Project Inspections

There are essentially three kinds of project inspections:

• City Inspections
• Bank Inspections
• Owner Inspections

City Inspections

City inspections generally focus on ensuring that construction is in accordance with applicable building codes. Cities generally require these inspections as part of the occupancy permit process, but due to limited resources, they do not always inspect every project. Inspectors are licensed and are usually municipal employees from the Code Compliance Department.

Every city has a limited number of inspectors, their backlog determines the waiting period. Big cities can have a two week waiting period. Call your building department to get the lead-time. Account for the waiting period when scheduling inspection. For an explanation on when this applies, review the The Permit Process.

The permit fee usually pays for these inspections. However, if you’re contractor is not mindful, they can make the project cost more. City inspectors provide comments on things that are not according to code and have authority to ‘make’ contractors do work over.

Sometimes contractors think they know what the inspector will approve only to be proven wrong.

Always makes sure you get the building inspector’s approval before proceeding, or it may cost you money.

Bank Inspections

Bank inspections focus on making sure the bank doesn’t over pay construction draws. Bank’s usually hire third party contractors to perform progress inspections on their behalf. Fees for these inspections vary from $75 to $150 depending on the location.

Bank’s usually pass the inspection cost along to the customer. Bank inspections do not usually address code or quality. The purpose is to ensure the physical completion matches the contractor’s invoice and the expected draw schedule. In short, the purpose of a bank inspection is to protect the bank, not the investment.

Owner Inspections

Owner inspections focus on the quality of the construction (which can include code violations), and adherence to the scope of work including correct material use.

There are two ways to inspect projects to best achieve the goal.

1. Hire a Licensed Home Inspector

2. Self-Perform the Inspection

Generally a licensed home inspector is the way to go on this. You can self perform the inspection, but unless your up to speed on how everything goes together, you probably shouldn’t.

Hiring a licensed Home Inspector

If you don’t have time to walk the site, the project location makes visiting impractical, or you have little construction experience, hiring a licensed inspector is a good way to go. This is not the same type of inspection required by the city or the bank, and it isn’t the same inspector either.

Licensed home inspectors generally charge between $200 and $400 per inspection to walk the site, perform the inspection, take photos, provide a report, and answer questions. Home inspectors generally charge per inspection, but if you tell them that you want a series of partial inspections, you can more easily negotiate a discount on each.

Most home inspectors are not required to enforce building codes, and often only perform visual and non-invasive inspections to avoid liability for missing something. In this kind of inspection the inspector looks at the structure, systems, and finishes for deficiencies.

When interviewing inspectors make sure to ask them questions like:

• Are you licensed and what is your license number?
• How long have you been a licensed inspector?
• Can you provide references?
• What were you before you became an inspector?
• What is your level of construction experience?
• How many inspections or inspection hours have you performed?
• What do you charge per inspection?
• What kind of continuing education have you taken, if any?
• How many inspections have you done on projects like my unique project?
• How long will the inspection take?
• Are you available to answer questions after we get the report?
• How many pictures do you normally take and will we get copies of them all?
• How long does it take to get the report and is it compliant with local and state authorities?
• Do you give discounts for repeat service as in staged or phased inspections?
• Have you or your company ever been a party to a lawsuit? If so, please explain.
• Have you ever served as an expert witness? If so, please explain.

Answers to these questions, help you determine the individual inspector’s ability, price, knowledge, and appropriateness for the project. Of course, you should look for an inspector with the most knowledge, years of experience, and the better record of service.

Licensed inspectors are usually required to perform continuing education to ensure that they stay informed about changing practices, regulations, equipment, and technology. In some states, like Texas, licensed professional inspectors are required to spend a minimum of $1,800 to carry $100,000 dollars of errors and omissions insurance in case they miss something, so they can legally collect a $200 to $400 dollar fee per inspection. The reasoning is that the inspector is the last construction professional on the site and the state believes the inspector should be responsible for all the work completed.

It seems like sound logic, until you realize that most trade contractors need no license, no insurance, and only have to print up some business cards to call themselves professional contractors and collect tens of thousands of dollars. As a result, inspection reports often contain more language about what isn’t found, and why, than about what is found.

In areas where there are no municipal inspections, it is especially important that you hire an inspector with a solid understanding of local building codes to look out for code violations for you. This is important for two reasons: building codes help make sure everything is safe and to ensure that if you ever sell the property, the buyer’s inspector doesn’t point out code violations that the buyer will ultimately ask you to fix. So don’t shop by price, shop by experience and make sure the inspector you select has the knowledge that you need for your project. Remember that a cheaper inspection is not necessarily better, as the money you save on the inspection fee can cost you much more later, if the inspector missed something.

Self-Performing the Inspection

There are currently no laws restricting owners from performing their own inspections, especially if they have some reasonable construction knowledge. Self-performing the inspections affords you the ability to walk the site as often as you want.

This is the most important time for you to know how proper assemblies look so you know if your structure is properly constructed. If I have not convinced you by now that you should hire a professional inspector then you had better run. Don’t Walk! Run right out, get yourself some books, and seriously study up on how to assemble materials on your project properly. Your local or online bookstore will have a wide selection.

Architectural details don’t usually change, though new details are often developed to address new materials and material uses. Sometimes you can find assembly details online for free if you search. Often professional trade associations have or can recommend very good books that cover their trade assembly instructions, and manufacturers always provide material and product installation details.

When you go to inspect the site yourself, be mindful and try not to take up more than a few minutes of any of the workers time so that you do not slow them down. If you see something wrong during an inspection and it’s already done you can say something, but write the contractor(s) a letter and follow up. If you see something going wrong while you are there, speak up and try to get them to correct it immediately.

There is nothing wrong with using professional inspectors in the beginning for things like foundations, structure, and rough in then performing the finish inspection yourself. You can also find a lot of useful information at ASHI the site for the American Society of Home Inspectors.

When to Inspect Construction

There are times during the physical construction process that proper owner inspections are recommended.

• Foundations – Prior to the concrete pour and after the rebar and underground utilities installation
• Structural Framing – After the structure has been framed and sheathed
• Rough-In – After sheathing, installation of MEP systems, and before drywall
• Finishes – After installation of all drywall, fixtures, and finishes

The timing of the inspections is critical if you want to ensure time to correct any discovered problems without potentially affecting the contract price.

For example, if the inspector is there to inspect the rebar installation when the concrete truck is on the way, any delay may mean you have to pay for the truckload even though you may not use it. That is because concrete essentially starts to cure the moment it is mixed. Curing is the chemical process whereby concrete hardens. For this reason, concrete is only good to pour for about 2 to 3 hours depending on weather and any special additives used. Truck drivers will leave the site to dispose of their load before they allow it to cure in the truck, because doing so would be catastrophic.