Inspection Service · Lexington & Columbia, SC
One inspection, timed to land before your builder's one-year warranty clock runs out, so repairs are their bill instead of yours.
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An 11-month warranty inspection in Lexington SC is a full home inspection timed a few weeks before your builder's one-year workmanship warranty expires. Most new homes in South Carolina come with a one-year builder warranty covering materials and workmanship, and once that window closes, any defect becomes the homeowner's expense instead of the builder's obligation. This inspection exists to catch problems while they're still someone else's bill to pay.
We run the same full-scope inspection as a home purchase — roof, attic, crawlspace, electrical, plumbing, HVAC, and structure — and produce a report formatted specifically for submission to a builder's warranty department, with photos and locations attached to every item.
By month eleven a Lexington-area house has been through a full cycle of Midlands weather: a summer of high humidity working on the crawlspace, clay-heavy soil shifting under the foundation, and at least one heating season testing the HVAC system under real load. Problems that weren't visible at closing show themselves by then — settlement cracks at drywall seams, nail pops, grading that has settled into standing water near the foundation, flashing leaks that only show up after a hard rain, or an HVAC system that's been short-cycling since August.
The math favors ordering it: the inspection itself runs a few hundred dollars, and a single covered repair — a reflashed roof valley, a reconnected duct run, a corrected grading swale — commonly costs several times that if you pay for it yourself in year two. Builders also respond differently to a third-party, photo-documented report than to a homeowner's handwritten list; it reads as a claim, not a complaint, and gets routed to trades faster. It's a natural pairing with a pre-listing inspection if you're already planning to sell within a few years, since both rely on the same documentation habit — catching issues on paper before they become disputes.
Deliverable
You get a complete inspection report formatted as a warranty submission — organized by system, with photos and locations your builder's warranty coordinator can act on directly.
Local specifics
In the newer neighborhoods around Lexington, Chapin, and the Highway 6 corridor, the most common finding by month eleven is grading that no longer works the way it did at closing — fresh sod settles, mulch beds compact, and downspout extensions get moved or removed by a landscaping crew, leaving water pooling against the foundation. We also see nail pops and hairline drywall cracks at truss-to-wall junctions as houses complete their first full season of framing movement, which is normal but worth documenting if it's outside typical tolerances.
On the HVAC side, homes across Columbia and West Columbia that skated through a mild first winter sometimes reveal undersized or poorly balanced duct runs the first time a real cold snap hits — rooms that won't hold temperature, registers with weak airflow. Those are exactly the kind of comfort complaints a builder will cover in month eleven and shrug off in month thirteen.
Because month-eleven visits often surface moisture and drainage issues, we'll flag anything that warrants a follow-up mold inspection in Lexington SC or a sewer scope inspection on a newer lateral. We run warranty inspections for clients working with a home inspector in Lexington, SC, across Columbia, and throughout West Columbia.
Hairline cracks at drywall seams and minor nail pops are common first-year movement and usually cosmetic. Cracks in the foundation itself, doors that have gone out of square, or gaps opening at exterior trim are different — we separate the two categories clearly so you know what's worth a claim.
Warranty deadlines in builder contracts are typically strict calendar dates, not grace periods. If your closing anniversary is within a month or two, scheduling now — rather than after a slow decision — is what keeps the claim option open.
Questions
Around month ten or eleven after closing — early enough to receive the report, submit a claim list, and have the builder acknowledge it before the one-year warranty expires. Waiting until month twelve is risky since some builders require claims filed with time left on the clock. Call 803-365-5890 and we'll work backward from your closing date.
It varies by builder, but most one-year warranties cover workmanship and materials defects — things like drywall cracking beyond normal settlement, HVAC performance issues, plumbing leaks, and door and window operation. Structural and major system coverage often extends longer under separate warranty terms. Read your specific builder's warranty document, since coverage details differ contract to contract.
It's priced similarly to a standard full home inspection based on square footage, since the scope is the same — every major system, roof to crawlspace. Given that a single covered repair often exceeds the inspection cost several times over, most homeowners find it pays for itself. Call 803-365-5890 for an exact quote on your address.
Some builders honor claims filed shortly after the deadline if the defect clearly existed before expiration, but there's no guarantee, and many will decline. It's still worth a full inspection to know what you're dealing with, even if the builder conversation becomes harder. Call as soon as you realize the date has passed rather than waiting longer.
Most Lexington and Columbia-area builders take documented, photo-backed, third-party reports seriously, especially when the claim is filed before the warranty deadline with clear locations and descriptions. It won't guarantee every item gets addressed, but a written report from an independent inspector carries more weight than a homeowner's own list and is harder to dispute.
Areas we serve
South Carolina
From 1970s ranches to the new-construction corridors off Highway 6 and 378.
Home inspector in LexingtonSouth Carolina
Shandon bungalows, Forest Acres brick, Northeast suburbs and downtown builds.
Home inspector in ColumbiaSouth Carolina
Mill-era cottages, post-war brick, and new riverfront townhomes.
Home inspector in West Columbia