New Construction Phase Inspections: A Builder’s Timeline

The cheapest time to catch a structural problem is while the building is still open. Here is when to look.

By Josh Ford · Lighthouse Engineering

Timber frame of a new house under construction

CEphoto, Uwe Aranas — CC BY-SA 3.0 (Wikimedia Commons)

New construction is easiest to get right while it is still exposed. Once concrete is poured and drywall is hung, problems get expensive fast. Phase inspections put an engineer’s eye on the work at the moments that matter most.

Foundation and Pre-Pour

Before the concrete goes in, we check that the forms, reinforcement, and soil preparation match what was engineered. A correction here costs minutes; the same issue found later can mean demolition.

Framing

With the structure up but still open, we verify beams, headers, connections, and load paths against the plans — the same review behind our foundation and framing work. This is where overspanned members and missing support are caught while they are still easy to fix.

Final

A final walk confirms the finished structure matches the engineering before it disappears behind finishes. Phase inspections protect everyone whose name ends up on the home — see our new construction phase inspections for how we stage them.

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