A newly built Florida stucco home with a paver driveway

Palm Coast · Flagler County

New Construction Inspections in Palm Coast, FL

Independent phase inspections on a builder's home — pre-drywall, final walkthrough and the 11-month warranty inspection — performed for you, not for the builder. We inspect your Palm Coast home and email a detailed photo report.

Call 904-806-7679 Request an Inspection

Mon–Sat 8am–6pm · InterNACHI certified, Florida licensed and insured · 20+ years construction and renovation experience

A new construction inspection in Palm Coast covers framing and structural detail before drywall, mechanical rough-ins, and then the finished work against the builder's own standard at final walkthrough. It takes one to three hours per phase and produces a phase report you can hand the builder as a punch list. Typical cost runs $300–$675 per phase visit. In Palm Coast this request comes with a deadline attached more often than not — a carrier needs the form, or an underwriter has flagged the file.

Typical cost: $300–$675per phase visit
Building stock: Block & stucco
Permitting: Flagler County

New Construction Inspections in Palm Coast

Palm Coast is the clearest example in Northeast Florida of a market defined by timing. ITT platted the lettered sections starting in the late 1960s, and the original block-and-stucco homes went up through the seventies and eighties. Those houses are structurally fine and their attached systems are all expired at once. Then a second enormous wave came 1998 to 2007 and that stock is now hitting the same wall. The inspection here is about knowing which wave you are buying. The reason a new construction inspection in Palm Coast reads differently than one two counties away comes down to concrete block and stucco construction under heavy storm exposure, much of it still carrying original roofing. We are InterNACHI certified, Florida licensed and insured, and we inspect every Palm Coast home to the same standard.

Roof first, every time. Original ITT-era homes are frequently on their first or second roof and past twenty years, which is where insurance denials start. We check covering condition, permit date, and where accessible the deck attachment, because a re-nail during a re-roof is worth real money on the wind mitigation form. Then stucco and lintels: block homes crack at control joints and corners, and rust-jacking at corroded lintel steel is common near the water. Panels include obsolete brands in the older sections. HVAC at twenty-plus with duct board plenums degrading in the attic is routine. On C and F section canal lots, the seawall gets a hard look. On a new construction inspections specifically, that means concentrating on framing and structural detail before drywall, mechanical rough-ins, and then the finished work against the builder's own standard at final walkthrough.

What we run into repeatedly in Palm Coast

The lettered sections are not interchangeable, and buyers treat them as if they are. C and F sections put you on saltwater canals with Intracoastal access — which means seawall condition, tidal flood exposure, and salt corrosion on mechanical equipment. Inland sections have none of that but often have well or septic on outlying lots and drainage swales that were never maintained. The county-wide challenge is insurance: with a huge share of the housing now aging and almost no opening protection outside the beach strip, 4-point inspections come up constantly and roof age drives whether a policy gets written at all. Requirements vary by carrier, so ask your insurance agent, your realtor, or your lender whether a 4-point is needed — we can include it with your inspection. Across Palm Harbor (F Section), Indian Trails (B Section) and Cypress Knoll (E Section), these are the patterns that repeat.

Neighborhoods and landmarks

We inspect throughout Palm Coast, including the areas around Intracoastal Waterway, Washington Oaks Gardens State Park, Graham Swamp Conservation Area, Palm Coast saltwater canal system, European Village. Median stock here runs Original ITT-era homes from the late 1970s and 1980s, a large 1998–2007 build wave, and post-2015 infill on the remaining platted lots.

Palm Harbor (F Section)
Indian Trails (B Section)
Cypress Knoll (E Section)
Belle Terre (P Section)
Pine Grove (P Section)
Grand Haven
Seminole Woods
Matanzas Woods

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Concrete block and stucco, high storm exposure in Palm Coast

Block-and-stucco holds up structurally far better than frame in a storm, and that fact quietly hides the real risk: everything attached to the block is what fails. Roof coverings, windows, soffit, lanai screens, HVAC, and the electrical service all age on a normal schedule while the walls look permanent. The specific issue in this market is that a very large share of the housing was built in a compressed window, so an entire street can be at the same replacement point simultaneously — and insurers know it. When we inspect here, roof age and documentation come first, because that one item drives whether a policy gets written at all. After that, it is stucco and lintel condition, the panel, the HVAC, and on canal lots the seawall, which almost nobody looks at and which is the most expensive thing on the property to fix.

