Punch List?

18 years ago

Hi,

We are ALMOST into our new home, and the builder wants to do the walkthrough soon. On Monday, DH and I went through the house, and wrote some things down. There were very few problems. We checked all outlets, lights, water, heat/cool, marks on walls, cabinets, windows, appliances, etc.

I guess there were about 12 minor things on the list, and I left the list in the house. The most important thing to me is marks on the pre-colored Hardiplank, and touchup paint has been ordered. I think the installers were a bit rough on it.....

The builder has had all of the things on the list fixed (except for those marks!). After moving into our previous home 18 years ago, we had problems for about a month, such as the A/C condensation pump (caused a minor flood), oven stopped working, etc., so I'm a bit nervous.

What things might I be missing that I can check during the final walkthrough? I'm sure there are things that you guys know about, that we haven't thought of. Also, should we hold back the final 10% draw until the siding marks (and anything else we find) are taken care of, or should we just go with the flow? The guy has been very straightforward with us throughout the build - we think :p

Thanks,

PennyLaney

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Comments (4)

bevangel_i_h8_h0uzz
18 years ago
Before you try to do a hold-back of any portion of the final draw, check your contract to see if you're allowed to! Most contracts here in Texas DON'T allow for that b/c builders use an "off-the-shelf" contract put out by the Texas Association of Builders that, IMHO, unfairly protects builders at the expense of homeowners who haven't the knowledge/experience to realize what an unfair position that contract puts them in. Those contracts say that final payment is due AT THE TIME of the final walk through when the punch list will be prepared. The owner then is given possession and can move in but is left totally at the mercy of the builder as to when, if at all, the punch list items get completed.

But, regardless of whether or not your contract allows "retainage," I would strongly recommend that you spend a few hundred bucks to hire an independent professional inspector to inspect the house and get his report BEFORE you do your walk-through with the builder. A professional will catch important issue that you wouldn't possibly know to look for... missing flashing, sewer pipes that don't drain properly, etc. Trust me, it'll be money well spent.

Here is a link that might be useful: home inspection
kelntx
18 years ago
I agree with bevangel. We did our walk through and did a first draft punch list if you will, they fixes some of the items, not all at the time. Then the inspector came through and I added those items (most were very minor, 1 major). BUT, we were moved in and they were still coming back to work on the punch list. After 3 months in the house I have come across a few things we missed. Believe me it will happen. I thought we went through this house with a fine tooth comb! LOL! I had mentioned I would have held back the last dray if I could do it over again but bevangle is right on, our builder must have used the same contract that they mentioned! LOL! It did state final draw is due at the time of the final walk through. We had the builder here two months after we moved working. I finally had to call him and tell him to get it all done so we could rekey the locks and change our alarm code.

Good luck and I hope you post pictures!
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61tinkerbell
18 years ago
This is perfect timing as in just 3 weeks we will be doing the punch list / walk through. I have to disagree about the professional inspections. In an older home.. yes and I have paid for them in many homes we have purchase (which is a lot - we are nomads! LOL) For a new home, they never found anything different then my own punch list and I felt it was a waste of $$. Of course - this is yet just another opinion!
bdpeck-charlotte
18 years ago
I've found most inspectors to be lacking in technical experience, aka - they don't find things that I wouldn't find if I take my time looking at the house.

Get a seperate roofing contractor to evaluate the job done on the roof.
Hire an independent plumber and electrician to spend an hour or two looking at the work done in the attic and crawl/basement.

You'll probably spend $100-$200 for each of those contractors to come out and look around, about the same (on the $300 end) as an inspector, but with a keener eye for their trade.

Then take a few hours of your time to really look at the house. 30 minutes in each room, looking at trim, corners, operating windows and doors, cabinets, etc.