About Our Warranty Program
April 3rd, 2024 | by Madison Stone
Pete & Co. – About Our Warranty Program
At Stonewall Homes, we guarantee the highest quality of work in our builds from start to finish— we take pride in what we do, and we want our homeowners to take pride in their new home.
Because of this, we endeavor to make our builder’s warranty and claim process as straightforward and fair as possible. Stonewall Homes uses a warranty approved by the Oklahoma State Home Builders Association, and we have our own warranty manager to oversee any claims.
We asked our warranty manager, Jim S., to provide a few insights into the Stonewall Homes warranty that he’s gained from his years of experience working with us and our homeowners. Here’s what he had to say:
Q: What is your position at Stonewall Homes?
JS: Warranty Manager
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Q: How long are Stonewall homes under warranty?
JS: One year from the date of purchase (the closing date). Some appliances and mechanical systems may provide manufacturer warranties beyond one year. For example, some manufacturers of Heating and Air (HVAC) equipment provide extended warranties in exchange for the homeowner simply registering the products. For this reason, we always encourage our customers to register all their appliances and mechanical products.
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“It is our goal to make sure your home conforms to the highest quality standards that we feel make our homes unique.”
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Q: How are claims resolved?
JS: Immediately after closing, all our homeowners receive an introductory email from me in which the process for handling warranty claims is explained.
While many home builders provide the homeowner a list of subcontractors and their phone numbers and leave it up to the homeowner to manage any warranty issues, we at Stonewall Homes make the warranty claims process simple.
Simply contact me by phone, text, or email and tell me about the issue. I will further evaluate the issue and determine the requisite skills required to resolve the issue. The same skilled workers who built your home will then be engaged to resolve the issue. If multiple skillsets are required, I will manage the project through completion to ensure your home adheres to the standards provided by the warranty.
That’s it. It is our goal to make sure your home conforms to the highest quality standards that we feel make our homes unique.
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Q: What does the warranty cover?
JS: Stonewall Homes adheres to the standards provided in the OKLAHOMA STATE HOME BUILDERS ASSOCIATION NEW HOME LIMITED WARRANTY AGREEMENT, which generally provides the home will be free from defects in materials and workmanship due to nonconformity with the Warranty Standards set forth in the document.
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“We at Stonewall Homes make the warranty claims process simple.”
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Q: What does the warranty not cover?
JS: As one might expect, there are reasonable exclusions which generally might be described as anything not directly caused by, nor within the control of, the Builder. For example, landscape items which are subject to elements and conditions beyond the control of the Builder.
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Q: How can homeowners better prepare themselves for (and protect themselves from) unforeseen warranty issues?
JS: Because homes are a somewhat complex set of products and systems–some with intricate, configurable electronics–joined together to create a living environment, we encourage our homeowners to try to use all the products and systems as quickly as possible to ensure they are operating as expected.
(Anecdotally, I learned this the hard way with a home I owned in another city. We never used the jacuzzi tub and found out during a home inspection when we sold the home that the vacuum switch that turned on the jets was not connected and did not work. The cost to repair was significant as the marble sidewalls surrounding the tub had to be removed to make the repair.)
We also strongly encourage our homeowners to register all their products with manufacturers to take advantage of any extended warranty provisions that may be provided for doing so.
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Q: If I buy a spec home from Stonewall, do I get the same warranty as if I built a custom home?
JS: Yes.
(Note: a spec house is new construction home not built for a specific client. Check out this post to learn more.)