What this building stock produces on a new construction inspections

Original or first-replacement roofs past twenty years, a frequent trigger for insurance non-renewal
Stucco cracking at block control joints, corners, and lintels, with rust-jacking where lintel steel is corroding
Aging electrical panels including obsolete brands, and undersized services on homes that added a pool or shop
Lanai and porch enclosures added later with no permit and non-rated glazing
Original single-pane aluminum windows with failed seals, corroded tracks, and no opening protection
HVAC systems at or past twenty years, frequently with duct board plenums degrading in the attic
Well and septic systems on outlying lots with no recent service or water quality record
Seawall and canal bulkhead deterioration on saltwater canal lots — cap cracking, tieback failure, soil loss behind the wall

When to book new construction inspections

If one of these applies to the Palm Coast property you are looking at, this is the inspection to order.

Your home is framed and the drywall crew is scheduled — you have days, not weeks, to see behind the walls
The builder told you a third-party inspection 'isn't necessary because the county inspects'
You are approaching your closing walkthrough and the punch list is being written by the builder's own rep
Month 10 of your one-year builder warranty is here and you have not had it independently inspected
The subdivision went up fast with rotating subcontractor crews
You noticed nail pops, sticking doors, or hairline cracks that appeared in the first few months
Your HVAC seems to run constantly or certain rooms never cool the same as others
There is standing water near the foundation or the grading slopes back toward the slab

Need new construction inspections in Palm Coast?

Call 904-806-7679 and you get William Knight directly — the same person who will be on your roof and in your attic, and who writes the report afterward.

Mon–Sat 8am–6pm · 20+ years construction and renovation experience · InterNACHI certified, licensed and insured

Call 904-806-7679 Request an Inspection

What new construction inspections covers

Buying new does not mean buying defect-free. A house is assembled by a rotating sequence of subcontractors working against a schedule, inspected by a municipal building official against life-safety code rather than against workmanship, and handed over during a walkthrough that mostly catches paint scuffs and a sticking door. Independent inspection on a new build is not an accusation against the builder. It is a second set of eyes at the moments when problems are still cheap to fix. The best builders in Northeast Florida have no issue with it; some will even tell you which phase they would want inspected if it were their money. A builder who refuses to allow any third-party inspection has told you something useful.

The pre-drywall phase inspection is the one that cannot be replicated later, and it is the reason to engage an inspector early rather than at closing. Once drywall goes up, the framing, the structural connectors, the plumbing rough-in, the electrical rough-in, the HVAC duct runs, the fire blocking, the window and door flashing details, and the weather-resistive barrier all disappear behind a finished surface for the life of the house. This is the window to catch cut or notched structural members, missing or under-nailed hurricane connectors, ducts crushed against framing, drain lines with insufficient fall, plumbing penetrations left unsealed, and window flashing installed out of sequence so it directs water into the wall rather than out of it. Timing is tight. It happens between rough-in approval and insulation, usually a matter of days.

The final or pre-closing inspection is a full home inspection performed on a finished house, and it produces a punch list with photographs that you can hand to the builder before you sign. Typical findings on new construction in this region: HVAC systems that never got a proper airflow balance so the back bedrooms run five degrees warm, condensate lines run without adequate fall or without a float switch, bath fans terminating into the attic instead of through the roof, missing attic insulation over the garage ceiling or at the attic access hatch, reversed polarity and missing GFCI or AFCI protection at specific circuits, roof flashings and kick-outs omitted at wall junctions, grading that slopes toward the slab, and irrigation heads spraying directly onto stucco.

Then there is the inspection almost nobody books, and it is the most valuable one on the list. Most builder warranties are tiered: roughly one year on workmanship and materials, two years on the electrical, plumbing, and HVAC distribution systems, and ten years on major structural defects. The one-year workmanship coverage is the broad one, and it is the one that expires while you are still unpacking. An inspection at the eleven-month mark, scheduled with at least three to four weeks left before the anniversary date, gives you time to submit a documented claim list while the builder is still obligated to correct at no cost. Read your specific warranty document first, because terms and claim procedures vary by builder.

