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Notable Inspection — New Construction

A brand-new Carroll County home with 65 punch-list items

Carroll County, Maryland. Grade falling toward the house in two places, a gap in the foundation beneath the front porch, slide locks never neutralized on either garage door and a broken seal on a window that needs replacing. Sixty-five items on a brand-new house, every one photographed and written down.

PropertyCarroll, MDInspectedMarch 2026TypeNew-build single-family, septic, 2-car garageReport26 pages, photo report

What this inspection found

Counted from the delivered report

65

Findings documented

Across 17 areas of the house

23

Exterior items

Grading, foundation, siding and the front porch

8

Garage items

Slide locks, opener wiring and the fire-door wall

4

Grading items

Negative grade in two places, a dip and a front corner

The six that mattered most

A new build is not a finished build. These six are the items we most needed our buyer to see on a house fresh from the builder.

Punch listGrading and drainage

Grade falling toward the house in two places

There was negative grade near the left rear downspout and again between the front walk and the front porch, a dip in the grade behind the second septic viewing port, and grading at the front right of the house that needed to be improved. The right front downspout cleanout was never installed, and the gutter left of the front porch was over pitched. Grade that slopes toward a house sends roof water back at the foundation.

Punch listFoundation and siding

A gap in the foundation beneath the front porch

On the right side of the front porch there was a gap in the foundation. On the right side of the house, the foundation paint was failing at grade beneath the sump pump discharge, and the bottom course of siding was damaged in four places above the utility service entries. The J channel around the fireplace flue was missing altogether.

Punch listGarage doors

Slide locks never neutralized on either garage door

Neither garage door had its manual slide lock neutralized with a bolt. Extra nails were left in the framing in the middle of both doors, and the excess low-voltage wire at all four electric eyes for the openers had not been trimmed or properly tacked down. In the same garage, green foam insulation showed beneath the bottom course of drywall beside the fire door.

Punch listWindows

A broken seal on the landing window, and latches that will not stay open

The seal on the bottom sash of the window at the upper stair landing was broken, which the report says requires replacement, and the top sash was scratched. Windows throughout the house had black lines on the glazing from the installer centering the locks. In two bedrooms a safety latch would not stay open when it was needed to open the window.

Punch listKitchen and bathrooms

Cracking grout in the kitchen and both bathrooms

Grout was cracking on both sides of the kitchen window at the backsplash, cracking and caulked over in the corner of the owner’s shower above the bench, and cracked between the wall and the tub in the hall bathroom. The cabinet penetrations above the microwave were left open and should be sealed with duct seal.

Punch listMechanical

An unmarked water shutoff and a fresh air intake out of level

The house has three main water shutoff valves, and the one meant to be used was not marked. The fresh air intake on the exterior was not level. We recommended adding a condensation overflow float shut-off to an air conditioning system, so it shuts down on a clog before it can overflow. The fireplace could not be tested because its remote could not be found.

From the report

Photographs from the inspection, personal details removed

The painted concrete foundation below a front porch, with a red arrow pointing up at a gap where the porch foundation meets the house wall
A gap in the foundation beneath the right side of the front porch.
The inside of a white garage door beside its track, showing a manual slide lock bracket that has not been bolted out of use
The slide lock on the right garage door, never neutralized with a bolt.
A stainless steel fireplace flue cover mounted on gray lap siding, with no J channel trim around its edges
No J channel around the flue for the fireplace.
The inside of a wall cabinet above a microwave, with a red oval around open holes where a metal conduit and a power cord pass through
Cabinet penetrations above the microwave, left unsealed.

The full redacted report

Every finding as it was captioned in the delivered report, verbatim. Orientation photographs — shutoff locations, maintenance notes and equipment found working — are left out. Name, street address and report number removed.

