Do I need a home inspection on new construction?

The common assumption is that a county inspector already checked everything. County and city inspections are real and they matter, but they verify code minimums at defined checkpoints, they are brief, and they are not looking out for you specifically. An inspector spending a few minutes verifying that a rough-in meets code is doing a different job than someone spending two hours documenting whether the work was done well. Both can be true at once: the house passes inspection and still has forty defects worth correcting before drywall goes up.

Phase inspections are where the value concentrates, because most construction defects become invisible the moment the next trade shows up. A pre-pour inspection looks at footings, vapor barrier, reinforcement placement, and plumbing rough-in before concrete covers all of it. A pre-drywall inspection is the important one: framing, connectors, plumbing and electrical rough-in, HVAC ducting, window and door flashing, and the moisture barrier are all still exposed. Once the drywall is hung, a missing flashing detail at a window head is a problem you will discover in year three via a stain.

The final inspection before closing catches the punch list the builder's own walkthrough will not produce with the same rigor. Grading and drainage away from the foundation, attic insulation depth and coverage in the far bays, condensate line routing and termination, GFCI and AFCI protection, exterior sealant at penetrations, and every door, window, and fixture functionally tested. Builders in Northeast Florida are building fast right now, and speed produces predictable misses. Documented items before closing get fixed. Items found after closing become warranty claims you chase.

Then there is the eleven-month inspection, which is the single most underused inspection in Florida. Most builder warranties cover workmanship and materials for the first year. Somewhere between month ten and month eleven, after the house has been through a full seasonal cycle and everything that was going to move has moved, is the right moment to have the house evaluated again and submit a documented list while coverage is still in force. Homeowners who skip this routinely pay for items that would have been covered a month earlier.

One practical note about builder pushback. Some builders discourage independent inspections or claim their contract restricts site access during construction. Your agent should address that when the contract is written, not after. Most builders in this market will accommodate an inspector with reasonable notice. If a builder refuses to allow an independent inspection at any phase, that is information about the builder worth having before you commit.