Renovation warranties - what to expect

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Written by Administrator

Wednesday, 06 May 2009 18:38

A warranty can be something as simple as one or two sentences in a contract or as complicated as a several page, legal document. While there is no industry standard, several features will be included in any warranty provided by a professional contractor.

A construction warranty consists of two basic items, the contractor's warranty to you and the manufacturer's warranty for various items supplied or installed. Specified duration times of the warranty of items supplied and/or installed by the contractor should be stipulated in the contract. When in doubt, ask.

If you do have to deal with the manufacturer, keep in mind that manufacturer's warranties will vary from product to product, ie: windows and doors; roofing materials; plumbing fixtures, pipes and fittings; flooring; etc. and different products will have different warranty periods. This period usually begins when the product is installed, so keep your invoices from the contractor.

Even though most manufacturers will honour customer claims directly, you should always try going through your contractor first. This is more convenient for you and a good contractor will want to know if there are problems with the products he is using.

For those people who believe that they can obtain products cheaper themselves, keep in mind that a product you purchase yourself and the contractor installs will only be warranted by the contractor for the installation work. If the product or appliance breaks, it will be your responsibility to look after the warranty.

What is sometimes done on larger construction projects is to make up a warranty book with all the warranty cards that come out of the packaging from plumbing fixtures to heat pumps. This may be something you want to do yourself and could be of great value to you in the long run. While it is not always possible to collect every little piece of paper or card that comes out of product box, you can always ask the contractor or sub contractors to save them for you. As you get the warranty cards, put them into a binder or file folder labelled "Warranty Book". Keep this book or file in a safe place, and if anything breaks down, you know you have the warranty information on hand.