Licensed Builders in Arizona are required by law to provide the buyer with a two year warranty for major defects which need to be made to the house for items that are not functioning as intended, have failed, or were not built consistent with current building standards when the building was constructed.

Please read the entire inspection report, there are some major concerns with the exterior stucco finish system, and other items in this report that need to be correct NOW by the builder.

Here is a link to the Arizona Registrar of Contractors for more information regarding Licensed Contractors in Arizona

The Masonry Fence has not been repaired after the drain was installed. Masonry Block companies make "Perforated Blocks" which should be installed at this location in my opinion, rather than the "Black Plastic Drain Cover" (as pictured).

All soil grades when the lot is rough graded are required to slope away from the house foundation and toward the street before any landscape rock or grass is installed. The reason for this is water accumulating next to your house foundation, or masonry fence can cause soil to expand if the soil has expansive characteristics.

Please read this document regarding Arizona Expansive Soils , this link provides you with additional information about Arizona soils, and why it is important to have the Builder correct the soil grade and (slope) of your lot if expansive soils are present.

 Wind moving branches will rapidly damage building materials and also allow insect travel. I recommend planting trees a minimum of 8 feet from your home in the future if you decide to plant any.

Here is more information about tree root growth next to a house foundation.

This link at the Arizona Registrar of Contractors explains your rights as a new home owner if the Builder does not make the necessary repairs in a timely manner. Also visit this link for more information.

The metal framed with vertical wood gate at the east side front of the house operated correctly.

The sprinkler-irrigation timer was installed consistent with current building standards, and is fastened to the exterior wall of the house on the east side correctly.

Watering devices need occasional inspection by homeowner for continued proper operation.

While the sprinkler-irrigation system was operating I did not see any leaks today.

The builder is required by the laws of Arizona for the contracting profession to warranty your foundation for two years after you close escrow.

The conditions are acceptable with regard to the structural integrity of the concrete floor system and the wood framing.

There are floor coverings present. There was no visual evidence of a concern such as major wall or ceiling cracks which would tell me that a problem may exist.

*Please see the Interior section of this report also regarding the condition of the second floor in the Master Bathroom, walking on the tile I can feel the sub-floor is not attached to the floor framing correctly, which is not a structural concern, but rather an annoyance because of the sound that is heard while walking across it*.

There was no visible concern with the wall framing structurally.

Visually inspecting the condition of the components in the attic, there was no concern where access could be gained.

*Please see the "Exterior Section" of this report for the condition of the stucco applied to the columns*.

There are numerous concerns around windows and other areas of the Cement Stucco finish where Styrofoam protrudes out from the wall system. These protrusions are known as pop-outs, and are basically built for a design purpose, rather than anything related to the building structurally.

But at these pop-outs the Cement Stucco was not applied to current building standards. Stucco is required to be 3/8 thick, with Lath behind the stucco to hold the stucco to the object it is applied to.

Inspecting areas around the entire house I found numerous locations the Cement Stucco is falling off already (within 11 months) of the house being finished.

There are locations at the front and rear of the house I took pictures of the stucco already missing, and I can push my finger into the stucco without any force what so ever at locations with approximately less than 1/8th. of material present.

The builder needs to repair all the locations where the Cement Stucco is not applied correctly before the warranty expires.

*When you are told by the builder that a representative of their company will be coming to your House to address my findings, please call me ahead of this scheduled time so I can be present to show the Builder the many concerns I found during my inspection of the Cement Stucco (free of charge)*.

The wood trim at the bottom of all the exterior doors is not sealed with paint to prevent rot, and there are large gaps for moisture to enter the interior of the wall from rain, or if you ever washed the concrete with a hose below the doors.

I find this condition on just about every new home, and always recommend the builder seal these with paint, and fill the gaps to help prevent insects from entering the walls.

See the attached pictures regarding this concern.

The flashing for windows installed with stucco to the edge of the window frames is not visible but there was no evidence of moisture intrusion around them inside the house.

In the future, you should periodically look at all the window frames at the exterior of the house to make sure gaps between the stucco and the metal frames have not occurred, which is a possibility in the future from expansion, contraction, and normal shrinkage of building materials. If cracks, or gaps appear, they should be caulked with a paintable caulk.

In the future you may notice shrinkage cracks occur where the sheetrock meets the walls, the minor cracks are basically unavoidable because of the drastic temperature variations in Arizona, expansion and contraction occurs.

