| Spot Errors early with Walk-Through Building a new home? Catch mistakes early |
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BY DEBORAH RIDER ALLEN | PHOTOGRAPHS BY MARK GORMUS |
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The majority of the work is done by subcontractors who are hired by the builder. The subcontractors then hire their own employees to work for them. So odds are that during the entire process, something will be overlooked or done incorrectly. "I go through the house several times, but with any large-scale project, I always expect something might come up or not get caught," said Brad Groome, president of Bradford Homes Inc. "I always tell my buyers it is important to be straightforward, and I am not offended if something is incorrect." Accepting the fact that a mistake or two may be made, homebuyers should be pre-pared for the inevitable. "If there is a mistake made, with few exceptions, everything will be taken care of. So the less emotional you get, the better it will be," Todd Rogers, president of R-CI Builders, said. "The best general advice I can give is to please remember that the building process can be as fun or un-fun as you want it to be and you are the one that determines that." OWNERS - BE PROACTIVE Homebuyers should be pro-active during the construction process, asking questions and keeping up with the progress. Most builders have scheduled "walk-through" meetings at the house at different stages of the building process to keep the lines of communication open and to allow homeowner to make changes before it is too late. David Dunivan, owner of The Dunivan Company Realtors, says the best and least expensive time to make changes to the house is prior to obtaining the building permit. But there are other stages during the building process when it is important to go through the house and check out what is going on. "They should be there when the builder or supervisor is on the lot when they stake the house out so they don't show up two weeks later and find the foundation is in the wrong spot or reversed from what they had intended," said Dunivan. "Then once the house is framed and under roof, and before the electrical and mechanicals have been installed, they should do a framing walk-through with the builder and the electrician and see where all the light fixtures and outlets go, as well as to check all openings and walls."
FINAL WALK-THROUGH CRITICAL The final walk-through before settlement is THE most important. This is your last opportunity before you move in not only to spot items that need to be corrected or adjusted, but to learn how to operate your new home. "The better prepared you are before a walk-through with the builder, the better o. you will be," said Charles Chisholm, owner of Home System Inspections. "Write down questions and don't be afraid to ask questions." In order to make his final walk-through most effective, Groome has his buyers do a pre-walk-through about a week before the final walk-through. "We ask the homebuyer to pick a day when the house is empty and spend three to four hours and go through the house and move at their own pace, room by room, and make sure it is done correctly and to their satisfaction," he said. "We also ask them to use that time to come up with questions for the final walk-through and a list of items that needs to be corrected. "By doing the pre- walk-through, it gives us plenty of time to make those changes by the time we get to the final walk-through," Groome continued. "It also makes the buyers feel more comfortable with everything and gives them peace of mind. Then it makes the final walk-through much more of an interactive discussion about each detail of the house rather than about being concerned whether or not it is built to their liking." CREATE, SIGN A PUNCH LIST The conclusion of the final walk-through should include writing a complete "punch list" - items to be corrected, as well as an agreed-upon time for the corrections to be completed. This should be signed by both the home buyer and the builder. "With that list, signed by everyone, the expectations are clear on both sides," said Dunivan. "Another thing to realize is, until they have lived in the house for a month or two, they are not going to find everything." Dunivan explains that the state of Virginia requires builders to take care of items left unattended within a year. So buyers should keep a list of items as they come up, such as caulking that needs to be re-done, a nail pop in the drywall or the expansion of wood materials, most of which occurs as the house settles.
ONE-YEAR WARRANTY The homeowner should look for things that do not work in the house during the first year while the house is under builder warranty," said Chisholm. "Builders have a one-year warranty, but you have to bring it up." It is also important to know what is -- and what is not -- covered under warranty within that first year. The National Home Builders Association warns that while most warranties cover workmanship and materials, they do not cover problems that develop because of failure to perform required maintenance. So understanding your maintenance requirements as a home-owner is imperative. Most builders will provide information explaining common upkeep responsibilities and how to perform those tasks. They also should provide a list of all the subcontractors and vendors so that you can contact them directly. AFTER THE MOVE? Groome advises new homeowners, who find concerns after they move, to send an e-mail or letter about any problem. "This gives us documentation and something for us to work o. of. It is easy to let a phone message get away. An e-mail is a great way to handle it and get a paper trail." "Realize that it is a work in progress and there are going to be items that they can expect to find that need to be fixed," said Dunivan. "And also remember that building a home is very stressful. It is a six-month marriage between a purchaser and a builder. It can be enjoyable and it can also be a nightmare." "And just remember," said Rogers, "our final goal is to have a happy customer."
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