Before the drywall goes up, somebody should ask: does this make sense? I'm Gary L. Duncan, with 25+ years in the construction industry. I inspect your new home's framing and rough-ins the way it was built, from the ground up, and I work for you, not the builder.
Every house starts at the ground and works its way up, and that's how I inspect it. Every piece of framing and every mechanical rough-in gets measured against four basics. If the bottom is off, the walls lean, the doors bind, the cabinets won't sit right, and the drywall shows every wave.
When something looks odd or out of place, I ask three questions:
I work from the ground up, measuring every item against plumb, level, square, and symmetric, and asking whether it makes sense.
Bottom line on every item: fix it now (cheap) or fix it later (expensive).
The city or county framing inspection matters, and your house has to pass it. But its job is narrow: checking that the work meets the minimum code, usually in a short visit, often with many other sites on the inspector's list that day.
My job is different. I look at how well your house was built, and whether it makes sense. A house can pass code and still have answers you don't like.
The city checks the minimum. I check the workmanship, from the ground up.
| Framing inspection (The Duncan Group) | City / county framing inspection | Final (pre-closing) inspection | Engineer's evaluation | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Works for | You, the buyer | The jurisdiction | You, the buyer | Whoever hires the engineer |
| Purpose | Workmanship and whether it makes sense: plumb, level, square, symmetric | Minimum code compliance | Condition and operation of the finished home | Structural design and adequacy |
| When | After rough-ins, before insulation and drywall | Same stage, required | After completion, before closing | As needed |
| Sees inside the walls? | Yes | Yes | No | Sometimes |
| Checks placement, alignment & blocking? | Yes | Generally no | Finished result only | No |
| Approves the work? | No | Yes | No | Can stamp designs and repairs |
| Calculates loads or sizing? | No | Limited plan review | No | Yes |
| Detailed photo report to you? | Yes | No (pass/fail) | Yes | Yes (letter or report) |
| Guarantee? | No | No | No | No |
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After the framing, roof, windows, and rough-ins (plumbing, electrical, HVAC, and low-voltage) are in, and before insulation. Ask your builder when the city frame inspection is expected to pass and when insulation is scheduled, then book in between.
Those are the four basics every good house is built on. Plumb means walls stand straight up and down. Level means floors and headers are flat. Square means corners and openings are true 90s. Symmetric means things that should line up actually line up. When those are right, everything else goes together right.
Because placement matters. A register in the wrong spot, a vent off-center in the ceiling, or a duct squeezed through a wall can mean comfort problems, or a finished room that just looks wrong. I ask: what's it here for, and is this the best place?
Many builders do, and many purchase contracts address third-party inspections. Check your contract and give your builder notice early so site access can be arranged.
You send my report to your builder, and the trades correct the items before drywall. Ask me about coming back to look at the corrections.
No. It's an independent workmanship inspection. I may point out things that look like code concerns, but only your local building department approves the work.
Yes. The framing inspection covers what will be hidden. The final inspection covers finishes, fixtures, appliances, and how the systems actually run.
Call anyway. Some things are still visible, and I'll tell you straight whether it's still worth doing.
Get your framing inspection on the calendar before the walls close. Call as soon as your builder gives you a pre-drywall date. Fix it now (cheap), not later (expensive).