You could caulk any cracks in the future with a high grade paintable caulk which will expand and contract with the material it is applied to if necessary.

The Lighting operated when inspected, some fixtures which have burnt bulbs did have power to them.

The flue pipes for both natural gas fireplaces are double wall Metal Type B , there was no visible concern present today.

The metal flashing around the Chimneys was installed correctly on the roof.

Here is a link for more information about Fireplace Chimneys.

There was no concern with the roof covering at the time of this inspection.

Here is a link that will give you additional information about your roof system.

The builder needs to make the repair as soon as possible before you experience interior moisture damage to your house.

In the winter, the ventilation really does not cause any concerns when the conditioning system is in the Heating mode, the sun heats the attic to just about the same temperature as the inside of the house during the day.

The clamp the Copper Wire is attached to is fastened to the Copper Water Line correctly.

This house could also have PEX Plastic piping inside walls and through the attic buried in the insulation, but I did not see any tag in the electrical distribution panel stating this for a fact, or did I find a Manifold for PEX Piping.

Many new homes could have both Copper and PEX Plastic Piping, which is widely used in new construction, sometimes the PEX is not visible.

There was no concern with any visible pipes or supports.

The Appliance Connector CSST is not long enough, the tubing is very tight against the water heater with pressure on the fitting. I recommend the builder replace the Appliance Connector with a longer one to possibly prevent a natural gas leak or fitting failure at the connection (see picture)

What the water heater is sitting on in the garage is wood framed with sheetrock covering the framing material. The sheetrock is damaged and needs to be repaired.

The water softener discharge pipe is leaking at the fitting near the wall in back of the unit (as pictured). The fitting needs to be tightened to stop the leak.

The type of Conductors (wires) from the Meter Panel to the Distribution Panel are Copper 120/240 Volt, 200 Amp. single phase.

 A copper grounding conductor for this electrical system is visible in main service distribution panel, correctly installed and presumed to terminate to the foundation. The exact termination point is not visible because the conductor is installed inside the wall cavity. Grounding was tested at receptacles in the building.

 Branch circuit wires are professionally installed in distribution panel, there are no concerns present with regard to the wire compatibility (size) to the circuit breakers they are attached to.

These Goodman Air Handlers have Gas Forced Air Furnaces located inside the equipment in the attic, please see the Heating section of this report. I explain that the Furnaces are located in the Air Handlers in this Cooling section of the report to avoid confusion for someone who may not know this.

The builder needs to have both Drip Pans cleaned of insulation. If condensation water did enter the drip pan and the drain became plugged the water would overflow into the house ceiling, which could cause major repairs necessary in the future.

The Foam type insulation helps the refrigerant line from sweating in the summer when the attic is hot, and the refrigerant line is cold. If the refrigerant line began to sweat the water could drip on the second floor ceiling below, causing moisture stains and damage to the sheetrock.

The supply temperature from various register vents was on the average 114-116 degrees (normal).

There is also a switch next to each Air Handler in the attic to turn off the power to the equipment, generally used by service technicians.

The return Air Filters are located in the second floor hallway ceiling (three) 20x25x1 size disposable type filters which should be changed at least every other month or sooner if needed.

I would have the builder make the necessary repairs needed to attach the subfloor to the framing components correctly to stop the noise.

Next to the master bath tub there is tile grout missing, repair is also needed at that location.

You should label all locations needing repair with Blue Painters Tape at your one year walk through with the builder.

There was no concern with any electrical switches either.

Right now I cannot turn the Gas Off to the Fireplace.

This is dangerous and needs to be repaired as soon as possible by the builder.

I also recommend you have Carbon Monoxide Detectors installed throughout the house and attic according to the manufacturers specifications because you have Natural Gas Appliances in the house.

Many times the plumber does not line the wax seal up correctly with the drain below the toilet or forgets to install one.

Unbolting the toilet from the floor and looking is the only way to see for sure if the wax seal is installed correctly.

I would mention this concern to the builder before your warranty expires.

I would file a formal complaint with the Arizona Registrar of Contractors against the Builder and explain you have not had an Oven that has functioned in 11 months after you closed escrow.

When I was at the house today it has not rained for days and rain water was still lying on the garage floor.

The builder needs to correct this so water flows toward the street, which is required with all new construction.