New Construction
- New Construction Inspections
What is PSR?
- Before Close of Escrow -or- Prior to 1-year Builder Warranty Expiration
PSR is Performance Standard Review. There is a minimum standards of practice that Builders are required to comply with when building residential homes. You can find a link to these standards of practice here.
INSPECT LV inspectors are trained to have thorough knowledge of these standards and what the homeowner is owed. This type of inspection differs significantly from a typical residential resale. The inspectors are looking for everything from cosmetic defects, structural defects, and more! While municipal Inspectors review the home for code compliance, Inspect LV Inspectors review the home for adherence to the minimum standards for workmanship to be provided by a licensed contractor. Our PSR inspections ensures our clients receive a home that meets the minimum standards of quality they’re entitled to.
We are proud to be approved by over 20 builders in the valley, including Woodside, making us one of only two inspection firms that we know of who meet their criteria. Our list of approved builders continues to expand and currently includes: American West, Beazer, Century Communities, Christopher Homes, Dell Webb, DR Horton, Harmony Homes, KB, Lennar, LGI Homes, Pinnacle Homes, Pulte, Richmond American, Shea Homes, Storybrook Homes, Taylor Morrison, Touchstone Living, Toll Brothers, Tri Pointe, Trilogy Homes, and Woodside.
- Inspect LV builder Approval
*If you do not see your builder listed, please reach out to the Inspect LV office so we may obtain authorization to perform an independent third party inspection.
- Buy with confidence
Why You Need a New Construction Inspection: 22 Reasons
Here is a list of 22 Reasons Why You Should Get a New Construction Home Inspection and the Most Common Issues with New Construction Homes…
Here in the Las Vegas Valley desert, low-E windows are oriented to reflect heat from the sun and prevent the sunlight energy from entering the home. Reversed LOW-E windows are a very common issue in Las Vegas. You can’t see the layer of microscopic metal with the naked eye and requires a low-e meter to determine correct orientation . When oriented incorrectly, this can cause higher electrical utility costs by radiating heat into the home.
Municipal inspectors do not carry ladders and physically review insulation levels. The builder merely provides the municipal inspector with a certificate attesting that the minimum required amount of insulation has been provided. Often the certificates are inaccurate.
As mentioned previously, municipal inspectors do not carry ladders and physically review insulation levels. Just as how insulation may be insufficient, there are several cases where it is missing altogether.
Low freon can lead to compressor damage and overall low efficiency of your HVAC unit.
When Inspect LV performs New Construction inspections, prior to closing, the property should be in “fit-and-finished” condition, the condition of which the builder intends to convey the property. This would be inclusive of all appliances and components. Typically, these inspections are performed only a few days before closing. It is not uncommon to find the property of missing appliances or disconnected appliances.
Performance Standards state, “Areas of unevenness shall not exceed 1/4 inch in any direction under a 6-foot straightedge.”
The valve should be configured to provide hot water when turned to the left and cold water when turned to the right. With reversed plumbing there is an increased risk of injury from scalding.
Nail-pops, dry wall tape and stress cracks exceeding 1/16 inch should not be visible.
Damaged trusses can lead to a
sagging roof and corrections are recommended. New homes will likely be covered under a 10 year structural warranty, this issue is covered by
the statutory structural warranty on the home. The
procedure needed to be taken to correct this issue is to:
1. Contact the builder of the property and ask to have the truss reviewed by the licensed Structural Engineer.
2. The Engineer will design a repair and provide a document referred to as a “Truss Certification” that will give the builder guidance for correcting the damaged area in a
manner that will restore the structural integrity of the member.
3. After the builder has accomplished the repair they need to provide the homeowner with a copy of the Truss
Certification stating that the repair was accomplished in
accordance with the engineer’s direction.
