Most new homes in Central Texas come with an express builder warranty, commonly structured as 1-2-10: one year on workmanship and materials, two years on the mechanical systems (plumbing, electrical, HVAC distribution), and ten years on major structural components. Some builders administer this themselves; many use a third-party warranty company, which means your claim goes to the administrator and not to the builder who actually swung the hammer.
What the three windows really cover
- Year one — workmanship and materials. The broadest window and the one buyers underuse. Drywall cracking, trim separation, paint, tile, cabinet and door alignment, grading and drainage, and most of what a punch list catches.
- Years one and two — systems. Rough plumbing, electrical and ductwork. Note this generally covers the distribution systems, not the appliances or equipment, which carry their own manufacturer warranties on their own timelines.
- Years one to ten — structural. Narrow by design. It typically covers designated load-bearing elements only, and usually only when the failure makes the home unsafe or unlivable. A slab that moves within the builder's stated tolerance is often not a claim, however alarming the cracks look.
What is usually excluded
Normal shrinkage and settling within tolerance. Anything the homeowner was supposed to maintain — and this is a large category in Texas, where watering the foundation, keeping grades and gutters clear and servicing the HVAC are all owner obligations. Damage from an owner alteration. Consequential damage. Anything reported after the window closed.
The walkthrough is the leverage point
Everything on the punch list at the final walkthrough is documented before you own the house, while the builder still has crews on site and an incentive to close cleanly. Everything you find afterwards is a warranty claim you have to open, evidence and chase. Production builders move fast and the pre-closing walkthrough is often scheduled tight; going through it without someone who has managed construction crews is how twenty items become two.
Marc has spent two decades in construction and building performance and walks new builds the way a peer contractor would — reading the framing, the envelope, the mechanical rough-in and the finish work, not the brochure. He also recommends a written eleventh-month inspection before the workmanship window closes, which is the last cheap opportunity to convert a defect into a builder obligation.
Keep the paperwork
Your warranty document defines the tolerances, the claim procedure and the notice deadlines, and it usually requires written notice. Keep it with the manufacturer warranties, the manuals and the walkthrough punch list — and read the dispute-resolution clause before you need it, since many builder warranties require mediation or arbitration.
