When you buy a home, you may find that it comes with several warranties covering different areas and components, especially if it is a new construction property. It’s great to have some extra coverage for your home, but it can be difficult to figure out what all this paperwork means! 

At Hutcherson Construction, we offer product and labor warranties on many of our services, from roofing installation to deck building. Our contractors will be happy to explain the home improvement warranties that come with our products. You can also give us a call down the line to ask about coverage on a previous installation. If you are just looking to learn about warranties in general, it pays to start with the basics!

Different Types of Home Improvement Warranties

Whether you are planning on renovating your home or have noticed an existing part of the property needs repairing, it is important to understand your warranty coverage. A home improvement warranty is like a promise that the manufacturer or the installer will repair or replace a defective part that has been installed on your property. When you get a new part installed, be sure to review the documentation to thoroughly understand what it covers. Here are a few of the types of warranties that homeowners may receive:

  • Product Warranties: These are manufacturer’s warranties that cover a product the homeowner has purchased. Almost every major product for the home is backed by a warranty of some kind, especially appliances. However, you will also find them on roofing, siding, windows, doors, and decking.

  • Parts Warranties: When something in the home is damaged, typically the HVAC system, and it needs a replacement part, this part can come with a warranty too. A part warranty usually protects the homeowner against any inherent damage in the replacement that causes it to break or wear out early.

  • Labor/Service Warranties: The company you hire, or the product manufacturer may even provide a labor warranty that covers the service charges and labor costs of repairing a defective part or product. Labor warranties usually only last a year to three years.

Key Warranty Terms to Know

It is also helpful to understand the meaning of some terms that appear in a warranty coverage document. When you get a home improvement warranty, it may be modified with certain limitations and coverage restrictions. These can include:

  • Lifetime: This type of warranty usually provides coverage for a reasonable lifetime of the product installed, such as a 25-year lifespan for an asphalt shingle roof. However, some brands, like Mastic, do state that the warranty covers the ‘lifetime’ of the property that the products were installed on.

  • Limited: A limited warranty only covers certain problems, such as a roof warranty only protecting against hail damage or impact damage. The documentation will list out exactly what is covered and for how long.

  • Transferrable: A transferrable warranty can be transferred into the name of a new homeowner if you sell the property. Many warranties can be transferred at least one time to a new owner. However, they may put a limit on how long the warranty lasts once transferred.

  • Prorated: Some manufacturers will only pay for some of the costs of repairing or replacing their product. This amount can also decrease over time as the part begins to age. For instance, you may get complete coverage on a roof replacement for the first 10 years and every year after that the manufacturer will cover 10% less of the cost to repair damage.

When you are ready to reach out to Hutcherson Construction about a home improvement project or warranty claim, give us a call. One of our experts can come out to provide a free, no-obligation consultation and answer your questions about our warranties. You can also fill out our online form to ask about a free quote for any of our home remodeling services, such as siding, decking, or roofing replacement.