Submitted By: Dwayne Boggs (Dwayne is a home inspector serving the Thurston County area home inspection market)
The other day I received a call for a lady who was getting ready to buy her dream home. It was new construction with a lot of upgrades that her and her husband wanted.
When I arrived at the home my other inspector and I noticed right away the poor installation of the siding. Here are just a few samples: loose siding, no face nailing, butt joints where not flashed, poor caulking and there was even missing flashing. From what I could see sections of the vapor barrier were missing as well.
I explained all this to my clients pointing out the many defects and explaining to them that besides the poor installation my main concern was the lack of vapor barrier missing behind the butt joints. They were rightly concerned and were going to address these issues with the builder.
At the end of the inspection I ran water through all the plumbing fixtures and then went into the crawlspace for the final inspection phase. After eight years of doing home inspections I was not ready for what I saw along the stem wall.
I could see water staining on all sides of the home and when I pulled back the insulation at the rim joist the insulation was very damp. The mud sill and rim joist framing members where saturated with water. You can tell how wet by looking at how dark the wood is. It should by a light color not dark like in these pictures.
I showed the pictures to the client explaining to them at this point the builder, most likely will not do any repairs as they would have to remove almost all the siding and if they back out of the deal the builder will be hoping the next buyer passes on a home inspection.
I’m not sure what the buyer’s did seeing how this was their dream home and such high emotions are tied into the process with most buyers.
This is just one of the many reasons I strongly tell people to have new construction inspected.
About the Author
Dwayne is the former past President of the Washington Association of Property Inspectors, Dwayne is also a committee member for the Washington State Pest Management Association (WSPMA), Dwayne has been serving the Thurston County home inspection markets of Olympia home inspection , Lacey home inspection and Tumwater home inspection for many years. Boggs Inspection Services can be reached at 360-480-9602
