Cindy
OKC,#2Consumer Suggestion
Mon, February 02, 2004
A new home can be loaded with problems. Ideally, buyers of new homes should have inspections performed throughout construction to make sure critical items are done right, before they are covered up and unobservable even to your inspector. You're right that building code officials do not catch all violations, and in many cases there is too much chumminess among builders and inspectors, so your new home can "pass" code inspections without ever having been looked at. Builders are increasingly taking shortcuts, and some are code violations. Codes are a mimimum standard and if not met will virtually assure a new home will be problematic. A buyer HAS to protect their own interests and should never trust the quality of their new home's construction to the building industry, the legal system, or the code department. There are several helpful reports on www.hadd.com for buyers of new homes.