New Construction Structural Review in Carmel, IN
The useful moment to review a new Carmel house is the few days between framing inspection and drywall, because that is the only window in which the structure is both complete and still visible. Once the board goes up, every connection, every hanger and every cut member is behind an inch of gypsum for the life of the building.
What turns up at that stage is rarely dramatic and is almost always cheap to correct while the trades are still on site. Missing hangers, joists cut for a duct run that the framer did not size for, a beam bearing on a stud pack that is one stud short, hold-downs left unbolted. None of it makes the house fall down; all of it is easier to fix now than in year eight.
This is a different service from a code inspection. The municipal inspector is checking compliance against a plan; an independent review is checking whether what got built matches what was engineered, which is a question about this house rather than about the code.
What We Look At Here
- Engineered lumber installed as specified: correct product, correct depth, correct bearing length
- Web holes and notches in I-joists against the manufacturer allowable hole chart
- Hangers and connectors present, of the specified model, and fully nailed
- Beam and header bearing: stud pack count and a load path continuing to the footing
- Hold-downs and anchor bolts installed and tightened where the plan calls for them
- Point loads from above landing over support rather than in the middle of a span
More on the service itself: New Construction Structural Review. More on the area: Carmel.
Questions
Frequently Asked Questions
The city already inspected my Carmel build. Why pay for another look?
A municipal inspection confirms code compliance at a fairly coarse level. An independent review checks the specific framing against the specific engineering for your house, and it is the last chance to see any of it.
When exactly should the review happen?
After framing and mechanical rough-in are complete and before insulation and drywall. That order matters, because a large share of what is found is damage the mechanical trades did to framing after the framers left.