You bought a brand new construction home and are ecstatic! You've done the inspection and you're ready to move in, but there's one more thing you should consider - having your indoor air tested.
As with most buyers of new construction, you assume that everything went smoothly and you're getting a perfect home with the cleanest air. Now as much as I would like for that to be the case, it is often times the opposite.
New construction homes are subject to many environmental issues during the building process. The framing could be done and a week of rain could hit or the windows and doors are installed, but the HVAC is two months behind. If the framing isn't properly dried and efforts aren't taken to manage moisture and condition the home throughout the process, environmental issues may thrive.
Additionally, new construction homes now are being built with the best and most energy efficient materials. While these materials come with their benefits, they also prevent the building from "breathing." This means that any contaminants that enter the home or were already inside do not have a means of ventilating or escaping. This can cause mold conducive environments within the home or cause the chemicals from the new finishes to off-gas building up to unsafe levels.
It makes you wonder if the paint on the walls was fully dried, or the finish on the new hardwood floors and built-in cabinets has cured or if those building elements, along with the new carpet and spray foam insulation are off-gassing filling the home with unsafe chemicals that may cause health issues down the road.
Having your new construction home’s air quality checked is much like having the building checked by a home inspector prior to moving in except testing the air will find things that you cannot see that may go hidden for quite some time before the source of the issue is found.
You can schedule your Indoor Air Quality test today and sleep better knowing the air in your new home is as clean as you expect!