DEALING WITH Building Inspectors
Inspectors have the power to stop the construction of one's new home and send everyone away at the cost of thousands of dollars. Or at least that is the fear. Actually, inspectors are your allies in getting the home built the way you want to buy. The inspector's job is to make sure the house is safe and healthy for occupancy. He / she periodically visits the construction site to ensure that the residence is being built in line with the plan approved by the building department. And since you, too, want to buy built according to those plans, the inspector can be your friend. Or at least, they aren't the enemy.
As you get a building permit, ask about inspections and when possible, meet a number of of the inspectors. Learn how much advance time you should call for an inspection and what work, if any, you can continue doing before the inspection. As soon as Continue reading schedule an inspection of a specific component, don't do any more work on that component before inspection is done. That is, postpone installing roofing until after the inspector has inspected the sheathing installation and nailing. Also discover what happens if the inspector doesn't sign off on the inspection. What must you do before calling for a re-inspection? Who can you call? Imagine if you dispute the inspection?
As the owner-builder, additionally, you will cope with the lender's inspector(s). Occasionally, the lender may accept the county or city building inspector's certification. Other lenders may have their own inspector visit the site. In many cases, these schedules don't coincide with building inspections.
Because the lender's inspector sees that specific milestones have already been reached, she or he authorizes payment of a quantity specified in the draw schedule. The lending company may cut the check or have an escrow officer or escrow company do it. In any case, as the owner-builder, the money could be deposited into your building account that it is possible to pay contractors and suppliers. So, it is important that you keep an eye on expenses, income from draws, along with other sources and manage the cash flow. You don't desire to face the day if you have a $50,000 draw and $100,000 in bills.
As your personal contractor, learn to keep good records and manage a checkbook. When you have a computer, invest in one of the many excellent checking/record keeping software programs available and learn to use it. In fact, your lender may necessitate that you do so.
The toughest inspector at the job site may be you. You're the owner. You want to be certain that everything is done not only to code and plans, but additionally to your image of the finished house. Going forward without a thorough inspection can cost lots of time and money. Here are a few of the very most important points in the construction process to search for.
Elevation: Be certain that the site has been surveyed, excavated and graded so that the house foundation will undoubtedly be at the correct location and height.
Foundation: Verify that the footings and foundation forms are accurately set and of the right size to the plan.
Rough-ins: Guarantee that any required plumbing or wiring to be installed within the concrete slab or foundation walls are installed in the foundation.
Doors and windows: Check that the appropriate sizes of openings are designed in to the walls for doors and windows.
Utility runs: Make certain that all plumbing pipes, electrical wiring, HVAC along with other utilities are installed in the walls, ceiling and floors correctly before closing up the walls.
Roof flashing: Check that the roof seal is properly installed for run-off.