An inspector can see the writing on the walls…and the problems behind them
Home Value Rating: 5/5
A post-drywall home inspection is top-tier—hiring a pro is worth every penny here.
One final inspection after construction is complete can identify issues with insulation, drywall, flooring, and other finishing materials to save money on repairs.
A home inspection post-drywall is always worth it for new construction. Although it won’t provide a specific return on investment (ROI) because the value lies in the peace of mind it provides and the issues it uncovers, it’s an important final step to take to ensure you’re buying a safe home that’s built as it should be and won’t present expensive problems soon after closing.
There are a handful of things that affect how much value you’ll see from a post-drywall inspection.
Post-drywall inspections are worth it just for the peace of mind they provide, but the most significant factor that affects the actual value is the results. Simply put, if your inspector walks through and around your home and doesn’t find any issues to kick back to the builders, then your inspection provides nothing but that peace of mind. It’s still worth it, but you won’t see any financial benefit. In fact, you’ll lose money on the inspection.
On the other hand, the potential for problems is what makes the inspection worthwhile, even if the inspector doesn’t find any issues. You can use the issues as leverage to get the builder to fix any identified problems before closing, which means you won’t have to pay out of pocket for them. The value then depends on what the repair would cost if you paid for it yourself.
The table below includes some average repair costs for issues that a professional may find during their inspection. As you’ll see, many of these costs that you could avoid would total more than the cost of the inspection.
| Issue | Average Repair Cost |
|---|---|
| Drywall damage | $290–$920 |
| Flooring damage | $200–$640 |
| Kinked HVAC ducts | $1–$6/lin. ft. |
| Lighting fixture | $150–$1,000 |
| Missing insulation | $500–$1,000 |
| Missing trim | $0.50–$25/lin. ft. |
| Plumbing leaks | $150–$600 |
| Structural issues | $340–$780 |
| Weather stripping | $130–$440 |
The theoretical and actual value of a post-drywall home inspection both depend on how experienced your inspector is. A more experienced and professional local home inspector will typically cost a bit more, but they’ll also be more likely to identify problems that you can have your builder fix before closing. Paying a bit more for a reputable inspector will give you greater peace of mind and a higher chance of saving money on repairs down the road.
Most of the major structural issues in a new construction home will come up during earlier inspections before the house is finished, which is why a pre-drywall inspection is worthwhile, too. However, a post-drywall inspection will give your professional a clear look at how finishes sit in your home, which they can then use to compare during future inspections.
One crucial inspection you should consider down the road is a month or two before the first anniversary of your home’s completion. Most builders include a comprehensive one-year warranty, so identifying developing problems within that time frame is crucial to avoid out-of-pocket costs for related repairs.
This is one reason a post-drywall inspection is worth it—your inspector can track changes in the home over time to identify budding problems with how your home settles and ages in the first year.
You can opt to do your own DIY post-drywall inspection, but you’ll get far more value if you hire a professional home inspector. An expert home inspector will have a better idea of building codes in your area and will have a better handle on what issues and signs of problems to look for.
A DIY inspection post-drywall isn’t a bad idea, but it won’t provide the same peace of mind that hiring a pro would. Professionals also have more comprehensive inspection lists, so they’re more likely to find issues that cause a home to fail an inspection. Having a professional’s opinion means you’ll also be able to defend your requests better when asking your builder to address them.
There are a lot of moving factors when it comes to determining if a post-drywall inspection is worth it and the theoretical and actual value it provides. Consider the following to determine if it’s worth it in your case.
Consider what potential issues would cost to repair: The biggest reason to get a post-drywall inspection done is to identify issues that you can have your builder fix rather than paying to fix them yourself after closing. Consider whether potentially avoiding hundreds or thousands of dollars to repair problems is worth paying a few hundred for the inspection to identify them.
Think about the warranty your builder offers: Read through the warranty your builder offers to see what it covers. It often includes coverage and free repairs for most major issues an inspection would uncover, meaning the inspection is absolutely worth it before closing.
Don’t forget to consider what peace of mind is worth: Even if your inspection doesn’t provide actual financial value, you’ll still get the theoretical value of knowing that you won’t be on the hook for repairs right after you close. That peace of mind alone makes a post-drywall inspection worth it in most cases, especially over waiving a home inspection altogether.
A post-drywall home inspection costs around $340 in most cases, and prices can range anywhere from $190 up to about $510. The cost depends on your location, the size and complexity of the home, and the experience of the home inspector.
To determine if a post-drywall home inspection is worth it, you’ll need to consider the cost of the inspection, the repair costs it could help you avoid, and how much you value the peace of mind it provides. The inspection will cost around $340, on average, and the cost of repairs it could allow you to push back on the builder could easily total over $1,000. In many cases, when the inspection uncovers problems, you’ll see an immediate ROI of over 100%.
Even if you don’t see monetary value, the inspection will let you rest assured that you won’t have to pay for repairs shortly after closing on your new construction home. It also gives your inspector a baseline to compare to at your one-year inspection, making it easier to identify issues with settling and potential structural damage.
Home is the most important place on earth, which is why Angi has helped more than 150 million homeowners transform their houses into homes they adore. To help homeowners maximize the value of their investments, we gather ROI data from reputable sources, including industry reports, real estate studies, and interviews with market experts. We calculate the average resale value for projects by multiplying the ROI against the project’s average cost according to our cost data, which is sourced from thousands of real Angi customers.
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A post-drywall inspection could uncover many problems that weren’t present during the pre-drywall inspection, including insufficient insulation, missing weather stripping, improperly installed plumbing and lighting fixtures, flooring damage, drywall damage, plumbing leaks, aesthetic issues, and more. Structural problems, which are often expensive to fix and are common reasons to walk away after a home inspection, are easier to see before the drywall goes up, but a post-drywall inspection may highlight minor issues with house settling and foundation problems.
Inspections for new construction may not be legally required, but you should consider them a must if you’re buying a new home. The quality of the construction can vary widely by builder, and many inspections, even for brand-new homes, can uncover problems with framing, structural components, mechanicals, appliances, and more. Professional inspection reports give you leverage to push the associated repair costs to the builder rather than paying for them yourself, so they’re always worthwhile, if only for the peace of mind they provide.
The three main types of home inspections you should always carry out for new construction include a pre-drywall inspection, a post-drywall inspection, and a one-year inspection. The pre-drywall inspection can identify building code violations, issues with plumbing, electrical, and HVAC components, and structural issues. The post-drywall inspection can identify damaged building materials, insufficient insulation, and more. An inspection at the one-year mark after construction will identify problems your builder must fix under their comprehensive one-year warranty.
