New build inspection · Framing and structure
Framing and structural defects in a new build
Framing defects are cheap to fix while the walls are open and expensive afterwards, which makes the pre-drywall walkthrough the highest-value hour a new build buyer will spend.
What goes wrong with framing and structure in a new build?
Reviewed · 2026-09-03Framing defects are cheap to fix while the walls are open and expensive afterwards, which makes the pre-drywall walkthrough the highest-value hour a new build buyer will spend.
Why it matters
Framing and structure in a new home
Once drywall goes on, the structure of the house disappears. Everything after that is finish. This is why experienced buyers and inspectors treat the pre-drywall stage as the single most important visit, and why builders who are confident in their trades are usually happy to accommodate it.
Most framing defects are not dramatic. They are small omissions repeated by someone working quickly: a hanger that was never nailed off, a stud notched too deeply to run a pipe, a hole drilled through the wrong part of an engineered joist. Individually minor, collectively the reason inspectors keep finding them.
You do not need to know the code to be useful here. You need a flashlight, a phone camera, and a willingness to photograph anything that looks like it was cut, drilled or left unfastened.
Best moment to look
Pre-drywall
Book the visit after mechanical, electrical and plumbing rough-ins pass inspection but before insulation and vapour barrier go up. That is the only window where framing and the services running through it are both visible.
In Alberta
Municipal framing inspections in Alberta check code compliance at a point in time, and inspectors work quickly across many sites. A passed framing inspection is a meaningful signal, not a guarantee that every hanger is filled. Structural defects fall under the longest Alberta New Home Warranty period, but proving one is far harder after the walls close. Photographs taken at pre-drywall are the most valuable documentation a new build buyer can hold.
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.
01Joist hangers missing or not fully nailed
StructuralWhat it is. A hanger carries the load of a joist into a beam. It only works when every hole is filled with the specified fastener. Hangers left with two nails in a dozen holes are among the most commonly reported new build findings.
How to spot it. Look at every point where a joist meets a beam or a rim. Count empty holes in the metal hangers. Photograph any hanger with unfilled holes.
Visible at: Pre-drywall
02Engineered joists drilled or cut in the wrong place
StructuralWhat it is. Engineered wood joists have strict rules about where and how large a hole can be. A plumber or electrician cutting through a flange, or drilling a large hole near a bearing point, can compromise the member.
How to spot it. Follow the ducts, pipes and wires through the floor system. Look for holes cut through the top or bottom flange of an I-joist rather than the web, and for holes close to where the joist lands on a wall or beam.
Visible at: Pre-drywall
03Over-notched studs and top plates
StructuralWhat it is. Studs carrying load can only be notched so far before they need reinforcement, and a top plate cut for a pipe needs a protective plate. Deep notches in a bearing wall are a structural issue, not a cosmetic one.
How to spot it. Look where plumbing stacks and large ducts pass through walls. You want to see steel nail plates over notched areas, and studs that still have most of their depth intact.
Visible at: Pre-drywall
04Missing sheathing clips or fastener spacing
StructuralWhat it is. Roof sheathing panels are tied to each other between trusses by clips, and fastened on a specified pattern. Missing clips and widely spaced nails show up later as a wavy roof plane and shingles that fail early.
How to spot it. From the attic or before the roof is covered, look at the joints between sheathing panels for the small metal H-clips, and look for nails that missed the truss entirely and are visible in the attic space.
Visible at: Pre-drywall
05Beams and posts without continuous bearing
StructuralWhat it is. A beam has to carry its load down through posts to the footing in a continuous path. Where that path is interrupted, or a post lands on a floor rather than on structure below, the load has nowhere to go.
How to spot it. In the basement, look at each post. It should sit on a visible pad or footing, and the beam above should be supported at every point where the drawing shows a post.
Visible at: Pre-drywall
06Temporary bracing left as permanent, or permanent bracing missing
StructuralWhat it is. Trusses need permanent lateral bracing to stay in plane. Crews sometimes leave temporary bracing in place and never install the permanent bracing shown on the truss drawings.
How to spot it. In the attic, look for continuous bracing running perpendicular across the truss webs, fastened at every truss, rather than a few offcuts nailed in place.
Visible at: Pre-drywall
07Wet or visibly damaged framing closed in
StructuralWhat it is. Lumber that has been rained on will dry, and that is normally fine. Lumber closed into a wall while soaked, or showing surface mould, is a different problem, because it will dry into the assembly.
How to spot it. Look for dark staining, surface mould and standing water on the subfloor before insulation goes in. Photograph and ask when it will be allowed to dry.
Visible at: Pre-drywall
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.
- When will framing, plumbing and electrical rough-ins be complete, and can I walk the house before insulation?
- Can I have a copy of the truss layout and the engineered floor drawings?
- Who signs off on hanger and fastener installation, and is there an internal checklist?
- If I photograph something at pre-drywall, who do I send it to and what is the response time?
FAQ
Questions about framing and structure
Most Calgary builders allow a scheduled walkthrough with the site supervisor, and many will allow a third-party inspector if it is arranged in advance and everyone wears the right footwear. Some restrict access for insurance reasons. Ask before you sign, because the answer tells you something about how confident the builder is in the work.
Wood shrinks as it dries, and a new house makes noise and opens small gaps in its first two heating seasons. That is normal. Structural concern looks different: doors that stop latching, floors that slope, drywall cracks that run diagonally from window and door corners, and gaps that grow rather than stabilise. Photograph and date anything that changes.
It is the inspection with the highest ratio of value to cost, because everything found is cheap to fix at that moment and expensive later. A pre-possession inspection finds finish defects; a pre-drywall inspection finds the ones that matter for decades.
Source note
- Sources
- Alberta New Home Warranty program information
- National Building Code, Alberta Edition, as adopted for the permit in force
- City of Calgary building inspection and lot grading information
- Health Canada radon guidance for homeowners
- 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.