When should I do my builder warranty inspection? Around month ten or eleven, before your one-year workmanship warranty expires. Hire an independent inspector rather than relying on your own list and submit everything in writing before the deadline.
If you closed on a new build in Lavon, Princeton, Royse City or the newer sections of Wylie around this time last year, you have a window open right now that closes soon and does not reopen.
Most people never use it. They keep a mental list of small annoyances, figure none of it is worth bothering the builder about and then month twelve passes. After that, the same list costs them money.
That is the part I find genuinely unfortunate, because this is free. You already paid for it.
What you actually have
Almost every production builder warranty follows the same shape, usually called 1-2-10.
Year one covers workmanship and materials. This is the broad one. Drywall, paint, trim, doors, flooring, caulking, grout, hardware, fit and finish. It is also the one that expires first and it is the reason month eleven matters.
Years one and two cover the distribution portion of your systems. Specifically the wiring, piping, and ductwork inside the electrical, plumbing, heating, cooling and mechanical systems.
Read that carefully because it is where people get burned. Year two is not a second year of everything. Under the standard structure it is systems only. Your drywall cracks and your sticking doors are covered in year one and not in year two.
Years one through ten cover major structural components. Foundation systems and footings, floor framing, load-bearing walls, roof framing, beams and headers and columns. This is the long tail, and it is usually insurance-backed rather than resting on the builder still being in business.
Some builders do offer more than the standard and a few market a genuine two-year comprehensive coverage as a competitive advantage. If yours does, that is a real benefit worth knowing about. But do not assume it. Pull out your actual warranty document and read what year two says because the difference between "systems only" and "everything" is thousands of dollars and most homeowners have never opened the binder.
Texas quietly shortened the clock in 2023
Here is something almost nobody in this market is talking about and it changes the math on documenting problems early.
Texas used to give homeowners ten years from substantial completion to bring a construction defect claim. That is the statute of repose, and it is the outer limit regardless of when a problem shows up.
Effective June 9, 2023, for contracts signed on or after that date, that period drops to six years when the builder provides a written warranty meeting statutory minimums: one year for workmanship and materials, two years for plumbing, electrical, heating and air conditioning and six years for major structural components.
So if you signed your build contract in 2024 or 2025, your legal window to bring a claim is very likely six years, not ten. Contracts before June 9, 2023 keep the old ten-year period. Condominiums are excluded from the change.
There is one useful wrinkle. If you present a written claim during the limitations period, the time to file suit extends one year from the date of that claim. Which is one more argument for putting everything in writing rather than mentioning it to a superintendent in the driveway.
None of this means your house is going to fall down. It means the assumption that you have a decade to notice problems is out of date and the habit of documenting things promptly is worth more than it used to be.
Why your own list is not enough
You are keeping a list. Good. Keep it. But hire an inspector on top of it and here is why.
Your list has the things that annoy you. A cabinet door that will not sit flush. The spot on the ceiling where the paint looks thin. The bedroom that never gets cool enough.
An inspector finds the things you cannot see. Attic insulation that was never brought to depth after the HVAC install. Ductwork that came loose. Flashing that was done wrong. Grading that has settled and now runs toward the slab instead of away from it. Plumbing under a sink with a slow drip that has been going for four months.
In this market, an 11-month warranty inspection generally runs somewhere in the range of a few hundred dollars, comparable to a standard home inspection. Against a warranty claim list that would otherwise cost you thousands out of pocket, that is not a close call.
What inspectors commonly find on North Texas homes at this stage, after one full cycle of our seasons:
- Drywall cracks at door and window corners from normal settlement
- Nail pops as framing lumber dries out
- Grout and caulk separation at trim, counters, and tub surrounds
- HVAC problems that only revealed themselves during the first real summer
- Doors that no longer latch after a year of humidity swings
- Exterior grading that has settled and now drains the wrong way
- Fence posts shifting and gates falling out of alignment
Almost all of that is covered in year one. Very little of it is covered in year two.
The grading one deserves special attention around here. Given what our clay does, drainage that has reversed direction is not a cosmetic complaint. It is the kind of thing that turns into a foundation conversation three years from now, and right now it is somebody else's problem to fix.
