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  1. #1
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    Thumbs up Home Inspector Recommendation in Golden, CO Area?

    Hey Mags,

    Anyone have a home inspector they would recommend in the Golden, CO area? I'm in the process of building a new home and need someone to inspect throughout the process.

    Thanks!

  2. #2
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    Have a good real estate friend in WR, I sent him a message.

  3. #3
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    George Smith 3/888-1569
    Willis Biehrle 3/324-4429

  4. #4
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    No. Terrible idea. This is the best way ever to alienate your contractor. If you don't trust your contractor, you need a new contractor before you need a home inspector. Do you have an architect?

  5. #5
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    Does your contact allow for a third party home inspection? These big home builders are so shady these days that they are obliged to keep pros off their construction sites cuz they can't afford to do shit by the book since it would cut into the bottom line too much.
    Brandine: Now Cletus, if I catch you with pig lipstick on your collar one more time you ain't gonna be allowed to sleep in the barn no more!
    Cletus: Duly noted.

  6. #6
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    I recommend the one that you can hold liable for more than just the fee you paid when they fuck up.


    Your house will be built long before you find one that does, so never mind.
    The Sheriff is near!

  7. #7
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    Quote Originally Posted by Garth Bimble View Post
    I recommend the one that you can hold liable for more than just the fee you paid when they fuck up.


    Your house will be built long before you find one that does, so never mind.
    Be careful what you wish for. A. Errors & Omissions insurance is very expensive and will be passed on the the customer (check what you paid for title insurance at your last closing). B. Home construction (and inspections) is a lot more subjective that many people understand. I've seen many situations where opinions differ a create all kinds of headaches specially when the homo comes in all hot accusing contractors of "doing it wrong"
    C. Without being too much of a dick, the fact that you are asking this questions indicates you might be in over your head a bit. Obviously, I have no idea the specifics of what you got going on but basically you GC is on the hook to build to plan, code & typical practices. Often times plans sucks, code is shitty, vague and not enforced and typical practices and methodology can always be improved upon.

    You can't expect that a $150/sq. ft. home is build to the same standards as a $300/sq. ft. custom.

    What you are probably looking for is what is called an "Owners Representative". It will cost you money but good ones can really work well as an intermediary between the GC and the homo. Bottom line, you have to trust someone because you don't know how to build the house. No different than a mechanic, accountant, hairdresser etc.

  8. #8
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    In order to attempt to be helpful:

    a. do you have any specific concerns?

    b. as an example: I learned to frame building custom homes. Until the tail end of the last boom (2006ish?), I have no idea about production framing techniques used by tract home builders and the like. All of the following past inspection. 1. not tying in the wall and floor systems by lapping you second floor sheathing onto your rim. 2. toe nailing on framing on the outside of the wall to support the eve en soffit instead of building lookouts 3. gang cutting all your trimmers with a chainsaw.

    The list goes on.

  9. #9
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    In no way should you hire a "home inspector" (that "inspects" for single family real estate transactions) to inspect a new construction project. Most of those guys/gals don't know shit about construction.

    What exactly do you want "inspected" anyway?
    "Can't vouch for him, though he seems normal via email."

  10. #10
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    I wouldn't hire a "Home Inspector" to check the air in my tires. Worthless.
    Believe it or not the Building Code is your friend and the City Building Inspectors do a fairly good job. I don't know what a home inspector is going to catch that a BI wouldn't.

    I am guessing this isn't a situation where you hired the contractor yourself but rather you entered an agreement to buy Model C on lot 12 and the KB Homes or whomever is building it and you want somebody to make sure they are doing it right. You should hire another knowledgeable GC and call him the buyers representative. But be prepared that if your guy causes too much trouble they might just tell you to pound sand and sell your home to somebody else.

    *Edit- I just repeated what Foggy and BZ said. Listen to them.

  11. #11
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    Quote Originally Posted by mcsquared View Post
    You should hire another knowledgeable GC and call him the buyers representative.
    or architect or engineer (with residential experience)

  12. #12
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    This is definitely not a custom build- it's a nationwide builder. I'm a first time buyer, so total home buying JONG.