What an eleven-month inspection finds is different from what the final walkthrough found, because the house has now been through a full Florida seasonal cycle. Materials have moved. Settlement has occurred. The slab has cured. The HVAC has run through a full summer at design load. Typical findings: drywall cracking at corners and above openings, nail pops, doors that no longer latch as framing shrank, grout and caulk failures at tub and shower junctions, exterior stucco cracking at control joints and window corners, roof shingle sealant that never bonded, condensate drainage problems that only show under sustained load, water heater and expansion tank issues, and grading and drainage failures that only appear after the landscaping has settled and the first heavy rain season has passed.

Practically, book the pre-drywall phase as soon as you have a framing completion date, and ask your builder's superintendent to notify you when rough-in inspections are approved so the visit lands in the right window. Book the final for a few days before your scheduled closing, not the morning of, so there is time for the builder to correct items. Book the warranty inspection at month ten to eleven and put the date in your calendar the day you close, because it is the single easiest inspection to forget and the one that costs the most to miss. Reports on all three come with photographs and are written so they can be handed directly to a builder's warranty department without translation.

How the inspection runs, step by step

Pre-drywall inspection
Scheduled after framing, rough electrical, rough plumbing and mechanical rough-in but before insulation and drywall. We document framing and truss connections, hurricane strapping and roof-to-wall hardware, notched or drilled structural members, plumbing supply and drain runs, ducts, window and door flashing, and the weather-resistive barrier. This is the only day these things are ever visible.
Pre-closing / final walkthrough inspection
Done shortly before your walkthrough with the builder. Full systems check — HVAC temperature split, every receptacle and GFCI, every window and door, grading and drainage, roof and flashing, attic insulation coverage and depth, appliances and fixtures — plus the cosmetic punch items builders routinely miss.
Documented punch list you can hand over
You get a photographed, itemized list organized so the builder's warranty department can act on it. Location, photo, description. Vague complaints get argued; documented items get fixed.
11-month warranty inspection
Scheduled in month 10 or 11 of a standard one-year builder warranty, deliberately early enough that you can submit claims before it expires. By this point the house has been through a full Florida summer and a settling cycle, and the defects that were invisible at closing have surfaced.
Report emailed with photos and priorities
PDF by email, same day or next morning, separated into warranty-claimable defects and normal owner maintenance so you are not burning credibility with the builder on items they'll rightly decline.
Follow-up verification if you want it
After the builder completes warranty work, we can return and confirm the items were actually corrected rather than closed out on paper.

Plan on one to three hours per phase. The report is a phase report you can hand the builder as a punch list, which matters when scheduled at pre-drywall and again before closing, and again before the one-year warranty expires. Same-week appointments are usually available across Palm Coast and the surrounding Flagler County.

New Construction Inspections cost in Palm Coast

A new construction inspection in Palm Coast typically runs $300–$675 per phase visit. Where a specific job lands depends on which phase — pre-drywall, pre-closing and 11-month are each priced separately, square footage and number of stories and whether you book multiple phases together, which is priced better than one-offs. We quote before we schedule, not after — you will know the number before the appointment goes on the calendar. Call 904-806-7679 and we can usually give you a figure on the phone.

Typical Northeast Florida range

$300–$675 per phase visit

What moves an inspection within that range:

Which phase — pre-drywall, pre-closing and 11-month are each priced separately
Square footage and number of stories
Whether you book multiple phases together, which is priced better than one-offs
Travel to outlying subdivisions in Nocatee, Middleburg, Palm Coast and similar growth corridors
Site access and scheduling constraints when the builder controls the calendar
Optional return visit to verify completed warranty repairs

That is a typical range, not a quote. Call 904-806-7679 for a firm price on your address.

Flagler County: permitting, wind, flood and insurance

Permit records for Palm Coast are held by Flagler County Building Division; the City of Palm Coast, City of Flagler Beach, and City of Bunnell each permit inside their own limits.

