Warranty inspections are useful for people who’ve built a home recently, and have lived in the home for almost 1 year. Most builder warranties are 1 year, so getting a whole home inspection prior to the builder warranty expiring, can be important.
In some cases, it is for the homeowner’s peace of mind. But, most warranty inspections turn up things that should be repaired by the builder, before the warranty expires.
Examples of findings can include, but are not limited to, leaking plumbing supply lines and/or plumbing valves, dirty furnaces (still full of drywall dust from the build), concrete shrinkage cracks in foundations and other concrete surfaces like driveways and walkways, ground settlement around the home creating negative grading issues which can result in foundation problems in the long run, and cut corners (which is in every home).
The “cutting of corners”, can be things that could’ve been found during phase inspections, such as a pre-drywall inspection. Most of the time, nail plates and internal wall brackets are not put everywhere they need to be. And in the case of internal wall brackets, maybe they don’t exist at all. During a warranty inspection, it is possible to find cracks in the drywall near the ceilings of the home. This is usually due to truss uplift, which is a result of toe-nailing the trusses to the internal walls, instead of having the internal wall brackets in place.
Lack of, or missing insulation, or inadequate insulation in attics, can also be found during a warranty inspection. If given enough time, thermal bridging can be noticed in the home’s ceilings and walls. Thermal bridging is the result of missing or inadequate insulation. It is due to heat transfer from the wood framing behind drywall, and can leave stains on the drywall face, through the paint.
These are just a few reasons to get a builder warranty inspection. It is also a good idea, if you’re having a home built, to get the pre-drywall inspection and move-in inspection done. These inspections can help ensure the home is being built properly and safely, and it is truly “move-in ready” when that time comes.