New Construction Home Warranty and What's Included at Capistrano

"A new construction home warranty is a written promise from the builder to fix certain problems for a set number of years. It comes in layers: a short one for small workmanship problems, a longer one for systems like plumbing and electrical, and the longest one for the structure. Capistrano's paperwork lists a 1-year workmanship warranty, a 2-year systems warranty and a 10-year structural warranty, which is the D.R. Horton standard. Below, we explain each layer in plain words and then walk through what is included in the home.

How a new construction home warranty works

Think of a warranty like a set of nesting boxes. Each box covers a different part of the house for a different length of time. The small parts get the shortest time. The big parts that hold the house up get the longest.

Most builders split their coverage into three layers:

• Workmanship. This is about how well the crew built things. Think of a door that sticks, a crack in a paint line, or a cabinet that does not close right.

• Systems. These are the working parts inside the walls, like plumbing pipes, electrical wiring and the heating and cooling system.

• Structure. This is the frame of the home, the parts that hold it up.

The shorter layers are for the small stuff you will notice soon after you move in. The longest layer is for rare, big problems. That is why the time spans get longer as the parts get more important.

What Capistrano lists for its new construction warranty

Capistrano is a community of one-story homes by D.R. Horton in Cutler Bay. Here is what the community's own features sheet and the D.R. Horton standard list:

The features sheet also lists two more items with a 10-year time span: a 10-year RWC warranty and a 10-year Carrier limited warranty. Carrier is the maker of the air conditioning equipment. The words ""limited warranty"" matter, so read that one closely. We explain why in the section on limits below.

The sheet also lists third-party home inspections and a New Homeowner Orientation. The orientation is a walk-through of your new home. It is the time to learn how things work and to ask questions. Write down anything you find that looks wrong, so you can report it while the workmanship layer is still running.

Wondering if you need more than the builder's inspections? Our guide on hiring your own new construction home inspector covers why some buyers add a second set of eyes even when the builder lists third-party inspections.

New construction warranty: what it does not do

A warranty is not a promise that nothing will ever go wrong. It has limits, and every warranty document spells them out in its own words. In general terms, most home warranties do not cover:

• Normal wear and tear from daily use

• Damage from a storm, a fire or an accident

• Problems caused by not doing basic upkeep

• Things that were changed or added after the sale

That list is general. It is not a legal reading of Capistrano's paperwork. Each warranty has its own rules on what is covered, how to file a claim and how fast you need to report a problem.

So here is the most useful advice in this whole post: ask for the actual warranty documents and read them before closing. Do not rely on a summary, including this one. If a word is unclear, ask your sales contact to explain it, and ask for the answer in writing.

If you want to talk it through, call 561-704-0091. We can help you list the questions to ask.

What is included at Capistrano: a walk-through

The warranty covers the home. So it helps to know what the home includes. This list comes straight from Capistrano's own features sheet. It has two plans, the Destin and the Fraser. Both are four-bedroom, three-bath, one-story homes with a three-car garage.

Outside the home

• Reinforced concrete monolithic slab (one solid concrete pour for the floor base)

• Masonry exterior walls

• Engineered roof with hurricane clips and bracing

• Baked-in-color cement roof tile

• Impact resistant glass windows and sliding glass doors

• Therma-Tru insulated fiberglass front door

• Durable metal garage door

• Fully sodded homesite with designed landscaping

• Hunter automatic irrigation

• Paver driveway, entry walkway and lanai

• Exterior GFI weatherproof outlets and a hose bib

Want more on the glass? Read how impact windows work.

The kitchen

• 3CM granite countertops and a kitchen island waterfall

• Full-height backsplash

• Full-overlay custom cabinets with 42-inch uppers and soft-close doors and drawers

• Small crown molding above the cabinets

• Puck lights (small round lights) in the kitchen

• Whirlpool stainless steel appliances: a 21 cubic foot counter-depth side-by-side fridge with ice maker, a glass-top range with a microwave above, and a built-in dishwasher

• Moen pull-out faucet and Moen garbage disposal

• Sterling undermount stainless sink

The bathrooms

• 2CM quartz tops

• Full-overlay adult-height cabinets with soft-close

• Daltile 12x24 ceramic tile on the walls and a 2x2 tile shower floor

• Free-standing tub

• Frameless shower panels

• Elongated commodes and full vanity mirrors

• Moen faucets and Broan exhaust fans

Inside the home

• 24x24 Daltile porcelain tile in the first-floor living areas (not the bedrooms)

• Mohawk carpet over dense padding in the bedrooms, per plan

• Orange-peel walls and knockdown ceilings

• Jeld-Wen 8-foot 2-panel interior doors

• Kwikset keyless entry

• Sherwin Williams bright white paint

• Vinyl-coated ventilated closet shelving

Systems inside the walls

These are the parts the 2-year systems layer is about, so it is good to know what they are.

• Uponor PEX plumbing (flexible plastic water pipe)

• Interior washer and dryer hook-up

• R-30 attic insulation (R-value is how well insulation slows heat)

• R-13 batt insulation between the interior wall and the garage wall

• R-4.1 insulated exterior masonry walls

• Energy-efficient central air conditioning and heating

• Square D surge protection on major appliances

• Pre-wired for ceiling fans in the bedrooms and great room

• 150-amp minimum electrical panel

• Smoke and carbon monoxide detectors

The Home Is Connected package

This is a set of smart-home items that work together:

• 7-inch HD touchscreen panel with a 5MP camera

• WiFi video doorbell

• Z-Wave thermostat, light switch and door lock

• WiFi garage door opener with two transmitters

Z-Wave is a way that smart devices talk to each other in the home.

How to use the warranty well

A warranty only helps if you use it. Here are simple steps that work for most new homeowners:

1. Get the documents early. Read them before closing, not after.

2. Go to the orientation with a notebook. Learn where the main water shut-off and the electrical panel are.

3. Keep a list. Use your phone to take photos of anything that looks off, with the date.

4. Report problems in writing. Follow the steps in the warranty papers for how to file a request.

5. Watch the calendar. The shortest layer is only one year. A month before it ends, do a slow walk through the whole house and check doors, windows, cabinets and paint.

That last step is where many buyers get value. Some problems only show up after a full year of seasons and use.

Our guide on 3-car garage sizes at Capistrano is a good next read if space is on your mind. To see how the two plans differ, read Destin vs Fraser at Capistrano.

Both plans are on the Capistrano community page. The Destin has recently started in the low $900,000s and the Fraser in the high $900,000s. Call 561-704-0091 for today's numbers, and ask what incentives are available today.

Want to see the finishes for yourself? Call 561-704-0091 or Walk the Warranty Details at Capistrano - Schedule a Visit and bring your questions.

Common Questions

Ready to walk it in person? Call 561-704-0091 or see Capistrano - schedule a visit. "