Flagler County permitting is genuinely split, and getting the jurisdiction right matters. The City of Palm Coast issues its own permits for the vast majority of the county's housing; Flagler Beach and Bunnell each run their own departments; and the Flagler County Building Division covers unincorporated areas. Re-roofs, window and door replacement, HVAC changeouts, water heaters, panel upgrades, seawall and dock work, additions, and pool enclosures all require permits. On Palm Coast homes we frequently find re-roofs and lanai enclosures done during the county's rapid growth years with no permit on file — worth resolving before closing. A new construction inspection in Flagler County is worth pairing with a permit search at Flagler County Building Division; the City of Palm Coast, City of Flagler Beach, and City of Bunnell each permit inside their own limits, since unpermitted work is one of the few things an inspection cannot see directly.

Flagler County has adopted local wind speed lines by ordinance: a 130 mph ultimate design wind speed line for Risk Category II buildings and a 140 mph line for Risk Category III, with the boundaries described by specific roads and landmarks in the county code. For a typical single-family home — Risk Category II — the practical number in eastern Flagler is 130 mph. The Building Division confirms which side of the line a given parcel falls on. The wind-borne debris region in Flagler runs along the Atlantic — within one mile of the coastal mean high water line where Vult is 130 mph or greater. That covers Flagler Beach and the barrier island strip along A1A, where impact-rated windows and doors or approved shutters are required on all openings. Much of inland Palm Coast falls outside it, which is why so many 1980s ITT-era homes here have no opening protection at all and score zero on that line of the wind mitigation form.

Flagler's exposure is split between Atlantic surge and dune erosion on the Flagler Beach side — which has been severe and repeated in recent storms — and the Intracoastal and freshwater canal systems that thread through Palm Coast's C and F sections. Palm Coast's saltwater canal homes carry both tidal flood risk and seawall condition as a real inspection item.

Flagler carriers commonly ask for a 4-point inspection on older dwellings — roof, electrical, plumbing, HVAC. Requirements vary by carrier, so confirm with your insurance agent, your realtor, or your lender whether a 4-point is needed — we can include it with your inspection. On Palm Coast's original ITT-era housing stock, it is a common request on resales in the lettered sections. Wind mitigation on form OIR-B1-1802 is where money is made or lost: roof covering compliance with a current permit date, roof deck attachment, roof-to-wall connection, and roof shape carry the credits inland, and documented impact glazing or shutters add a large one on the Flagler Beach side. Which is why the report from a new construction inspections here often ends up in front of an underwriter.

Why this is worth doing properly

Framing, strapping, flashing and rough-ins get looked at while they are still visible and cheap to fix
Your punch list is written by someone with no relationship to the builder
The 11-month inspection catches settling, HVAC and drainage defects while the builder still owes you the repair
Photographed documentation makes warranty claims far harder to dismiss
You learn your new house — shutoffs, panel, equipment, filter sizes — from someone explaining it plainly

What Northeast Florida clients say

Published on the High Tide Inspections Google Business Profile.

5.0

68 Google reviews

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“William was professional and thorough. He was able to schedule the appointment within the timeline I needed and delivered the wind mitigation inspection report that same day. I would recommend High Tide Inspections for anyone needing his services.”
D Rappvia Google · July 2026
“William was extremely professional and thorough throughout the entire process. He was able to schedule the appointment within the timeline I needed and delivered both the 4-Point and full home inspection reports the following day.…”
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Christa Teddervia Google · May 2026
“As a Realtor, I really appreciated how thorough and professional High Tide Inspections was during this new construction inspection. William provided a detailed, easy-to-read report with great photos and clear explanations.…”
Excerpt — Google truncates longer reviews in its listing. Read the full review on Google (opens in a new tab).
Coral Babb · Realtorvia Google · May 2026

Reviews are published on the High Tide Inspections Google Business Profile and are reproduced here word for word. Rating and review count verified 2026-08-17.

New Construction Inspections in Palm Coast: common questions

How much does a new construction inspections cost in Palm Coast?

Typically $300–$675 per phase visit in Palm Coast. The variables are which phase — pre-drywall, pre-closing and 11-month are each priced separately, square footage and number of stories and whether you book multiple phases together, which is priced better than one-offs. Because Palm Coast is concrete block and stucco, high storm exposure, the condition of the systems being inspected affects how long the visit takes. Call 904-806-7679 for a firm number before you book.

