Inspections for Newly Constructed Homes Part 2: One Year Warranty Inspections

By Frank G. Ross

It’s becoming more common for homeowners to hire inspectors to examine their home in the month or two before the one-year warranty ends on cosmetic things (typically, there's a three-year warranty on systems and a longer warranty on the structure itself). This inspection isn't as common as a pre-purchase inspection because the owners have most likely lived there almost a year and therefore already know the home’s defects.

The most common question I hear from the homeowner is, “Do you know John Doe Builder that built my home?” I can honestly say that I do not know any builder in SW Utah so I answer, “No, I do not know John Doe builder.” Then frequently the next comment from the homeowner is a barrage of problems they have encountered with John Doe Builder and a list of grievances they have about items that were either never completed or never repaired even after several contacts were made with the builder. So in this kind of situation the home owner wants me to verify that these items are indeed in need of repair so they can use my report as proof of their findings.  A common list of complaints includes:

·         Doors not closing properly

·         Kitchen cabinet drawers and doors not working properly

·         Sliding closet doors hit each other

·         Windows leak dust

·         Faucets loose to the sink’s top

·         Sinks loose to the counter top

·         Toilets not tight to the floor

·         Leaking ice makers

·         AC/Heat not working as it should

·         and even though I don’t inspect outside plants I am often asked to put photos in my report of dead or dying bushes/trees.

A couple of things a home inspector cannot verify is the presence of blue clay or if the soil was properly compacted before the home was built. Now and then the home owner will show me a crack in the wall or the floor that was not there when they moved in. My advice about these kinds of cracks is to ask for the certificate from the soil analyst who originally did the soil test and then see that their recommendations, such as proper French drains around the home in case of unusual amount of ground water, were followed by the builder.

The point of having a warranty inspection conducted is to have another set of eyes take another look at the property before the warranty expires. The report will be a good source of information for the homeowner when he/she meets with their builder to ask for repairs or corrections to be made. The inspection report supports the homeowner’s findings by recording that a unbiased party found items that are indeed faulty.   

In conducting a warranty inspection, I rarely find major defects.  However, the main benefit for anxious homeowners is peace of mind.