Building a house is a busy, exciting process, but no day is more exciting for homebuyers (or for builders!) than the final walk-through. Once a home is complete, KRM will do a preliminary walk-through to check for paint issues, make cabinet adjustments, and ensure everything is complete and ready for the customer. Once we’ve done our detail-focused quality check, we’ll invite the homebuyer to come for a final walk-through.

Generally, the homebuyers are joined by the superintendent of the project and the warranty manager. The goal of the walk-through is to educate the new homeowner on certain important features of their home. Room by room, the group will explore features and talk about maintenance and operation of everything from ceiling fans to irrigation to the furnace.

Room by Room

Here’s a quick overview of some of the things we touch on in the walk-through:

  • Kitchen: Appliance operation and maintenance, warranty information, floor care, and water shut-off valves
  • Great Room: Ceiling fan controls and operation, maintenance, and cleaning of gas fireplace
  • Bedrooms: Smoke detector location and operation and information on window coverings
  • Master Suite/Master Bath: Shower controls and water shut-off valves
  • Mechanical Room: Furnace operation and maintenance (including humidifier), water heater operation, gas and water shut-off valves, and hose and irrigation shut-off valves. We also point out the main water shut-off point for the whole house, so the homeowner is aware in case there is a water emergency
  • Garage/Exterior: Irrigation control panel, garage door motor, and keypad controls

More Unique Features

The final walk-through also provides an opportunity for us to share information about unique features in the home, including special cabinet hardware or custom countertops. We also love to point out features we add to all KRM/Tanzanite homes that set them apart. For example, we add an expansion bead in the ceiling in the garage to prevent the ceiling from cracking during the changing Iowa seasons. As we walk with the homebuyer, we point out features and make sure that everything is meeting and exceeding their expectations.

Looking Ahead

We also use this time to introduce homeowners to Buildertrend, our online portal for warranty documents. We understand that things happen, even in new homes, and we walk our homebuyers through the warranty information in Buildertrend, highlighting the ways in which they can submit a service request or let us know if something isn’t right.

The final walk-through is the culmination of many months of hard work and hundreds of big and small decisions. It’s always so rewarding to see all that time and hard work pay off when a customer steps into their new home. If you’re thinking about building your dream home, we would love to start this process with you. We are just a phone call or email away—if you reach out to us today, you could be doing your very own final walk-through in just a few months!