New-Build Salida Homeowner Checklist: What to Inspect Before Year One Ends

If you bought a new-build home in Salida sometime in the past year, congratulations on the new house. Now we need to talk about your one-year builder warranty, because there are specific items in your home that are almost certainly going to have small issues by month 11 or 12, and you want them documented and fixed while the builder is still on the hook. Several of those items involve your HVAC and dryer vent system, and they're the kind of thing most homeowners don't notice until well past the warranty window.

The first item: post-construction duct contamination. Builders almost never clean ducts before turnover. The HVAC system was roughed in early in the build, sat open during drywall hanging, painting, finish carpentry, and flooring, and accumulated a measurable layer of construction debris before the registers were screwed in at the end. The first time the HVAC runs, that debris becomes airborne. Persistent fine dust on furniture, scratchy throats in the morning, or a chemical smell that won't go away — those are signs the ducts need a post-construction cleaning. This isn't a warranty issue per se but it's the right time to do it.

The second item: dryer vent verification. Builders are required to install dryer vents to code, but in practice we find issues on a meaningful percentage of new builds. Common problems include flexible foil hose used in long hidden runs (which is against code), kinked or crushed transition hoses behind the dryer, exterior vent caps installed with the flap stuck shut or not properly sealed against the siding, and rooftop terminations that are technically code-compliant but at the edge of acceptable length. All of these are warranty-eligible if caught in the first year.

The third item: HVAC system commissioning. Builder HVAC installs are sometimes left without proper start-up testing — refrigerant charge not verified, airflow not measured at the registers, thermostat not properly programmed for the system. Symptoms include rooms that don't cool evenly, a system that runs longer than it should, or a thermostat that doesn't actually match conditions in the house. These are warranty issues and the builder is responsible for them in year one.

The fourth item: register and grille placement and seal. Walk every room and look at every supply register and return grille. Are they sealed against the wall or ceiling, or is there a visible gap around the boot? Are the dampers operating freely if your system has them? Are any registers blocked by furniture or carpet that wasn't accounted for at install? Document anything that looks wrong.

The fifth item: insulation in the attic. Walk into the attic and look at the insulation depth. New builds in California should be at R-38 minimum for our climate zone, which is roughly 13 to 14 inches of blown insulation. If you see significantly less than that, or if the insulation has gaps or shows signs of the installer cutting corners (uneven distribution, missed bays), document it and report to the builder. Insulation issues are warranty-eligible.

The sixth item: filter accessibility and size. A surprising number of new builds have filter access points that are nearly impossible to use, or filter slots sized for non-standard dimensions that mean you can only buy filters from one supplier. If your filter situation is going to make annual maintenance a hassle, raise it during the warranty period.

We do post-construction inspections and cleanings on Salida new builds regularly. We can document any HVAC or vent issues we find for your warranty claim, and we handle the post-construction duct cleaning that the builder didn't include. No travel surcharge from our Turlock shop, free in-home assessment, and honest pricing. Family-owned, locally accountable, and we know what to look for in newer construction.