New Construction.
New homes turn up defects about as often as old ones — they’re just different defects, hidden behind fresh paint. Here’s how phase inspections work from foundation to final, what the builder’s one-year warranty does and doesn’t cover, why the 11-month inspection matters, and what we find most often in new homes across the Denver metro and foothills.
Why a brand-new house still gets inspected
The municipal inspector checks code minimums at a few stages, quickly. Nobody else is looking at workmanship or performance unless you hire them.
✓ Code inspections are brief
City and county inspectors verify minimum code compliance at required stages, often in minutes per stop. They don’t evaluate quality, durability or whether systems perform.
✓ Schedules create defects
Production homes are built fast by many subcontractors. The most common cause of new-home defects is a rushed schedule, not bad intent.
✓ Nothing has been tested by living
A resale home has had years of weather and occupants to expose its problems. A new one hasn’t seen a spring thunderstorm or a January cold snap yet.
✓ Your rights are contractual
Most builder contracts allow third-party inspections; some restrict access or require a builder rep present. Confirm inspection rights before you sign the purchase agreement.
✓ No state license for inspectors
Colorado doesn’t license home inspectors, so a builder can’t require one — but do ask any inspector for credentials, insurance and a sample new-construction report.
✓ Leverage before closing
Findings before closing are the builder’s to fix. After closing you are in the warranty process — slower, and on their calendar.
The phases: pre-pour, pre-drywall, final
✓ Foundation / pre-pour
Before concrete: footing and pier depth, rebar size and placement, forms, anchor bolts, void forms under grade beams, under-slab plumbing and the vapor barrier. On Front Range clay lots this is where the soils recommendations either get built or don’t.
✓ Pre-drywall
The most valuable visit. Framing, roof-to-wall and window flashing, sheathing and house wrap, plumbing, electrical and HVAC rough-ins, duct connections, fire blocking and insulation — all visible for about one week.
✓ Final / pre-closing
A full home inspection: roof, exterior, grading, attic, every system operated, every fixture run. Done 1–2 weeks before closing so the builder can fix things before the walkthrough, not after.
✓ Blue-tape walkthrough
The builder’s own orientation, usually days before closing, is for cosmetics. Bring our report; don’t rely on the walkthrough to find what matters.
✓ 11-month warranty
A second full inspection about a month before the builder’s one-year warranty expires, producing a list to submit while the builder is still obligated.
✓ Pick what fits
A custom build in the foothills benefits from all four. On a production home whose schedule you can’t control, pre-drywall and final are the minimum we’d suggest.
The builder’s warranty and the 11-month inspection
Colorado sets no minimum builder warranty; the contract does. Read yours.
✓ The typical 1-2-10
One year on workmanship and materials (paint, drywall, trim, flooring), two years on systems (plumbing, electrical, HVAC distribution), ten years on major structural elements. Categories vary by builder, and the builder’s definitions control.
✓ Fit-and-finish is one year
Most of what a homeowner notices — nail pops, cracked grout, sticking doors, settling cracks — falls in year one. After that it is yours.
✓ Why month 11
Inspecting 4–6 weeks before the anniversary leaves time to submit the list, get the builder out, and dispute anything before the deadline passes.
✓ Submit in writing
Warranty claims go through the builder’s process, in writing, with photos and report references. Keep copies and dates.
✓ Defect claims and Colorado law
Colorado’s Construction Defect Action Reform Act sets the process for defect claims and a general six-year limit after completion (up to eight in some cases). That is a legal matter — talk to an attorney if you are anywhere near it.
✓ Third-party warranties
Many builders enroll homes in insured warranty programs. Find out who actually pays a structural claim in year seven: the builder or the program.
What we find most in Front Range new homes
The same handful of items shows up in new homes from Castle Rock to Conifer.
✓ Grading toward the house
Backfill settles and landscaping crews flatten it. Negative slope at the foundation on an expansive-clay lot is the top finding — and the one that causes the most damage later.
✓ Missing kickout and step flashing
Where a roof edge meets a wall, a missing kickout flashing dumps water behind the siding. It rots the wall quietly for years.
✓ Attic insulation short or uneven
Blown insulation that never reached the eaves, missing baffles, and depth well under what the energy paperwork claims.
✓ HVAC balance and ducts
Rooms that won’t heat, ducts disconnected in the attic, registers blocked by framing, and condensate lines going nowhere.
