Skip to content
New constructionOur latest inspection of a brand-new home found 68 items the builder had missed.See why →
Notable Inspection — New Construction

A new home with unsealed door thresholds and 65 punch-list items

Prince George’s County, Maryland. Unsealed gaps where both entry doors meet their thresholds, an outdoor unit sitting on the ground, and damaged drywall beside the gas burner emergency shut-off. Sixty-five items on a brand-new house, each one photographed and captioned in the punch list.

PropertyPrince George’s, MDInspectedMay 2026TypeNew-build home, garage and finished basementReport19 pages, photo punch list

What this inspection found

Counted from the delivered report

65

Findings documented

Across 16 areas of the house

3

Door threshold items

Unsealed gaps and a mortar void at the front and rear doors

19

Exterior items

Thresholds, sod, rooftop debris and the outdoor unit

2

Could not be tested

The garage door and the deck fireplace

The six that mattered most

Most of a punch list is finish work. These six are the items we would put at the top of the builder’s list.

Punch listExterior doors

Unsealed gaps where both entry doors meet their thresholds

At the front door, the gaps where the threshold plate meets the casings were not sealed on either side, and there was a void in the mortar where the plate meets the brick porch. The rear door had the same gaps on both sides. An open joint at the bottom of a door opening is where water finds its way in.

Punch listHVAC

An outdoor unit sitting in contact with the ground

The outdoor unit should be lifted so that it is not in contact with the ground. Inside, the cover for the filter on the air handler did not close completely.

Punch listUtility

Damaged drywall beside the gas burner emergency shut-off

In the utility room, screws were left unmudded and the drywall was damaged right next to the gas burner emergency shut-off switch. In the foyer, the smoke detector was not flush to the ceiling.

Punch listGarage

Drywall screws left unmudded across the garage

The bottom course of drywall screws was not mudded on all three walls, several screws were not mudded on the ceiling, and there were gaps around the hose bib mounting block. The garage door could not be tested because of objects in front of and beneath it.

Punch listWindows

A cracked trim, a bowed sash and a missing gasket

In the living room, the bottom trim on the front left window was cracked and the top edge of its bottom sash was bowed behind the tilt latch. One meeting gasket was inconsistent with the others, and upstairs a meeting gasket was missing from a bedroom window.

Punch listStairs and railings

Railing stain left incomplete, and uneven gaps at the overlooks

Stain was incomplete on the top rail of the railings overlooking the steps to the upper level, and there was a void in the stain on the bottom rail of the overlook for the lower steps. The gaps where the rails and bullnose meet the flooring were inconsistent, and the moldings at the top of the steps were not properly joined.

From the report

Photographs from the inspection, personal details removed

An open blue front door above a brick porch, with red circles around both ends of the aluminum threshold plate where it meets the door casings
Gaps not sealed where the front door threshold plate meets the casings on both sides.
A red gas burner emergency switch on a purple drywall panel, with a red oval around open screw holes and damaged drywall beside it
Screws not mudded and drywall damaged next to the gas burner emergency shut-off.
An outdoor HVAC unit resting directly on grass and bare soil beside vinyl siding, with its line set and wiring running across the ground
The outdoor unit is in contact with the ground and should be lifted.
Looking along a stair railing toward the upper landing, with a red arrow and a red oval marking the dark top rail where the stain stops short
Stain incomplete on the top rail of the railings overlooking the steps to the upper level.

The full redacted report

Every item as it was captioned in the delivered report, verbatim. Two captions that only labelled a close-up or a comparison photo are left out. Name, street address and report number removed.

