Congratulations on your new home! Buying a newly built home is exciting; you’ve waiting months, chosen every fixture, and you’re the first people to live in your new home! But before you take possession of your new home, you’ll need to go through a Pre Delivery Inspection or PDI with your builder.
What is a Pre Delivery Inspection?
A PDI is a required step before possession and it is the moment when you’ll be able to really inspect each element of your new home before you move in, allowing for any issue you find to be noted and solved. In Ontario, Tarion is the insurance body that governs new home construction. They back the workmanship of the builder for 7 years after possession.
What to look for during your PDI
While you walk through your newly built home with the builder these are the things to make you are paying attention to.
- Ensure the toilets are properly fastened to the ground by sitting on them and ensuring there isn’t any rocking back and forth.
- Flush each toilet and look for leaks around the base, where the toilet meets the floor.
- Turn every faucet on and off, checking for water pressure, good water temperature changes between hot and cold and ensure that each faucet has the hot and cold taps installed properly.
- While running each tap, check under the sinks for any leaky plumbing.
- Walk the outside of the home, looking to see that all gutters and downspouts are installed and properly directing water away from the home’s foundation.
What to do if you spot something wrong?
Documentation is key during this process. If you or your home inspector come across something that was done incorrectly or poorly, take photos and fulsome notes. The PDI and inspection process through Tarion is strict and enforces stringent timelines.
Be thorough. It is normal to find things that aren’t quite right as you spend more time living in your new home and really getting to use each item and fixture, but be as thorough as possible during your PDI and don’t feel rushed by the builder representative. This will be your home for years to come and you don’t want any surprises down the line. It’s a good idea to bring a licenced plumber along with a home inspector for your PDI to catch any hidden issues and make sure your new home is built to your satisfaction. Contact Wellbrook Plumbing for an appointment to check out your newly constructed home today.