Woodbridge Home Inspections

A real estate agent with whom I have worked several times recently called me. Her client had decided to purchase a new home in Woodbridge, VA. Her client had asked if she recommended a new construction home inspection. She advised them that it was a great idea to get a new construction home inspection and that she knew of an inspector (me) who worked in Woodbridge, VA. She called to let me know that her clients would be calling me.

A few days later, I received a call inquiring about a new construction home inspection in Woodbridge, VA. I explained the concerns associated with a new construction home inspection and what I would be looking for when I inspected their home in Woodbridge, VA. I quoted them their inspection fee and asked if I could have the contact information for the project manager who was on site in Woodbridge, VA building their home.

My client expressed some concern relating to the price of the inspection and asked why it was so expensive. A new construction home inspection allows a unique opportunity to inspect the home as it is being built. I recommend an inspection before drywall is hung and a home inspection before settlement as well. Every home built in Woodbridge, VA is inspected by Prince William County code inspectors, but a code inspector has a very limited inspection scope. A code inspector is not concerned with square walls, level door openings, and other aesthetic concerns. A code inspector is also not concerned with anything that may exceed code requirements. As a home inspector with significant experience managing new home construction, I know how homes are built and I know how issues with framing can show up in the tile work, etc.

My client talked with friends who had recently built a home in Woodbridge, VA and talked with their soon-to-be neighbors and decided to have me inspect the home prior to drywall being hung. The inspection fee, after all, was a small fraction of the cost of their new home in Woodbridge, VA.

I knew this particular builder relatively well. I had inspected several of their homes before. I had even completed a home inspection in Woodbridge, VA on another one of their homes.

When the time came, I touched base with the project manager who was on site in Woodbridge, VA to introduce myself and find a time to access the home for my new construction home inspection.

I arrived at the home inspection in Woodbridge, VA just a few minutes early and was greeted by the project manager. He opened up the home and asked that I touch base with him before leaving so that he had an idea of what to expect from the home inspection report.

The home had been finished framing and was insulated. The homeowners had their pre drywall walk through scheduled for the following week and the home was going through the inspection process with Woodbridge, VA municipal inspectors. Several of the Woodbridge, VA or Prince William County inspectors had passed the home for their respective inspection scopes.

The list of items that I found served to perfectly illustrate why it is so important to have a home inspection, even on a new home. The home was not in terrible shape. The list, however, was very long.

Many of the walls were not square with each other. This would have resulted in uneven reveals in the ceramic tile in the bathrooms. The grout lines would have highlighted that the room was not square. The same concern was noted in the upstairs hallway. This area was to be finished with hardwood and the off angles would have been easily seen when set side by side with the straight edge of the hardwood.

This Woodbridge, VA home inspection also discovered several bowed studs. Although these studs were not structural, the finish quality would have been less than optimal.

These were all easy repairs at the time of the home inspection, but would have been very hard to deal with once drywall had been hung.