Exterior

  • Mounting blocks for 3 exterior light fixtures on the garage doors are not large enough.
  • Mounting block to small for the light fixture next to the sliding door at kitchen level.
  • Mounting block to small for the light fixture next to the basement slider.
  • Landscaping incomplete to the left of the garage door.
  • J channel missing around the flue for the fireplace.
  • Negative grade near the left rear down spout.
  • Landscaping incomplete behind the driveway on the left side.
  • Dip in the grade behind the second viewing port for the septic.
  • There is damage to the bottom course of siding in 4 locations above the utility service entries on the right side of the house.
  • Foundation paint is failing at the grade on the right side of the house beneath the sump pump discharge.
  • Right front downspout cleanout is not installed.
  • Grading on the front rightside of the house needs to be improved.
  • Gap in the foundation beneath the front porch on the right side.
  • Negative grade between the front walk and the front porch.
  • Concrete residue in front of the left post on the front porch.
  • Excess concrete on the front edge of the front porch between the left and the center post.
  • Raised the surfaces on the front porch above the steps.
  • Caulk is missing where front door threshold plate meets door casings in 4 locations.
  • Gutter to the left of the front porch is over pitched to the left.
  • Caulk is failing on the 3 windowsills on the exterior of the garage on the front of the house. Should be removed and replaced.
  • Lights on the front porch do not light. Possibly on a photo cell.
  • Center light fixture on the front porch is not flush to the ceiling.
  • Paint and caulk on the rooftop surface visible from the front center bedroom window

Garage

  • Paint and drywall mud stains on the garage floor.
  • Gap between drywall and light fixture above the left bay of the garage.
  • Cover plate not properly set next to the fire door.
  • Green foam insulation sheet visible under bottom course of drywall right of the fire door.
  • Slide lock not neutralized with a bolt on the right garage door
  • Slide lock not neutralize with a bolt on the left garage door.
  • Extra nails left in the framing on both garage doors in the middle.
  • Excess low voltage wire not trimmed and properly tacked down on all 4 electric eyes for garage door openers

General

  • There are black lines on the window glazing of windows throughout the house from the installer centering up the locking mechanisms. All are marked with blue tape.

HVAC

  • The fresh air intake is not level.
  • Recommend adding a condensation overflow float shut off device to this air conditioning system so that the system will shut down if there is a clog before it can overflow. Speak with your HVAC technician for ideas and options.

Plumbing

  • The desired main water shut off valve is not marked.

Attic

  • The bottom joint on the pull down staircase is slightly hyper extended.

Mudroom

  • Dead bolts strike not properly finished. Note the paint on the weather strip.
  • Top plate on hutch is not pieced together well on the right side of the first bay on the left.

Lower Stairs

  • Shoe molds are not flushed to the flooring at the landing to the basement.
  • The casings on the shelf at the landing are not properly pieced together.

Family Room

  • Fireplace could not be tested because the remote control could not be located.

Kitchen

  • All 3 panels of the sliding glass door are dirty on the exterior.
  • Grout to the left and the right of the window at the backsplash is cracking.
  • Cabinet penetrations above the microwave should be sealed with duct seal.
  • Spot on the ceiling to the right of the hood vent shaft. Could not reach to blue tape.
  • Right cabinet door above the refrigerator is lower than the left.
  • Right door on the island closest to the sliding doors is damaged.
  • Inconsistent paint on the ceiling next to the light fixture in the seating area.

Upper Stairs and Hallway

  • Shoe molds on the landing are lifted off of the floor surface.
  • Seal is broken on the bottom sash of the window at the landing. This requires replacement.
  • Top sash on window at landing is scratched on the exterior above the right latch.

Owners Bedroom

  • Separation in the crown molding above the entrance door.

Front Right Bedroom

  • Left to safety latch does not stay in the open position when it's needed to open the window.

Front Center Bedroom

  • Both right closet doors rub on the casing when opening and closing on the top

Left Side Bedroom

  • Right safety latch on right window does not stay open when needed to open the window.

Owners Bath

  • Rough finish around the strike for the pocket door on the water closet.
  • Grout is cracking and caulked over in the corner of the shower above the bench
  • Linen closet door handle is crooked
  • Strike plate for fixed door is painted over.
  • Slide bolt on fixed door does not engage.

Hall Bathroom

  • Left light bulb burnt out on left fixture.
  • Grout is cracked between the wall and the tub on the left.
  • Front edge of the tub is scratched in 3 locations.
  • Stains in the base of the tub.
  • Paint over spray or some foreign substance on the bottom edge of the vanity beneath both sinks.
Client privacy

What we removed, and why

Every Century report is confidential and prepared exclusively for the client who ordered it. This page is published with written permission, with anything identifying removed before it went up.

  • Buyer name
  • Street address
  • Report number and file references
  • Photographs showing people, possessions or neighbouring homes

Buying new construction in Carroll County?

Sixty-five items on a brand-new house, from grade that falls toward the foundation to a window seal that has already failed. The builder’s warranty only covers what gets written down, so we write all of it down.

(443) 537-8823Request an inspection