New doesn't mean leak-proof

East Aurora has grown fast, with master-planned communities spreading east of E-470 and north toward Denver International Airport. Many homes are less than ten or fifteen years old, and some streets are still under construction. Owners tend to assume a new house won't leak, but the first years bring their own risks.

Fittings in new plumbing can loosen as the house settles and goes through its first heating and cooling seasons. Appliance hookups installed in a hurry can drip. Grading around the foundation settles and can start sending water toward the house, and landscaping the owner adds can change drainage. New lawns get watered heavily, which puts a lot of water against foundations on soil that can expand.

Water risks in a new home's first years

First months
Appliance and fixture connections, the water heater and the softener are the likeliest to show installation problems. Check them often.
First winter
The first hard freeze tests exposed hose bibs, garage lines and lines running over unheated spaces.
First spring and summer
Grading settles, downspouts get knocked loose, window wells collect hail and new irrigation runs next to the foundation.
Years two to five
Sump pumps run through more wet seasons, and landscaping changes alter how water drains around the house.

Owner checklist for a new east Aurora home

  • Keep the builder's paperwork and note the deadline for reporting workmanship and plumbing defects
  • Photograph any leak, however small, and report it to the builder in writing while you're inside their coverage period
  • Check the grading after the first winter. Soil should still slope away from the foundation
  • Turn down the irrigation zones near the foundation and check the spray patterns
  • Find out whether the HOA or metropolitan district controls drainage swales and shared landscaping

Who to contact here

Builder
First call for defects within the builder's stated coverage period
HOA or metropolitan district
Shared drainage, swales and some exterior items
Water utility
Aurora Water serves most of the city. Confirm your provider on your bill
Building department
City of Aurora, for permits on repairs inside city limits
Map of East Aurora (Murphy Creek and E-470 area). It shows an area, not an office or a job site.

General information for Aurora, not a quote or professional advice. In an emergency, call 911.