In short: what to do in year one
In year one, ventilate the house regularly, follow a season-by-season check calendar and log every issue with a date and photo. Hairline cracks in plaster, adjusting doors and windows, and sealant joints that shrink are normal life for a new house. Leaks, damp patches, cracks that keep growing and systems that do not work are reasons to contact the person in charge straight away.
Concrete, screeds and plaster keep releasing water for months after the build finishes. A house shut up with the heating on full dries unevenly, and that causes many of the first-year cracks. So this year is not just about upkeep; it is about watching.
What is normal and what is not
Normal: fine cracks along plasterboard joints and in corners, gaps between parquet boards in winter that close in summer, doors that start to catch after the first cold spell, bathroom sealant pulling away from the tiles. All of that is adjusted or touched up, usually in a single visit after the first heating season.
Not normal: a crack wider than a fingernail or one that keeps growing; water on a ceiling or wall after rain; mould in a corner behind furniture; a permanently damp patch by a pipe; a shower that drains slowly from day one; heat-recovery ventilation that hums or blows cold air. Log these on the same day.
A seasonal calendar
Autumn: before the first heavy rain, clear the outlets on roofs and terraces, the gutters and the perimeter drainage, and check that water runs away from the foundations. After the first downpour, walk round the ceilings and window reveals. Winter: watch humidity in the bedrooms and condensation on the glass in the morning, check that heating reaches every room and adjust the windows.
Spring: bring the pool back into service after winter, check the irrigation and pumps, inspect the facade after the rains. Summer: service the air conditioning before the heat, clean the filters and check the sealant on the sunny side, where it ages faster. For a house by the sea in Castelldefels, add rinsing outdoor metalwork with fresh water.
House systems: what to service
Our house with a pool, built from start to finish between 2022 and 2024, has the typical systems of a modern home: a pool with its plant, solar panels, climate control and irrigation. Each has its own rhythm. Ventilation and air-conditioning filters are cleaned or replaced as the manufacturer specifies, usually several times a year. Solar panels are monitored through the inverter app: a sharp drop in output on a sunny day is a reason to look, not to wait for the bill.
Pool plant needs water checks and filter cleaning from the first week, and at commissioning you should be shown where the valves are, how to switch modes and what to do in a power cut. Ask for the manuals and diagrams of every system in one folder. You will need them, and so will any technician five years from now.
Statutory warranty and a defect log
Spain's LOE sets three liability periods for a new building: one year for finishing defects, three years for defects affecting habitability and ten years for structural ones. How they apply to a specific case is a question for a lawyer.
The practical side is simpler. Keep a table: date, room, what you noticed, photo, when you reported it and when it was fixed. Report to the person in charge in writing even if you already mentioned it by phone. Do not save issues up until the end of the year: a leak reported six months late damages more than the original defect. Keep the Libro del Edificio, the certificado final de obra and all the manuals alongside the log.
Who to contact and how
Each of our projects has one person in charge, and after handover your questions go to them, in Russian or Spanish. That way you do not have to work out whose area it is, our crew, the pool subcontractor or the panel installer: the person in charge sorts it out and comes back with an answer.
One message with photos and a description saves a week of back and forth. Say exactly where, when you noticed, whether it changes over time and what you have already tried. If it is urgent, say water coming through a ceiling, turn off the water or power first and then write.