Hello all,

I am considering hiring a home inspector during the build of our new home that is currently under construction. I have been reading as much as possible about the steps that have taken place but I just don't think that am informed enough to keep a watchfull eye over the builder. Has anyone else done this? Would this be a wise investment or a waste of money at this time? The house just had the footers and block foundation put up. Thanks for advice

Sounds like you chose the wrong builder. What has he done so far that warrants an inspector? Why don't you trust him/her?

Yes they have. I am a licensed inspector in NJ and we get these requests all the time.
However you must understand several things before you go to this step.

1. Will the builder allow the inspection?
Most builders such as the larger ones in fact will NOT allow anyone other then the buyer on the property. They claim insurance issues.
We often get around this by going on a Sunday in unmarked car with owner and become their uncle visiting from out of town in case we get caught. Check with your lawyer on this. But you do not own the house or property until you close so the builder has all the rights to allow or not allow people on the job site.

2. Builder will not change anything a home inspector finds.
Now this may change slightly because of the new home sale bust, as the builders are attempting to get rid of inventory, The reason they will not change is costs, Their excuse is the building department allows for this way of doing things and so they are not obligated to change anything. Also they will say if you do not like it, buy another house as they quite often have another buyer in the wings wanting that location.

3.People do not understand what a home inspectors responsibility is.
As a home inspector although some like myself have experience in other areas and understand construction better then some outside the scope of a home inspection. Are considered generalists. Our job is to point out what we THINK is wrong with something. WE are not engineers although some are, WE do not warranty homes. Although some buyers think we do.

4.Some inspection companies do not have the methods in which to inspect a home under construction.
What I mean by this is some companies use a book system in which they use a checklist to inspect a home. Once complete this checklist and custom book on homes becomes yours. Although most are written very good these books do not have areas in which the home is under construction. They are based on a completed house and are written that way. Again although some of these guys are very good at inspections and may understand a home under construction their reporting system may not be able to address issues that are found. If any are found.

SO to answer your question. Yes and No. You need to pick wisely to be sure the person your hiring understands new construction and framing and is willing and allowed to go to the job site to investigate the job. Otherwise it will be a waste of money.

One last thing. I always tell my clients this.
Do you have a one year warranty on the house with the builder? If so be sure to review this with your lawyer. New homes always go through a settlement process. Primarily because they are built so fast things do not have a chance to settle before they get the finishes on. You want to be sure that the builder will come back after a year to address these issues for you.
Check with neighbors that have had homes built by this person. Ask questions.
Do NOT have the home customized with special fixtures. Do this after you move in. Reason being. Your upgrades come out of your pocket. If something goes wrong with the sale after you requested that custom marble tops, stoves, trim packages etc. You loose. The builder is under no obligation to give you your money back for these upgrades. Many folks have these expensive upgrades done with building and find after the fact they are not happy and want to back out but cannot because of the custom items they pre-purchased from the builder will not give them back.
Builders make a lot of money with extras and custom add ons. That is why the have the display house for you to walk through. They want you to purchase these items as they know you must pay for them in advance and they get a discount that they do not pass on to you so they are ahead of the job before they even start digging the ground.
Request an evaluation of the prints by your engineer. A structural engineer can review the prints to help decide if they are building the structure with enough strength. What I mean about this is that the builder to save money is building the house with the least amount of lumber they can. The biggest complaint I ever see is bouncing floors. Although the structural strength of the floor meets code its usually not enough to prevent bounce. This is one area in which I would pay for an extra. Perhaps 12 inch centers on floor joists or deeper beams to help remove the bounce.

Wow! Thank you The Home Care Club LLC, for so unselfishly sharing your hard-earned knowledge. Your advice and insights are thorough and very good, as always.

My take on this is that it is a very good idea to have a knowledgable and experienced person on site just to see that things are taken care of correctly, even if you know and fully trust the builder. Any single laborer on the job can take any number of shortcuts if not supervised, and the sad truth is that the better a builder is at what he does, the busier he will be and the less often he will show up at your particular job.

No one who cares about the quality of their work should be bothered very much by a third party looking over his shoulder, though *****ing and moaning is pretty much a given, I think. To my mind, an independent inspector would be a very good investment, if only for your own peace of mind. In fact, I'm waiting for Mike Holmes to start a franchise!

Thanks all for the reply's. I am building with a home builder that I researched and really liked what I have seen and heard from other home owners from the same builder. I am going to take the great information provided here and do some research and try to find a inspector that will fit my needs, I think that if I can find the right own it will be worth my investment.