Why does a new house have so many punch-list items?

New houses collect punch-list items for three ordinary reasons. The framing lumber is still drying when you move in, and as it shrinks it shows up in the drywall, trim and doors. The finish work is done by many crews under a schedule, so dings, misses and gaps get through. And the building inspections that a new house passes check code minimums, not finish quality. Most of the result is cosmetic, and Virginia's implied new-home warranty covers workmanship for the first year.

The framing is still drying

Wood shrinks as it dries, and a house is built from wood that has not finished drying. The USDA's Forest Products Laboratory explains that "softwood lumber intended for framing in construction is usually targeted for drying to an average moisture content of 15%, not to exceed 19%."^[1] Once a house is heated, the frame keeps drying: "for heated houses in cold climates, joists over heated basements, studs, and ceiling joists may reach a moisture content as low as 6% to 7%."^[1] The handbook adds: "In mild climates, the minimum moisture content will be greater."^[1]

The same handbook says that if the framing is not more than about 5% above its in-service moisture content when the wall and ceiling finish goes on, there will be little or no evidence of shrinkage defects.^[1] When it is wetter than that, the house tells you. In the handbook's words: "The most common signs of excessive shrinkage are cracks in plastered walls, truss rise, open joints, and nail pops in dry-wall construction; distortion of door openings; uneven floors; and loosening of joints and fastenings."^[1]

That list is close to a typical first-year punch list. It also explains why the items often appear after the first heating season rather than at the walk-through. The handbook also notes that "the extent of vertical shrinkage after the house is completed is proportional to the depth of wood used as supports in a horizontal position, such as girders, floor joists, and plates,"^[1] because "shrinkage occurs primarily in the width and thickness of members, not the length."^[1]

Drywall shows every change

Drywall is the surface where small movements become visible. USG, the drywall manufacturer, puts the cause plainly: "Uncontrolled and fluctuating environmental conditions during and after construction are a root cause of many finished appearance problems and a primary cause of joint cracks and joint ridges."^[2] Installation matters too: "Loose panels will create “fastener pops” and joint cracks."^[2]

A house finished in a damp spring and then heated hard through its first winter goes through the kind of swing USG warns about. Running the heating and cooling steadily once you move in helps the house settle more evenly.

Many crews, one schedule

A new house is finished by a sequence of trades, often framers, plumbers, electricians, HVAC installers, drywall and paint crews, trim carpenters, flooring installers and cleaners, each working around the others. Later crews can nick what earlier crews finished, and small misses such as an unpainted closet corner or a cabinet door out of line are easy to overlook in a house full of them. USG names the pressure behind much of it: "Aggressive job schedules can lead to shortcuts which can compromise the finished appearance."^[2]

Passing inspection is not the same as a perfect finish

"Building officials in each locality are responsible for administering the Uniform Statewide Building Code in Virginia,"^[3] and their inspections check the work against that code. Virginia's Board for Contractors reminds homeowners that "building codes only set minimum safety standards for construction – they do not protect you against poor quality work."^[3] A paint run or a gap in the trim is usually a finish flaw rather than a code violation, which is why it ends up on your list instead of the inspector's.

If you want a closer look before or after closing, Virginia issues a new residential structure endorsement to home inspectors who complete a training module based on the International Residential Code part of the Uniform Statewide Building Code.^[6]

What Virginia law gives you

A builder selling a new home in Virginia is held to an implied warranty that the house, with its fixtures, is sufficiently free from structural defects, constructed in a workmanlike manner, and fit for habitation.^[4] The warranty runs one year from the date title transferred or you took possession, whichever came first, and five years for structural defects in the foundation.^[4] A contract can waive it only in conspicuous capital letters that state with specificity the warranty being waived,^[4] so read your purchase contract.

Before you can sue over a defect, the statute requires written notice to the builder, sent by certified mail, commercial overnight delivery or the U.S. Postal Service with a receipt, or by hand delivery with a receipt kept.^[4] The builder then has "a reasonable period of time, not to exceed six months, to cure the defect" that the notice describes.^[4] For a licensed contractor, the Board for Contractors also lists this among its prohibited acts: "Failure to honor the terms and conditions of a warranty."^[5] For how these rules apply to your own house, a real estate attorney is the person to ask.

For the checklist to use before the year is up, see what to check before the builder's warranty runs out.

Stop and call a pro if

• Several doors on one floor start sticking at once, floors slope, or cracks run diagonally from door and window corners and keep growing.
• A foundation wall or slab cracks, or water comes in through it.
• You see water stains, mold, or wet insulation, or a faucet, toilet or supply line leaks.
• An outlet, switch or fixture is warm, buzzes or flickers, or you smell gas.

Getting the list handled

Report warranty items to the builder first. For what remains after the warranty work or after the year is over, put everything on one numbered list; see how to make a punch list and what it costs to have a handyman do a punch list. For the drywall items, read why a drywall patch shows through paint. You can also find handyman businesses around Blacksburg or read the other handyman answers. When you are ready, describe your punch list once and local businesses quote it.