END OF A BUILDER'S WARRANTY INSPECTION

Did you not have a home inspection before you bought your new home?  Had problems with or in the house?  Has the builder been less that cooperative responding to your questions or request for service?  Don't feel too bad  because you aren't alone.

Did you know that has to fix building code violations discovered for a period of two years after the house title was transferred? Of course, the discovered violation has to be reported to and verified by the Authority Having Jurisdiction (AHJ) usually the city or county code compliance office.  I'm not a lawyer and I cannot offer legal advice but I do like to provide reference to information I provide to my clients.   Did you know that a new home has a state implied 2 year warranty. Click on this link to see  Virginia Code ยง 55-70.1 - Implied warranties on new homes at Justia.com.

The builder or contractor cannot ignore valid reported issues  just because the house passed an inspection or an occupancy permit was issued.  Plus, not everything in home construction is covered by the building codes. In that case, the manufacturer's installation instructions become the building code. In addition, if a manufacturer's instructions are more stringent that a building code, the manufacturer's instructions supercede the related code.

According to the head of a Richmond area county code compliance office, the statute was established because the state recognizes that building inspectors aren't perfect.

 It is the builder's ultimate responsibility to ensure that the house was built in accordance with the building codes and the home has no known defects,  and the work is performed in a workman like manner that would not be objectionable to the trades.

I am not an authorized code compliance inspector, I do not perform code compliance inspections, and I have no enforcement powers.  I do report issues or deficiencies found in the inspections to the client. As a courtesy and as applicable, I provide a reference to a related paragraph in the Virginia Statewide Uniform Building Code just in case you need to a little bigger stick to get your point across to the builder.

A professional home inspection just before the end of a builder's warranty may help you identify problems before you are left on your own.  I may not find anything of great significance beyond typical maintenance issues but you can at least be more assured with the condition of your home.

Just a few things the builder said he didn't have to fix. What do you think?
A professional electrical contractor would not have a service panel that looked like this.
Sliding door for future deck about 8 feet in the air. A common installation. What's missing?  A guardrail maybe? One is required or the owner may elect to have the door fixed so that it cannot be inadvertently opened.
The main service ground wire, broken and twisted together. No can do. Big safety hazard.  Has to be replaced or thermally welded .
Copper fitting on a galvanized steel pipe nipple of a water heater.   A Brass or Dielectric fitting is required.
I see this often. I don't know if it is ignorance of the trade,  being cheap, or just plain stupidity.
Gas Log Fireplace. You can't see it here but there is a hidden gas connection to the yellow corrugated stainless steel tubing (CSST) in the wall. And, the tubing does not have a terminating bracket to hold it in place.
This is the drain tube for the Temperature and Pressure Relief  valve (TPR)  installed on a water heater.  The TPR valve is a safety device. The drain pipe MUST NOT be smaller than the opening on the valve, which is normally 3/4" in residential applications. The builder used PEX pipe, which is okay, but the initial fitting reduces the drain to less that 3/4" and then, the pipe is reduced to 1/2" on the down leg.
See the wire bundles? As left, they create a fire hazard. Again, something you would not see from a professional electrical contractor.
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