A Builder Learned They Installed Windows Wrong For Years

New construction promises certainty, but the punch list tells a different story. We pull back the wrap on what really happens between framing and finish, from window flashing done the wrong way for years to the quiet hazards that show up on “finished” walkthroughs. As licensed Ohio home inspectors, we share what we look for, why manufacturer instructions outrank code minimums, and how subcontractor-only models can leave no one truly accountable for quality.

We walk through the full arc of a smart new-build strategy: pre-drywall inspections to catch framing, air sealing, fire blocking, and waterproofing before it disappears, followed by methodical finals that test function and finish. Along the way, we explain when foam sheathing makes sense, when structural panels still matter, and why calling the manufacturer beats guesswork on house wrap repairs and ridge vent sizing. You will hear how a builder learned—through our report—that their window installs were wrong, why the fixes still missed best practice, and what that teaches about oversight and training.

This conversation is for buyers who want a durable, safe home and builders who care about getting it right. We share practical red flags, including what it means when a builder bans site visits, and simple, high-value checks that prevent leaks, mold, and early failures. Expect clear guidance you can use on your next walkthrough: how to think beyond “pass/fail code,” how to anchor decisions in climate and loads, and how to protect your family from avoidable hazards like exposed fasteners on stairs. If you value transparency and long-term performance, this guide will help you verify the work—not just trust the promise.

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Transcript

SPEAKER_00 0:01

Hey everybody, it's Jen, and of course Laura's here.

SPEAKER_02 0:04

Hello everyone.

SPEAKER_00 0:05

Alright, so we do home inspections. We also do air testing, radon testing, sewer scope, chimney scopes, and we do new build inspections. We even have a tool to measure level heights. So say you got a house on a slab, and you're like and you want to know is it sinking on one side or what? We have a tool that we we set it somewhere, that's our base measurement, and then we measure other areas all throughout the house or that slab, and we change we can record the change in elevation.

SPEAKER_02 0:40

Nice.

Expectations Vs Reality With New Builds

SPEAKER_00 0:41

I've seen it because you you it's okay that nothing's gonna be perfectly level, very rare. If it's up or down a little bit, that's okay. But there is a certain range to that, and we'll talk about that later on. But when you're doing uh we also do new build inspections, it often, well always, when you have a brand new house built, you expect it to be done right.

SPEAKER_02 1:05

Yeah. And I we did.

SPEAKER_00 1:08

Yeah, yes, yes, and I we had a great builder. Yes, we did. Dean did a fantastic job. Yes, he didn't know everything, just just like we don't know everything. It nobody knows everything. If somebody thinks they know every everything, find a new one. Oh it's extremely rare, or they're refusing to look at things that they don't know about because they don't want to be ignorant of some facts, or they've stopped learning and they're gonna be able to do it.

SPEAKER_02 1:36

Stop learning, you know, stagnate.

SPEAKER_00 1:38

To me, if that is some sort of sin where you you you stop learning things. But anyway, digressing there.

unknown 1:44

Just a little.

SPEAKER_02 1:46

New builds.

The Window Installation Wake-Up Call

Subcontractors And Missing Quality Control

SPEAKER_00 1:47

We did a new build the other day, and well, no, like a month or two. Actually, we we we did it January 1st. We did it January 1st holiday. So we did that, and the builder and the homeowner used the report, and apparently it came out that the builder realized that he'd been installing windows wrong the entire time they've been a builder. And I call me if you want to know who the builder is. No, and we're not gonna get we're not gonna give the name. Because listen, well, this this is the same builder, and I've never heard of this. I I I never thought it would actually happen, but I I'm the builder has no employees. No, everybody is a subcontractor that does the work for them. Which to me is odd.

SPEAKER_02 2:40

Because I'm like, are you you have no quality control?

SPEAKER_00 2:44

Exactly. Yeah, who's who who's doing the quality control, or you're just relying on the subcontractors and everything? But the builder did not know how to install Windows, which means even if he did come take a look, he couldn't tell the subcontractors doing it right or wrong.

SPEAKER_02 3:03

And even then they fixed them and they still fixed them wrong. They didn't do it right.

