New construction
Pre-Drywall Inspection
Once the drywall goes up, the bones of your house are hidden for good. We inspect the framing, wiring, plumbing and flashing while everything is still exposed.
A pre-drywall inspection happens after your builder has finished framing, roofing, windows and the rough-in of electrical, plumbing and HVAC, but before insulation and drywall cover it all up.
It is the only point in the build where the structure of your home is fully visible. Every wall cavity, every joist, every pipe and wire run can be examined directly. After drywall, those same items can only be guessed at.
This is not a duplicate of the county inspection. Code inspections confirm a minimum legal standard on a short list of items. We inspect on your behalf, on the whole house, and we answer to you rather than to the builder.
What we inspect
- Structural foundation and framing: foundation, floors, walls, columns and posts, ceilings, roof framing, and the presence or absence of fireblocking and draftstopping.
- Exterior: wall cladding and flashing, doors, windows and skylights, and decks, balconies, stoops, steps, porches and railings.
- Roofing: roof coverings, flashing, skylights, chimneys and roof penetrations, and any signs of leaks or abnormal condensation.
- Plumbing: interior water supply and distribution piping with supports and insulation, the drain, waste and vent system including traps and pipe supports, hot water systems with their controls, flues and vents, and fuel gas piping including supports, bonding and material.
- Electrical: electrical conductors, distribution boxes and panel boxes, and whether branch circuit conductor ampacities suit their apparent use.
- HVAC: heating, air conditioning, appliances and ventilation equipment, and ductwork.
North Carolina is one of the few states with a written standard specifically for pre-drywall inspections. Ours follow 11 NCAC 08 .1117, which also requires the report to describe anything not yet fully installed at the time of the visit, and to explain what remains to be completed.
Timing is the whole game
- Ask your builder or site superintendent when rough-in inspections pass and when insulation is scheduled.
- Call us as soon as you have that date, the window is often only a few days.
- We inspect and send your report with photos of everything inside your walls.
- You send the report to your builder and confirm corrections before drywall goes up.
If insulation is already in, call us anyway. Some items are still visible and it may still be worth doing. We will tell you honestly if it is not.
Schedule your inspection
Online booking, or call the office for your market and talk to a person.
See it in practice
Common questions
Frequently asked questions
Do I need this if the county already inspected the house?
Yes. County inspections verify minimum code compliance on a limited list of items and are typically brief. A pre-drywall inspection is a full independent review of the whole structure, performed for you, covering workmanship and manufacturer installation standards that code inspections do not address.
Will my builder let a third-party inspector on site?
Almost always. Most builders in the Carolinas are used to it. Let your superintendent know in advance so site access and safety are arranged.
Why does it matter so much?
A missing joist hanger is a ten-minute repair while the wall is open. After drywall, paint and trim, the same fix becomes a demolition project you pay for.
What do I get afterwards?
A photo report showing exactly what is inside your walls, where the pipes run, where the wiring runs, how the structure was assembled. That record stays useful for as long as you own the home.
Ready to schedule?
Book online, or call the office for your market.