So I've got my final walk through with my builder this week..

[GreenLantern]

Just curious if anyone has some tips on what I should be looking for and paying attention to. I have no reason to believe this builder is out to screw me over and has been nothing but kind and accommodating through the entire experience. But I am a person who likes to be prepared and I am aware on how fast relationships can go from good to bad over little details.

Is it common to video tape the walk through? Take lots of pictures? Write everything down? I am sure he has a process that he goes through, but I just want to make sure my wife and I have the maximum amount of protection.

[ken0042]

Bring a camcorder and videotape the entire thing. Then write down everything. If the person doing the walkthrough refuses to write things down, refuse to sign the walk thru. Or sign it "Builder refused to document everything."

I am still fighting my builder months later for things that were said during the walkthrough, that they are now denying.

[CroFlames]

Originally Posted by GreenLantern

Just curious if anyone has some tips on what I should be looking for and paying attention to. I have no reason to believe this builder is out to screw me over and has been nothing but kind and accommodating through the entire experience. But I am a person who likes to be prepared and I am aware on how fast relationships can go from good to bad over little details.

Is it common to video tape the walk through? Take lots of pictures? Write everything down? I am sure he has a process that he goes through, but I just want to make sure my wife and I have the maximum amount of protection.

I've never been through that per se, but don't be afraid to ask any questions. It might turn out to be a ridiculous question, but you'll sleep a whole lot better knowing the answer to something that you were curious about. You are the customer.

And yes, I would say take notes since you might have questions later on, for instance, how the thermostat works.

[Hevishot]

Check for wavy drywall finishing on very visible walls.

[Fighting Banana Slug]

I've been through it, and we were lucky that the builder was really thorough and took good notes. You should be prepared to take notes. Don't have your kids or other distractions around. Have your wife there or a friend for an extra set of eyes.

To be clear, is this the inspection prior to possession? From my experience, the builder was really good about spotting problems and fixing them right away (they want to close the deal). It was a little different on the 1 year inspection, as they had less incentive to see problems and fix them.

[GreenLantern]

Edit: Scratch that I just talked with my lawyer to clear this up, we take possession of the house once the walk through is complete and are just holding back X amount to have the basement completed. God I don't think I have ever been this scatter brained in my life.

[troutman]

this might help:

Here is a list of some of the items you should take a close look at during the walk-through.

http://www.chbaalberta.ca/taking-possession

[polak]

I had mine 3 weeks ago (in a condo) and we found a chunk taken off the outside of the bathtub, a cracked light, a panel that was coming off in the kitchen, another torn up panel in the kitchen, a cap missing from a cupboard and some paint spots on the floor. I wasn't too impressed but none of the defects we found actually had any affect on our lives so it's not too bad.

What really pissed me off is that our towel rack fell off the wall a day later, seemingly on its own.

[AMG_G]

We did two walk through with our builder. The mechanical one was the night before the final. He went over everything that was mechanical from the furnace to the oven. The final walk through was basically going over the house to make sure everything was in order. Because they allowed us to visit the house every day there was no surprises.

As for any imperfections, they said there will be for sure. No matter how good your trades are they cannot eliminate settling and shrinkage. Technically we have a 120 walk through as well and a trades day set up to fix all the imperfections. But our builder said we can have that 120 whenever we want within reason. He said that if we live in the house for a couple of seasons most of the shrinkage and cracks will show up. They also had a service line that we can call at any time if something came up that was urgent.

[darklord700]

I suggest do the walkthru alone without the builder being there first. Then one with the builder being there later if possible. It's very hard to concentrate with other people talking doing the walkthru.

[PaperBagger'14]

Look at all countertops and surfaces, trades people are notorious for putting tools and potentially scratching them. Also look and make sure all faucets are centered over their sinks. I have 2 friends who got nailed by this and the builder won't fix the off centered faucets.

[ken0042]

Also double check your appliances VERY carefully. We ended up having some minor dings that we didn't notice at first.

[Poe969]

I went through hell with one builder and I wouldn't wish that on my worst enemy. When you're working with a builder that you can trust, take lots of pictures, notes and one thing I suggest is to get a thin roll of bright coloured painters tape for the walk through. At every discrepancy, put a small piece of tape so they know it's there then take a picture of it with the tape on it and a note about it. That way if there are 100 small things to be done, you know they get them all and don't skip over them. If the builder gets mad about that, tell him he shouldn't have to worry, if the job is done right there shouldn't be many things to fix. Don't worry about hurting feelings or asking too much, this is your home and it's a big deal. Keep records of every possible thing you can. Video/voice recording is a great idea as well.

