Buying process
Builder warranties at SeaFlower explained: 1-2-10, what is covered, and how to use yours
What each builder publishes, what the years actually mean, what is excluded, whether it transfers, and the eleven-month walk that protects you.
Independent buyer’s guide, not the developer’s or any builder’s website. Figures are as published by the builders and developer on the dates noted and must be verified with them before you rely on them. The developer’s official website.
Quick answer
David Weekley publishes a 1-2-10 warranty (one year workmanship and materials, two years mechanical systems, ten years major structural). Pulte publishes a 10-year limited structural warranty that transfers to later owners. M/I publishes a 10-year transferable structural warranty plus one-year customer care coverage. Issa publishes one year on materials and workmanship, two years on roofing, plumbing, electrical and HVAC, and ten years structural through RWC. Cardel's terms are not on its public pages. The warranty document, not the brochure, defines coverage; read the exclusions and the claim process before closing.
What the years mean
Year one covers workmanship and materials: drywall, trim, paint, doors, tile, caulk, cosmetic items reported in the window. Years one to two cover the systems: plumbing, electrical, HVAC. Years one to ten cover major structural defects, usually defined narrowly (foundation, load-bearing walls, columns, beams) and often administered by a third-party warranty company. Appliances carry the manufacturers' warranties.
What is usually excluded
Normal settling and shrinkage cracks below a stated size, damage from lack of maintenance, landscaping, weather events, items you altered, and anything cosmetic reported after the first-year window. Transferability to a later owner varies; Pulte and M/I say theirs transfer.
How to use it
Report in writing through the builder's warranty portal or email, with photos and dates. Batch cosmetic items into a list before the one-year deadline rather than one at a time. Keep every closing document: warranty booklet, wind-mitigation form, elevation certificate, selection sheets.
The eleven-month walk
Hire an independent inspector at eleven months to catch drywall cracks, nail pops, settling, grading and drainage, and system issues before the workmanship warranty expires. The list you submit at month eleven is the most valuable warranty claim you will make.
Sources: David Weekley multi-level warranty page; Pulte 10-year warranty page; M/I Homes warranty statement; Issa Homes warranty page (Sep 3, 2026).
Written by Trenton Miller, MBA
Buyer’s agent with LPT Realty, LLC and founder of Found Your Florida. Seven years on the builder side, including operations at David Weekley Homes, where he briefly oversaw the SeaFlower community. He now represents buyers only. More about Trenton · Book a call
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