Warranty callbacks are a fact of home building life. Drywall cracks, nail pops, subfloor squeaks, roof and sidewall ripples are comparatively common callback issues.
It’s tempting to dismiss warranty claims as the cost of doing business. The National Association of Home Builders pegs the cost of a typical callback at $476, a sizable chunk of the builder’s margin. Another source says the actual cost is five times the original installation price. Either way, it’s a serious hit to the bottom line and the builder’s good name.
There’s no sure-fire way to eliminate callbacks. But there’s a lot you can do to drastically reduce them.
Callback Prevention
Take the exterior door. A lot of thought goes into front door color, composition, sidelites/lites, transom, hardware, and more to assemble a surprisingly complex entry system.
Just ask a long-time construction systems manager and part-time building products inventor for a leading East Coast home builder. He asked to be called Steve (not his real name) to preserve confidentiality.
Belts-and-Suspenders
Steve and his construction teams take a belts-and-suspenders approach to door specification and installation. “We go beyond the call of duty,” says the 50-year home building expert. “We understand the major role the exterior door plays. It’s going to be used and even slammed and abused for many years. It’s our job to bring parts together from five suppliers and assemble the door the right way.”
What other exterior door advice does Steve have for callback-adverse builders? He offers a few ideas:
- Flashing. “Flashing is the secret to any install,” he advises. He trains his crews to form a tight flashing seal around three sides of the door unit. “It’s all about moisture management at the bottom. Moisture management is nearly a full-time job for myself and some others in the company,” he says.
- K.I.S.S. Method. Steve is a stickler for repeatable, consistent construction. With that in mind, only one method works in his experience: keep it simple, stupid. Avoid complexity.
- Front Door Sill. A troublesome hotspot for a lot of builders, for good reason: denting. “Contractors drag in raw material. A plumber drags in a 20-foot pipe. An HVAC techs drags in pipe. Masons may drop brick from above or a fiber cement board falls. The sill takes a beating. You replace it or risk a callback,” he says.
- Partner Wisely. Work creatively with select suppliers to identify lasting homeowner solutions. For the dented sill issue, Steve singles out Endura Products, a specialist in entry door component manufacturing and innovation. He worked closely with their development team to prototype a plug-and-play sill. His company trialed sill iterations for nearly two years before the Replaceable Deck Sill (RDS) was released, now a go-to solution for many builders. “Endura listens. They jumped right on our idea and got to work. RDS solves a lot of builder problems,” he says.
What does Steve plan for an encore? “I have some ideas about a better door pan,” he hints.
Learn more about how you help eliminate exterior door callback issues including exterior door sill damage.
