Of the 17 builders actively selling new homes in the Richmond region, eight publish a ten-year structural warranty, one publishes a five-year structural warranty, and eight do not publish their warranty terms at all. That last group includes some of the most expensive semi-custom builders in the market. If you are comparing two builders on price, compare them on warranty first, because the difference can be worth more than the price gap.
This page puts every builder’s published terms in one table, explains what “1-2-10” actually covers, and flags the three questions that matter more than the headline number. Daniel Yoon is a Certified New Home Co-Broker (NHCB) and reads the warranty booklet on every new construction contract he represents. Terms below were pulled from builder websites and warranty documents in August 2026; builders change them, so confirm the current booklet before you sign.
What 1-2-10 means
Most production builders describe their warranty as one-two-ten. The numbers are years, and each year band covers something different.
- Year one, workmanship and materials. Almost anything: doors that stick, drywall cracks, grout, paint, a dripping faucet, a cabinet door out of alignment. This is the broad coverage, and it ends fast.
- Years one and two, mechanical systems. Plumbing supply and drain lines, electrical wiring, and HVAC ductwork inside the walls. Usually not the fixtures or the appliances themselves; those carry manufacturer warranties.
- Years one through ten, structural. Load-bearing elements only: footings, foundation walls, beams, girders, columns, load-bearing walls, floor and roof framing. The definition is narrow on purpose. A cracked slab that does not affect load-bearing capacity is often excluded. Read the definition in your booklet.
Three things the headline number does not tell you. First, who administers it: the builder itself, or a third party like Professional Warranty Service Corporation (PWSC), Residential Warranty Company (RWC), Centricity, or Quality Builders Warranty (QBW). Second, whether it is insured. A builder-backed warranty is a promise; an insured warranty is a policy with a carrier behind it if the builder is gone or unwilling. Third, whether it transfers to the next owner, which affects your resale value.
Richmond builder warranties side by side
| Builder | Workmanship | Systems | Structural | Administrator | Insured | Transferable | Scheduled visits | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| HHHunt Homes | 1 yr | 2 yr | 10 yr | PWSC | Yes, Zurich (Steadfast) | Yes | 60 days and 11 months | Published |
| Eagle Construction | 1 yr | 2 yr | 10 yr | Eagle Advantage, insured | Yes | Not stated | Not stated | Published |
| Eastwood Homes | 1 yr | 2 yr | 10 yr | Centricity | Yes | Partly (50-yr window seal is original owner only) | Not stated | Published. Adds 5-yr HVAC parts and 5-yr siding, tub, and flooring. |
| Lennar | 1 yr | 2 yr | 10 yr | Lennar | Not stated | Not stated | Not stated | Published |
| D.R. Horton | 1 yr | 2 yr | 10 yr | D.R. Horton | Not stated | Not stated | Not stated | Published |
| Ryan Homes | 1 yr | 2 yr | 10 yr (marketed) | Ryan / NVR | Not stated | Not stated | 11-month walk | Booklet from sales office; binding arbitration clause |
| StyleCraft Homes | 1 yr, all-inclusive | Within year 1 only | 10 yr | RWC (structural); in-house team (year 1) | RWC structural is insured | Yes | Not stated; 24-hour initial response promised | Published |
| Mungo Homes / CraftMaster | Per QBW plan | Per QBW plan | Up to 10 yr | Quality Builders Warranty | Yes (QBW) | Not stated | Not stated | Published, tiers not broken out |
| Main Street Homes | 1 yr | Within year 1 | 5 yr | Builder (yr 1), RWC (structural) | RWC structural is insured | Yes | Not stated | Published |
| Liberty Homes of Virginia | Per QBW plan | Per QBW plan | Per QBW plan | Quality Builders Warranty (closings after 1/1/2023) | Yes (QBW) | Not stated | Not stated | Builder site |
| Stanley Martin | 1-2-10 reported by third parties. Not published on the builder site. Ask for the booklet. | Not published | ||||||
| Schell Brothers | 10-year structural reported by buyers. Workmanship and systems years not published. | Not published | ||||||
| Richmond American | Process page only; no terms. | Not published | ||||||
| RCI Builders | No warranty page on the builder site. | Not published | ||||||
| Boone Homes | 60-day submission window and a one-year review described. Years not published. | Not published | ||||||
| LifeStyle Home Builders | Warranty portal only; terms not published. | Not published | ||||||
| Cornerstone Homes | 45-day and 11-month inspections described. Years not published. | Not published | ||||||
| Vertical Builders | 45-day and 10-month check-ins described. Years not published. | Not published | ||||||
Every builder selling new homes in the region, with inventory and pricing, is on our new home search at showingnew.com/dyoonnewhomes.