Exterior

  • Dirt and debris in the flower beds
  • Inconsistent paint around front door lock set and doorbell.
  • Void in mortar where front door threshold plate meets the brick porch.
  • Paint over spray on outlet cover left of the front door.
  • Front door casing damaged above the strike.
  • Gaps not sealed where front door threshold plate beats the casings on both sides.
  • Backyard sod installation work in progress.
  • Outdoor unit should be lifted so that it is not in contact with the ground.
  • Plate beneath the basement door is stained.
  • Rear hose bib is not block mounted.
  • Loose insulation fiber beneath the bottom right of the rear bump out.
  • Gaps on both sides of the rear door where threshold plate meets door casings need to be properly sealed.
  • Sod near the street is damaged.
  • Adhesive spills and stains on the front porch.
  • Sod in front of the flower beds is dying.
  • Debris on the rear rooftop visible from the owner's bedroom window.
  • Debris on the rooftop surface visible outside of the front right bedroom window.
  • Void in landscape behind the electric meter.
  • Nail not sunken and rough finish on headerboard above garage threshold on right side.

Garage

  • Garage door could not be tested because of objects in front of the door and beneath the door.
  • Bottom course of drywall screws not mudded on all 3 walls.
  • Several drywall screws not mudded on the ceiling.
  • Gaps around hose bib mounting block.

Deck

  • Threshold plate on sliding door is dirty and tarnished.
  • Screen on fireplace is dirty.
  • Excessive dirt on the trim board in front of the screen on the deck.
  • Remote control unavailable fireplace could not be tested.

Foyer

  • Smoke detector not flush to the ceiling.
  • Cut ends of shoe mold not painted on both sides of fire door.
  • Cut ends of shoe molds not painted throughout the lower level.
  • Hooks on hutch outside of basement bathroom are both rotated counterclockwise.
  • Closet door does not open to 90°.
  • Loose carpet threads on bottom of riser on the steps to the main level.

Utility

  • Cover for filter on air handler does not close completely.
  • Screws not mudded, drywall damaged next to the gas burner emergency shut off.

Finished Basement

  • Excess paint on basement door exterior.
  • Closet door chipped at the strike.
  • Recessed light closest to the door is not flush to the ceiling

Basement Bathroom

  • Corner to the left of the tub is not square to the flooring.
  • Scratches and stains in the bathtub.

Lower Stairs

  • Inconsistent gap where bullnose meets flooring at the top of the steps on main level.
  • Void in the stain on the bottom rail on the overlook for the steps.
  • Inconsistent color on the gap between the bottom rail and the flooring on the overlook for the lower steps.
  • Casing on bottom right of window over the steps is damaged and not properly patched.

Living Room

  • Front left window, bottom trim is cracked.
  • Front left window, top edge of bottom sash behind tilt latch is bowed.
  • Left meeting gasket on right center window is inconsistent with others.

Kitchen

  • Sink is scratched.
  • End of island closest to the powder room is not square to the flooring

Powder Room

  • Door casings above the entrance door on the inside have a rough finish.

Upper Stairs and Hallway

  • Stain is incomplete on the top rail of the railings overlooking the steps to the upper level
  • Rough mitre cut on exterior of door casing on front left bedroom.
  • Molding's not properly joined together at the top of the steps.

Laundry

  • Trim on supply box not flush to the wall.
  • Paint on the fire warning label.
  • Interior of both doors damaged

Master Bath

  • Inconsistent gap between shoe mold and tile floor on the far wall.
  • Inconsistent finish on the shower drain cover, note grout or mortar on the cover.
  • Rough miter cut on the top right casing inside of water closet.

Front Left Bedroom

  • Meeting gasket missing on right side of front right bedroom window.
  • Loose threads on back wall of carpeted platform in the closet.
  • Damage to the closet door and door casing from stuck paint.
  • Void between base mold and door casing behind the entrance door.

Hall Bathroom

  • Dark spot on the mirror.
  • Stains in the tub.
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, vehicles or neighbouring homes

Buying new construction in Prince George’s County?

Sixty-five items on a brand-new house, from the door thresholds to the railing stain. The builder’s warranty only covers what gets written down, so we write all of it down.

(443) 537-8823Request an inspection