New build inspection · Cladding and envelope

Cladding and building envelope defects in a new build

The wall assembly is designed to shed water at the cladding and drain anything that gets past it, and most envelope defects are small openings that break the second half of that system.

The 6 flags All inspection guides

What goes wrong with cladding and envelope in a new build?

Reviewed · 2026-09-03

The wall assembly is designed to shed water at the cladding and drain anything that gets past it, and most envelope defects are small openings that break the second half of that system.

Why it matters

Cladding and envelope in a new home

A modern wall is not a solid barrier. Water is expected to get behind the siding, and the assembly is designed to let it drain out and dry. The house wrap, the flashing and the drainage gap do that work, and defects in them are what turn ordinary wetting into damage.

Almost all of these defects are on the outside of the house and visible from the ground. They are also among the most commonly found items on new build inspections, because exterior trades work fast and the last hundred small penetrations get sealed by whoever is available.

Walk the whole perimeter slowly, including the sides nobody looks at. Most of what you will find is at the bottom of the wall, around anything that passes through it, and where a deck or a step meets the house.

Best moment to look

Pre-possession walkthrough

Check the exterior once cladding is complete, then again after final grade, because grading often buries the clearance that was correct at possession.

In Alberta

Calgary's freeze-thaw cycling is unusually aggressive because of chinooks: a wall can pass through zero several times in a single week, repeatedly freezing any water held in the assembly. That makes drainage and clearance more important here than in a steadier climate. Cladding and sealant workmanship generally fall under the first-year coverage of the Alberta New Home Warranty, while water penetration through the envelope can reach into the longer periods. Report envelope items in writing with photographs rather than mentioning them on site.

How it should be built

What correct looks like

Claddingweep holes left openexposed foundationclearancefinished grade, falling awaysoil piled to the siding blocks drainage and hides the gap

Clearance between cladding and grade

A visible strip of exposed foundation lets the wall drain and dry. Soil or mulch piled against the siding blocks the drainage path and the brick weep holes.

The flags

What to look for

Each item lists what the defect is, how to spot it without tools, and the stage of construction when it is still visible. None of this replaces a licensed inspector. It makes you a useful witness on your own site.

  1. 01Insufficient clearance from siding to grade

    Water and envelope

    What it is. Cladding needs a gap above the finished ground so it does not wick moisture and so the wall can drain. Fibre cement and wood products in particular fail early where they sit in soil or mulch.

    How to spot it. Walk the perimeter and look at the bottom edge of the siding. You should see bare foundation between the ground and the cladding on every elevation, including behind the deck and beside the driveway.

    Visible at: Pre-possession walkthrough

  2. 02Wall penetrations left unsealed

    Water and envelope

    What it is. Every hose bib, dryer vent, gas line, electrical box, light fixture and satellite bracket is a hole through the water barrier. Each needs sealing or flashing, and the ones on the back of the house are the ones that get missed.

    How to spot it. Find every object passing through an exterior wall and look at where it meets the cladding. You want a sealed, tooled joint or a flashing, not a gap and not a smear of foam.

    Visible at: Pre-possession walkthrough

  3. 03Brick veneer weep holes missing or blocked

    Water and envelope

    What it is. A brick veneer is a drained assembly. Open joints at the base of the brick let water out. If they were never left open, or are filled with mortar droppings, water sits on the flashing inside the wall.

    How to spot it. Look at the lowest course of brick. You should see regularly spaced open vertical joints. Check they are not packed with mortar and not buried by landscaping.

    Visible at: Pre-possession walkthrough

  4. 04Deck ledger fastened without flashing

    Structural

    What it is. A deck bolted to the house without flashing above the ledger board channels water into the rim joist. This is a structural failure mode as well as a water one, and deck collapses are usually ledger failures.

    How to spot it. Look at where the deck frame meets the house. There should be a metal flashing over the top of the ledger, tucked behind the cladding, and the deck should be bolted rather than nailed.

    Visible at: Pre-possession walkthrough

  5. 05House wrap torn, reverse-lapped or unsealed at openings

    Water and envelope

    What it is. The weather barrier behind the cladding only works if the upper sheet laps over the lower one and openings are taped. Reverse laps funnel water inward, and this is only visible before cladding goes on.

    How to spot it. If you can visit before siding, check that horizontal laps shed downward, that tears are taped, and that window openings are taped and have a sill pan.

    Visible at: Pre-drywall

  6. 06Sealant used as the primary defence

    Water and envelope

    What it is. Caulking is a secondary seal with a service life measured in years. Where it is doing the job that flashing should do, the wall is on a countdown rather than a system.

    How to spot it. Look for long runs of sealant at horizontal joints, at roof-to-wall lines and above windows. Those are the places flashing belongs.

    Visible at: Pre-possession walkthrough

Put it in writing

Questions for the builder

Ask these by email rather than on site. A written answer is a record, and a builder who answers clearly in writing is telling you something useful about how the rest of the build will go.

  • What clearance is specified between the cladding and finished grade, and will final grade preserve it?
  • Are all exterior penetrations sealed by one trade, and who checks them?
  • Is the deck ledger flashed, and can I see it before the decking goes down?
  • What is the maintenance expectation on exterior sealant, and when should it first be renewed?

FAQ

Questions about cladding and envelope

Manufacturers specify a minimum clearance for each cladding product, and it is larger where the siding meets soil than where it meets a hard surface. Rather than memorising numbers, look for a consistent visible strip of exposed foundation on every elevation. If landscaping later buries it, that is a defect introduced after possession and worth raising immediately.

Source note

Sources
Jurisdiction
Alberta, with Calgary-specific notes
Applies to
New residential construction purchased from a builder.
Last reviewed
2026-09-03
Limitations
General guidance written for buyers, not a code interpretation and not a substitute for a licensed home inspector or a professional engineer. Code requirements depend on the edition in force when the permit was issued. Warranty periods and coverage depend on your own warranty certificate.
What you should verify
The requirements that applied to your permit, the coverage periods on your warranty certificate, and any defect with a licensed inspector before you rely on it in a claim.

Work with REP YYC

Bring your own representative to the walkthrough.

The builder's sales staff are paid to sell the builder's lots. REP YYC agents are paid by the builder too, but they work for you: lot choice, contract terms, incentives and the possession timeline. No cost to the buyer.

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