The House Looked Perfect
The home was a four-bedroom colonial, just finished. Fresh drywall, new fixtures, the smell of paint still in the air. Tyler walked through it for the first time with me, pointing out features with the enthusiasm of someone who'd been waiting three years to get here. New kitchen. New everything. First person to ever live here.
I try not to dampen that feeling when I'm doing a walkthrough. But my job isn't to admire the finishes. I work my way through systematically — exterior first, then inside top to bottom. I'm not looking for what looks nice. I'm looking for what got skipped, rushed, or installed wrong.
On new construction, the list of what can go wrong is long. Subcontractors work on tight schedules and aren't always supervised closely. Municipal inspectors check compliance at key stages, but they're looking at code minimums, not quality. And builders have financial incentive to close on schedule.
The Attic Find
About an hour in I pulled down the attic hatch and went up to check insulation depth and the truss connections. What I found was insulation blown in thinner than spec on about a third of the attic floor — and one area near the eaves where the insulation had been installed directly against the soffit vents, blocking airflow.
This matters for two reasons. Inadequate insulation depth affects energy efficiency and can drive up heating and cooling costs noticeably over time. Blocked soffit vents restrict the ventilation that keeps moisture from building up in the attic. In cold climates like northern Illinois, poor attic ventilation is one of the primary causes of ice damming and premature roof deck deterioration.
The builder had passed municipal inspection. The municipal inspector checked that insulation was present and that the general ventilation configuration was correct. He wasn't measuring depth in each section or verifying the soffit channels were clear. That's not a failure of the inspection system — it's just not what municipal inspections are designed to catch at that level of detail.
Tyler asked if the builder would fix it. I told him that was exactly the right question, and that he was asking it at exactly the right time.
Grading and the Sump Pit
Outside, the final grading wasn't complete along the rear of the house. New construction sites often close before all landscaping and grade work is finished, with a punch list item to complete it afterward. What concerned me here was that the interim grade was sloping toward the foundation on the back left corner rather than away from it.
There was a sump pump in the basement — standard in this area — and the discharge line terminated about eight feet from the foundation. Which sounds fine until you realize it was discharging into soil that was sloping back toward the house. I've seen that setup create a feedback loop. The pump runs, water discharges, water migrates back toward the foundation, pump runs again.
I flagged both the grading and the discharge location. These were items the builder needed to correct before Tyler took ownership, and they were the kind of item that's easy to address before closing and miserable to negotiate after. The EPA's WaterSense guidelines and most building codes specify that grading should slope away from the foundation at a minimum of 6 inches over the first 10 feet. The rear grade wasn't close.
Minor Electrical Items
The electrical was mostly clean, which is typical on newer builds. But there were two GFCI outlets in the master bathroom that weren't tripping when tested, and a junction box in the garage that had been left with a wire nut connection exposed and no cover plate.
Neither of these is catastrophic. The GFCI issue could be a faulty outlet or an incorrect wiring sequence. The exposed junction box is a straightforward code violation. The builder's electrician would take care of both before closing once they were on the punch list.
What I want to convey is that these items exist on nearly every new construction inspection I've ever done. Not always the same items, but always something. Subcontractors work fast. Things get missed. Having an inspection is the mechanism for catching them while someone else is still responsible.
What Tyler Got Out of It
The builder fixed the attic insulation and cleared the soffit vents. They corrected the grading at the rear of the house and rerouted the sump discharge to daylight at the property edge. The electrical items were fixed in an afternoon.
Total cost to Tyler: my inspection fee plus a few hours of his time. Total cost to the builder: labor and materials they should have done right the first time.
None of these were warranty repairs. Tyler hadn't moved in yet, so there was no claim process, no waiting period, no paperwork. The builder had a list of things to correct and a closing date to hit. That's leverage.
I hear from buyers after the fact sometimes. Someone bought a new construction home and started noticing issues at month three or eight. Then they're in warranty claim territory — documenting problems, submitting requests, waiting for the builder's schedule, sometimes hiring an attorney when things don't move. It's solvable, but it's harder and slower than just having the inspection before closing.
Tyler sent me a message a few weeks after closing. He said the house felt solid. I told him that was the goal.
What to Know If You're Buying New Construction
A few things that come up in almost every new construction inspection conversation:
The builder's warranty is not a substitute for an inspection. The InterNACHI standards for new construction inspections cover the same systems and components as a resale inspection. Defects exist before the drywall goes up and after the certificate of occupancy is issued.
Your inspector is working for you, not the builder. Builder walkthroughs are designed to introduce you to the home and identify cosmetic punch list items. They're not independent inspections.
Pre-drywall inspections exist and are worth considering. Some buyers schedule an inspection before the drywall is installed, which allows the inspector to see framing, plumbing rough-in, electrical rough-in, and insulation in ways that aren't possible once the walls are closed. If your build timeline allows for it, ask your inspector about this option.
The municipal inspection passed doesn't mean everything is fine. Municipal inspectors check code compliance at scheduled stages. They're not looking at every nail, every connection, every inch of insulation depth. That's what a private inspection is for.