Move back in and conduct the warranty walk

Move-back logistics

Most owners do the reverse of the move-out: contents come back from storage, the family settles in, mail forwarding ends.

Two specifics for after a major addition:

• Air out the house. New construction off-gasses for weeks (paint, sealants, finishes). Run the bath fans and open windows for 2–4 weeks before sleeping with HVAC closed. The energy testing (blower-door) passed, so the envelope is tight — but ventilation matters more in tight envelopes, not less.
• Check every room slowly. Run every faucet. Test every switch. Open every window. Run the dryer for a full cycle to verify the new vent path works. Most warranty items surface in the first 30 days of normal use.

The warranty walk

Typically scheduled at 30 days and again at 11 months post-final. The 30-day walk catches the obvious things; the 11-month walk catches seasonal items that only show up after the house has been through a Portland winter.

What to look for:

• Drywall cracks at corners and joints — common from initial wood movement, fixable.
• Paint touch-ups at trim/wall transitions.
• Door alignment — interior doors that don't close cleanly after the framing has settled.
• Window seal failures — water condensation between panes (rare but warranty-covered).
• Caulk separation at exterior trim.
• Mechanical issues — uneven heating, an HVAC zone that isn't reaching set point, a bath fan that's quieter than expected.

What a workmanship warranty covers

A typical Oregon GC contract covers one year of workmanship. Some specific systems carry longer warranties (roofing 10–25 years, windows 10–20 years, manufacturer warranties on appliances and HVAC).

The contract should specify:

• Workmanship warranty period.
• Materials warranty pass-through (manufacturer warranties).
• Process for warranty claims (written notice, response time).
• Exclusions (owner-caused damage, normal wear).

What's not warranty (it's just settling)

Some things look like defects but are actually normal:

• A few hairline drywall cracks at corners after the first heating season.
• Floors that creak slightly in cold weather.
• Doors that swell and stick in February. (Or shrink and rattle in August.)

A good GC will explain which is which. A great GC will fix the borderline cases for free in year two anyway, because the goodwill matters more than the labor cost.

When this is done

When the 30-day punch list is complete. The 11-month walk is its own future event; calendar it now.