Our Warranty

Green Design and Build warrants its labor for one year from the date the work is completed. We are a licensed general contractor (CSLB #1110975) and design-build remodeler based in Van Nuys, serving homeowners across Los Angeles County, Orange County, Ventura County, western Riverside County and western San Bernardino County (Ontario, Rancho Cucamonga and neighbouring cities). Materials, fixtures and appliances carry their own manufacturer warranties, which pass to you and are separate from ours, and California law gives homeowners protections on top of any contractor’s warranty. This page explains what our warranty covers, what it does not, how to make a claim, and how the permits and inspections on every job back it up.

Who we are

Green Design and Build is led by Dekel Sofer. We hold a 4.7-star rating across 146 Yelp reviews and have completed hundreds of projects. We are a full-service residential general contractor for projects of every size, and the same warranty applies whether we replaced a bathroom vanity or built a detached ADU.

What the warranty covers

Our warranty covers the workmanship of the work in our contract for one year from the date that work is completed. In plain terms: if something we built, installed or finished fails because of the way we did it, we come back and correct it at no charge.

That includes, for example, tile that comes loose because of the setting bed, a cabinet run that was hung out of level, a door we installed that binds because of the frame, drywall joints that crack along a seam we taped, a paver patio that settles because the base was not compacted, or flashing we installed that lets water through. It covers the trades we schedule and supervise as your general contractor: plumbing and electrical inside our scope are performed by licensed plumbers and electricians, and if their work under our contract fails, you call us, not them.

It also covers the connection between our work and what it touches. If we tie a new roof section into an existing one, the transition is ours.

What the warranty does not cover

An honest warranty says what is outside it. Ours does not cover:

• Materials, fixtures and appliances. These carry their manufacturer’s warranty, which is yours from the day of installation. A faucet cartridge that fails is a manufacturer claim; the connection we made to it is ours.
• Owner-supplied materials. If you buy the tile, the flooring or the fixtures yourself, we warrant our installation of them, not the product or any defect in it.
• Normal wear, settling and movement. Hairline cracks in new stucco, plaster or concrete, seasonal wood movement, grout haze and minor caulk separation are normal in Southern California’s climate and are maintenance, not defects.
• Work by others. Anything altered, repaired or built by another contractor or by the owner after we finish, including work that disturbs ours.
• Damage from events and neglect. Earthquake, fire, flood, roots, pests, abuse, lack of maintenance, or use for a purpose the work was not designed for.
• Pre-existing conditions we did not contract to fix. If a proposal excludes something, the exclusion is in writing before you sign, and the warranty follows the contract.

If you are unsure whether something is covered, ask. We would rather look at it than argue about a category.

How to make a claim

1. Email info@greendesignandbuild.com or call (800) 348-3050. Give the property address, the date the work was completed and a description of the problem; photos help.
2. We reply within one business day.
3. We inspect, usually within days, and tell you in writing whether the issue is workmanship under our warranty, a manufacturer matter we can help you pursue, or something outside both.
4. We schedule the correction and complete it. You do not pay for warranty work on our scope.

If a problem is causing active damage, such as a leak, say so when you call and we treat it as urgent.

How we document our work

A warranty is only as good as the record behind it. On every permitted project we prepare and submit the plans, pull the permit in the correct office (LADBS for the City of Los Angeles, the city building division in Burbank, Glendale, Pasadena and every Orange County city, county Building and Safety in unincorporated areas), and schedule every required inspection. The inspector signs off each stage, from foundation and framing through rough plumbing and electrical to final, before the next stage covers it.

You receive the approved plan set and the permit record, and we keep photographs of the work at each stage, including what is inside the walls before drywall closes them. If a question ever comes up about how something was built, the record answers it, for us and for you when you sell the house.

Why permits and inspections matter to the warranty

Unpermitted work has no third-party record and no inspector’s signature. If it fails, you are relying entirely on the contractor’s word. Permitted work carries a city inspection at every structural, plumbing and electrical stage, which means independent confirmation that the work met code when it was covered. That is why we pull permits for the work that requires them, and why we tell you plainly when a small job, such as painting or a floor replacement, does not need one.

