A pre-drywall inspection is your one chance to see a new home’s framing before it’s covered up for good. On this new build, I found problems in almost every room, starting with the very first stud I looked at in the garage.
What I found
- Cracked studs, including one in the garage that looked hollow inside and one holding the primary shower wall.
- Loose studs that rotate by hand in two of the bedrooms.
- Twisted and warped studs throughout, including the kitchen backsplash wall and behind the washer and dryer. Drywall won’t lay flat over these.
- Over-cut studs notched 80 to 90 percent of the way through, leaving almost no strength.
- Missing nail plates where wires pass close to the edge of a stud, so a drywall screw could hit the wire.
- Joist hangers missing nails or pulling away, including one right above the garage door.
- Cracked plates by the garage door and behind the refrigerator, and a broken base board at the kitchen island.
- Gaps and cuts in the exterior sheathing that need to be sealed before water finds them.
Why a pre-drywall inspection matters
None of this would be visible once the drywall and paint go on. Twisted studs show up later as bumps and cracks. Cut studs and loose hangers can lead to movement inside the walls. Catching them now means the builder fixes them while it’s quick and cheap, instead of you living with them.
Building a new home? Schedule a pre-drywall inspection once the framing and the plumbing, electrical and HVAC rough-ins are done, then a final inspection before you close.
Watch the full inspection
See every finding in the video above, or watch it on YouTube. Book your inspection online or call 623-399-0079.
Property Inspections Plus is a Gilbert, AZ home inspection company led by Certified Master Inspector Dan Pierce. We inspect homes across the East Valley, the Phoenix metro and the rest of Arizona. See all of our service areas.