    Foggy- I had been told that it was important to have a certified home inspector inspect pre-drywall and pre-close to make sure than no major issues went unnoticed. Is that not worth doing in this situation?

  13. #13
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    Jerry Harcek @ Turnstone Home Inspection (in Golden)
    Kirk McClucikie @ DKMII Engineering (in Denver)

    Both excellent choices.

  14. #14
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    These big builders have a reputation for throwing homes up quick and dirty, so I totally get your interest in protecting yourself. You've got a contract with the builder in place already, right? Does it provide for what the process would look like if a 3rd party home inspector or "owner's representative" finds problems with the house as it has been built? My guess, and it's purely a guess, is that unless there's workmanship that doesn't conform to building codes you'll be SOL if you bring those problems to the attention of the representative you're dealing with from the builder.

    So, unless you're getting it inspected purely for your own piece of mind (which seems totally reasonable to me), what do you hope to gain by having it inspected?
    Brandine: Now Cletus, if I catch you with pig lipstick on your collar one more time you ain't gonna be allowed to sleep in the barn no more!
    Cletus: Duly noted.

  15. #15
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    ^^
    I'd say that if you can identify where the builder is cutting corners and ditching industry best practices, you can bitch and moan NOW with the documentation of a problem or potential for a problem in hand, and get some concessions/corrections out of them. It's totally worth it. Nobody wants to dick around with warranty after the fact if you can identify problems before they show.

    Construction Defect law is a big deal in Colorado (and other places). Ask yourself why that is.

  16. #16
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    Peace of mind is what I'm hoping to gain. If there was a major issue that the builder wasn't willing to fix I'd consider walking way from my deposit or reselling the house.

    If I understand Foggy's first comment ("be careful what you wish for"), it sounds like he was sometimes it is better not to know everything that is wrong with your house because you may have a duty to inform future buyers of known defects?

    Edit- Peace, not piece
    Last edited by Kevo; 05-18-2016 at 12:58 PM.

  17. #17
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    Quote Originally Posted by Kevo View Post
    Piece of mind is what I'm hoping to gain. If there was a major issue that the builder wasn't willing to fix I'd consider walking way from my deposit or reselling the house.

    If I understand Foggy's first comment ("be careful what you wish for"), it sounds like he was sometimes it is better not to know everything that is wrong with your house because you may have a duty to inform future buyers of known defects?
    IMHO, the big "walk away, lose deposit" problems won't be caught by a casual walk-through pre-drywall. And there will be an opportunity to address a punchlist of smaller items before closing. Seriously, they build houses for a living. They are good at it. The houses are not complicated. Any problems that will affect the utility or livability of the house will pop-up in the first few months. The waterline going to your fridge will leak within the first year, guaranteed because the will use the crappy plastic tube that came with the fridge and not a copper one. There might be other "problems" that you will be blissfully unaware of for the next 20 years.

  18. #18
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    Quote Originally Posted by Cruiser View Post
    These big builders have a reputation for throwing homes up quick and dirty, so I totally get your interest in protecting yourself. You've got a contract with the builder in place already, right? Does it provide for what the process would look like if a 3rd party home inspector or "owner's representative" finds problems with the house as it has been built? My guess, and it's purely a guess, is that unless there's workmanship that doesn't conform to building codes you'll be SOL if you bring those problems to the attention of the representative you're dealing with from the builder.

    So, unless you're getting it inspected purely for your own piece of mind (which seems totally reasonable to me), what do you hope to gain by having it inspected?
    Quote Originally Posted by Kevo View Post
    Piece of mind is what I'm hoping to gain. If there was a major issue that the builder wasn't willing to fix I'd consider walking way from my deposit or reselling the house.

