Inquiring about your builder’s warranty service is important to discuss early on and before signing a contract. In Georgia, by law, they are required to provide a one-year warranty on workmanship and materials. Some builders offer longer warranties, or longer warranties for certain items. Some handle the warranty “in house” and others outsource warranty claims to a third-party company.
At Custom Dwellings, in writing, we offer “the standard one-year warranty” and use the Greater Atlanta Homebuilders Association warranty as a guideline. While we don’t typically have many warranty claims to handle, it isn’t uncommon for us to help past clients even when outside the one-year warranty period. Depending on the problem and how long it has been, we may outright fix the problem free of charge or offer a solution at a discounted rate. This is an example why it is a good idea to call past clients and ask them how their warranty experience was. This will give you a better understanding of what to expect than a written warranty will (though that is a good place to start).
Ask if there was any issue the builder refused to take care of and if so, why? Did the builder or their employees address the warranty concerns, or was it passed off to another company to handle? Were expectations met and exceeded during the warranty period? What about after the warranty period?
While no builder likes dealing with warranty, we don’t shy away from it. I personally reach out to our clients after one month, six months, and one year to make sure they are still satisfied. If there are any concerns, one of our employees addresses the concerns in a timely manner or arranges for the appropriate sub-contractor to come back and provide a remedy.
One of my first management jobs in construction was handling warranty for a large builder. For the most part, I despised it. It seemed like everyone had a problem and blamed me by default, before I ever stepped in the door for the first time. Even though it was my job to handle warranty, I would have been happy if no one ever called. Now I view things a bit differently. I still don’t want to deal with warranty, because it means someone had a problem with something I did. However, I do want to make sure my clients are happy. Now I view warranty as a way to confirm the client made the right choice in hiring Custom Dwellings and if I can learn from a problem to avoid it in the future, all the better. We work to build a relationship and trust with our clients, so I no longer cringe when they reach out, rather, I’m happy to hear from them. I’d like to think they feel the same way, as it is not uncommon for clients to reach out for help or advice several years later. Heck, I still have one homeowner I built a house for over 20 years ago while working for another custom builder who still calls me on occasion with a question or request for a referral. My number hasn’t changed and I’ll keep answering the phone for another 20 years. Hopefully I’ll be retired by then, but I’d still love to hear from my past clients!