New Home Walk Through Checklist

The walkthrough, or new home orientation as it is sometimes called, is one of the most important phases in the construction of your new home. It is a time for you to meet with the builder and let him or his representatives acquaint you with your new home and all of its components. The walkthrough is also a time for you to give your new home the once over, looking for any construction issues not up to quality standards. Here is what could be considered the ideal walkthrough in detail.

Allow Enough Time

Allow ample time to go through your new home. In my experience an hour and a half to two hours is sufficient for average sized new homes in most Florida retirement communities. Also, leave any pets, kids, or curious friends and relatives at home. There will be plenty of time for them to experience and enjoy your new home in due time. The walkthrough is serious business and should be treated as such. Minimizing distractions is critical.

What to Bring

To ensure a successful walkthrough bring along several pens or pencils, a black permanent marker, a packet of neon green dots available at office supply stores, a pad of legal paper, some bottled water, and a ton of patience. Understand that everything might not be perfect once you start the walkthrough. It’s just the nature of home building that no matter how careful, the builder can’t catch everything. But, if you follow my advice, the builder and his employees will be in the position to get things corrected for you in a timely fashion.

The order of the walkthrough is not really important as long as everything gets covered. As you find items not up to standards, place one of the neon green stickers I suggested you bring on the item and write it down on your legal pad or a punchlist provided by the builder, or both if you feel it necessary. Green dots can mysteriously disappear but if you write it down it can’t be forgotten for long.

Breaker Box and Electrical System

You will of course be tempted to head for the front door and bask in the glow of your fresh new home. But not so fast. Let’s cover some things in the garage first. The garage houses several important components of your new home and you should become familiar with them. The first item on the list is the breaker box. This is where the electricity that comes into your home is regulated. The walkthrough representative should show you where it is and how to operate it.

Make sure that each breaker has been clearly labeled for you. This will eliminate headaches down the road. Also, there should be some GFI outlets in the garage. Now is a great time for the walkthrough representative to test those in front of you, and to show you how they work. Also, make sure they test the GFI outlets inside the home when you get in there.

Hot Water Heater

Be sure to check the hot water heater. Make sure the size, measured in gallons, is what you contracted for. The walkthrough representative should show you how to turn it off so you will know how to when necessary. There are timers available for your hot water heater that can easily be installed that will save you some money on your electric bills. If your hot water heater comes with a timer, have the walkthrough representative show you how to set it….