How long does a new construction inspections take in Palm Coast?

One to three hours per phase. You get a phase report you can hand the builder as a punch list. We schedule across Palm Coast and the rest of Flagler County, and same-week appointments are normally available.

What does a new construction inspections find in Palm Coast homes?

Block-and-stucco holds up structurally far better than frame in a storm, and that fact quietly hides the real risk: everything attached to the block is what fails. The findings that repeat here are original or first-replacement roofs past twenty years, a frequent trigger for insurance non-renewal, stucco cracking at block control joints, corners, and lintels, with rust-jacking where lintel steel is corroding, aging electrical panels including obsolete brands, and undersized services on homes that added a pool or shop and lanai and porch enclosures added later with no permit and non-rated glazing. Roof first, every time.

Do I need a permit record for work found during a new construction inspections in Palm Coast?

Permit history in Flagler County is held by Flagler County Building Division; the City of Palm Coast, City of Flagler Beach, and City of Bunnell each permit inside their own limits. An inspection tells you what condition something is in; the permit record tells you whether it was ever inspected by the jurisdiction. On additions, re-roofs, electrical upgrades and enclosed porches, checking both is worth the hour it takes.

Who performs the new construction inspections in Palm Coast?

High Tide Inspections. We are InterNACHI certified, Florida licensed and insured, Certified Wind Mitigation Inspectors, Certified Roof Inspectors and 4-point certified, with 20+ years of construction and renovation experience behind the report. Call 904-806-7679.

Why inspect a brand new home that already passed county inspection?

Because a municipal inspection verifies minimum code compliance on specific items, often in a matter of minutes, and it does not evaluate workmanship, installation quality, or whether the system will actually perform. New homes routinely have missing insulation, disconnected or crushed ducts, improper flashing, uncorrected framing cuts and drainage that slopes the wrong way. None of that fails a code inspection.

How much does a new construction inspection cost?

Typically $300 to $675 per phase visit in Northeast Florida, driven mostly by square footage. Booking pre-drywall and pre-closing together is priced better than two separate calls. Ask about the package when you call 904-806-7679.

When exactly should I schedule the pre-drywall inspection?

After framing, roof dry-in, and rough electrical, plumbing and mechanical are complete, but before insulation goes in. That window is often only a few days long. Ask your superintendent for the drywall date the week framing finishes, and call as soon as you have it.

Can my builder refuse to let a third-party inspector on site?

Some builders push back or require you to be present, and a few restrict site access for liability reasons during active construction. Most in Northeast Florida will accommodate a scheduled inspection. Read your purchase agreement early — if there is a restriction, you want to know in month one, not the week drywall goes up.

What is an 11-month warranty inspection and why that month?

Most builder warranties on workmanship run one year from closing. Inspecting in month 10 or 11 gives you time to write up findings and submit a claim before the warranty expires. Inspect at month 12 and you have documentation for a warranty you no longer have.

Who does the work

When you call 904-806-7679 you are talking to the lead inspector, and when the report arrives it was written by the person who was standing in the attic.

William Knight, owner and chief inspector of High Tide Inspections

William Knight — Owner & Lead Inspector

Serving Northeast Florida from St. Augustine. Monday–Saturday, 8:00am–6:00pm.

Experienced inspectors, start to finish

The person who looks at the roof is the person who writes the report, and you can call and talk it through with us afterwards. Every inspection follows the InterNACHI Standards of Practice, so you know exactly what is covered.

InterNACHI certified, Florida licensed, insured

Certified Wind Mitigation Inspector and Certified Roof Inspector as well, which is what lets a single visit cover both the buyer's questions and the insurance carrier's forms.

20+ years construction and renovation experience

Two decades of building and renovating homes before inspecting them. That is the difference between noting a crack and telling you whether it matters, what caused it, and roughly what it takes to put right.

A detailed photo report, emailed quickly

Every finding is photographed and explained in plain language, organised so you can hand it straight to your agent, your carrier, or a contractor for pricing. No padding, no scare tactics, no upsell.