IF IT’S NEW,

IS IT GOOD?

 

How good is new construction in the United States and Canada?  Generally, it is pretty good, but there are some significant areas of concern.

 

Our goal is to provide information that will allow quality-oriented builders to improve upon the products they deliver.

 

For what you should do, see back page.

 

The following is based on information and opinions gathered from the more than 70 offices of Criterium Engineers.  Criterium Engineers is a network of affiliated offices throughout North America, in 35 states and British Columbia, Canada.  The objective was to identify problem areas that have significant impact on the functional performance and quality “feel” of new homes.  We asked our engineers just one question – “What problems are you finding?”  An item made it to our list if we received the same response from various offices so as to consider it widespread geographically.

 

We evaluate all of the homes we look at by comparing them to what we consider to be typical of similar construction in that geographic area.  We do not expect perfection.

 

In recent years, in our experience, the expectations of some homebuyers and owners have risen to the level of unfulfillable and unreasonable.  We believe more education is needed to help homebuyers understand residential construction.  Note, we did not survey homebuyers or owners.

 

Skill and workmanship are frequent causes of faulty construction.  Material selection is the next most common cause.  Finally, inadequate or superficial design and/or preparation is responsible for a significant portion of the quality compromises.

 

From our discussions with builders, it is increasingly difficult to find skilled and motivated workers, let alone train them.  This may be the biggest challenge facing the building industry if the desire is to reduce number and frequency of construction problems.

 

 

Survey “Ground

Rules” and

Background

 

This is a summary of the information and opinions gathered from the Inspection Engineers throughout our organization.  We adjusted for properties involving an existing dispute between the builder and owner since those would tend to skew our overall results.  Our complete survey also examines the most probable causes of these deficiencies.

 

Criterium Engineers performs approximately 25,000 inspections per year of both new and existing construction.  We have been in business since 1957. 

 

Survey

 

The following are the highlights of our survey.  If you are interested in a complete copy, please send us a self-addressed stamped envelope or e-mail at yourhome@criterium-engineers.com.

 

PROBLEM AREA:   ROOF INSTALLATION

 

EXAMPLES                                      CONSEQUENCES

Lack of roofing paper                         Premature roof deterioration

Poorly installed eave,                          Water intrusion

rake and valley details

Improperly placed shingles

Stapled installation

 

 

 

PROBLEM AREA:   SIDING INSTALLATION

 

EXAMPLES                                      CONSEQUENCES

Thin stucco, easily damaged                Framing rot and mold

Poor details                                        Water intrusion

Lack of proper brick veneer                Visual distortion and irregularities

details

 

 

 

 

 

PROBLEM AREA:   WINDOW & DOOR INSTALLATION

 

EXAMPLES                                      CONSEQUENCES

No flashing                                        Poor window operation

Inadequate attachment                        Water intrusion

No sealant or incomplete sealant         Framing rot and mold

Out-of-square rough openings            

 

PROBLEM AREA:   WINDOW PERFORMANCE

 

EXAMPLES                                      CONSEQUENCES

Leaks through window frame              Framing rot and mold

Broken seals                                      Water intrusion

 

PROBLEM AREA:   FRAMING ADEQUACY

 

EXAMPLES                                      CONSEQUENCES

Unbraced roof trusses                        Structural sagging

Casually braced roof framing              Structural distortion, leaning

Cut and compromised floor                 Compromised door and

framing (plumbing, electrical, etc)        window operation

Inadequately attached sheathing          Unusually springy floors

and/or shear walls

Lack of bracing or structural

sheathing                                          

 

 

 

 

PROBLEM AREA: HVAC/MECHANICAL EQUIPMENT

INSTALLATION

 

EXAMPLES                                      CONSEQUENCES

Inadequate service access                  Lack of reliability

Poorly installed ductwork                    Inadequate performance

Marginal capacity                               Short service life

Inadequate safety standard

compliance

 

 

 

PROBLEM AREA:   FOUNDATION CONSTRUCTION

 

EXAMPLES                                      CONSEQUENCES

Concrete spalling                                Premature deterioration

Exposed aggregate                             Water intrusion

Significant cracking                            Compromised structural

                                                         performance

 

PROBLEM AREA:   SITE SELECTION/SOIL PREPARATION

 

EXAMPLES                                      CONSEQUENCES

Poor surface drainage                         Water intrusion

Differential settlement                        Settlement and distortion

Structural distortion

 

 

 

PROBLEM AREA:   USE OF UNPROVEN MATERIALS

 

EXAMPLES                                      CONSEQUENCES

Polybutylene (PB) pipe                       Water intrusion

Hardboard siding                                Premature failure

EIFS

 

What You

Should Do

 

Here are seven suggestions to minimize your risk if you are buying or building a new home:

   1.  Know your builder.  Check with the Better Business Bureau, your State Attorney General’s office and others for whom that builder has built homes, preferably homes built 3 to 5 years ago.  Many problems in construction take some time to develop.

   2.  Hire a Building Inspection Engineer to monitor the construction for you, starting with a review of the construction documents.  For such review and three to four visits during construction, the fee is normally $1,000 to $2,000, a modest investment to minimize the risk of problems with your new home.

   3.  If the home has already been built, hire a Building Inspection Engineer to thoroughly inspect it and work with you to develop a final punch list of things to be completed or corrected by the contractor.  Do not make the final payment until those things are completed to your satisfaction.

   4.  Take plenty of pictures during construction.  They may prove invaluable later.

   5.  Make sure you understand the extent and limitations of the builder’s warranty and any statutory warranties required in your state. Be sure to notify the builder of any problems you are having before the warranties run out.

   6.  Work with a builder who participates in a third-party quality control program.

   7.  To find a Building Inspection Engineer in your area, visit www.criterium-engineers.com, our Web site, or www.nabie.org, the Web site of the National Academy of Building Inspection Engineers.

 

Owning a new home can be exciting.  You should not assume, however, that all new homes are well-built, quality homes, no matter how much you pay.  To become a happy homeowner, you will need to be a prudent, cautious homebuyer.

 

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