If you are like many new home owners, you want to be closely involved throughout the building of your home, visiting the construction site from time to time with your builder to see how your home is coming along and to plan for the day you will move in. Did you realize that you are just one of many people checking your home as it goes up? 

From plans to completion, there are a number of different people and organizations involved in checking your home to ensure that it is safe and sound, that it is built according to plan and that you get the quality and value you expect. This group includes municipal officials, utility inspectors and, of course, your builder and the construction crew.

It begins with your municipal government, which reviews your plans and drawings to make sure that your house will meet the standards set out in the Building Code. Building officials look at such things as framing, the foundation, ventilation, exits, fire performance and materials. 

The plans are checked to make sure they comply with relevant provincial and municipal regulations such as zoning and set-backs (the distance of the home from the property lines). Once plans are approved, a building permit is issued and construction of your home can begin.

During construction, a municipal official typically inspects the building site at several stages to ensure that your builder is following the plans that were approved. The number of inspections can vary greatly from one municipality to another, but typically they include some or all of these milestones:

• Foundation, before earth is back-filled
• Framing
• Insulation
• Final interior, after drywalling to check stairs, handrails, guards and fire detectors
• Final exterior, after grading to check caulking, exits, stairs and so on

Plumbing and electrical work may also require permits and inspections, which usually involves three site visits -- at the connection stage, at the rough-in stage and on completion of the house.

A guaranteed third-party new home warranty protects your investment. Talk with your builder to find out exactly what is covered. Following the pre-possession inspection, the builder may ask you to sign a certificate of completion and possession that will be forwarded to the warranty program office. 

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