11 Month Warranty Inspection: What to Check Before Year One

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An 11 month warranty inspection is a full, independent inspection of a newly built home scheduled shortly before the builder’s first-year warranty runs out. The timing is the whole point. By month eleven the house has been through most of a heating and cooling season, the framing has dried and shrunk, the soil around the foundation has settled, and small installation mistakes have had time to show up. Most of those items are still the builder’s responsibility for a few more weeks. Once the one-year mark passes, many of the same repairs become the owner’s cost. This guide explains how typical new-construction warranties are structured, what an inspector looks at during the visit, which findings come up most often on Colorado Front Range homes, and how to document and file claims so the builder acts on them.

Part of our Home Inspections Explained guide — start there for the full picture →

What an 11 Month Warranty Inspection Is and Why the Timing Matters

The 11 month warranty inspection is not a code inspection and it is not the municipal final. The city or county building department already signed off before the certificate of occupancy was issued, and that sign-off confirms minimum code items were observed at specific stages. It does not promise that every shingle, duct joint and drain fitting was installed well. An independent home inspector works for the owner, not the builder, and reports on the visible condition of the roof, exterior, structure, plumbing, electrical, heating and cooling, interior, insulation and ventilation.

The reason to book it at month eleven rather than month thirteen is simple: most builder warranties put the burden on the owner to report a defect in writing before the coverage period ends. A crack that appears on day 360 and is reported on day 370 can be a negotiation instead of a warranty claim. Booking the inspection around week 44 to 46 leaves time to receive the report, compile the list, send it to the builder and confirm receipt before the deadline.

A second reason is that new homes change more in their first year than at any other time. Lumber that arrived on site wet shrinks as the house is heated. Concrete cures and develops shrinkage cracks. Backfill around the foundation compacts and can settle toward the house. Caulk joints open up. None of this is unusual, but the builder’s repair obligation depends on noticing it while coverage is still active.

Owners who also had a new construction home inspection before closing get the most out of the eleven-month visit, because the inspector can compare current conditions to the earlier report and flag items that were “to be completed” and never were.

How New-Construction Builder Warranties Are Usually Structured

Builder warranties are contracts, and they vary widely by builder, by state and by whether a third-party warranty company backs the coverage. Read the actual warranty booklet that came with the closing documents. With that caveat, many new homes in the United States follow a familiar three-tier pattern:

• About one year for workmanship and materials. This tier commonly covers finish items: drywall, trim, paint, doors, cabinets, flooring, caulking, grading and similar items, judged against the builder’s written performance standards.
• About two years for systems. Plumbing, electrical, and heating and cooling distribution systems are often covered for a second year, though the definition of a “system” defect is usually narrower than a workmanship defect.
• Up to about ten years for major structural defects. This long tail typically applies only to load-bearing elements such as footings, foundation walls, beams and bearing walls, and only when the damage meets a defined threshold. Cosmetic cracking rarely qualifies.

The exact terms, exclusions and claim procedures differ from one builder to the next. Some warranties exclude damage caused by soil movement unless the builder failed to follow an engineered foundation design. Others cap the builder’s liability or require binding arbitration. Our guide to the builder warranty walks through common clauses and how to read the performance standards that define what counts as a defect.

Manufacturer warranties sit alongside the builder’s coverage. Water heaters, furnaces, air conditioners, windows, roofing materials and appliances often carry their own warranties, sometimes longer than the builder’s, and some require registration within a set period after installation. An inspection report that notes a failing component helps with either claim path.

What the Inspector Checks at Month Eleven

A thorough eleven-month visit covers the same major systems as any home inspection. The ASHI Standard of Practice, which many inspectors follow, calls for inspecting roofing materials, roof drainage, flashing and roof penetrations; exterior wall coverings, grading and surface drainage likely to affect the building; interior water supply and drain systems; the electrical service and a representative number of fixtures, switches and receptacles; installed heating and cooling equipment; and insulation and ventilation in unfinished spaces such as attics. The emphasis at month eleven shifts toward the defects that first-year movement and seasonal use tend to expose.

Settling cracks and foundation movement

Hairline shrinkage cracks in basement slabs and foundation walls are common and usually cosmetic. The inspector looks for cracks that are wider, offset (one side higher than the other), growing, or accompanied by sticking doors, sloping floors or gaps at trim. Those patterns can point to movement worth documenting even if the builder later calls it normal.

