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.
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
| PROBLEM AREA | % OF NEW HOMES AFFECTED |
| Roof Installation | 21% |
| EXAMPLES | CONSEQUENCES |
| Lack of roofing paper | Premature roof deterioration |
| Poorly installed eave, rake and valley details | Water intrusion |
| Improperly placed shingles | |
| Stapled installation |
PROBLEM AREA: SIDING INSTALLATION
| PROBLEM AREA | % OF NEW HOMES AFFECTED |
| Siding Installation | 15% |
| EXAMPLES | CONSEQUENCES |
| Thin stucco, easily damaged | Framing rot and mold |
| Poor details | Water intrusion |
| Lack of proper brick veneer details | Visual distrotion and irregularities |
PROBLEM AREA: WINDOW & DOOR INSTALLATION
| PROBLEM AREA | % OF NEW HOMES AFFECTED |
| Window & Door Installation | 23% and growing |
| 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
| PROBLEM AREA | % OF NEW HOMES AFFECTED |
| Window Performance | 12% |
| EXAMPLES | CONSEQUENCES |
| Leaks through window frame | Framing rot and mold |
| Broken seals | Water intrusion |
PROBLEM AREA: FRAMING ADEQUACY
| PROBLEM AREA | % OF NEW HOMES AFFECTED |
| Framing Adequacy | 18% |
| EXAMPLES | CONSEQUENCES |
| Unbraced roof trusses | Structural sagging |
| Casually braced roof framing | Structural distortion, leaning |
| Cut and compromised floor framing (plumbing, electrical, etc) | Compromised door and window operation |
| Inadequately attached sheathing and/or shear walls | Unsusally springy floors |
| Lack of bracing or structural sheating |
PROBLEM AREA: HVAC/MECHANICAL EQUIPMENT
| PROBLEM AREA | % OF NEW HOMES AFFECTED |
| HVAC/Mechanical Equipment Installation | 16% and growing |
| 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
| PROBLEM AREA | % OF NEW HOMES AFFECTED |
| Foundation Construction | 14% |
| EXAMPLES | CONSEQUENCES |
| Concrete spalling | Premature deterioration |
| Exposed aggregate | Water intrusion |
| Significant cracking | Compromised structural performance |
PROBLEM AREA: SITE SELECTION/SOIL PREPARATION
| PROBLEM AREA | % OF NEW HOMES AFFECTED |
| Site Selection/Soil Preparation | 19% |
| EXAMPLES | CONSEQUENCES |
| Poor surface drainage | Water intrusion |
| Differential settlement | Settlement and distortion |
| Structural distortion |
PROBLEM AREA: USE OF UNPROVEN MATERIALS
| PROBLEM AREA | % OF NEW HOMES AFFECTED |
| Use of Unproven Materials | 12% |
| 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:
- 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.
- 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.
- 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.
- Take plenty of pictures during construction. They may prove invaluable later.
- 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.
- Work with a builder who participates in a third-party quality control program.
- 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.