Construction Draw Inspection and Pre-Funding Review for Lenders

What we do for lenders

• Pre-funding document and cost review. Before closing, we review the construction budget, contract, plans, schedule and schedule of values. We flag missing scope, thin contingencies and line items that don’t reconcile, so the loan is sized for the project that will actually be built.
• Draw inspections. A site visit for each draw, checking the work billed against what’s in place, with dated photos and percent complete by line item.
• Draw review and reconciliation. We check each draw request against the schedule of values, prior draws, approved change orders, stored-material invoices and retainage. We also track lien-waiver status for the contractor and the subcontractors paid from the last draw.
• Change-order and budget-reallocation review. Is the change justified and priced reasonably, and does the remaining budget still cover completion?

Construction draw inspections across Greater Houston

We inspect draws for lenders financing projects across Houston and the surrounding cities, including Katy, Cypress, Spring, The Woodlands, Tomball, Conroe, Sugar Land and Pearland. We are based in Cypress, so site visits are scheduled quickly, and the report still reaches you within 3 business days of the visit.

Houston-area loans carry a few risks a draw inspector should watch for:

• Floodplain and elevation. On lots in a mapped floodplain, fill, foundation height and elevation requirements drive cost early in the job. We check that site and foundation lines are billed against work actually in place.
• Detention and sitework. On townhome and multifamily sites, detention is a large early line item and a common place for front-loaded billing.
• Permits and inspections. Projects inside the City of Houston are permitted through the Houston Permitting Center. Failed or open inspections on work being billed are flagged in the report.
• Expansive clay soils. Foundation billing is checked against the engineered design and required inspections before the foundation line is supported.

Draw inspections in Austin, San Antonio and Dallas–Fort Worth

We also inspect draws for lenders financing projects in Central Texas and North Texas. Site visits are scheduled around your draw calendar, and every report follows the same format: dated photos by line item, percent complete, stored materials, budget-to-complete and lien-waiver status, delivered within 3 business days of the visit.

Austin

Projects inside the City of Austin are permitted through the Austin Development Services Department, and open or failed inspections on billed work are flagged in the report. On the west side, rock excavation is a common early line item and a common place for billing to run ahead of the work, so we check sitework and foundation lines against what is actually in place.

San Antonio

Projects inside the City of San Antonio are permitted through the San Antonio Development Services Department. Sites over the Edwards Aquifer recharge and contributing zones carry additional water-quality and site-plan requirements that can add cost and time to sitework, so we watch those lines closely before supporting them.

Dallas–Fort Worth

DFW loans often span several municipalities, each with its own permitting and inspection process, so we track permit status project by project. Expansive clay soils are common across the region, and foundation billing is checked against the engineered design and required inspections before the foundation line is supported.

How an engagement works

1. Kick-off: loan documents, budget, contract, plans, schedule of values and the draw schedule.
2. Pre-funding review (if needed): findings before closing.
3. Each draw: the draw package comes in, we schedule the site visit, and the report reaches you within 3 business days.
4. Closeout: final inspection, retainage release check, and final unconditional lien waivers.

Built for banks, credit unions, private and debt-fund lenders, and fund-control companies financing commercial build-outs, multifamily and townhome developments, and custom homes.