What the table tells you
HHHunt has the strongest published warranty in Richmond
Third-party administered, insured by a Zurich company, transferable, and with two scheduled visits the builder initiates. No other production builder in the market checks all four boxes on its public site. Eagle comes close with an insured ten-year plan. Eastwood’s extras (five-year HVAC parts, 50-year window seal) are unusual and worth something on a $600,000 home.
Main Street’s five-year structural is the outlier
Main Street sells at the highest average price of any volume builder here and carries half the structural coverage. That is not a quality judgment. It is a risk transfer. Price it in, or use it to negotiate.
“All-inclusive year one” can mean a shorter systems tier
StyleCraft and Main Street both describe a one-year warranty that covers everything, then jump to structural. Read that as systems coverage ending at month 12 rather than month 24. An HVAC unit that fails in month 18 is a manufacturer-warranty conversation, not a builder one.
The semi-custom tier mostly does not publish
Schell, Boone, RCI, LifeStyle, and Cornerstone are all selling homes at $500,000 to $1.2 million without public warranty terms. Every one of them will hand you a booklet on request. Ask for it at the first visit, not at contract. If a builder in this tier cannot produce written terms on the spot, that is your answer.
Three questions to ask every builder before you sign
- Who do I call in year seven? If the answer is “us,” the warranty is only as good as the company. If the answer is an insurer or a third-party administrator, get the policy number.
- What is your definition of structural? Ask them to show you the paragraph. Most exclude slabs, non-load-bearing walls, and anything caused by soil movement, which in Richmond’s clay is a large exclusion. Our article on foundation problems in Richmond homes explains why that matters here.
- Does the warranty require arbitration? Ryan’s booklet includes binding arbitration. Others may. It changes your options if a claim is denied.
How to get the most out of any builder warranty
The buyers who get things fixed share three habits. They hire an independent inspector for the pre-drywall walk and the final walk, even though the builder has its own quality checks; our Virginia home inspection guide covers what a new construction inspection should include. They submit every item in writing through the builder’s portal with photos, and never rely on a verbal promise from a superintendent. And they treat the 11-month walkthrough as a second inspection, with a written list, because it is the last chance to claim anything under the broad year-one coverage.
A Certified New Home Co-Broker can also help here. The NHCB designation is specific training in builder contracts, warranty terms, and the construction timeline, and the builder pays the buyer’s agent’s commission. Our guide on whether you need a buyer’s agent for new construction in Richmond explains the registration rule that trips up buyers who walk in alone.
Frequently asked questions
Which Richmond builder has the best warranty? HHHunt Homes publishes the strongest terms: ten years, administered by PWSC, insured by a Zurich company, transferable, with scheduled 60-day and 11-month visits. Eagle Construction and Eastwood Homes also publish insured ten-year plans.
What does a 1-2-10 warranty cover? One year of workmanship and materials, two years of plumbing, electrical, and HVAC systems inside the walls, and ten years of defined load-bearing structural elements. Appliances and fixtures carry separate manufacturer warranties.
Which Richmond builder has a five-year structural warranty? Main Street Homes. Its structural coverage runs five years through Residential Warranty Company after a one-year builder warranty. Every other major Richmond builder that publishes terms carries ten years.
Is a builder warranty transferable when I sell? It depends on the builder. HHHunt, StyleCraft, and Main Street state theirs transfer. Ryan, Lennar, and D.R. Horton do not state it on their public pages. Ask before you sign, because a transferable structural warranty is a resale selling point.
Do I still need a home inspection on a new construction home with a warranty? Yes. A warranty pays to fix what you find; an inspection finds it while the builder is still on site and before drywall hides it.
Want the warranty booklet read before you sign?
That is part of what a Certified New Home Co-Broker does, and the builder pays for it. Daniel Yoon, NHCB, ABR, SRS, eXp Realty. Call or text 804.896.2694, or browse every new home in the region at showingnew.com/dyoonnewhomes. For builder-by-builder profiles, start with our Richmond builders comparison.