Phase Inspection : Charlotte Home Inspector, Reveals why New Home need an independant inspection.

AHI RESIDENTIAL & COMMERCIAL INSPECTIONS, INC
Serves the Charlotte,NC Metro Areas Mecklenburg County, and all
of the surrounding counties.

Phase Inspection

NEW HOME CONSTRUCTION (also called phase inspections)

Very often, purchasers of newly constructed home believes that there is no reason for their new
home to be independently inspected by a licensed home inspector at the pre-drywall stage and / or
just prior to closing, by a competent private sector professional building inspector. After all, new
homes are so beautiful!

Buyers may believe, due to the local building inspection department having inspected the house on
multiple “mini-inspections” during its construction, that nothing could have been missed. Or, they
may feel that because the builder or developer is providing some type of warranty, that it will cover
everything. Unfortunately, this is not always true….and when it is true, it usually costs more time
and especially frustration to repair a defect if your furniture and other possessions are already in
the home. And….If the defect is a structural, plumbing or a roof leak……well, you don’t even want
to think about it! Although local building department inspectors usually have your best interest in
mind, they neither catch everything nor do they inspect the roof, per our experience and research.
You should also know that manufacturer warranties do not cover every component for every
condition which might affect them. The simple fact is that a new home should be in new
condition! We are here for your peace of mind!

Usually, builders and developers have a greater incentive to make repairs or corrections before
closing. An independent inspection by AHI Home Inspection prior to closing will help you find
defective components, improper installations or other new construction issues and will also provide
you with very valuable maintenance information to help you manage maintenance costs and help
you better understand the workings of your home for years to come.

Below are some of the conditions and defects that have been found while conducting
these phase inspections and new finished home inspections:

• Missing attic insulation or no attic insulation (See Pictures Below)
• Improper wiring; defective GFCI’s or electrical outlets
• Roof leaks; damaged roofing; improper flashings; damage shingles (See Pictures Below)
• Damaged or loose plumbing components; plumbing leaks (See Pictures Below)
• Reversed hot and cold water lines
• Poor installation of stud walls, siding and or structural components
Damage to structural components by sub-contractor is common! (See Pictures Below)
• Windows installed incorrectly; damaged windows; seal issues (See Pictures Below)
• Gas fireplace exhaust flue installed upside down & not connected; gas leakage
• Loose stair railings; improperly constructed stairways
• Improper soil grading
• Missing hardware; incomplete trim work
• Improperly secured cabinets; damaged cabinets
• Leaking appliances

This is not a complete list of the conditions that we have found in newly constructed homes, nor do
we find most of them in every new home we inspect. In fact, we are only human and may not see
things in new or older homes that were not visible at the time of the inspection. However, we provide
our services by adhering to the ASHI Standards of Practice for Professional Home Inspectors and
our Clients have been consistently very satisfied that inspection items that are found prior to the
time they signed off on their new home. Keep in mind that most builders and developers do their
best to build a quality home for their Clients. The conditions found by AHI Home Inspection are
typically the result of the complex logistics of new home construction (particular sub-contractor
issues) and the time constraints put on city building inspectors. There are a large number of trades
people (subcontractors) involved in the construction process and they often work on the home at
different intervals, rather than all at once. When the home inspection issues are brought to the
builders attention, they typically will simply add them to their own “punch list” of final detail work and
they will be taken care of by the appropriate subcontractor.

NORMAL AHI PHASE INSPECTION “CHAIN OF EVENTS”

1) Client (or Realtor) calls Assure to ask questions and schedule an inspection. Hopefully, this is at
least a couple of weeks prior to the preferred inspection date (but if not, we’ll do our best and can
usually accommodate!).

2) Assure provides to Builder any reasonable paperwork they require upon request. (Usually, this is
only requested for pre-drywall phase inspections.)

3) Assure helps coordinate the inspection date and time between Home Buyer, Building
Superintendent, Realtor or others involved.

4) Home buyer is not required to attend the inspection, but we do recommend at least attending
near the end of the inspection to go over a summary, sign the inspection agreement and make
payment for the inspection. Assure accepts checks, cash and Visa, Mastercard and American
Express cards for payment. Credit card payments can be completed by phone, and we do perform a
lot of inspections for Clients who cannot attend, or prefer not to attend. By State guidelines, any
inspection agreement should be signed by prior to the inspection. The agreement is accessible on
our website (home page, “inspection agreement” button) to view and print, sign and fax to AHI
Home Inspections, if necessary.

5) Your AHI Inspector will complete the on-site inspection, provide the on-site verbal summary if
Client attends, then will provide the home inspection report within 24 hours to Client (and Builder, if
so required). The home inspection reports can be accessed from our website, or faxed to the Client
and Builder. On-site home inspections usually last between 3-4 hours, depending on the size of the
home and other factors. Most of our inspections begin around 9:30am or 2:30pm, but again…we’re
flexible! We’re here for your peace of mind.

NEW CONSTRUCTION INFORMATION CHECKLIST FOR BUYER

AHI Home Inspection recommends that all purchasers of newly constructed homes obtain as much
of the applicable information outlined below as possible from their builder or developer:
• Blueprints
• Engineering documents
• Soil reports
• Well or septic documents, if applicable
• Copy of the Certificate of Occupancy (after home finished)
• Copy of signed-off permits
• Warranties for the following:
• Water heaters and heating system components
• Fireplaces and components
• Air conditioning equipment
• Kitchen appliances
• Plumbing fixtures and fixture trim
• Electrical devices and fixtures
• Cabinets and counter tops
• Windows and doors, including garage doors and garage door openers
• Floor covering materials and installation
• Roof covering materials and installation
• Surface finishes; wallpaper, paint, stain, etc.
• Siding and veneers
• Masonry work
• Security systems
• Landscape irrigation systems and materials
• Builder’s warranties

Your Builder may be able to provide you with many of the items listed above (and probably will have
already done so) or can provide you with the names of the manufacturers so that you can write and
obtain any specific warranty information on any products in your home that you do not have.
Keep all of these documents together and in a place where you can locate them. They may be
helpful to you and to the next buyer of your home!

CALL FOR PHASE INSPECTION PRICING