Gaps between ceilings and walls that exceed 1/8 inch are not acceptable. Gaps between matched door edges that exceed parallel alignment by
more than 1/8 inch in 30 inches or the uniformity of any door edge gap in comparison
to any other that exceeds 1/8 inch are not acceptable. Tops of cabinet doors must be
in the same horizontal plane, within 1/8 inch.
If the home is not connected to sewer, if designed to be, you may experience a sewage backup.
No noticeable color or shading variations should be observed. All painted areas are to have sufficient coverage with no flaking, peeling or scaling. In addition, pain should not be on any surface for which it was not intended.
Exterior doors should shut completely. Doors should operate freely, latch firmly and keep out normal wind and rain. A small change in the spacing between the door and frame may occur due to expansion and contraction of building materials. This is normal. Warping more than 1/4 inch in any direction is unacceptable. Doors and frames must be painted or stained and sealed properly
per manufacturer instructions.
Hairline cracks may occur in grout. Cracks should not
exceed 1/32 inch.
Roof flashing is a thin material, usually galvanized steel, that professional roofers use to direct water away from critical areas of the roof, wherever the roof plane meets a vertical surface like a wall or a dormer. Flashing is installed to surround roof features, such as vents, chimneys and skylights. Contractors are to use an approved type of flashing and in required areas.
Clay roof tiles require a 3 inch overlap. Stretched roof tiles occur when not enough overlap is provided.
The components of the plumbing system should completely contain and/or transport water without leaking. There should be no leak from any soil, waste, vent, gas, or water piping
In accordance with Residential Construction Performance Standards stucco siding is required to present a uniform appearance when viewed under natural lighting condition from a distance of 6 feet.
Overhead Garage door should be installed per the manufacturer installation instructions and create a seal with the garage floor at the time of the walkthrough. Overhead garage door should work properly and must move freely up and down the track. 1/2 inch gaps at the sides and top are the maximum acceptable measurement between the house and the garage door.
In this case, a plumbing vent is found capped. This does not meet today’s building standards or the Performance Standards guidelines.
All properly installed carpet seams are visible to some
degree depending upon the type, color, location, light exposure and installation of
the carpet. Seams that have gaps, overlap or excessive separation do not meet the
performance guideline. Excessive seams will not be accepted.
- Process
A License Doesn’t Guarantee Expertise
Many home inspectors in the Las Vegas Valley tout their ability to conduct new construction inspections, but the reality is that most simply don’t have the qualifications. While they may be a licensed Nevada Inspector of Structures (IOS), that hardly ensures their expertise, especially when it comes to the complexities of new builds.
At Inspect LV, we refuse to compromise on quality. Our inspectors are among the best in the industry, but not all of our inspectors are certified for PSR inspections, as Andrew believes in maintaining our high standards. He won’t train Inspect LV inspectors for PSR certification until they’ve successfully completed over 250 resale inspections while consistently delivering top-notch reports. This rigorous approach sets our PSR Certified IOS apart from lesser inspectors who merely claim to handle new construction.
Selecting the right home inspector can be a daunting task. Unlike many professionals you work with, you likely won’t meet the inspector until your scheduled appointment, making it essential to choose wisely. Home inspectors come with diverse qualifications, experience levels, equipment, reporting styles, and pricing structures, which can make the decision even more challenging.
Ultimately, the quality of your home inspection hinges on the inspector’s depth of knowledge, dedication and attention to detail. When choosing Inspect LV for your inspection needs, you leverage our unrivaled proficiency of providing a thorough evaluation.
- Get in touch
New Build Clients
- A comprehensive “engineering style report” to give to the builder so they can perform repairs before COE or warranty expiration.
- One (1) free Repair Review after the builder completes repairs to verify repairs were done correctly, or at all.
- Solid guidance and direction in the event the builder is uncooperative in regards to the repairs.
Check out Due Diligence is More Than Just a Home Inspection to for links to local utilities, very school zones and more!
We always maintain professional interactions with builder sales representatives and construction teams, in contrast to some inspectors who seek social media attention through combative and disrespectful behavior.