Drywall nail pops and cracks

As framing dries, fasteners can push through the drywall surface and corners above doors and windows can crack. Most builder standards treat a certain number or size of nail pops as a one-time repair item. A list of locations, with photos, makes the repair visit efficient.

Grading and drainage

Backfill settlement can reverse the slope that originally carried water away from the foundation. The inspector checks whether soil and hardscape still fall away from the house, whether downspouts discharge onto splash blocks or extensions, and whether window wells collect water. This is one of the most consequential checks on the Front Range, covered in more detail below.

Roof and flashing

Wind, hail, and thermal cycling can lift shingles, loosen ridge caps and expose poorly sealed flashing at walls, chimneys and roof penetrations. Missing kick-out flashing where a roof meets a sidewall is a classic new-construction miss that can let water behind siding.

Heating and cooling balance

Rooms that run noticeably hotter or colder than the rest of the house often trace back to disconnected or crushed ducts, missing dampers or an unbalanced system. The inspector operates the equipment with normal controls, checks supply registers and notes rooms with weak airflow.

Plumbing leaks

Slow drips under sinks, at tub and shower drains, at the water heater and around exterior hose bibbs often appear only after months of use. Stains on basement ceilings below bathrooms are worth a close look.

Electrical safety devices

The inspector tests a representative number of receptacles, including GFCI-protected outlets in kitchens, bathrooms, garages and exteriors, and notes AFCI devices where present. A plug-in outlet tester catches reversed polarity and open grounds quickly, and a tripped or non-resetting protective device is a legitimate warranty item.

Attic insulation and ventilation

Attic insulation can be blown unevenly, displaced by other trades, or left thin over the hatch and along the eaves. Baffles may be missing, bath fans may terminate in the attic instead of outdoors, and soffit vents may be blocked. Our article on attic ventilation explains why balanced intake and exhaust matter for both moisture and roof life.

Radon

Radon is not a warranty defect in the usual sense, but the first year is a sensible time to test. EPA’s Citizen’s Guide to Radon states that every new home should be tested after occupancy, even if it was built with radon-resistant features, and that a passive system should be activated with a fan by a qualified mitigator if levels remain at or above 4 pCi/L. Much of the Front Range sits in EPA’s highest radon zone. Our breakdown of radon test cost covers DIY kits versus professional continuous monitors.

11-Month Warranty Inspection Checklist by Area

The table below summarizes the areas a typical eleven-month report covers and the findings that come up most often. It is a planning aid, not a substitute for the inspector’s report or the builder’s written standards. For a broader pre-closing version, see the new construction home inspection checklist.

Items worth tracking into year two

Some findings at month eleven are not clear defects yet. A foundation crack that is a little wider than a hairline, a door that has started to rub, or a room that runs a few degrees warm can all be early signs or simply normal first-year behavior. Rather than ignoring them, list them in the claim as items to monitor and ask the builder to acknowledge them in writing. If the warranty includes a second year for plumbing, electrical and HVAC distribution systems, that acknowledgment makes a later claim easier. Simple tracking helps: pencil marks with dates at each end of a crack, a photo from the same spot every few months, and a note of indoor temperatures by room during a cold snap. A dated record is far more persuasive than a recollection that something “got worse.”

Colorado Front Range New-Construction Issues

Several conditions show up repeatedly in Front Range subdivisions, though how often they appear varies by builder, lot and soil report.

Expansive soils. Parts of the Denver metro, Douglas County, the northern Front Range and the Interstate 25 corridor sit on clay soils and claystone bedrock that swell when wet and shrink when dry. Builders on those lots often use engineered foundations, structural floors over crawl spaces, or slabs with interior isolation details. The practical consequence for owners is that water management around the house matters more than usual. Irrigation spraying against the foundation, planting beds against the wall and downspouts that empty next to the house all feed the soil the foundation sits on.

Drainage and grading. New subdivisions often have tightly graded side yards and swales shared between lots. If landscaping installed after closing changed the grade, the builder may argue the owner caused the problem. Photos of the original grade at move-in, plus the inspector’s observations, help sort out responsibility.

Basement floor movement. Some Front Range builders install floating basement slabs with slip joints on interior partition walls so the slab can move without lifting walls. An inspector may note gaps at the bottom of basement drywall or framing that look alarming but are part of the design. The report should say so, and the builder’s documentation should confirm it.

