Draw inspection question about foundation electric

[Reality]

I just started doing draw inspections so I'm still learning. The report wants to know what percentage of "foundation electrical" is completed. They wanted me to check four things: clearing/grading,foundation,foundation plumbing, and foundation electrical.

I went out and took pictures of the slab. I see plenty of plumbing pipes coming out of the slab. I'm not so sure of the electrical part. What exactly should I be looking for? Thanks for your reply.

[Scottpat]

I do a good number of draw inspections and I have never heard of Foundation Electrical.

[Mark P]

What is a draw inspection?

[Steven Hockstein]

Could this be a reference to grounding requirements?

[fqp25]

You might want to look for a lateral service next to the slab somewhere. I don't think there will be any electrical coming through the slab, especially for a single family dwelling on a slab. Maybe it's not ready for electrical yet. I guess the electricians won't get paid this draw.

[Brandon Chew]

Ufer grounding electrode system?

Underground service laterals and entrance?

Conduit embedded in, under, or penetrating the slab?

There should be a set of plans for the foundation work and they should show what, if any, electrical work is supposed to be completed at this stage of construction.

[wingfoot]

Sometimes I see the grounding electrode connected to rebar sticking out of the slab behind a closeout panel, typically in the garage.

[Scottpat]

Well, if it was me I would call the folks up and ask them what they are looking for. Chances are that they might not know. Then you could also call the builder and ask him/her. Many times the builder tells the lender what they are done with (what needs to be inspected). If you don't see anything then report it as not complete. If you are wrong the builder will fuss and most likely call you.

Keep in mind that you are not being paid a whole lot of money for draw inspections.

[Scottpat]

What is a draw inspection?

Mark A. Perry

Draw or Phase inspections are simple percent compete inspections. They allow a bank/lender to know how much of a home or building is complete so that the appropriate percent of the construction loan can be released to the builder. They have nothing to do with quality. Most homes will have 3-5 of them during construction. They pay on the average $50 to $75, sometimes more sometimes less. Bankers are in the banking business, for the most part they don't know squat about the construction process. In the long run it really pays for a bank to job out their draw inspections, instead of the banker doing them.

Some say that that they won't do a draw inspection because they don't pay anything. Let me tell you about a guy who makes a good living off of draws.

My best friend and his wife complete around 600 draw inspections a month. Their fees range from $27 to $175 for their client banks. Commercial draw/consults are even higher. The higher the volume from the bank the lower their fee. They billed over $380,000 last year in draw inspections! Not bad for a husband/wife team with very little overhead. The kicker is that they have been doing this for about ten years and have around 80% of their market share.

[Reality]

The foundation plumbing cost $5,000 and the foundation electrical cost $7,000. Since I was specifically asked to look for foundation electrical, and since the slab has been poured, the foundation electrical must have been done. Is that how you would read it? I can send someone a photo if they would look at it. I need to complete the report today, Sunday. Thanks for any assistance.

[Steven Hockstein]

Just one other thought...

If you are approving requisitions for payment, you need to also determine if the value of the requisition agrees with the amount of work done. Contractors commonly front load their requisitions. If the job goes sour, you could have liability if the amount of money paid out is a lot more than the value of the work done.

[Reality]

Thanks for the information. My question has been answered.