When my wife and I bought a brand new house from the builder for the first time we were surprised by the number of issues that we had after we took possession. Perhaps with hindsight we shouldn’t have been. Think of all the work done inside and outside the home to build it from the ground up. Plenty of things can go wrong. Many things can get overlooked. And sometimes things just aren’t done right.
After taking possession of a new home inspect every corner of the house to locate problem areas and contact the builder as soon as possible especially for serious concerns such as leaks and electrical problems. Consider paying a home inspector to accompany you to the final inspection.
Here are some of the main things that needed the builder’s attention after we took possession of the home up to 12 months after we took ownership.
Grout holes in shower floor tiles
I’m not a huge fan of shower tiles like this. I’d rather have a plastic tub that I know holds the water rather than tiles and grout which can crack and leak. This little hole above may be small but it wasn’t properly done so we got the builder to come back and fix it.
And as you’ll see in the next photo, it wasn’t only bathroom grout that had this problem.
Grout cracks in bathroom floor tiles
The picture above is from the floor of the same bathroom that had the shower grout problem. In this case, the grout was cracking and just didn’t look good. Again, the house was brand new and you expect better so we got it repaired.
Roof leak from improperly installed flashing
This was the most worrisome and annoying problem we had. Some metal flashing on the roof had been incorrectly installed and as a result after a major rain storm, water came into the roof and down into one bedroom. It dripped down onto a closet door which warped the wood to the point where paint chipped and cracked and the door wouldn’t close. Because the home was empty for several weeks as we waited for tenants to move in, it wasn’t immediately noticed as it was upstairs in a spare bedroom.
So not only did we have roof damage, we also had to look in the attic for water and then replace and fix the wood damage inside the bedroom where the leak ended up.
Roofers had to return to add the flashing, check out the attic for water damage and then a carpenter had to replace the closet door and rip out the door frame and reinstall it.
Water damage around the bathroom fan
This was a continuation of the roof leak because they didn’t fix it right the first (second time really) time. So the roof wasn’t done correctly when the house was built and it leaked. Then they didn’t fix the roof correctly and then had to come back a third time to fix it for good. They also had to repaint the area around the bathroom fan as seen above.
If you look at the top and right hand side, you can see evidence of a water stain. Not a great look on a brand new house.
Concrete crack on basement floor
Concrete walls and floors will often show cracking and this is in fact normal. It does happen. But when our tenants who rented our new house noticed this crack upon returning from a vacation, they sent me a picture to be sure. I forwarded the picture to our builder and warranty company and they pointed me in the direction of the law which does (in our area) specify how long and wide a concrete crack needs to be before it is considered a problem. This crack did not meet that criteria and was deemed acceptable and not a concern.
Concrete can lose moisture and when it does, it can dry and cracks can appear like the one above. While this crack doesn’t look great, it is not deemed to be a structural problem. If you’re unsure about cracking on the walls or floor of your home, take pictures to document it and sent it to your builder to start with for a diagnosis. Structural problems can be very expensive fixes.
Hot and cold water taps reversed
We had one hot and cold water tap reversed that needed to be fixed in one bathroom. This particular bathroom was a spare one of sorts so we didn’t notice right away.
Check each tap in the house to ensure all is good. Turn on both taps to make sure you’re getting both hot and cold water correctly and that there are no leaks from the faucets or from the drainage area.
Water leaks in the basement and garage
This was another annoyance that shouldn’t have happened. The green water shutoff handle in the photo above was incorrectly installed and was loose. It simply needed to be tightened but as we weren’t sure if it was a bigger problem – given other issues we were already having – we decided to get the builder’s plumber to take a look.
Turns out we had another leaking water pipe, in the garage. The water tap in the garage was actually leaking and needed to be looked at. Again, when it comes to leaks I’d rather err on the side of caution and ensure a pro takes a look and addresses the problem.
Electrical problem in the main breaker
Electrical issues were relatively minor and more of an annoyance but they occurred several times. Specifically:
- A light switch near the kitchen needed to be rewired as it didn’t work.
- One bathroom that is shared by two bedrooms incorrectly only had one on/off switch installed for the fan and light rather than two, one for each room. The second one had to be added.
- The electrical breaker in the basement had one fuse that kept tripping and shutting off. This was a bigger issue and required the electrician to replace the fuse.
- Two fuses were also incorrectly labeled.
Wooden baseboard incorrectly painted
One corner of a closet had a baseboard that had only been half painted but because it was at the back of the closet, neither the painter nor we noticed until about a month after we took possession. The painter came back to finish the painting and also take care of a small paint chip you can see where the two baseboards meet.
On this same baseboard was a noticeable gap between the bottom of the baseboard and tiled floor that needed to be filled in for aesthetic reasons. I’ll put this repair down to laziness on the part of the contractors who first did the work.
Chipped paint on the corners of walls
This might seem like a small ask but it wasn’t painted right. I don’t know about you, but once I notice something like this, I can’t help but look at it every single time I’m in the area. If you look along to the left and right of the paint chip, there is already a bit of cracking that also needed to be touched up.
These blemishes were noticed pretty much right away after moving in and were touched up.
Appliance problems with the dishwasher and washing machine
We had problems within a short period of time with new two brand new appliances: The dishwasher and clothes washing machine. The dishwasher’s rinse aid reservoir wouldn’t empty so we had to get that looked at twice because the first guy didn’t believe there was anything wrong. There was. The second guy fixed it.
The washing machine worked well for a few weeks but then stopped spinning to dry out clothes so they came out water-soaked and heavy. Like the roof problem, this problem needed to be looked at twice and a motor replaced on two occasions, before the problem was fixed.
Warranty concerns
Depending on where you live and your local laws, you may have different levels of warranty protection for various aspects of your home. Major concerns like foundation may be protected for a number of years while appliances might only get a 1 year warranty, as I found out.
Interesting note: The 1 year warranty on the washing machine had actually just expired when the problem was first noted but I called the appliance manufacturer Whirlpool anyways. I explained that the home had been empty for a few months which was true and the washer had really only been used for around 7 months when it broke. Even though the warranty was technically expired, Whirlpool agreed to cover the cost of the visit and repair – and the second visit and repair – at no cost to us.
If something doesn’t work properly, get it looked at sooner rather than later especially when under warranty. And don’t be afraid to pick up the phone and speak with a real person if you need some help.
Final thoughts
Although we didn’t experience this, I recall a story a new principal at my middle school once told shortly after she joined. The school had never had hot water in the teacher’s lounge and kitchen in the 15 years it had been open and no asked ever asked why. She did some digging around, got the kitchen inspected and found the hot water pipes in question were full of concrete. Turns out there had been a labor dispute when the school was being built and a (clearly) upset contractor responded by blocking hot water pipes so no one could use them. Morale of the story: Get your problems looked at ASAP.
In your local area, you may have an agency that represents your state (Housing Merchant Implied Warranty
in New York) or province (Tarion in Ontario, Canada) or third party warranty companies like 2-10. Contact your state builders board or your provincial authority on new home building if you’re unsure. If you have a loan insured through FHA or a loan through VA, contact them for more information.
See if you can document any issues that you think might cause you grief down the line. I contacted our government agency to make a file regarding the roof leak because water in the attic can eventually lead to mold which can be an expensive problem to remediate. I wanted to ensure we had a record that this problem was the builder’s fault and not ours.
If you aren’t sure you’ll catch many of the problems that might arise or you don’t have the type of personality to complain or ask for help, consider paying a certified home inspector to accompany you to your final home inspection before taking possession. Expect to pay $300 – $400 for a home inspector’s services. It’s not much when you compare it to the price of the house you’re about to buy.