How to actually do this
- Find your closing date and count backward. Put month ten on the calendar. Not month twelve. You need time to inspect, submit, and let the builder schedule.
- Read your warranty document. Know your exact expiration date, what year two covers in your specific warranty, and how the builder requires claims to be submitted.
- Book the inspection for month ten. Inspectors get busy and builders get busier, and you do not want to discover a problem with two weeks left.
- Give the inspector your list first. They will check your items and find their own.
- Submit everything in writing, in one document, before the deadline. Email or the builder's warranty portal, whatever they require. Keep a copy and note the date. A verbal mention to a superintendent is not a claim.
- Photograph everything and keep the inspection report. If a repair is done poorly or an issue returns later, this file is what you have.
- Do not skip small items because you feel bad asking. You are not asking for a favor. You bought this coverage and the builder priced it in.
If you have already had a walkthrough conversation about what to look at when the house was new, this is the follow-up to it. I wrote about the front end of that process in 9 Questions to Ask During a New Construction Walkthrough Before You Sign Anything.
If the builder pushes back
Most warranty departments handle this fine. Occasionally one does not.
Texas has a process for that. Under the Residential Construction Liability Act, a homeowner has to give the builder written notice by certified mail with return receipt requested at least 60 days before filing suit, describing the defects in reasonable detail. The builder then has 60 days to respond with a settlement offer and if you do not accept within 25 days it is treated as rejected. The builder also gets a right to inspect.
That is not where you want to be, and you almost certainly will not end up there. But knowing the framework exists changes the tone of the conversation and it is one more reason everything should be in writing from the start.
If you get to the point of a formal dispute, talk to a construction attorney rather than trying to navigate it yourself.
One more thing for anyone selling
If you are considering selling a home that is still inside its warranty period, two points.
Most builder warranties are transferable to a subsequent buyer, which is a genuine selling feature that almost no listing mentions. Find out whether yours transfers and say so in your marketing.
And run the warranty inspection before you list, not after you are under contract. Anything the builder fixes for free is something you are not negotiating over during an option period.
Frequently asked questions
What does a builder warranty cover in year two? Under the standard structure, year two covers only the distribution portion of your electrical, plumbing, heating, cooling, and mechanical systems, meaning the wiring, piping, and ductwork. General workmanship items like drywall, paint, trim, and hardware are covered in year one only. Some builders offer broader second-year coverage, so read your specific warranty rather than assuming.
Is an 11-month warranty inspection worth it? Yes. It typically costs a few hundred dollars and routinely turns up items in attics, crawl spaces, ductwork, and exterior grading that a homeowner would never find on their own. Anything on that list the builder repairs under warranty is money you do not spend later.
How long do I have to bring a construction defect claim in Texas? For contracts signed on or after June 9, 2023, the statute of repose is generally six years from substantial completion when the builder provides a qualifying written warranty. Contracts before that date are generally subject to the older ten-year period. Presenting a written claim during the limitations period can extend the time to file suit by one year.
If you found this useful, read these next
- How to Evaluate a Home Builder in North Texas (Before You Sign a Contract) covers how to judge who you are buying from, which is the decision that determines how the warranty year actually goes.
- How to Evaluate an Older Home Beyond the Cosmetics is the same inspection mindset applied to a house that has had a few decades to show its problems.
If you bought new in the last year anywhere around Sachse, Wylie, Lavon, Princeton, Royse City, or Rockwall and you are not sure where your warranty stands, send me your closing date. I will tell you how much time you have left, and it is usually less than people think.
Warranty terms vary by builder and by warranty administrator, so your document controls. Jeanie Marten Real Estate is a brokerage, not a law firm or an inspection company, and nothing here is legal advice. For a dispute, talk to a Texas construction attorney.
Visit MartenTeam.com or book a consultation.
Jeanie Marten Real Estate 972-414-0719 | MartenTeam.com
Sources referenced
- Texas Property Code Chapter 27, Residential Construction Liability
- Texas State Law Library: Construction Defects
- Texas shortens the cut-off date for suits against homebuilders providing a six-year written warranty
- StrucSure Home Warranty: the 1-2-10 structure
- 2-10 Home Buyers Warranty: Texas builder warranty coverage
