One year on workmanship is the common residential standard, with manufacturer warranties on materials running longer. Get the term, what it covers, and the response process in the contract, since verbal warranty promises are unenforceable in practice.
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There are two separate warranties on almost every project and homeowners routinely conflate them. Workmanship warranty covers the installation and comes from the contractor. One year is the common residential standard in this market, with some contractors offering two, and structural work often carrying longer terms. It covers things that fail because of how they were installed: a leaking joint, tile that debonds, trim that separates, a door that will not stay adjusted. Manufacturer warranty covers the product and comes from whoever made it. These run far longer, sometimes decades on roofing and windows, and they typically require correct installation to remain valid, which is why installer certification matters on those products. They also usually cover the material only, not the labor to replace it, unless the installer offers a labor warranty alongside. What to get in writing before work starts. The workmanship term and its start date, which should be substantial completion rather than the contract date. What is covered and what is excluded, since normal wear, owner damage, and settlement cracking are commonly excluded. The response process and expected timeframe for a callback. Whether the warranty transfers if you sell. And who to contact, which matters when a company changes names or the salesperson leaves. What to keep. The contract, the change orders, the final invoice, lien waivers, all product documentation and serial numbers, and photographs taken during construction before walls closed, which are genuinely valuable years later when someone needs to know what is behind the drywall. If a contractor will not honor a written warranty, the practical routes are the Texas Attorney General consumer protection complaint process, small claims court for amounts within its limit, and, where the work was licensed trade work, a complaint to the licensing board for that trade.