What a One-Year Workmanship Warranty on a Custom Home Actually Covers

When you move into a custom home, your builder's workmanship warranty starts running immediately. Most homeowners don't think about it again until something goes wrong — and by then, they often discover the warranty doesn't cover what they assumed it did. A one-year workmanship warranty on a custom home covers defects in the builder's labor: the framing, drywall, finish carpentry, and roofing work performed by the builder's own crews. It does not cover manufacturer defects in appliances or windows, normal cosmetic wear, or structural issues governed by Florida's implied warranty of construction statute. Knowing the difference before you close is the difference between a covered claim and an out-of-pocket repair.

What a One-Year Workmanship Warranty on a Custom Home Covers

Workmanship is the labor and installation quality of the builder's crews — not the materials themselves. On a JK Prestige custom home, the one-year workmanship warranty covers:

• Framing: structural members that shift, twist, or pull away from connections due to installation error (not normal wood settling)
• Drywall: tape seams that open, fastener pops that reappear after repair, or finish texture that separates from the substrate
• Finish carpentry: trim gaps at joints, crown molding that pulls away from the ceiling, built-in cabinet doors that rack or won't close due to out-of-square installation
• Roofing labor: flashing that lifts, nail patterns that miss rafter centers, ridge cap that separates — any leak traceable to how the roof was installed rather than a defective shingle
• Concrete flatwork: slabs that crack beyond normal shrinkage tolerances or steps that settle due to inadequate base preparation

The year runs from certificate of occupancy (CO), not from the date you first call a problem in. If you notice an issue in month 11, document it and submit it in writing before the anniversary date.

What the Warranty Does Not Cover

Manufacturer defects are the responsibility of the product manufacturer, not the builder. If your windows fog between the panes, that's a failed seal — a glazing defect covered by the window manufacturer's warranty, typically 10 to 20 years on sealed units. If your HVAC compressor fails in month eight, that's a manufacturer warranty call, not a workmanship call.

Cosmetic wear is also excluded. Paint scuffs, minor scratches on hardwood floors from furniture, and grout color variation from cleaning products are not workmanship failures. They're use.

Structural defects in Florida are governed separately under Florida Statute §553.84, which provides a ten-year implied warranty on structural components (foundation, load-bearing walls, roof structure). A workmanship warranty does not extend or replace that protection — they exist in parallel.

What this means practically: a drywall seam that opens is a workmanship claim. A window that leaks because the rough opening was incorrectly sized is a workmanship claim. A window that leaks because the factory seal failed is a manufacturer claim.

How the Production Builder 10/2/1 Warranty Compares

If you've compared JK to production or semi-custom builders, you've seen the 10/2/1 warranty structure: ten years on structural defects, two years on mechanical systems (plumbing, electrical, HVAC), and one year on workmanship. On paper, this looks more extensive than a single one-year workmanship warranty. In practice, the coverage is often narrower than it sounds.

The ten-year structural coverage typically excludes foundation settlement unless it's catastrophic, and the definition of "structural" is written narrowly in the warranty document. The two-year mechanical coverage often requires that you use the builder's preferred service contractors for all maintenance — miss one service interval and the coverage lapses. The one-year workmanship provision in a 10/2/1 program is usually administered through a third-party warranty company, not the builder directly.

That means when you have a workmanship issue in month nine, you call the warranty company, file a claim, wait for an adjuster, and then wait again for a repair crew — a crew the builder may not have any ongoing relationship with.

With a principal-led warranty like JK's, one named person handles post-occupancy issues. That person's direct number is in your contract. Response time for urgent issues is 24 hours. Non-urgent inspection appointments are scheduled within five business days. The crew that shows up to make the repair is the same crew that built the component — they know how it was built.

How to Use Your Warranty: Step-by-Step

Using a workmanship warranty correctly requires documentation and timing. Follow this process:

1. Document the defect immediately. Photograph it from multiple angles. Note the date you first observed it. Note whether weather, a specific event, or normal use preceded it.
2. Categorize the defect. Is this a workmanship issue (builder's installation) or a product issue (manufacturer's material)? Check the relevant product warranty first.
3. Submit in writing within the warranty period. Email or the owner portal works. Verbal calls don't stop the clock. Written notice does.
4. Contact the named principal directly. On a JK project, the principal who signed your contract handles all warranty claims. One call, no routing.
5. Allow reasonable access for inspection. The builder needs to see the defect in its current state before agreeing to repair. Patching something yourself before the inspection can complicate the claim.
6. Get the repair scope in writing before work starts. A written scope confirms what's being repaired and how, so there's no dispute after the fact.

Timing Matters More Than You Think

Florida's ten-year structural implied warranty runs from completion, not from when you notice the defect. But for workmanship claims, the one-year clock is strict. If you discover a problem in month 11, submit written notice before the anniversary date, even if the repair can't be scheduled until month 13. Written notice within the warranty period preserves your claim.

Schedule a warranty walkthrough at month 10 — two months before the warranty expires. Walk every room. Open every cabinet. Test every door and window. Inspect all exterior trim, roof flashing visible from the roofline, and concrete flatwork for settlement. A month-10 walkthrough gives enough time to submit claims and schedule repairs before the warranty closes.

What "Named Principal" Means in Practice

Most production builders have turned post-occupancy service into a third-party process. You call a number, a warranty representative logs the claim, a claims adjuster schedules an inspection, and a contracted repair crew — not the original builder's crew — does the work. The principal who sold you the home has no further involvement.

On a JK Prestige custom home, the named principal is the person who signed your contract and walked the jobsite during construction. Their direct number is in your contract document, not in a separate warranty packet. When you call about a drywall seam in month nine, you're talking to the person who knows which crew did that room, what the finish specification was, and what the repair standard should be.

This isn't a marketing claim — it's an operating model. A principal who personally handles post-occupancy issues has a direct financial and reputational stake in getting the repair right the first time. A third-party warranty company doesn't.

Learn more about how JK structures principal-led accountability on the The JK Way page, and see the custom home projects we stand behind at our custom homes expertise page.

Protecting Yourself Before You Sign

Before you sign with any custom home builder, ask these questions about their warranty:

• Is the workmanship warranty administered directly by the builder or through a third-party warranty company?
• Who is the named contact for post-occupancy claims, and is their direct number in the contract?
• What is the written response time commitment for warranty claims?
• Does the warranty define specific defect tolerances (drywall, framing, flatwork settlement)?
• Is the one-year workmanship warranty separate from structural and mechanical coverage?

A builder who can't answer these questions in writing before you sign is a builder who will be difficult to reach in month nine.

Get a free written estimate in 48 hours and ask about warranty terms directly — contact a JK Prestige principal.