SPEAKER_00 3:07

They they were not as good as they should be, yes. They were definitely not best practices, I'll say that.

SPEAKER_02 3:14

No, but yeah, they they had complete team of subcontractors, they had no employees.

Pre-Drywall, Re-Inspects, And Persistent Issues

SPEAKER_00 3:24

Which I guess that could be an efficient way of running your business, but but there there were there were wrong things, and this is rare. Normally we do the pre-drywall inspection. And I don't know, you typically they fix those things that we find, and then we next time we see the people, it is a final walkthrough. Right. Like I did a final walkthrough last Monday or last week, I I don't know, and see how the progress is going and do the inspection on that.

SPEAKER_02 3:57

Um, but this house, we went back and did the uh reinspect of the issues that we found during the pre-drywall that wanted fixed.

SPEAKER_00 4:09

And I'm pretty much my pretty sure I'm correct when I speak for every home inspector. We really don't like going back doing the request or remedy checklist. We do not like doing those.

SPEAKER_02 4:20

Good thing we did in this case, though.

Inspectors Aren’t Code Police

SPEAKER_00 4:22

Well we yeah, we did, and there are things that are not done correctly. I mean, there's there just continues to be issues. I'll I'll just say that. So you always, if you're building a house, you always need to get it inspected. Now, home inspectors were not code inspectors. No, that it's prohibited.

SPEAKER_02 4:42

Revised code.

SPEAKER_00 4:44

As far as I know, I think that is every state that has licensing. You're not code inspectors. You're not supposed to. There are some probably some guys that are code inspectors, right?

SPEAKER_02 4:52

But that would be a separate license from the home inspection.

SPEAKER_00 4:55

Right, but but not here in Ohio, we're not code inspectors, but so we look for is basic standard practices. How is this supposed to be done typically? And then we don't know, we do research on it.

SPEAKER_02 5:08

Or call the manufacturer.

SPEAKER_00 5:10

Like we did research on this same house, same build, same builder. They use a weird foam instead of sheathing, you can use foam board for the out exterior sheathing walls, and that's okay.

SPEAKER_02 5:28

It's a little it's more common out west, yes, where there's less issues with temperatures and wind and things like that. However, I don't understand why you would use that, first of all, here in Ohio, and secondly, it's more expensive.

SPEAKER_00 5:45

It it is it is a higher insulation value.

SPEAKER_02 5:48

So that I don't buy that though.

SPEAKER_00 5:51

Well, and it it's not a structural thing, so it's not doesn't really provide structural support, but you know that's obvious. But you don't have to have structural panels like OSB or plywood everywhere. You definitely need most areas, you should have the plywood to help support everything.

SPEAKER_02 6:07

Would you have wanted that in our house? No, thank you.

SPEAKER_00 6:10

No, I I would not.

SPEAKER_02 6:12

I would not have this case closed. Plus, I wouldn't have either.

SPEAKER_00 6:15

Plus, we're we're not in a windy zone here. And we've had some strong winds, but we've got to be a little bit more than a few.

SPEAKER_02 6:19

Oh, we've had some really strong winds.

Always Default To Manufacturer Guidance

SPEAKER_00 6:20

But we're surrounded by trees, so our the level of our house is protected from all the trees. Yeah. Hopefully, no tree gets blown over onto us. That would be a good thing. I think we clear them all away. So none of them should reach us with that little barrier there. However, what this is one of the things we we do research on. Like the house wrap. Often we'll see issues with house wrap. So what we do is call the manufacturer and go, hey, is this a typical repair? Or is this an acceptable repair on any of your house wrap that has a tear in it? And we'll get feedback on that. But every code defaults to the manufacturer's recommendation.

SPEAKER_02 7:12

For installation.

SPEAKER_00 7:14

Yep. We had somebody gave us feedback on a report the other day that that they weren't that we that we couldn't, they're upset that we couldn't tell them exactly how long the ridge vent should be for the ventilation. Mike, like we said, and I didn't I can't remember how I responded. This is this is a quite while back. But like we said, find out who the manufacturer is of that ridge vent is and ask them. I don't care if some some dude built builds it to what they consider code, code is the lowest quality allowed by law. Right. Manufacturer recommendation is usurps that. Well, okay, code may say that, but if the manufacturer tells you you need to have the ridge vent go the entire length of the roof, it has to go the entire length of the roof.

