Working With Pros
Beyond the Warranty: Builders Respond to Those ‘Oh, No’ Calls
See how three building pros deal with real problems that come up after the warranty period ends
As a homeowner, you expect your newly built home or remodeling project to hold up for many years. But sometimes, cracks and leaks spring up before they should. That’s when it’s time to call the builder.
But who is responsible when problems do come up, especially when the problems arise past the agreed-upon warranty period? The truth is, many reputable professionals stand behind their work even longer than the time frame agreed upon in the contract. We spoke with three builders about how their companies handled problems that fell outside the warranty agreement or time period.
But who is responsible when problems do come up, especially when the problems arise past the agreed-upon warranty period? The truth is, many reputable professionals stand behind their work even longer than the time frame agreed upon in the contract. We spoke with three builders about how their companies handled problems that fell outside the warranty agreement or time period.
When a Broken Component Isn’t a Warranty Issue
Gerald Lorentz, a Houzzer and retired contractor in Florida, once did a bathroom renovation with high-end ceramic bath faucets that the client picked out. “A couple of weeks later, I get the call that the shower was dripping water and it looked like something had happened to the ceramic valve,” Lorentz says. He was certain that the manufacturer would cover the faulty product, as it should not have cracked under normal use.
But it turned out that the client’s son, a strong college football star, had turned the handle so hard that the shower valve had cracked, the homeowner confessed. This wasn’t an issue with construction or warranty then, but simply that the owner’s son had damaged the product. Lorentz installed a different, cheaper valve that wouldn’t be so costly to replace if the owner’s son got overzealous again. The remodeler charged the owner just enough to cover his subcontractor and made no profit on the repair.
Takeaway: Many contractors will do small fixes to a larger project for a minimum cost.
Gerald Lorentz, a Houzzer and retired contractor in Florida, once did a bathroom renovation with high-end ceramic bath faucets that the client picked out. “A couple of weeks later, I get the call that the shower was dripping water and it looked like something had happened to the ceramic valve,” Lorentz says. He was certain that the manufacturer would cover the faulty product, as it should not have cracked under normal use.
But it turned out that the client’s son, a strong college football star, had turned the handle so hard that the shower valve had cracked, the homeowner confessed. This wasn’t an issue with construction or warranty then, but simply that the owner’s son had damaged the product. Lorentz installed a different, cheaper valve that wouldn’t be so costly to replace if the owner’s son got overzealous again. The remodeler charged the owner just enough to cover his subcontractor and made no profit on the repair.
Takeaway: Many contractors will do small fixes to a larger project for a minimum cost.
Relying on the Importance of Good Customer Relations
Shawn Foley of Foley Development Group in Reston, Virginia, finished a project in early 2015 that included installation of brass grab bars in the master shower. Unfortunately, the brass plating on the grab bars failed and was peeling off a little over a year later. “This kind of failure is supposed to be covered by the manufacturer, but since the installation is over a year old, they did not honor the manufacturer warranty,” Foley writes. “Our contract states that the only warranty given to the client for finished products is what the manufacturer provides.”
Nonetheless, Foley provided “different and more expensive” grab bars and installed them “free of charge to the client, even though this is a chargeable event,” he writes.
Similarly, in 2007 Foley worked on a $1.2 million home in Vienna, Virginia, where he aluminum-wrapped the cornice. A few years later, the aluminum came off after a big storm, and the owner called. “The storm and the work being over a year old are both grounds to disclaim the warranty item, but we fixed it anyway, free of charge, because we stand behind our work,” Foley writes. “We still get at least one referral from them every year.”
Takeaway: Ask contractors if they’ll work with you on issues that arise after the warranty period.
Your turn: What was your experience when a build or renovation showed a problem after it was complete? We know that no two stories will be alike. Tell us in the Comments how your building professional responded.
Find out how a construction warranty protects owners as well as builders
Shawn Foley of Foley Development Group in Reston, Virginia, finished a project in early 2015 that included installation of brass grab bars in the master shower. Unfortunately, the brass plating on the grab bars failed and was peeling off a little over a year later. “This kind of failure is supposed to be covered by the manufacturer, but since the installation is over a year old, they did not honor the manufacturer warranty,” Foley writes. “Our contract states that the only warranty given to the client for finished products is what the manufacturer provides.”
Nonetheless, Foley provided “different and more expensive” grab bars and installed them “free of charge to the client, even though this is a chargeable event,” he writes.
Similarly, in 2007 Foley worked on a $1.2 million home in Vienna, Virginia, where he aluminum-wrapped the cornice. A few years later, the aluminum came off after a big storm, and the owner called. “The storm and the work being over a year old are both grounds to disclaim the warranty item, but we fixed it anyway, free of charge, because we stand behind our work,” Foley writes. “We still get at least one referral from them every year.”
Takeaway: Ask contractors if they’ll work with you on issues that arise after the warranty period.
Your turn: What was your experience when a build or renovation showed a problem after it was complete? We know that no two stories will be alike. Tell us in the Comments how your building professional responded.
Find out how a construction warranty protects owners as well as builders
Typically, a contractor provides all construction materials for a project. Contractors purchase with a discount and mark up the materials to cover profit and overhead. Nonetheless, the cost to the homeowner is usually below retail thanks to the pro’s discount.
But in today’s internet age, many homeowners like to search for the best prices themselves. There’s nothing wrong with this — as long as you understand that doing so creates some risks. Namely, the contractor can no longer be sure that the products you’ve chosen will stand the test of time. “When that happens, there has to be a conversation about those materials not being covered under warranty,” says Anne Higuera, co-owner of Ventana Construction in Seattle.
For example, one of Ventana’s customers purchased a shower valve, and the shower later developed a leak. The fact that the owner had purchased the shower valve muddied the waters in terms of who was responsible for the cost of repairing the shower leak. If the problem is a valve that the owner supplies, should the owner pay for the plumber’s time? And how about the contractor’s time? This example illustrates a few of the ways that buying materials yourself can create complications. “When contractors supply everything that you’re installing, you know that they’re responsible for the entire thing,” Higuera says.
In this particular situation, the owner had to deal with the manufacturer to sort out replacing it. In many other situations, Ventana has absorbed the cost of diagnosing the problem, even when it has turned out to be not covered by warranty.
An added bonus of having your contractor supply everything: The homeowner is less likely to be stuck dealing with a toll-free telephone number for a large retail outlet because the contractor may well work directly with the supplier or manufacturer to resolve the problem.
Takeaway: Reconsider that cheap sink unless you know you’ll be able to return it if something goes wrong.