Q–My husband and I are at odds. We’re having a new home built and I’m paranoid about defects in the work that might go undiscovered. My husband seems to think we should just trust the builder to do his job. I want to go to the job site and check things out. What should I look for? What aspects of residential construction can cause major problems if they aren’t done right the first time? How can I avoid squeaky floors?
A–I’m glad you’re alert, because your husband seems to be asleep at the wheel. If my ever-increasing volume of weekly letters and e-mails are any indication of the state of quality control in residential housing, I’m inclined to think you should be at the job site full time. Yes, there are builders out there who do excellent work. They inspect their subcontractors daily and make sure all work is first class. Unfortunately, they’re few and far between.
Construction defects are often caught by building inspectors. But you can’t expect them to be at your site every day. Workmanship flaws can and do get covered up. Some are honest mistakes, while others stem from a lack of knowledge or the desire for extra profit.
Keep in mind that your presence at a job site involves danger and risk. You can fall through holes, fall into trenches, have objects fall on your head, etc. Inspections should be scheduled with your builder and negotiated into your contract if necessary. Inspections that take place while workers are on site can be distracting and disruptive. I would suggest you do all inspections after the workers have gone home for the day.
The inspection process should begin on the first day of work. The first mistake to look for involves the finished height of your foundation or building slab. You need to make sure that you have good drainage away from all points along the foundation. This usually means you need 6 inches of fall within the first 10 feet of dirt that grades away from the foundation. Check for the presence of foundation drain tile and where this pipe discharges its water. Make sure no organic material or scrap wood is used in the backfill around the foundation or slab.
Be sure that a high-quality vapor barrier is in place beneath any interior slabs, garage floor slabs and crawlspaces. Inspect all structural steel angle irons and beams before they’re installed. They should be completely coated with rust-inhibitive primer so they don’t develop rust problems. Ideally, it would be nice to see a coat of finish paint on exterior steel before it’s installed.
Inspect plumbing pipes that are attached or next to wood framing members. Look for clamps and supports that allow the pipe to expand and contract. Pipes that can’t move easily can make noise. If you have forced-air heating and cooling, carefully inspect the ductwork. The branch lines that feed off the main trunk line should have damper controls that allow you to adjust airflow. The main trunk duct line should get smaller as branch lines feed from it. If the main trunk line does not get smaller, rooms that are farthest away from the furnace simply do not get enough conditioned air. These problems can be a nightmare to fix once they’re covered up with drywall.
If your home has a brick exterior, check to make sure a high-quality flashing is under the first course of brick. The flashing needs to be sealed at all lap joints and interior and exterior corners. Inspect your wall insulation. Look to see if the insulation has been split where electric wires pass through it. If the insulation is just packed over the wires, an air void will remain in the wall. Make sure the space between the rough framing and the sides of windows and doors is filled completely with softly packed insulation.
If you have a wood subfloor and roof system, look at the underside to make sure all nails have been driven into the floor joists and roof trusses. To avoid future floor squeaks, you might need to do some work on your own. I would install 1 5/8-inch drywall screws on 8-inch centers in all areas that will experience foot traffic.
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