What Problems Do Inspectors Commonly Find in New Construction Homes?
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- What Problems Do Inspectors Commonly Find in New Construction Homes?
The most common new construction inspection findings in Dallas-Fort Worth homes are poor lot grading and drainage, roof flashing and nail-pop defects, attic insulation gaps, leaking or disconnected HVAC ducts, plumbing drips at new connections, unlabeled or missing GFCI protection, and windows and doors that need adjustment. Most are workmanship items the builder corrects before closing once documented.
Why a brand-new house still has defects
A new home is assembled on site by dozens of subcontractors over several months, in every kind of North Texas weather, under a schedule that rewards speed. The framer does not see what the plumber did after him. The roofer does not know the HVAC installer stepped on a duct in the attic. The city inspector checks specific code items at specific milestones and leaves.
The result is that every new build our inspectors see has deficiencies. That is not a knock on builders. It is the nature of building a house one time, by hand, with no prototype. An independent inspection exists to catch what slipped through before you own it.
The findings below are grouped by system, roughly in the order our inspectors encounter them on a typical final new construction inspection. Each category explains why it happens and whether it is worth pushing the builder to correct. If you want the case for inspecting a new build at all, read do new construction homes need an inspection first.
Grading and drainage: the most common new construction inspection findings
Lot grading is almost always the last thing finished and the first thing to fail. Final grade is set after the driveway, sidewalks and landscaping go in, often by whoever is available that week. On the expansive clay soil that underlies much of Dallas-Fort Worth, getting water away from the slab matters more than almost anything else on this list.
Typical findings include soil sloping toward the foundation instead of away from it, low spots that hold water beside the slab, downspouts discharging at the foundation with no extension or splash block, and soil or mulch piled high enough against the brick to cover the weep holes. Sprinkler heads aimed at the house are another regular one.
Worth pushing on: Yes. Clay soil swells when wet and shrinks when dry, and uneven moisture around a slab is how foundation movement starts. Grading corrections are cheap for the builder to do now and expensive for you to chase later.
Our inspectors evaluate slope, discharge points and drainage paths as part of every inspection. The grading and drainage page explains what they look for in more detail.
Roof coverings, flashing and nail pops
Roofs on new construction are installed fast, and the details that keep water out are the details most often skipped. Our inspectors walk the roof when it is safe to do so and photograph what they find. The recurring items are:
- Nail pops: fasteners that were overdriven, underdriven or missed the decking, lifting the shingle above them. Each one is a future leak point.
- Exposed nails at ridge caps, vents and flashing that were never sealed.
- Missing or improperly lapped step flashing where the roof meets a wall or chimney.
- Kickout flashing missing where a roof edge dies into a wall, sending water behind the siding or brick.
- Plumbing vent boots cracked, torn or installed with the shingle laid over the wrong side.
- Debris, cut shingle scraps and dropped nails left in valleys and gutters.
- Hail damage on homes that sat through a storm between roofing and closing, which happens more often than buyers expect in North Texas.
Worth pushing on: yes, all of it. Roof defects do not announce themselves until the first hard rain after you move in, and a builder’s warranty claim is harder to make once you own the house. Documented before closing, these are routine punch-list items.
Attic insulation gaps and HVAC ducts
The attic is where new construction inspection findings hide best, because almost no one from the builder’s side goes back up after the insulation crew leaves. Our inspectors do, and they bring a thermal imaging camera.
Blown insulation is applied quickly and unevenly. Common findings are bare or thin spots, insulation displaced by trades who came through afterward, gaps around can lights and duct boots, and missing insulation on the attic side of the access hatch. From inside the house, these show up on the thermal imaging camera as distinct warm or cool patches on the ceiling that you would never see with the naked eye.
HVAC ductwork has its own list: flex duct crushed or kinked by stored materials, ducts disconnected at the plenum or at a boot, joints that were never sealed, and runs that sag and trap condensation. A duct that leaks into the attic means you are paying to cool the roof deck, and in a North Texas summer that shows up on the electric bill immediately.
Worth pushing on: Yes. Insulation and duct corrections are simple for the builder while the attic is still accessible and empty. They become a service call once you have moved in and filled the space with boxes.
Plumbing, electrical and appliance findings
Plumbing and electrical systems are inspected by the city at rough-in and again at final, so buyers assume they are fine. The city checks code items. It does not run every fixture for ten minutes, fill every tub, or test every receptacle. Our inspectors do.
| System | Common finding | Why it happens | Push the builder? |
|---|---|---|---|
| Plumbing supply | Drips at new compression and supply-line connections under sinks, at the water heater and at hose bibs | Fittings hand-tightened and never pressure-checked after fixtures were set | Yes, always |
| Plumbing drain | Slow drains, leaking tub overflows, loose P-traps, missing cleanout caps | Construction debris in traps; fixtures set by a different crew than the rough-in plumber | Yes |
| Water heater | Missing or improperly terminated TPR discharge line, missing drain pan, gas flue misaligned | Installed early, then bumped by other trades | Yes, safety item |
| Electrical | Unlabeled or mislabeled breakers, missing GFCI or AFCI protection where required, reversed polarity, loose receptacles, open junction boxes in the attic | Panel labeled from the plans, not the finished house; finish electrician rushed | Yes, safety item |
| Appliances | Dishwasher not secured or drain not looped, range anti-tip bracket missing, vent hood exhausting into the attic instead of outside | Appliances installed last, often the day before walkthrough | Yes, anti-tip and venting are safety items |
Every one of these is confirmed by operating the system, not by looking at it. The inspector runs water, cycles the water heater, tests each receptacle and checks each breaker, and the same-day report photographs what was found.
