A new build in Barrhaven or Kanata comes with a warranty, a builder representative, and a clipboard. What it does not come with is anyone in the room whose only job is to protect you. The pre-delivery inspection is a legal moment with a deadline attached, and what does not get written down that day gets much harder to claim later.
The PDI is a documentation exercise, not a walkthrough
You have a limited window and a form. Every deficiency you list is on record with Tarion; every one you miss becomes an argument. We attend the PDI with you, work through the house systematically, and make sure the list is complete, specific and defensible — "drywall damage, master bedroom, north wall, 40cm from window casing" instead of "wall damaged".
The 30-day and one-year deadlines matter more than people think
Ontario's new home warranty runs on a schedule: a 30-day form, a one-year form, then two- and seven-year coverage for specific categories. Most homeowners submit a thin 30-day list and then discover the real problems in month fourteen, after the one-year window has closed. We inspect ahead of each deadline so your forms are filed against evidence.
What we find in brand-new Ottawa homes
Missing or compressed attic insulation over the garage and above bulkheads. Bath fans venting into the attic instead of outdoors. Unbalanced HVAC that leaves the bonus room ten degrees off. Grading that slopes toward the foundation. Reversed polarity outlets, missing GFCI protection, and unsealed penetrations that will frost over in January. None of it is dramatic. All of it is the builder's to fix, and only if you write it down in time.
What is included
- Attendance at your builder PDI, or an independent inspection ahead of it
- A complete, itemised, location-specific deficiency list formatted for the builder form
- Full infrared scan for missing insulation, air leakage and envelope defects
- HVAC balancing check, room-by-room temperature readings
- Exterior grading, drainage, and lot-level water management review
- Optional 30-day and one-year warranty inspections timed to your deadlines
Why this matters in Ottawa
Ottawa's new-build corridors — Barrhaven, Riverside South, Findlay Creek, Kanata, Stittsville and Orleans — are being framed on a fast cycle by trades stretched across many sites. That is not an accusation, it is a volume reality, and it is exactly why an independent set of eyes at the PDI pays for itself on the first claim.