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Help needed in new construction mishaps

4 years ago

Hi Everyone,


We are in the process of building our new home in Florida. As we are first-time home buyers we don't have any idea about the construction process and all. So my question is, Recently drywall was installed and after a few days of installation, the builder(tract home) said they have identified a minor leak while doing a pressure check and so he mentioned the problem was identified as a master bathroom on 1st floor right above the kitchen. So they made a cut of around a 3 feet drywall in the kitchen and fixed the problem. So overall they have cut in 3 places like this. Is this kind of cutting drywall and fixing the issue is normal in the construction process as I felt very sad to see it like this.



The second issue is with the vent hood. The vent in the kitchen is placed one foot off and so they need to fix it by again cutting a hole somewhere else and closing the existing vent.





Do you think these are small issues or can I tell our builder we are not satisfied with how things are moving?


Regarding the first issue with a water leak, I checked with the builder why they couldn't do a pressure check earlier, before putting drywall. Builder mentioned they have done it earlier and at that time it was fine which I doubt.


Please share your opinions or experiences


Thanks much.

Comments (9)

  • 4 years ago

    Drywall repairs and cutouts are very minor and easy to make unnoticeable, from my perspective nothing unusual or anything to be alarmed about.

  • 4 years ago

    Agree with @millworkman.

  • 4 years ago

    I wouldn't worry about these matters either.


    If this makes you so nervous that you need to run from this builder, they will just sell the home for more money.


    You would then need to purchase a completed home, because you probably shouldn't see the process of a home being built. You'll probably buy one that has had similar "repair" work done, but you won't be able to see it. This will cost you more money too.


    Or you can buy a previously owned home. No telling what the previous owners have done. Or not done.


    So open a bottle of wine or a box of chocolates. Or draw a nice hot bath. Whatever helps you relax. Everything will be fine.

  • 4 years ago

    :) Thank you all for your comments.


    Since we already paid $25k in earnest money deposit cant even have a thought of running away from the builder.


    Just wanted to know if these cut and fix works are all normal in the construction process as we or our limited friend circle do not have much idea on the home building process.


    All your comments have put my mind at ease and hoping the builder will make everything unnoticeable.

  • 4 years ago

    I disagree that the repairs will be "unnoticeable".

    The tract home builder is almost certainly using the cheapest & fastest drywall people he can find. I'm guessing you will be able to see where the patches have been made once the drywall has been "fixed."

    Also, look at the mess of wires/pipes/lines run through the attic. Looks like a hack job...




  • 4 years ago
    last modified: 4 years ago

    So perhaps unnoticeable is the wrong word... Maybe we should say that it will not look any more noticeable than any of the other butt joints in the drywall which there are many. If you get a spotlight or get on the same plane as the ceiling you are likely to see a raised area. Which is the same as you will in many non-repaired areas. If the tract builder is using the cheapest drywall crew he can find, the butt and the tapered joints are also going to be a bit noticeable, this repair is not a cause for concern.

  • 4 years ago

    Hopefully the OP will post pictures of the completed repair, for us to see whether the fixes are "unnoticeable" or "not a cause for concern."

    These are three big cutouts in the ceiling, requiring the ceiling AND walls to be properly blended. My bet is that the OP will be able to see where these holes were.

  • 4 years ago

    Yeah, they are around 3 feet, 2 feet, and 1 feet cuts in the ceiling. When we asked will it look patchy, the builder said he will skim the entire ceiling in the living and kitchen area and fix these pieces back in place and later do the complete skimming so it does not look patchy.(I don't know what that entire skimming process mean and how it will turn) but the builder said so as of now. The attached pic is from pre-drywall, out of those pipes now two pipes are covered with caps and won't be used because of the fix he has done. That is the reason you can see two closed pipes in the second picture.





    At this point, I am not sure what exactly to ask or expect from the builder regarding these fixes.


  • 4 years ago

    If the builder plans to skim coat the ENTIRE ceiling, then there is a good chance the repairs won't be seen. I'm pleasantly surprised the builder is willing to spend that much time/effort/cost on such a robust fix.