Part-1 What Issues Keep Home Builders Awake At Night?

What Issues Keep Home Builders Awake At Night? Part 1

A new Builder doesn’t know enough to be frightened. An experienced Builder knows when the little hairs on the back of his neck are telling him something really important and that he better be listening.

Below are a few examples of items that give experienced Builders pause, when constructing your home:

• Not having full water pressure on the hot and cold water lines during the entire construction process.

• Installing the new refrigerator with an ice maker the day before closing.

• Plumbing work that’s finished late Friday afternoon when the house is almost complete.

• Fireplace chimneys.

• Flat balcony decks without a roof covering exposed to the weather.

• Window and door seals.

• Not having a good hard rain during the construction of your home.

• Establishing the finished floor elevation of the slab.

• Water hitting the exterior of the home.

1. Having full water pressure on the hot and cold water lines during the entire construction process.

One of the worst issues a Builder can have after a homeowner moves into their brand, new, custom built home, is a plumbing leak. Usually it’s because a drywall nail or screw has penetrated one of the water lines. The lines are suppose to be protected from this by “steel nail plates” that are placed between the drywall and the plumbing pipe during rough-in. Sometimes a nail plate is missing or the penetration is from another cause.

Smart Builders keep the water lines under full pressure during the entire building process so they have every opportunity to observe a potential water leak before the owners move in. Unfortunately, building a home isn’t an exact science. The water main gets shut off or the well pump that supplies the home is unplugged. Well pumps normally don’t provide as much pressure as Municipal water supplies so Builders have to be extra careful.

Full water pressure can be lower than normal for any number of reasons. The worst mistake, drilling the well and connecting the pressure pump, just prior to occupancy. A recipe for disaster. I can see the new hardwood floors warping from here.

2. Installing the new refrigerator with an ice maker the day before closing.

Even though the plumber, appliance installer or Builder’s handyman is a professional, ice maker connections that were perfectly dry when the refrigerator was installed, decide to leak the night before closing.

3. Plumbing work that’s finished late Friday afternoon when the house is almost complete.

Many of the same issues as #1 & 2 above. Experienced Builders avoid plumbing work on Friday’s if possible. Believe me it’s a hard learned lesson. A water leak can do a lot of damage over a weekend.