SPEAKER_02 8:13

Because that was how it was made, and that is how it works.

Real Hazards On “Finished” Walkthroughs

SPEAKER_00 8:18

So we do research on that. And yeah, no house is perfect, but you do not, you never want to skip the home inspection.

SPEAKER_02 8:26

And we and we're actually not the pre-drywall at this point because we're seeing so many things. Because let's face it, builders are at the mercy of the subcontractors. If you've got somebody that's hiring subcontractors and the subcontractors don't know what they know or don't know what they don't know, I mean, I mean, like our builder's been building for what 20, 30 years at this point, and he didn't know everything. And he's he's a good builder.

SPEAKER_00 8:54

He has a good he's a good builder. I give his name out to somebody the other day.

SPEAKER_02 8:57

And so, like, if there's someone like that, how do you expect to get a new crew of kids coming in that are you know 1099s and aren't actually working for you to do a good job?

SPEAKER_00 9:10

Yeah, and I don't like the whole subcontractor for everything because say that say it's not right. Who did what on the house? Right.

SPEAKER_02 9:19

And who's culpable for what at that point?

SPEAKER_00 9:21

Each subcontractor will go, no, I no, I didn't do that. This this was him. He did this one. Well, we can't find him. Right, yeah.

Red Flags: When Builders Ban Site Visits

SPEAKER_02 9:32

So that was possible.

SPEAKER_00 9:35

Yeah, that's the story of a recent uh new build inspection. I mean, I did a new build the other day, it was a final walkthrough. They had nails sticking out around the staircase, and the buyers had had a little kid, and I can see a little kid just barely stepping over, going down, and just and just cutting her foot on this nail that is just sticking out from the yeah, yeah, the stringers on the side of the stringers, it was coming in from the side, nailing that into the tread, but it just was sticking out, it didn't stay in the wood, it was coming out. Easy scrap yourself. They had like I saw that in two areas.

SPEAKER_02 10:12

That's crazy.

SPEAKER_00 10:14

But nope. The builders are victims of the subcontractors, and the builders that use only subcontractors are they're more at the mercy of the subcontractor. Subcontractor wants to do a good job or not. And in this case, the builder didn't know what's a good job or not is.

SPEAKER_01 10:36

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SPEAKER_02 11:04

Not at all.

SPEAKER_00 11:05

I think that's about it on this one, but yeah, always get it inspected.

SPEAKER_02 11:09

I don't at least cover yourself. And let me just say this too. If you've got a builder, and I don't know who it is because I've heard of several, that is telling you, as a purchaser of that house, you are not allowed to go onto that property at any time. Yes, you just walk away because at what point in time is that not just a red flag going, hey, we're gonna screw up and we know it, so we don't want you anywhere near this house until it's completely covered, so you can't tell what we screwed up.

SPEAKER_00 11:40

Yeah, that that is a red flag.

SPEAKER_02 11:43

Do not like like don't don't. I don't care how pretty the house is, how happy you are with the house, how perfect of an area it is, you need to run like heck.

SPEAKER_00 11:54

Yeah, the builder tells you you can't you can't come watch our progress, and you can only go, well, you go you can show it when the when the home inspector's there, or you can come the final walk through and we'll show you right before your house is done. No, I I would I would run. I would run. What are they if it's a good builder and he knows he has good people working for him, he should be proud to show his work off.

Final Advice: Always Get It Inspected

SPEAKER_02 12:20

Yes, he should. And no guilt trips, do not tell my client that, well, the fact that you're having us checked on by a home inspection makes us sad because you don't trust our work. No, no, I don't.

SPEAKER_00 12:35

I'm sorry, not after you're screwed up. No, it's and you can still say, listen, it's not you, it's your subcontractors. You don't know exactly who's I don't know who's exactly working on my house. I want to double check. So always get it looked at. Yes. All right, thank you, everybody. Bye. All right, bye bye.