✓ Nail pops and settling cracks
Framing lumber dries from around 19% moisture to under 10% in a heated house. Year-one drywall cracks and pops are normal and warrantable — note them for month 11.
✓ Small safety misses
Range anti-tip brackets, CSST gas-line bonding, TPR discharge lines, garage fire-separation gaps, sump lids, and the downspout extensions that never got installed.
New homes on the Front Range: soils and energy codes
✓ Expansive soils drive the foundation
On clay lots builders use drilled piers, void forms, structural floors and floating slabs. Pre-pour is when we verify they were built as the soils report specified.
✓ Your soils report is required
Colorado law requires the builder to give you a summary of the soils report at least 14 days before closing — plus a swelling-soils guide where the risk is significant. Read the foundation recommendations.
✓ Drainage from day one
A new house on clay needs a 6-inch fall in the first 10 feet, downspout extensions, and no sprinklers against the foundation. We check it at final and again at 11 months, after the backfill settles.
✓ Tighter energy codes
Colorado now requires jurisdictions that update their codes to adopt recent energy codes; Jefferson County moved to the 2024 energy code for permits from mid-2026. New homes get blower-door and duct-leakage tests — ask for the results.
✓ Tight houses need ventilation
A house built to 3 air changes per hour or less depends on mechanical ventilation. We confirm the ERV/HRV or exhaust system is installed, connected and actually running.
✓ Mountain lots
Foothills builds add wells, septic, propane, ignition-resistant construction and steep-driveway drainage — each with its own county sign-off worth verifying.
How it differs from a resale inspection
✓ Same standard, different targets
A final is a full home inspection, the same length as a resale. We spend more time on installation quality and less on wear.
✓ Everything is new — and untested
A new furnace can be installed wrong; a 10-year-old furnace has proven it works. We operate everything and look at how it was put in.
✓ Access is a negotiation
On a resale we get the house to ourselves. On a new build the site super may need notice and a builder rep may attend. Plan for it.
✓ Findings go to the builder
Instead of an inspection objection, our report becomes a punch list the builder corrects before closing. Get it in writing which items they accept.
✓ Verify the fixes
A re-inspection of corrected items before closing catches the “fixed” that wasn’t.
✓ Keep the documents
Energy test results, soils report, permits, manuals, warranty registration. They matter at 11 months and at resale.
Common questions
Do I really need an inspection on a brand-new home?
Yes. In our reports — and inspectors’ nationwide — new homes turn up defects at roughly the same rate as older ones, driven mostly by rushed schedules and many subcontractors. Municipal code inspectors check minimum compliance in a few brief stops; they don’t assess workmanship or whether the systems perform. A final inspection before closing turns problems into the builder’s to-do list instead of your warranty claim — or your expense after the warranty runs out.
What is a pre-drywall inspection and when does it happen?
It is a walk of the house after framing, windows, roofing, and the plumbing, electrical and HVAC rough-ins are done — but before insulation and drywall cover them. That week is the only time anyone can see flashing details, duct connections, fire blocking, wiring and framing corrections. Ask the builder for the schedule early; the window can be as short as a few days.
What is an 11-month warranty inspection?
A full inspection scheduled about a month before the builder’s one-year workmanship warranty expires. After a year of settling, seasons and use, we document nail pops, cracks, drainage problems, HVAC issues and anything that has failed, and you submit the list to the builder in writing while they are still obligated to fix it. Schedule it 4–6 weeks before the anniversary to leave time for the claim.
Can the builder refuse to let me hire my own inspector?
Most builder contracts allow third-party inspections, often with notice and a builder representative present; a few restrict access or timing. Colorado doesn’t license home inspectors, so a builder can’t require a state license — but they may ask for proof of insurance. Confirm inspection rights before you sign the purchase agreement; it is much harder to add them later.
What are the most common problems in new Front Range homes?
Grading that slopes toward the foundation, missing kickout and step flashing at roof-to-wall joints, thin or uneven attic insulation, HVAC rooms that won’t balance, missing downspout extensions, and a handful of safety items like range anti-tip brackets and gas-line bonding. On clay lots we pay special attention to the foundation being built as the soils report specified — the mistake that costs the most later.
This guide is for general education. It reflects what we look for during a home inspection, not a substitute for a licensed professional. If you have a specific concern, please contact your builder’s warranty department or a licensed contractor — and of course, we’re always happy to take a look during an inspection.
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Read →Building new? Have it inspected before the drywall goes up.
We’ll give your home a thorough, plain-English inspection and flag anything worth a closer look.