Hail and wind. Shingle damage from spring hail or chinook winds can appear in the first year. Storm damage usually falls under homeowner’s insurance rather than the builder warranty, but installation defects, such as too few nails or nails placed too high, remain a builder item.

Dry winter air and wood shrinkage. Low indoor humidity in a heated Colorado winter accelerates framing shrinkage. That tends to make nail pops, trim gaps and hardwood floor seams more visible by late winter, which often lines up well with an eleven-month inspection for homes closed the previous spring.

Documenting Defects and Filing Warranty Claims

A clean process makes the difference between a repair visit and a long back-and-forth. The following steps work with most builders:

1. Find the deadline. Locate the warranty start date (often the closing date) and the reporting window. Some builders require claims through an online portal; others require mailed or emailed written notice.
2. Keep a running list all year. Note items as they appear, with dated photos. Many owners find that their own list is as long as the inspector’s.
3. Book the inspection with enough lead time. Aim for a report in hand at least three to four weeks before the deadline.
4. Organize the claim by location and system. Reference report page numbers and photos. Separate clear defects from items that are cosmetic or matters of opinion, so the builder sees a credible list.
5. Submit in writing and keep proof. Use the method the warranty specifies. Save confirmation emails or portal screenshots.
6. Attend the repair walk-through. Confirm each item is corrected, not just “looked at,” and note anything deferred with a written date.
7. Escalate in order. If items are denied, ask which performance standard applies. Third-party warranty programs often have a dispute process, and some contracts specify mediation or arbitration.

The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau advises buyers not to purchase a home without a thorough inspection and points out that inspections are for the buyer’s protection. The same logic applies after closing on a new build: an independent report gives the owner a neutral record rather than relying on the builder’s own assessment. When a builder declines a repair, a written estimate helps decide whether to push the claim or handle it privately; our guide to home inspection repair cost estimates gives typical ranges.

Cost, Scheduling and the Pre-Drywall Stage

Pricing for an eleven-month inspection usually tracks a standard home inspection for a house of the same size, sometimes slightly lower because the home is new and the inspector may be repeating an earlier visit. Add-ons such as radon testing, sewer scoping or infrared scanning cost extra. Prices vary by square footage, location and inspector, so get quotes. Our article on new construction home inspection cost covers the pre-drywall, final and eleven-month phases together, and the general guide to inspection cost explains how fees are set.

Whether the fee pays for itself depends on what turns up. A single disconnected duct, a leaking drain or a section of missing attic insulation can cost more to fix after the warranty than the inspection itself, though no inspection can guarantee findings.

For owners building rather than buying a completed spec home, the best time to start is earlier. A pre-drywall inspection looks at framing, fire blocking, plumbing and electrical rough-in, window flashing and air sealing details while they are still exposed. Problems caught then are cheap to fix, and the report becomes a baseline for the eleven-month visit. A three-phase approach (pre-drywall, final, eleven-month) gives the most complete record of the build.

What to do on inspection day

Have all utilities on, clear access to the attic hatch, electrical panel, water heater, furnace and crawl space, and move stored items away from basement walls. Leave the thermostat on normal settings. Attend if possible, and bring the running list of concerns so the inspector can look at each one. Ask the inspector to note which items look like installation defects versus normal maintenance, since builders often reject maintenance items such as caulk touch-ups after the first few months.

When to Call a Professional Beyond the Inspector

A home inspector reports visible conditions and does not provide engineering analysis. The ASHI Standard of Practice specifically states the inspector is not required to provide engineering or architectural services or offer an opinion about the adequacy of structural systems. If the report notes offset foundation cracks, significant floor slope or recurring water entry, a licensed structural engineer is the right next step, ideally before the warranty deadline so the engineer’s letter can accompany the claim. Persistent HVAC imbalance may call for a mechanical contractor to measure airflow. A radon result at or above 4 pCi/L calls for a qualified mitigator.

On the Front Range, expansive-soil questions in particular benefit from an engineer who knows local geology, since the line between normal movement and a structural defect is often a matter of measurement over time.

References

• ASHI Standard of Practice for Home Inspections — American Society of Home Inspectors
• A Citizen’s Guide to Radon (2016) — U.S. Environmental Protection Agency
• Schedule a Home Inspection — Consumer Financial Protection Bureau
• Attic Air Sealing Project — ENERGY STAR

Approaching the end of your first year in a new Front Range home? Tell us your warranty deadline and we can help line up an independent inspection in time. More planning guides live in our hiring process section and the home inspection basics hub.