"Your builder's one-year warranty is a window that quietly closes. An inspection at month eleven is how you make sure nothing covered slips through it."
Most builders provide a one-year warranty covering workmanship and defects on a new home — but that coverage expires on a hard deadline, and the burden is on you to identify and submit issues in time. A builder's warranty inspection, done around the eleven-month mark, gives you a documented list of covered defects to present before the clock runs out. Many problems only reveal themselves after a home has gone through its first full year of seasons, settling, and daily use — exactly the issues a one-year inspection is designed to surface. Tom Cely personally performs every inspection across the Central Savannah River Area, following the ASHI Standards of Practice and explaining every finding in plain language.
A builder's warranty inspection is a thorough, top-to-bottom evaluation of your home's visible and accessible systems and components — the same comprehensive scope as any full home inspection, focused on identifying issues that fall under your builder's coverage. Tom examines the roof, exterior, attic, walls, ceilings and floors, bathrooms, kitchens, laundry, electrical, plumbing, HVAC, foundation and crawlspace or basement, and the grounds and irrigation.
Every finding is documented with clear, high-resolution photos and delivered in a written report free of jargon — typically within 24 hours. The report is built to do double duty: it's an organized, photo-supported punch list you can submit directly to your builder, making it easy for them to see, verify, and address each item. Tom also provides an informative field summary of the major points and answers any questions you have.
The result is a clear, professional record of your home's condition at the close of its first year — and the documentation you need to get covered defects fixed on the builder's dime.
A new home's first year tells you things its closing day never could. As the home settles, expands and contracts through a full cycle of seasons, and gets put to everyday use, defects that were invisible at move-in begin to show themselves. Scheduling your inspection around month eleven catches these issues with a comfortable margin before the one-year warranty deadline — leaving you time to submit the list and the builder time to respond while they're still obligated.
Across the CSRA, a full year of hot, humid summers and cooler winters puts real stress on a new build — nail pops and drywall cracks from settling, grading and drainage that didn't perform as planned, HVAC and condensate issues, caulking and grout failures, sticking doors and windows, and roofing or flashing that revealed itself in the first heavy storms. Many of these are minor on their own, but bundled into a documented warranty claim they add up to real value.
Wait too long and the window simply closes — leaving you to pay out of pocket for repairs the builder would otherwise have covered. An eleven-month inspection turns your warranty from a piece of paper into protection you actually use.
Approaching the one-year mark on a newly built home is the core scenario — and timing is everything. Scheduling around month ten or eleven leaves a comfortable buffer to have the inspection done, review the report, and submit your list well before the warranty expires.
Owners who skipped a pre-closing inspection use the warranty inspection as their first real professional look at the home. Owners who did inspect at closing use it to confirm that earlier punch-list items were properly resolved and to catch anything that has emerged since. And owners who simply want a documented record of their home's first-year condition request it for peace of mind and future reference.
Whatever the reason, the goal is the same: get an impartial, professional list of covered defects into your builder's hands while the warranty still has teeth.
From your first phone call to the report in your inbox — clear communication and no surprises at every step.
Call Tom at 706-840-4907 around month ten or eleven. We'll book a time with a comfortable buffer before your deadline.
Tom performs a complete, careful evaluation of the home's systems and components, documenting every finding with photos.
You receive a detailed, jargon-free report — typically within 24 hours — organized as a punch list ready to submit.
Hand the documented list to your builder before the warranty expires — so covered items are fixed on their dime.
A warranty inspection is only as good as the inspector behind it. Tom's experience and credentials make the difference.
A South Carolina licensed Residential Home Inspector who inspects per the ASHI Standards of Practice on every job.
Real-world experience built since 2014 across the CSRA — and the eye for detail that comes with it.
15+ years in residential and light commercial construction quality control — he knows what a builder should stand behind.
Plain-language reports organized as a builder-ready punch list — easy to submit and easy for your builder to act on.
It's a full home inspection timed near the end of your builder's one-year warranty. The goal is to identify defects covered by that warranty and document them in a report you can submit to your builder before the coverage expires.
Most builder warranties run one year. Inspecting around month eleven catches issues that emerged over the home's first full year of settling and seasons, while still leaving a comfortable buffer to submit the list and have items addressed before the deadline.
Common first-year items include nail pops and drywall cracks from settling, grading and drainage problems, HVAC and condensate issues, caulking and grout failures, sticking doors and windows, and roofing or flashing concerns that surface after heavy weather.
No — the warranty terms and your builder determine what's covered. Tom's job is to give you a thorough, impartial, well-documented report of the home's condition so you can submit a clear list and have an informed conversation with your builder.
Reports are typically delivered within 24 hours of the inspection — written in clear, plain language and organized as a photo-supported punch list ready to hand straight to your builder.
Call or text Tom directly at 706-840-4907, or use our contact form. Reach out around month ten so there's plenty of time before your warranty deadline. Tom personally handles all scheduling.
SC License RBI 48737 • Certified Residential Mold Inspector • 3,000+ Inspections • Serving the CSRA Since 2014