Your Builder Had 400 Inspections This Year.
This One Is Yours.
Every deficiency photographed, annotated, and code-referenced before your final walkthrough. No builder loyalty. No conflicts. Just findings.
Pre-drywall · Final walkthrough · 11-month warranty · Phase inspections
Three Inspections. Real Findings.
Escalating Severity.
214 Ridgeline Ct — Sycamore Ridge, TX
Stage: Final Walkthrough
The Finish That Wasn't Finished
Buyer's builder called it "move-in ready." Our inspector found 23 items in a single afternoon — tape lines bleeding through paint, grout voids at every threshold, and a master bath shower door installed 11mm out of plumb. Cosmetic, yes. But cosmetic defects at closing are leverage you lose the moment you sign.
Paint bleed — tape line not feathered
Grout void at floor threshold
Shower door 11mm out of plumb
58 Copperleaf Dr — Briarwood Commons, GA
Stage: Pre-Drywall Phase
The Truss They Hoped You'd Miss
Pre-drywall is the only inspection that matters for what's inside the walls. On this 2,800 sq ft production home, we found a cut bottom chord on a roof truss — a field modification made by a framing crew that didn't call the truss engineer. Once the drywall goes up, this disappears. The repair cost $1,100. Discovering it after move-in would have cost $18,000 and a structural warranty fight.
Cut bottom chord — unauthorized field mod
Missing hurricane tie — 4 of 6 rafters
Vapor barrier installed face-down
Hairline crack — foundation pour corner
7 Westmoor Pl — Falcon Creek, CO
Stage: Final Walkthrough
The Ductwork Sealed With Painter's Tape
This one keeps us up at night. An HVAC crew sealed a return-air plenum penetration with painter's tape and sprayed over it. It passed the builder's own inspection. It would have failed within 60 days of occupancy — drawing combustion gases from the mechanical room into the living space. Carbon monoxide. The buyer's children sleep in the room directly above this plenum.
Plenum penetration — painter's tape seal
Fire blocking absent — entire west wall
Kickout flashing absent — weep screed
The Three Moments That Matter
Miss any one of these and you're inspecting what your builder decided to show you.
Pre-Drywall
After framing, MEP rough-in, insulation
The only inspection that sees inside the walls. Framing, structural connections, vapor barriers, ductwork routing, electrical rough-in, plumbing penetrations — all documented before they disappear behind drywall forever.
- Truss and rafter connections
- Vapor barrier orientation
- Fire blocking completeness
- Ductwork sealing
- Electrical rough-in
- Plumbing rough-in
Final Walkthrough
Before certificate of occupancy
The inspection your builder doesn't want you to have. Every system tested, every finish examined, every deficiency documented with photo evidence and code citation before you hand over a check.
- All mechanical systems
- Finish quality audit
- Exterior envelope
- Grading and drainage
- Appliance operation
- Safety device verification
11-Month Warranty
Before your builder warranty expires
Most new homes carry a 1-year builder warranty. Most buyers forget to use it. We inspect at month 10–11 and deliver a report that becomes your warranty demand letter — before the clock runs out.
- Structural settlement
- HVAC performance
- Envelope moisture intrusion
- Grading changes
- Interior finish degradation
- Mechanical wear
The Clients Who Came Back to Tell Us
"Our inspector found a cut truss and three missing hurricane ties. The builder's super said we were being paranoid. The truss engineer's repair spec said otherwise."
Marcus Delgado
First-time buyer, Sycamore Ridge TX
"I'm a real estate attorney. I've used six different inspection companies. Punchlist is the only one whose reports I'll take into arbitration without editing."
Priya Venkataraman
Real estate attorney, Atlanta GA
"We paid $595 for the final walkthrough. The escrow holdback we negotiated was $9,400. The math is not complicated."
Tyler & Jess Kowalski
Custom build owners, Denver CO
"The painter's tape on our HVAC plenum was going to be my kids' CO problem. Punchlist caught it. The builder's inspector missed it twice."
Devon Okafor
New construction buyer, Falcon Creek CO
"The 11-month warranty inspection paid for itself three times over. We had no idea about the moisture intrusion behind the brick veneer."
Sandra Hirsch
Homeowner, Briarwood Commons GA
"I trusted my GC. I still do. But now I can trust him because I verified. Punchlist gave me the second set of eyes I needed."
Rafael Mendes
Custom build owner, Austin TX
"Our inspector found a cut truss and three missing hurricane ties. The builder's super said we were being paranoid. The truss engineer's repair spec said otherwise."
Marcus Delgado
First-time buyer, Sycamore Ridge TX
"I'm a real estate attorney. I've used six different inspection companies. Punchlist is the only one whose reports I'll take into arbitration without editing."
Priya Venkataraman
Real estate attorney, Atlanta GA
"We paid $595 for the final walkthrough. The escrow holdback we negotiated was $9,400. The math is not complicated."
Tyler & Jess Kowalski
Custom build owners, Denver CO
"The painter's tape on our HVAC plenum was going to be my kids' CO problem. Punchlist caught it. The builder's inspector missed it twice."
Devon Okafor
New construction buyer, Falcon Creek CO
"The 11-month warranty inspection paid for itself three times over. We had no idea about the moisture intrusion behind the brick veneer."
Sandra Hirsch
Homeowner, Briarwood Commons GA
"I trusted my GC. I still do. But now I can trust him because I verified. Punchlist gave me the second set of eyes I needed."
Rafael Mendes
Custom build owner, Austin TX
The Smartest Money You'll Spend
Before Closing
Typically available within 3–5 business days. Reports delivered within 24 hours of inspection.