The 11-Month Walkthrough

A new house moves in its first year. Lumber dries out, the house settles, and the heat runs through a full winter for the first time. Small things show up: a crack at a drywall corner, a door that starts to rub, a gutter that drips in the wrong place.

Many builders offer a one-year warranty on workmanship. If yours does, a walkthrough near the end of that year is the time to catch everything that showed up after you moved in, while it's still covered. Warranty terms vary a lot, so start by reading yours.

Know your warranty first

Find the builder's warranty from closeout and read it. Look for how long it lasts, what it covers and doesn't, how to make a claim, and whether claims have to be in writing by a certain date. Some cover workmanship for one year and certain systems longer. Manufacturer warranties on roofing, windows, appliances, and equipment are separate and run on their own terms.

Keep up with routine maintenance in the meantime (filters, gutters, caulk on the exterior). Some warranties exclude problems caused by skipped upkeep.

If the warranty runs a year from completion, book the walkthrough around month ten or eleven. That leaves time to send the list, schedule the work, and follow up before it expires.

Keep a list all year

The best walkthrough lists aren't made in one afternoon. Keep a running note on your phone from move-in: a photo, the room, and a line about what you noticed and when. A door that sticks only in January won't stick in August when you're walking the house.

Inside, room by room

• Drywall: cracks at corners of doors and windows, nail pops, seams showing, cracks where walls meet ceilings. Many are normal settling and an easy fix.
• Doors: rubbing, not latching, gaps that changed, sliding doors that drag.
• Windows: condensation between panes, drafts, hardware that's hard to operate, any staining on the trim below.
• Trim and finishes: joints that opened up, caulk that separated, flooring gaps or movement, cabinet doors out of alignment.
• Tile and grout: cracked grout, especially in showers, and any loose tiles.
• Plumbing: slow drains, drips, water temperature or pressure problems, any sign of a leak under sinks.
• Heating: rooms or zones that run cold or hot, noises, thermostats that don't match the room.
• Electrical: outlets or switches that don't work, breakers that trip.

Outside, after a winter

• Roof and gutters: ice buildup at the eaves, drips where they shouldn't be, heat tape or heated gutters working as they should.
• Grading and drainage: water pooling near the foundation, soil that settled against the house, downspouts dumping toward the walls.
• Siding and exterior trim: gaps, checking, stain or paint failing early.
• Decks and railings: loose boards, rails that move, fasteners backing out.
• Concrete: cracks in the driveway, walks, or garage floor. Some cracking is normal; note size and whether it's growing.

In the mountains, the first winter is the real test. If you're near the end of your warranty in summer, write down what you saw in February.

How to send it

Put it in one written note, grouped by room, with a photo and one line for each item. Open with something like: "Here's what we noticed over the first year. Some of these are probably normal settling." It keeps the tone right, and a good builder wants the chance to take care of their work.

Ask for a time to walk it together, and for the date items will be handled. Keep a copy, and note the date you sent it. If anything gets disputed, the written record and the warranty itself are what matter. That's a legal question, not a construction one, and this isn't legal advice.

Questions worth asking

• When exactly does the warranty end, and how should claims be submitted?
• Can we schedule a walkthrough before then?
• Which items do you see as normal settling, and which will you fix?
• When will the work be scheduled?
• Which manufacturer warranties should I contact directly?