It is common for Home Inspectors to whine about the problems with New Construction. I have to say that for all the faults with these houses, they are almost “always” easier to inspect and result in shorter inspection reports than older homes of comparable size and the monies spent on them.
I see some VERY nice new homes out there—-along with the new ones that are not so nice.
It is very easy to point to some beautiful old mansion—-or very well built older home—-and say, “They sure don’t build them like they used to.” But if we take that 100 year old house with all its faults, and compare it to the cheaper houses built around that same period of time we realize that this nice house is the only one left standing—-there is nothing to compare it to.
The crappy new houses of today are those same houses of yesterday that are no longer around—-except that they are still here. It does not mean there are no great ones. In 100 years, when all the crappy houses being built are no longer around, people will be looking at the houses of Bill Gates, Paul Allen, and millions of other homes that are not anywhere near as expensive as these, and they will be saying, “They sure don’t build them like they used to.”
But back to new construction and a recent inspection—-and I would put this home in the category of those homes that will likely be around in 100 years.
I was up in the attic and discovered that the vent pipe from the Laundry Exhaust fan had become disconnected and had been turned into an “insulation blowing” machine.
Actually a pretty easy fix—-and one of only a few real defects that I found in the home. It could have happened in a $150,000 tract home or a Carbon Billionaire’s $12,000,000 Green home.
They actually do still build them like they used to—-and better.
By Charles Buell, Real Estate Inspections in Seattle
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Spot on – well put article. I think at any time in history it depends on the quality of building materials and craftsmanship at the time of construction, as well as the ongoing maintenance commitment of the owners whether a home will stand the test of time or not.