11-Month Warranty Inspection in the Northwest Suburbs
Performed in-house by our own Illinois-licensed inspectors, from our base in Cary, IL.
The Short Answer
An 11-month warranty inspection from At Ease Inspections costs $550 and is performed shortly before a typical one-year builder warranty expires. Defects documented while the warranty is still active are the builder’s responsibility; the same defects found a month later are yours. It is one of the highest-return inspections available.
Why 11-Month Warranty Matters
Most builder warranties run one year. That year is also when a new house does most of its settling, when installation shortcuts start to show, and when the systems have been through their first full heating and cooling cycle.
The economics here are unusually clear. You are spending $550 to document problems while somebody else is still contractually obliged to fix them. Miss the window and every one of those items moves onto your side of the ledger.
What Our 11-Month Warranty Covers
Full systems evaluation
The same scope as a standard home inspection, with attention to first-year failure patterns.
Settlement and movement
Foundation, drywall and framing movement that appears in the first year, and what is normal versus what is not.
Installation defects surfacing over time
HVAC performance, plumbing leaks, roof and flashing problems, and grading that has settled since backfill.
Thermal imaging
Included, and effective at finding insulation gaps and air leakage that a first winter will have exposed.
A warranty-ready document
A clear, photographed list you can submit to the builder, rather than a conversation they can dispute.
11-Month Warranty in the Northwest Suburbs
Huntley is where this comes up most for us, because it has both a long run of recent subdivision construction and, in Del Webb Sun City, a very large concentration of homes that all went through this cycle.
Algonquin, Lake in the Hills and the newer sections of Elgin and Crystal Lake see the same pattern on a smaller scale. If you closed on a new build in the last year anywhere in the Northwest suburbs, the clock is running.
A local factor worth flagging: our first full winter and freeze-thaw cycle is genuinely hard on new construction. Grading settles, flashing details get tested, and heating systems run properly for the first time. Much of what a warranty inspection catches only becomes visible after that.
11-Month Warranty Near You
We provide 11-month warranty inspection throughout the Northwest suburbs. These are the markets where it comes up most, and each page covers what we look for in that town specifically.
Also serving Cary, Barrington, McHenry, Woodstock and Schaumburg, plus surrounding communities across McHenry, Kane, Lake and Cook counties. See all service areas.
11-Month Warranty Questions
When should I book an 11-month warranty inspection?
Around month ten to eleven of a one-year warranty. That leaves time to get the report, submit claims and have the builder respond before coverage ends. Check your own warranty document, since terms vary.
What does it cost?
$550, the same as a standard home inspection, and thermal imaging is included.
Is it worth it if the house seems fine?
Usually yes. Much of what we find is not visible to an owner living in the house: insulation gaps, minor roof and flashing defects, HVAC that is not performing to spec, grading that has settled. Those are exactly the items a builder will fix under warranty and will not fix afterwards.
I bought in Sun City Huntley. Does this apply?
Only if you bought a newly built home within the last year. Sun City was built between 1999 and 2013, so most resales there are well past warranty. Those homes need a standard home inspection focused on aging original systems instead.
We're Here to Put You At Ease.
Book your inspection online or reach out with any questions, proudly serving the Northwest suburbs of Chicago.