Never more than a day or two go by that we don’t visit the job site. Our builder is very patient with our frequent visits, and that is a definite plus. One thing to keep in mind, the more often you visit, the more flaws you can bring to the attention of the builder.
Attention To Detail
Maybe not ideal for the builder, but they’ll thank you later because finding little flaws early saves your builder money. It’s easy for subcontractors to read the house blueprints wrong, or perhaps the builder already built this house plan and the first time it was built was slightly different than how you want your home built. It happens. Your builder is most likely managing several job sites and is quite busy with emails, texts, and phone calls from subcontractors and homeowners all of the time. So, if you’re visiting your job site frequently, don’t hesitate to immediately tell your builder when things are wrong. One time a wall was being put up where it shouldn’t (and we were right), and our kitchen countertops were being framed for a taller height instead of all of them at the counter height like we wanted. But, we noticed immediately and right away the problem was fixed before it got too far along, which would’ve wasted time and materials.
Things To Look For
Below, left: Check for cuts or scratches on cabinets, hard surfaces and woodwork.
Below, right: Be aware of paint flaws. Here is overspray on our wood floor.
Right: The correct size and placement of the decorative vent.
Far right: Our home’s decorative vent is the wrong size and placed too high.
Changes Before The Final Walk-Through
With that being said, it’s the week of the walk-through and we notice a few flaws. Some minor, and some a little more major that definitely need addressing. We notice various areas where our siding appears messy and overlapping. There is also some caulking issues and some paint overspray on our wood floors. But, all in all, those are pretty minor fixes for our builder to make before our walk-through. One other flaw was the decorative vent above our garage door. It appears too high in the gable and isn’t consistent with the other homes our builder built in the area. It is very obvious to me it is wrong. So, we took some picture of ours and the ones on other houses nearby and sent them to the builder. He agreed; it needs to be redone. So, the entire vent and siding will be removed and redone above the garage door.
Left: Exterior trim is misaligned resulting in a messy appearance.
Make It Right
Before or during your walk-through, pay attention to your hardware like doorknobs and bath fixtures and make sure it’s installed well. Make sure your lighting isn’t damaged, bent, or broken. Check your cabinets for knicks and scratches as well as your vanity tops in your kitchen and baths. Sometimes it’s best to look at these at an angle to see the imperfections. Make sure your flooring doesn’t have any seams sticking up, scratches, or bumps. And, on the outside, look for misaligned siding, messy caulking and other noticeable flaws with the paint or exterior doors and windows. Many tradespeople build home plans to get them completed and minor flaws are expected, so be on the lookout and you’ll be a happier homeowner at closing when everything is perfect!
Below: Corner exterior trim flaw.
Above, right: Messy caulking on front porch columns was redone to look smooth and flawless.
Left: Another example of messy caulking that should be fixed before or after your walk-through with your builder.
See more tips when building a new home at House Plans and More on Pinterest!