[4X4]

As a guy in this industry, I don't understand why a builder would even bother trying to sneak by on things. It's a new house. Whether it's a starter or a custom, it's got to look new. There are tolerances for certain things, like the aforementioned wavy walls. 1/4" over 8' I think. It's a man made product, so it's not going to be laser perfect, but you can't turn over a new house with a bowed stud in the living room that causes an obvious bulge in the wall.

My advice for your walk through is not to over do it. A walk through should take about 2 hours, and you're not going to hold a camcorder for that long. Paint touch ups will get tagged, and deficiencies will get noted on the report. That's where you want to make sure you're being diligent. Make sure that everything you're not satisfied with is noted on the walk through report. That's what you're going to refer to at possession.

I just don't get some of the problems I've heard about on the interwebs. I've turned over hundreds of houses, and I've only had about 5 buyers that were full on crazy. Those people will never be happy, so they can go ahead and talk to Alberta New Home Warranty, who will agree with what I already said. If it's wrong, it'll get fixed. If it's not wrong, then you're wrong. But for the most part, people are generally pretty reasonable about what's good and what's not good. In other words, trust your instinct. If it looks wrong, point it out. If the explanation makes sense, then you have your answer. If the explanation sounds like a bunch of BS, then they might be trying to weasel out of fixing something. But I just don't see why any builder would do that.

For the record, cracks in the basement concrete floor are normal. They're in every basement in Calgary. A crack in a foundation wall (especially a horizontal one) is a different story.

Edit to clarify that I work for a builder. I'm not purporting to have "turned over hundreds of houses" as the owner of a building company.

[Pablothegreat]

In addition to the great advice offered above, I would suggest that you also focus on any water based/connected items. I'm talking about the line connection to your fridge, the line connection to your dishwasher, the connection to laundry. My friends water drain from the laundry was not connected and when he did his laundry a few days later, it caused quite a mess in the basement mechanical room.

Are taps and tubs sealed properly. Check your shower (if you have a glass door) - is the waterstripping tight around the door. Little leaks hurt your house over the long run (they make baseboards swell and crumble).

Check for caulking around counters and other areas. I filled my sinks to make sure they were draining properly and that the overspill (not sure if that's the technical term for the hole in the sinks) were doing their job.

I could go on, but guess who has bad experiences with water at their new home.

While many people focus on the cosmetic stuff, your hardwood floors and carpets aren't going to get ruined if a nail pops in the drywall.

[Northendzone]

Hopefully no freemen on the land claims ownership in the next few days

don't use any of the toilets during your walk thru - if you use them and leave solid matter, the hosue is then considered yours......

[calgarygeologist]

I've heard of a couple of people who have hired a home inspector to be present during the walk through. They mostly look over the major things while the purchaser looks over the smaller things like drywall, paint, etc. That might be something to consider.

I would also recommend you give our resident furnace and duct cleaner a call so that he can do a good cleaning before you start moving in.

[ken0042]

Originally Posted by 4X4

For the record, cracks in the basement concrete floor are normal. They're in every basement in Calgary.

This really bothers me. Why is it normal? Over time, perhaps as ground shifts. However if the basement was recently poured, why should there be cracks already? Let's talk about a possession this week, the basement would have been poured since the ground thawed. Why should there be cracks already?

It just comes across as accepting lower standards. Why should standards have to be low; other than to allow the builders to make more money?

[keratosis]

Concrete cracks as it cures. There are things you can do to minimize it. But you will never have no cracks.
http://www.hfinc.com/markets/investi...-cracking.html

[4X4]

Originally Posted by ken0042

This really bothers me. Why is it normal? Over time, perhaps as ground shifts. However if the basement was recently poured, why should there be cracks already? Let's talk about a possession this week, the basement would have been poured since the ground thawed. Why should there be cracks already?

It just comes across as accepting lower standards. Why should standards have to be low; other than to allow the builders to make more money?

Because concrete cracks. Not sure why this bugs you so much. It has nothing to do with the ground shifting, it's because concrete is cement, gravel, and water mixed together, and as it cures, it shrinks. The water evaporates. The only reason you don't see every driveway and sidewalk full of cracks is because they cut joints into them. Nobody does that for basements because it's either going unfinished, so who cares, or else it's going to be finished, so it'll be covered up.

Does it bother you that there are a whole bunch of top and bottom plates that are cut all to hell in your walls? We had to run the HVAC and plumbing through somewhere, so the ones that aren't structural, are hacked right up. But it's covered with drywall now, and the paint is nice, so does it bother you? Some underlay and carpet will cover those basement cracks right up. Or else some concrete silicone and floor paint.

Re-reading before I post, I'm not sure if I sound like a dick. I don't mean to. I'm trying to figure out why you care about it, when it's just the way it is, in every single basement in the city.