate Board, his options were few. Inflation and rising house prices and the fact that he bought for cash kept him out of a real problem, but watch out.

Do you walkthroughs with a tape measure and the set of plans you have. YOu DO have a set of plans, right??

Who knows. You necroposted a 5 year old thread.