Hey guys,
I’m looking into adding new construction job oversight to my list of services but have never performed it. I can’t seem to find any threads on here or CE courses on the subject. Can anyone point me in the right direction? Basically just unclear on the procedural aspect (ie should I be reviewing permits, obtaining a copy of the builder contract with timelines so I can plan site visits, etc).
Thanks in advance!
Pardon my bluntness, but you even know what you’re looking for as it relates to such a task?
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What’s your experience in / or working around the Trades?
IMO… if you haven’t been a Builder, Project Manager, etc., or a veteran Inspector with Code related Certs, you will have a hard time getting started and succeeding with these, as well as staying out of the ‘chit’.
JMHO.
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Welcome to our forum, Will!..enjoy participating. 
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I’m an experienced inspector with 10 years and approx. 4,000 inspections. I have never been a GC but am familiar with grading, slab/footer pouring, framing, have experience with residential plumbing/electrical wiring, roofing, etc. I have a clear idea of what I’m looking for before and after completion of specific phases of the building process and acceptable building practice, but am not code certified. Code certs are one thing I was wondering about, as other oversight projects I’ve been a part of from the independent inspector standpoint were not code-centric and basically stayed away from quoting code. I would like to know if that’s out of the norm, or if since I am not code certified I should just steer clear. My gray areas are less in the actual inspection process and more in the protocol area; ie, are there specific agreements/documents I am required to have signed by the builder since they are the actual owner prior to closing, etc.
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Will, if you call something out, and they baulk at it, you should be able to site the code regarding what you called out…on new construction.
I would steer clear until I was knowledgable enough of the codes used in the area that I worked.
I’ve been a state licensed contractor since 1973 (just passed on the renewal) and I didn’t do those because, where I am, there were bigger fish to fry making $.
Good luck!
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Then I would just stick to the phase inspections, and not an ‘oversight’ option. That is the PM’s job, and doubt you would even have a demand for that.
Just advertise that you can do pre-slab, pre-drywall, and final. Unless you want to add in about 5 or 6 other “phases” as well, but those are the most common.
At least where I am, the only real phase request I get is pre-drywall, and only a few rough plumbing or pre-slab.
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Yep, pre-drywall and final. I can count on one hand any others over as many years.
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I have to be blunt here. I have been in construction andba contractor for over 20 years. If i get a report back from my client of defective peocedure or code violations and they are not correct, i would have to correct my client and report such behavior from unqualified personel to proper channels for disiplinary action. If you do not know what you are looking at and have the proper experience, code knowledge and general construction knowledge. Do not do it. You could be setting yourself up for trouble. Not trying to burst your bubble just avoid somethings that can backfire if not qualified.
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Yes, Dominic, I do know what I’m looking for. I’m by no means new to the field and have been part of the construction process in one way or another for several years, even longer than the 10 years I’ve been an inspector. I was simply looking for advice on how to handle the procedural aspect and get feedback as to whether I should pursue this as a service offered, considering I am not code certified but have been involved in phase inspections in the past. And if I do decide to pursue it, what avenues I should explore to better prepare myself so I can offer the best service possible. I understand my OP might seem a bit obscure and a bit convoluted, but I’m just trying to get information before offering a new service.
You’re not “bursting my bubble” and no reason to preface by saying You need to be blunt. Just give your feedback, which I appreciate. We are all professionals and I am looking for honest opinions. I have experience, am qualified and would supplement any builder deficiencies noted by supplying the necessary documentation to back my findings.
I apologize for the miscommunication- phase inspections are what I would be offering. The mentors (Original NACHI members and GCs) I’ve had in the field always referred to this as “job oversight”. I have no desire to be a watchdog, I’m too busy😏
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Well that’s different than what was originally presented (or I misunderstood).
If you know phases and are comfortable with the exacting details and codes for your area, go for it. Plenty of qualified HI’s offer new construction phase inspections.
Well, that is quite the difference IMO.
Before I read this last post of yours, I was going to ask ‘Who’ were hoping to market to, and offer the following info…
https://www.overseeit.com/members
https://www.nachi.org/project-oversight-agreement.htm
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Thanks Jeffrey, I have actually already downloaded this agreement, had my attorney review it and it is ironclad.
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Hey Will. Didn`t mean to offend by any means. As you said we are all professionals and by all means if you are qualified more power to you. I have seen a lot of sloppy workmanship and home owners who dont know the difference.
Will, Great contributions down below. My only recommendation comes from the fact that after 45 years of involvement in small, medium and humongous engineering projects in the DOD and many countries abroad… There is no “one man band” know-it-all Inspector in the field. If you find someone that trust you and your experience, because they know who you are, get the job and be honest about what you know and don’t know. You can always be a trustworthy source of advice and provide assistance looking for “the expert” knowledge in that one area that you don’t know nothing, but you know where to find the knowledge.
Once upon a time, I was involved in a large ($50 Million) negotiation and our contract representatives had a doubt about the extend of the use of the word “warranty” in the context of a certain contract clause in a foreign language I knew. I told the them all What it meant, but we all decided it was wise to consult a Legal Firm, and so we did. We made an appointment with one of those well known International Law Firms and off we went to “consult”. After one hour of waiting in their Lobby, they took us into an expensive mahogany room and pulled a beautiful copy of the English/Spanish Dictionary of the Academy and read to us the meaning word “warranty” and took $7,500 out of our corporate wallet 
Now a days… We have a powerful ‘Google Search Engine’
So the moral of the story is that Google makes anyone an expert?
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One just needs to view Google results to see that! 
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Yeah! Brian…
If properly used, Google is the “light at the end of the tunnel”… Google is just a ‘search engine’ to navigate the World Wide Web via the Internet Highway of Information. Just like any other research system (it doesn’t have to be Google or the local Library or the nearby Chamber of Commerce or Business Directory…) if wisely used, you can access Tons of sources of information in a ‘CLIC’… Just like when “you walk the search”… you may find deceiving information from sources (people) that do not know about the subject. But if you have the expertise in the subject matter you are ‘empower’ beyond the inimaginable to make the right choices. Now, you must be prepared to pay the cost of some reliable sources, not all of them come FREE… Take InterNACHI for $49/month as an entry point. There you have all your brains 
and one of the largest databases of Inspection knowledge, pictures to illustrate your case, interpretation of facts and even entertaining comments and jokes to keep your enthusiasm. The ‘InterNACHI Bunch’ can open a tunnel to provide ‘the light’, uncover similar events that happened miles away that can replicate your case. Way more sustainable facts than the single opinion of one set of dirty boots in a pickup truck. But if you blend those dirty boots with the power of the Internet ‘wisely’, the clear sight of the youngest inspectors out there with the wisdom of the elderly tribunal…. The adventure has just begun…! 