Inspecting Newly Built Fireplaces in Hideout

Why new construction needs inspecting at all

Almost everything we inspect in Hideout was built recently, which people reasonably assume puts it beyond concern. The trouble is sequencing. A fireplace and its vent go in during framing, and then insulation, drywall, siding and stone go on over the top of them. Every one of those trades works around the chase, and any of them can close up a defect that was fine when it was left. A misaligned pipe joint, a firestop shim that got moved, insulation packed into the required air gap around a hot vent: all invisible by the time the house is finished, all found routinely.

The defects we actually find here

Clearance to combustibles is the big one. Listed metal venting requires a specific air gap to framing, and that gap exists because the pipe gets hot. When insulation is stuffed against it, or a framer added a nailer inside the chase, the gap is gone and the wood beside it is being cooked slowly on every burn. Second is chase top workmanship, where a flat pan with no slope holds water instead of shedding it. Third is the storm collar and the sealant around the pipe penetration, often never done. Fourth is missing or wrong firestop spacers at floor levels, which is a code item with a real function during a fire.

Warranty timing is worth thinking about

Builder warranties run out. If your Hideout home is still inside its warranty period, an inspection now converts a future repair you pay for into a defect the builder addresses. That is a straightforwardly financial argument and it is the reason a fair number of our new-build inspections get booked.

Levels, briefly

Level 1 is the accessible visual survey. Level 2 adds a camera run of the full vent and a look at attic and crawl space penetrations, and it is the standard scope on a property sale or after any event that might have affected the system. Level 3 requires opening structure and is uncommon. On a newer home with concealed venting, Level 2 is usually where the useful information is, because the concealed parts are precisely the parts nobody has seen since framing.

What you receive

Photographs, camera stills, and a written summary that separates safety items from maintenance items from things that are simply worth watching. It is written so you can hand it to a builder, an agent or an insurer without needing us to explain it.