    If I understand Foggy's first comment ("be careful what you wish for"), it sounds like he was sometimes it is better not to know everything that is wrong with your house because you may have a duty to inform future buyers of known defects?
    i think cruiser's comment fits here

    you just want a go/no go from someone with experience that you're not getting a shit building and to hold the builder's feet to the fire that half-assing the building won't be ok.

    so, when you interview your prospects for help, make sure they are clear that you aren't on a mission to catalogue all the minor faults cuz the "inspector" will always find something when he is paid to find something

  19. #19
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    Here's another spicy question: Is your builder contractually obligated to allow you to hire someone to come onto their site to perform a "home inspection"?

    I dunno about all this stuff, but I wouldn't think that you have any right to even be inside the house or on the property until you buy the place (by which I mean when you sit down and sign all the docs at closing) unless it's specifically spelled out in your contract with the builder. I mean, they own the site, house and all, until they sell it to you at closing, right?
    Brandine: Now Cletus, if I catch you with pig lipstick on your collar one more time you ain't gonna be allowed to sleep in the barn no more!
    Cletus: Duly noted.

  20. #20
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    Two issues here.

    One is contractual. Do you have the right to an inspection and/or objection. The answer is that it depends upon your contract. Typical contract promulgated by the Co Real Estate Commission and typically used by brokers - yes but depends how written. Home builders and banks will often use their own contract so then it depends. So basically read your contract for how inspection and objections are handled.

    Two - inspector. I've used a number over the years, some better than others. My advice is to call some and find someone with new build experience. Call them and ask about their experience with new build issues. Some issues will be obvious and others will need construction expertise and others may be nearly impossible to ID before an issue arises (did they do everything to minimize soil expansion issues).

  21. #21
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    Quote Originally Posted by Kevo View Post
    This is definitely not a custom build- it's a nationwide builder. I'm a first time buyer, so total home buying JONG.

    Foggy- I had been told that it was important to have a certified home inspector inspect pre-drywall and pre-close to make sure than no major issues went unnoticed. Is that not worth doing in this situation?
    You don't need to do this. I would recommend (as will the builder), photographing and videoing the home prior to drywall just so you know where all the stuff behind the walls is located. It's not like a "home inspector" is going to measure, let's say, the notch in a stud to make sure that's it's per code. Most "home inspectors" wouldn't even know what to look for anyway.
    "Can't vouch for him, though he seems normal via email."

  22. #22
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    Quote Originally Posted by N1CK. View Post
    Construction Defect law is a big deal in Colorado (and other places). Ask yourself why that is.
    I'd like to know what you think the answer to this question is.
    "Can't vouch for him, though he seems normal via email."

  23. #23
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    Quote Originally Posted by Cruiser View Post
    Here's another spicy question: Is your builder contractually obligated to allow you to hire someone to come onto their site to perform a "home inspection"?

    I dunno about all this stuff, but I wouldn't think that you have any right to even be inside the house or on the property until you buy the place (by which I mean when you sit down and sign all the docs at closing) unless it's specifically spelled out in your contract with the builder. I mean, they own the site, house and all, until they sell it to you at closing, right?
    This is a great point. I've contracted to build a new house with a builder, so I know the process. Plus, I'm an expert in residential construction. You need to look at your contract. My contract stated, "Buyer shall not inspect the Property and has no rights to have any persons or agents on the Property for any reason, unless accompanied by an authorized representative of Seller."
    "Can't vouch for him, though he seems normal via email."

  24. #24
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    I'm in the process of building a new home
    Really? Sounds like you have a contract to purchase a home once it is built by a large home builder. My sister just went through the same process. Correct me if I'm wrong but I'm guessing that the builder claimed to give you preference pricing and some other perks like selecting your interior finishes if you pre-purchased. Other than some nominal deposit, I'm guessing you are not financing any of the construction with construction draw payments.

    Ask your self this, would you be comfortable purchasing this home for the contractual price if it were finished and you never saw it before it was complete? Because basically that is the product your purchased. You don't get to walk into the kitchen at the restaurant and observe him cooking the steak. I know it sucks but that is the game you are playing.

  25. #25
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