When inspecting your new home build and renovation project you should check

Finding construction defects in your new home during construction

In our last article Quality checks for your home building and renovation projectwe discussed the costs of poor quality - and they were more than just monetary! We also talked about why you should not leave quality only up to your builder and some things to check and how to prepare for your project visit.

Looking for quality issues in your new home build or renovation

As discussed in the previous article you should regularly visit your home as construction progresses. It's hard to find quality problems when the house is finished and potential construction defects and problems have been covered over. It's also difficult to fix some issues without damaging something else if defects are only detected after the house is complete.
Every time you visit the project site check:

• That the site is generally clean, tidy and safe.
• That the quality appears acceptable. This could include checking the plumbness and squareness of door frames, window frames and walls. Regularly line up door and window openings by eye to see if they all align. Arm yourself with a tape measure, square and spirit level (not a tiny one, rather what builders use) so you can check dimensions, squareness and plumbness.
• That the correct materials are being installed.
• That there aren’t any obvious problems. For instance that doors, windows and electrical points are in the correct position, and that the correct tiles are being used and the right quality and colour of paint.
• That the workers are using the latest drawings. Often drawings are revised, or you issue an instruction, but the team executing the work aren’t aware of the instruction, changes, or that there’s a revised drawing.
• That the ground under floor slabs and foundations is compacted.
• That before concrete is poured into foundations and slabs that they are clean of dirt and standing water and that the reinforcing isn’t touching the sides or bottom.
• That all open ends of pipes are temporarily closed so that dirt and concrete doesn’t get into the open pipe.
• That there aren’t obvious holes or damages to pipes, wires and cables, or joints that appear not properly sealed.
• That all pipes appear to have been joined correctly. PVC pipes have various fittings and adaptors. It should never be necessary to heat pipes to bend them, or to cut them to slot them together. Pipes of differing diameters should be connected using the correct adaptor fittings and should fit tightly without paper or silicone being jammed into gaps between the pipes.
• That pipes and cables in trenches don’t have rocks and building rubble thrown on top of them which could cut or crush the pipes and cables. Normally there should be a bedding layer of sand to protect pipes and cables in trenches.

In our next article Checking the quality of construction in your new home Part 3 we continue with this list.

​This is an extract from the author's book 'An Introduction to Building and Renovating Houses: Volume 1 Hiring Contractors, Managing Construction and Finishing Your Home'.

---

Want to learn more about designing, renovating and building houses?

Click on this picture to read more on Amazon

​Paul Netscher has written 2 easy to read books 'An Introduction to Building and Renovating Houses - Volumes 1 and 2'. An Introduction to Building and Renovating Houses Volume 1 deals with Hiring Contractors, Managing Construction and Finishing Your Home.  and Designing your ideal home Volume 2 deals with Finding Your Ideal Property and Designing Your Dream Home. 
​("Great for those that DIY. Very helpful in home renovations!" said a Reader on Amazon.com 5*****)
These books are available from Amazon and other online bookstores in paper and ebook.