How to protect yourself from water intrusion as a homebuyer & building owner regardless of the chosen cladding.
1. First and foremost: ask questions of the builder! If there is anything you do not understand, ask the builder or contractor questions about it.
2. One of the best ways to protect yourself when buying a new construction or existing home is to hire a qualified home inspector. You naturally think of one for buying an existing home so why not protect yourself in the exact same way with using a home inspector to inspect your newly built home?!
Some builders do not appreciate being second-guessed, but if they did the job correctly, they should have nothing to worry about. They may tell you that the city or municipal inspector’s job is to inspect his work. While that is true, many city/municipal inspectors are stretched to do a lot of inspections in a short amount of time. It is not unusual for an inspector to have to visit 10-12 buildings a day. With limited time, they focus on “life safety” issues and not quality construction issues. In some areas, that is their job description.
This will in most cases be the most expensive item you have ever purchased. Why not protect yourself as best as you can? Hire an independent qualified home inspector. A place to start looking for one is the ASHI (American Society of Home Inspectors) website at www.ashi.org.
3. If you are building your own home, hire an architect to support the builder. The architect can make sure that all the details have been drawn correctly for your exact situation. Once again, this is the most important investment in your life, make sure it is done correctly. |