Foundation
& grading
Septic location and permit are always first if the property doesn't have a sewer line in the street. Pad orientation, drainage path, and slab prep get a hard look before the pour.
From plan review through punch list. Buyer representation for new builds across Kingman, Golden Valley, Bullhead City, and Mohave County, Arizona — a trained set of eyes on every stage of the build.
On a new build, the risk isn't the finished house — it's what happens inside the walls before the drywall goes up. Here's what I look at every time I'm on a site with you.
Septic location and permit are always first if the property doesn't have a sewer line in the street. Pad orientation, drainage path, and slab prep get a hard look before the pour.
ICF or block — each choice has a cost and a tradeoff. Headers, bracing, truss uplift, roof decking and underlayment all get walked before anything gets covered.
Window flashing details, air sealing, R-values versus Kingman's actual summer loads (not just code minimum). Lousy flashing or thin insulation won't show up until you get the electric bill.
Builders often spec the cheapest-to-install HVAC that passes code. For Kingman summers, that unit runs flat-out from April to October and dies in seven years. Sizing, run paths, and rough-in quality are worth catching early.
I walk the house with you before closing with a written list — alignment, caulking, hardware, trim, paint, every door and drawer. The punch gets handed to the builder in writing with a timeline for completion.
Four touchpoints across the build. Each one with a written summary afterward so there's a paper trail.
Plan and spec review. Builder background check — complaints, lawsuits, lien history, warranty track record. Contract read-through flagging the clauses that typically bite buyers in Arizona. If the deal doesn't make sense, you walk before you're in.
Site visit for grading, pad prep, utility stub-outs, and drainage. This is the stage where fixing a mistake costs hours; after the concrete sets, it costs 4-5 figures and you argue about who is paying for it.
Framing walk with you — structural, roof, windows, flashing, insulation, HVAC and plumbing rough-ins. Everything that's about to disappear behind sheetrock gets looked at. We don't miss that extra blocking for where the TV goes or that extra plug for the spa you want to get down the road.
Final walkthrough with a written punch list handed to the builder in writing. We don't close until the list is addressed or has a signed resolution attached to the contract.
Not every builder cuts every one of these. But if I don't call them out, you probably won't notice until the warranty is already gone.
Summer attic temps in Kingman regularly cross 150°F. Builders often under-ventilate because it's cheaper. The result is cooked shingles and HVAC that works twice as hard.
Wind-driven monsoon rain plus 60-degree thermal swings expose any shortcut in flashing. Cheap flashing shows up as drywall stains in year five or six.
Arizona code minimum isn't enough for Kingman summer loads. I'll push for better than minimum in the ceiling and walls — the payback shows up on every power bill.
Under-sized units run constantly and die early; over-sized units short-cycle and don't dehumidify. Right-sizing for your actual square footage and orientation is worth the back-and-forth.
Flash floods and desert washes mean pad elevation and drainage path matter here in a way they don't in cooler, wetter markets. One monsoon season tells you whether the builder did it right.
Some builders are great about addressing punch items; some are great until you've closed. Written lists with timelines protect you after you've already handed over the money.
Whether you're six months out from signing or already in contract and want a second set of eyes on your plans, the conversation is free and I keep it short.