Does my builder warranty cover the sprinkler system and landscaping?

Usually no. Texas new-home warranties typically run on a 1-2-10 structure — about one year for workmanship, two for systems like plumbing and electrical, and up to ten for structural — but landscaping and irrigation are commonly listed as specific exclusions. So if your builder-grade sprinkler system is under-zoned, misaimed, or programmed wrong, that's on you, not the builder. The upside is you can fix it correctly once instead of living with a system designed to the lowest bid.

What's the 11-month walkthrough and why does it matter?

Builders typically schedule check-ins at 30 days, 6 months, and 11 months. The 11-month one is the important one: it's your last chance to document and submit defects in writing before the one-year workmanship coverage expires. A common, and very relevant, finding is improper grading that sends water toward the foundation — a drainage problem you'll want caught and fixed. Put a calendar reminder around month 11, and get it inspected before the deadline, not after.

How do I water new sod in North Texas?

New sod has shallow roots and lives or dies on consistent moisture. The general schedule: water two to three times a day for the first week to keep the surface moist, then taper over the next two to three weeks as the roots take hold, transitioning to a normal schedule around week four. Early morning is best. Too little and it curls and browns; too much and you suffocate the roots and invite fungus. The catch is that a builder's generic sprinkler schedule rarely matches what new sod actually needs.

Is a builder-grade sprinkler system any good?

It's usually built to pass, not to perform. Builder-grade systems are installed to the lowest bid that meets code, which often means too few zones, heads that don't quite cover, no dedicated foundation drip zone, and a controller set to a generic schedule. It waters, but it over-waters some spots, misses others, and isn't tuned to your clay or your new sod. The good news is it's a solid bones to improve — usually a matter of re-zoning, adjusting heads, adding a foundation drip zone, and programming it for real.

Reference · the first-year playbook

New home in North Texas? Your sprinkler and sod are on the clock.

Q: Can I water new sod more than my city's twice-a-week limit?

Often, yes — and most people don't know it. Many North Texas cities, including North Richland Hills, exempt new landscaping from the standard twice-a-week watering restriction while it establishes. That means you can give new sod the frequent early watering it needs without breaking the rules. The exact terms and any variance process vary by city, so confirm yours, but the new-landscaping exemption is exactly what keeps a fresh lawn alive through a Texas establishment period.

Q: Why does a brand-new house need foundation watering already?

Because a new slab on North Texas clay settles as the soil adjusts, and the same shrink-swell that troubles older homes starts working on a new one immediately. Builders even warn buyers to keep soil moisture consistent around the foundation, and they can deny foundation-related warranty claims if you didn't. Setting up a foundation drip zone in year one keeps the clay from drying out unevenly while the house finds its level — cheap insurance on the biggest thing you just bought.

Landon Melvin Texas Licensed Irrigator · LI0031476 · Owner, Spray Irrigation Co.

Updated June 2026

Congratulations on the new build — now here are two things nobody handed you at closing. First, your builder's warranty almost certainly doesn't cover the sprinkler system or the landscaping. Second, the new sod in your yard and the new slab under your house both need proper watering right now, not next spring, or you'll lose one and stress the other. The good news: the first year is full of cheap, high-leverage moves. Here's the playbook.

Read this first

Texas builder warranties typically run "1-2-10" — about a year of workmanship, two on systems, up to ten structural — but landscaping and irrigation are commonly excluded. A builder-grade sprinkler that's under-zoned or programmed wrong is your problem, not the builder's. Better to fix it right once than live with the lowest bid.

The warranty window — and what it won't cover

Builders usually schedule check-ins at 30 days, 6 months, and 11 months. The 11-month walkthrough is the one that matters: it's your last chance to document defects in writing and submit them before the one-year workmanship coverage expires. Put a reminder on your calendar around month 11 and get it inspected before the deadline. A classic finding — and one squarely in my world — is improper grading that sends water toward the foundation. That's worth catching while it's still the builder's to fix.

But notice what's not on the covered list: landscaping and irrigation. If your sprinkler system is under-zoned, your heads don't quite reach, or the controller is running a generic schedule that drowns the beds and starves the corners — none of that is a warranty claim. It's yours from day one. Which is exactly why it pays to get it right early, before a summer of bad watering shows up as dead sod and a high bill.

Saving the new sod (the clock is real)

Fresh sod has shallow roots and lives entirely on consistent moisture until it anchors. Let it dry out in a Texas summer and it curls, browns, and shrinks; drown it and you suffocate the roots and invite fungus. The general establishment schedule looks like this:

Week 1

Water 2–3 times a day to keep the surface moist — short, frequent cycles, early morning.

Weeks 2–3

Taper gradually as roots take hold — less often, a little deeper each time.

Week 4 onward

Transition to a normal deep-and-infrequent schedule once the sod resists lifting and roots are visible.

Here's the part most new homeowners don't know: many North Texas cities, including North Richland Hills, exempt new landscaping from the twice-a-week watering restriction while it establishes. So you're allowed to give new sod the frequent early watering it needs — you just have to know the exemption exists (and confirm your city's terms). A builder's generic sprinkler schedule almost never matches the establishment curve, which is how brand-new lawns die three weeks after move-in.

The new slab needs water too

It feels strange to water a brand-new foundation, but a new slab on North Texas clay starts settling immediately — the same shrink-swell that troubles older homes goes to work on yours from day one. Builders themselves tell buyers to keep soil moisture consistent around the foundation, and they can deny foundation-related warranty claims if you didn't. A foundation drip zone set up in year one keeps the clay from drying out unevenly while the house finds its level. On the most expensive thing you just bought, that's cheap insurance.

Making the builder-grade system actually work

Builder-grade irrigation is built to pass, not to perform. Installed to the lowest bid that meets code, it usually means too few zones, heads that don't quite overlap, no dedicated foundation drip zone, and a controller on a one-size schedule. It waters — it just over-waters some spots, misses others, and isn't tuned to your clay or your new sod. The fix isn't a teardown; the bones are fine. It's usually a matter of re-zoning where coverage is thin, aiming and adjusting heads, adding a foundation drip zone for the new slab, and programming the controller for how your yard actually drinks.

That's the honest pitch: in your first year you've got a warranty clock to beat on the drainage, new sod that needs the right schedule now, a new foundation that wants steady moisture, and a system built to minimum spec. None of it is urgent-expensive — it's just the stuff that's invisible until it isn't. If you'd like a set of eyes on it before your first summer, that's a conversation worth having early.