In addition to our comprehensive two-year warranty, every Schuber Mitchell home is also covered by up to a 10-year structural warranty and various extended warranties offered by the product manufacturers.
Our local, in-house Service Team is dedicated to customer service after closing. Our team of Schuber Mitchell home experts will work to address any issues or concerns that homeowners might have, and to ensure each homeowner is completely satisfied with their new home.
Don't forget to read through the warranty manual to find out what's included, what's normal, and what you can do to keep up with your new home's regular maintenance!
(Materials & Workmanship)
Serviced by our local, in-house New Home Warranty Team, this warranty coverage ensures all materials and installations on the home will perform to the usual and customary industry standards. Should the home be sold during the two-year period after the home is built, this warranty service is transferable to the new homeowners.
Schuber Mitchell Homes are heated either via gas or a heat pump. If your home has a heat pump, it can be helpful to understand how they work! According to howstuffworks.com, “There are many kinds of heat pumps, but they all operate on the same basic principle: heat transfer. This means that rather than burning fuel to create heat, the device moves heat from one place to another. There's a key to making this all happen. According to thermodynamics, heat naturally flows from high temperature areas to those with lower temperatures.
What a heat pump does is use a small amount of energy to switch that process into reverse, thereby pulling heat out of a relatively low temperature area, and pumping it into a higher temperature area. So, heat is transferred from a "heat source," like the ground or air, into a "heat sink," like your home.
The key to allowing the air-source heat pump to also cool is the reversing valve. This versatile part changes the flow of the refrigerant so the system can operate in the opposite direction. So instead of pumping heat inside your home, the heat pump releases it, just like your air conditioner does. When the refrigerant is reversed, it absorbs heat on the indoor side of the unit and flows to the outside. It's here that the heat is released, allowing the refrigerant to cool down again and flow back inside to pick up more heat. This process repeats itself until you're nice and cool.”
Taking care of a new lawn is a challenging task! Some of the most common questions we get from new homeowners are about their yards. Even with freshly laid sod, establishing a new yard requires some TLC. While yards are not a part of the workmanship and materials warranty, we want to offer resources that will help you to grow your yard into the lush lawn of your dreams. Here are a few tips and tricks that will help to make it easier:
Watering
The first tip is straightforward, but very important: water your lawn. The young grass that is just sprouting and laying down roots in your yard needs a little extra attention and love - and watering it regularly is the best way to do that.
Overseeding
Overseeding your lawn will help to turn your yard into the plush, thick blanket of grass that will convince your neighbors that the grass really is greener on your side. Detailed directions to overseeding your lawn can be found here.
Patience
The third thing that will help ensure that you love your new lawn, is simply time. Grass takes time to grow; and a mature, healthy lawn takes time to establish. If you are willing to offer a little bit of patience and care to your lawn, you are sure to reap the rewards.
Your new yard will experience some movement as it settles in during the first year you live there. While yards are not a part of the workmanship and materials warranty, we want to offer resources that will help as you establish your new yard. When your home is built, a large amount of dirt is brought in to provide the correct grading for your home and create proper drainage. As your yard becomes more established and this ground becomes more compact, it may develop some uneven areas in your grass. While this is not a cause for concern regarding your foundation or property, it may be something that you want to address to improve the overall aesthetic of your yard. There are several options to help level any dips and make your yard look amazing!
The best time to address any unevenness in your yard is during the early spring. This allows the grass plenty of time to recover before the summer heat. For a small dip, you can apply a mixture of topsoil, compost, and fine sand in a method called topdressing. Level out your area by pouring no more than a ½ inch of the mixture over your grass, rake it out, and use a push brush gently back and forth over the area to ensure that the grass is visible above the soil and to push it down into the earth. Gently water and give the area a chance to grow. If more leveling is needed, repeat the process in ½ inch increments.
For a bigger dip, you’ll use a technique called “sweeping the dirt under the carpet.” You’ll need to cut out the patch of grass over the dip, fill in the area with topsoil and water it as you go to ensure that it doesn’t have air pockets that would settle later. Replace the section of soil that you cut away, press it down and be sure to water it. Make sure to give this section extra attention and continue watering as needed.
For major dips that are more than 1-2 inches, the best solution is to simply fill in the area with topsoil and re-seed it. Starting over may seem like a lot of work, but it will be the quickest way to get your yard leveled out and looking green and beautiful again.
Your HVAC filter can be located in your utility closet in the garage. This is the only filter you will need to change in your house! Open the panel by flipping down the clips, and find the dimensions that are located on the filter. Once you’ve bought another filter in that size, simply replace the current filter.
One of the easiest things you can do to ensure your new home is well taken care of for the first few months is to simply switch out the air filters regularly. In a new home, all of the dust created during the build process is still settling and being filtered out of the HVAC system.
The best way to aid that process is to switch the air filter out each month for the first six months. This will help to keep the dust in your home to a minimum and keep your HVAC system running in tip top shape!
Sealing your grout is not only helpful in keeping it clean and preventing mildew, it is also necessary to keep it in good condition and prevent it from eroding. There are many different types of grout sealant, but the main things to keep in mind are to clean your grout before application, follow the steps provided on the sealant product, and to maintain a regular routine of sealing the grout. It is recommended to seal your grout at least once a year, but it may need to be done more often if it’s located in a high traffic or high moisture area.
The best and simplest solution to prevent rust on your bathroom fixtures is to run your bathroom fan when taking a shower, running a bath, etc. While the length of time you should run the fan after a shower varies slightly by the size of the bathroom, the general rule of thumb is that 20 minutes should be plenty of time to empty the room of the moist air that can cause your metal fixtures to rust. There are also many cleaning solutions you can buy to help prevent or treat rust. If you don’t want to make a trip to the store, a homemade solution of vinegar and baking soda mixed with water can also be used to clean and prevent rust. As long as you regularly use your bathroom fan after showers and clean your fixtures, you should be able to keep your bathroom fixtures bright and sparkly for years to come!