What California law adds

Our one-year labor warranty is our commitment. California law gives homeowners protection that runs longer, and it applies whether or not a contractor offers a written warranty. This is a plain-language summary, not legal advice; for a specific situation, talk to the Contractors State License Board or an attorney.

The Contractors State License Board (CSLB). CSLB, which licenses us, states that it has jurisdiction over contractors for up to four years from the date of a violation, and up to ten years for some hidden (latent) structural defects. A homeowner can file a complaint with CSLB, and our licence, bond and workers’ compensation status can be checked at any time on the CSLB site: licence #1110975.

Patent and latent defects. California’s Code of Civil Procedure sets time limits for construction claims. Section 337.1 covers a patent deficiency, one “apparent by reasonable inspection”, and sets the limit at four years after substantial completion of the improvement. Section 337.15 covers a latent deficiency, one “not apparent by reasonable inspection”, and sets the outer limit at ten years after substantial completion. These are limits on when a claim can be brought, not warranties, but they are the reason “the contractor is responsible for four years for visible defects and ten for hidden ones” is a common shorthand.

The Right to Repair Act (Civil Code sections 895–945.5). This law sets construction standards and a pre-litigation procedure for new residential construction: CSLB notes that its procedures apply to new homes purchased after January 1, 2003, and the law gives the builder a right to attempt a repair before a lawsuit. It also carries its own time limits by component, and an overall limit of ten years after substantial completion. Whether and how it applies to a remodel of an existing house is a legal question that depends on the project, which is why we do not summarise it as a promise. What we can say is that our work is built to the same standards, and our process, come and look, tell you in writing, fix it, is what the law expects of a builder anyway.

Where we do this work

The warranty is the same in all five counties; what changes is the inspection record behind it. In the City of Los Angeles, including the San Fernando Valley and the rest of Los Angeles County, LADBS inspections are the record; in Orange County each city’s building division signs off, sometimes after HOA architectural review; in Ventura County, Thousand Oaks, Simi Valley and the county each run their own inspections; and in western Riverside County and western San Bernardino County the city departments in Corona, Ontario and Rancho Cucamonga do. See every area we serve.

Frequently asked questions

How long is Green Design and Build’s warranty?

Green Design and Build warrants its labor for one year from the date the work is completed. Materials, fixtures and appliances carry their own manufacturer warranties, which are separate from ours and vary by product. California law adds protections that run longer than any contractor’s written warranty.

What does the one-year warranty cover?

The warranty covers the workmanship of the work in our contract: anything we built, installed or finished that fails because of how it was done, including the plumbing and electrical performed by licensed tradespeople under our supervision. It does not cover product defects, owner-supplied materials, normal wear and settling, work by others, or damage from events and neglect. If a proposal excludes something, that exclusion is in writing before you sign.

How do I make a warranty claim?

Email info@greendesignandbuild.com or call (800) 348-3050 with the property address, the completion date and a description of the problem, with photos if possible. We reply within one business day, inspect, tell you in writing whether it is covered, and schedule the correction. Warranty work on our scope is done at no charge.

How long is a contractor responsible for defects in California?

California’s Code of Civil Procedure sets a four-year limit after substantial completion for claims over patent defects, those apparent by reasonable inspection, and a ten-year outer limit for latent defects, those not apparent by reasonable inspection. The Contractors State License Board states it has jurisdiction over contractors for up to four years from a violation and up to ten years for some hidden structural defects. These are legal limits rather than warranties, and this is general information, not legal advice.

Do manufacturer warranties pass to me?

Yes. The warranty on a window, a roofing product, a water heater, a faucet or an appliance we install belongs to you from the date of installation, and we give you the product information needed to register or claim it. Our labor warranty covers the installation; the manufacturer’s covers the product. Some manufacturer warranties require installation by a licensed contractor or a registered installer, which our permitted, licensed work satisfies.

Does the warranty cover unpermitted work?

Green Design and Build pulls permits for every job that requires one and schedules every inspection, so the question rarely arises. Small jobs that do not need a permit, such as interior painting or a floor replacement, are covered by the same one-year labor warranty. We do not perform work that requires a permit without one.

Work that is inspected, documented and warranted

Every permitted project we build is signed off by the city at each stage and covered by our one-year labor warranty. Read how we work, see our published estimates and financing, or ask for a free site visit.