Windows, doors and exterior envelope
Windows and doors are installed early and abused for months by trades carrying material through them. By closing, the recurring findings are doors that do not latch, rub the frame or swing on their own; windows that stick, will not lock, or are missing screens and weep covers; and exterior doors with daylight visible at the threshold or weatherstrip.
On the exterior, our inspectors regularly find missing or unsealed penetrations where hose bibs, vents and wires pass through the wall, cracked mortar joints, brick weep holes blocked by mortar droppings, and siding or trim joints with no caulk. In Texas heat and driving rain, those gaps admit water and insects.
Worth pushing on: yes for anything that affects weather-tightness, security or operation. Some window and door items are adjustment rather than defect and take the builder’s carpenter minutes to fix. Ask for all of it. This is exactly what the punch list is for.
Cosmetic items and where to draw the line
Every new house has cosmetic findings: paint drips, nail holes in trim, grout haze, scratched fixtures, a chipped tile, a gouge in the garage door. These are real and you should list them at the blue-tape walkthrough, but they are not the reason you hire an inspector.
Our inspectors note cosmetic items they see but keep the report focused on defects that affect safety, water intrusion, structure, or the operation of a system. That distinction is what makes the report useful to the builder, who will take a list of forty documented performance issues more seriously than a list of two hundred mixed items.
- Safety first. Water heater discharge, GFCI and AFCI protection, anti-tip brackets, gas connections, stair and railing issues. Non-negotiable.
- Water second. Roof flashing, grading, exterior penetrations, plumbing leaks. Anything that lets water go where it should not.
- Performance third. HVAC ducts, insulation, doors and windows, appliances. Things that cost you money or comfort every day.
- Cosmetics last. List them, expect most to be fixed, but do not let them crowd out the first three groups.
Findings that look like the builder’s craftsmanship problem often show up again after a year of settling and a full summer. That is why the 11-month builder warranty inspection exists, and why you should plan on it whether or not the final inspection was clean.
How The Smart Inspector documents new construction findings
The Smart Inspector’s inspectors are TREC-licensed Professional Inspectors who have inspected new builds across the Metroplex since 2019, including the high-volume construction areas of Celina, Prosper, Frisco and McKinney. Every inspection includes complimentary thermal imaging, which is where many attic and duct findings come from, and every report is delivered the same day with photos of each item.
The inspector walks the report with you at the property, explains which findings matter most, and gives you a document your builder can act on. If you want to see the format, a sample new home inspection report is on our sample inspections page. If you are deciding when to schedule, the guide to hiring your own inspector for a new build covers timing around the builder’s walkthrough.
Frequently asked questions
Are new construction inspection findings usually serious?
Most are workmanship items the builder can correct quickly: grading, unsealed roof fasteners, insulation gaps, drips at new plumbing connections, panel labeling. A smaller number are safety or water-intrusion issues that need correcting before you close, such as a missing water heater discharge line or absent kickout flashing. Serious structural findings on a new build are less common but do occur, which is why the pre-drywall inspection exists.
Why does the city inspection miss these problems?
City inspections check compliance with the adopted building code at specific milestones, in limited time, on a pass-or-fail basis. They are not condition or workmanship inspections and do not involve running every fixture, walking the finished roof, or thermal imaging the attic. A private TREC inspection evaluates whether each system is installed correctly and actually performs, which is a different question.
Which new construction findings should I insist the builder fix?
Anything involving safety, water intrusion, or system performance: electrical protection and labeling, water heater and gas issues, roof flashing and nail pops, grading toward the slab, duct leaks, plumbing drips, and doors or windows that do not seal or lock. Cosmetic items belong on the punch list too, but keep them separate so the builder's attention stays on the items that matter.
How does thermal imaging help find defects in a new home?
An infrared camera shows temperature differences on surfaces. In a new build, missing or thin attic insulation appears as distinct patches on the ceiling, leaking ducts show as cool streaks in summer, and moisture behind fresh drywall or under a tub shows as a cooler area. The inspector then confirms the cause. The Smart Inspector includes thermal imaging on every inspection at no extra charge.
Do I still need an 11-month inspection if the final inspection was clean?
Yes. A clean final inspection tells you the house was built correctly on that day. It does not tell you how it will respond to a year of clay-soil movement, a full North Texas summer on the HVAC system, and hail season on the roof. The 11-month inspection documents anything that has developed while the builder's one-year warranty still covers it.
Ready to schedule? Every inspection includes complimentary thermal imaging, a same-day report and an in-person walkthrough.