Sorting Seven Items Across a Three-Tier Builder Warranty

Sort by urgency and evidence, not by promising coverage. Highest priority: (1) the shower leak - active water intrusion with a 28% reading against a 12% baseline is a documented, ongoing condition that will cause concealed damage, and it sits in the one-year workmanship period and possibly the two-year plumbing period. (7) The deck ledger separated 3/8 inch is a life-safety issue regardless of coverage; report it as an unsafe condition and recommend evaluation before the deck is used. Likely within a covered period: (6) the 5/16-inch drywall crack exceeds the warranty's own 1/4-inch exclusion threshold, though you should check the attic above it for truss uplift or a framing issue, since a cause outside the builder's workmanship changes the argument. Manufacturer track: (2) fogged double-pane units are usually a sealed-unit failure covered by the window manufacturer, not the builder; get serial numbers and the manufacturer's warranty documents. Likely excluded by the stated list but still reportable: (4) the 3/16-inch garage slab crack and (5) the heaved walk slab, which is also a trip hazard you must report on safety grounds even if repair is excluded. Needs a specialist: (3) the six-foot stair-step brick crack at 3/16 inch suggests differential movement and could touch the ten-year structural provision; recommend a licensed structural engineer and do not characterize it yourself. Say in the report that coverage is determined by the warranty provider.

Two items justify same-day communication rather than waiting for the report: the shower leak and the deck ledger. The shower is discharging water into the ceiling assembly below, and every day of delay adds concealed damage that the builder may later attribute to the homeowner's failure to mitigate. The ledger separation is a potential collapse hazard at an occupied house. Your job is to tell the client what you observed and what to do next, not to diagnose. Suggested wording: “Active moisture was observed at the ceiling below the hall bath, with readings of 28% versus 12% at a dry comparison area. Recommend the shower not be used until the source is corrected, that the builder be notified in writing today, and that a licensed plumber evaluate the shower pan and drain assembly.” For the deck: “The ledger board is separated approximately 3/8 inch from the rim joist at the north end. This is a potential structural attachment failure; recommend the deck not be used and that a qualified contractor evaluate and repair the attachment.” Send the observations in writing the same day, then follow with the full report. Do not speculate about mold, do not estimate repair costs, and do not tell her the builder must pay.

Make the entry measurable, located, and explicitly bounded. Example: “Observed a stair-step crack in the brick veneer at the front left corner of the house. The crack follows the mortar joints, extends approximately six feet vertically, and measured 3/16 inch at its widest point on the date of inspection (photo 41, scale included). A matching crack was not observed on the interior finishes at this location. The cause and structural significance of this crack are outside the scope of this inspection. Recommend evaluation by a licensed structural engineer before the crack is patched or pointed, so that the movement can be assessed.” Then add the coverage disclaimer separately, in the report's front matter rather than inside the item: “This report documents observed conditions. It does not determine whether a condition is covered under any builder, manufacturer, or extended warranty; those determinations are made by the warranty provider under the terms of the written warranty.” Keep the two ideas apart: the item describes what you saw, the disclaimer protects the client from reading the report as a coverage decision. Note the date of observation so the notice timeline is clear.