Ryan Homes - Good or Bad experiences (Charlotte, Mooresville: cul-de-sac, fit in)

[leetounion]

I will check it out.

[uskreppen]

I'm having Ryan homes build a Dunkirk model for my family. It should be ready by July. I think what has been said about the quality of local contractors is really important. I haven't found a single future neighbor that had really bad problems. Just nail pops, maybe a single window replacement, etc.

Also, the project manager can really make a difference. Ours was telling off one of the painters at our future neighbor's house one morning as I drove up telling him that the job was not up to par. So I like that ours is quite picky and will demand that the job be done correctly.

I've noticed two things that concerned me but plan to follow up with our project manager. One, the steps up to the second floor seem to be cracked on the one side all the way through. Not that they'll fall apart but I don't want to hear wood creaking in a new house everytime I go upstairs. Also, looks as if someone ran a bobcat into the back wall as they were hauling in stone to layer the basement. Even though the outside wall will be covered with brick, I want to make sure that they didn't bow in the wall.

What amazed me the most was that from the time that they went from basement to under roof it took them 4 1/2 days. The whole house is built in a factory in Darlington PA and then shipped in 4x8, 4x16 sections. Each section is numbered and they put it together like a puzzle.


As for quality construction, I think that the fact that these sections are built in a factory, using jigs, laser's, etc to make them square is better than a house built by individual sticks on site. Yes, we have single hung windows but that doesn't make much of a difference to me (maybe my wife cares.)

Oh, after researching builders in the area. I didn't find many that had a perfect reputation. Two things made up my mind to purchase a Ryan home.

One, the location was perfect for us (5 minutes to park, 5 minutes to the YMCA, and 7 minutes to the turnpike and parkway)

Two, Ryan homes has this down to a science. From ordering, building, getting your mortgage, to delivery, to maintenance. Less surprises than what other people get from other builders. For instance, I really believe that the house will be up and mostly complete by our settlement date. Other builders sometimes take 10-18 months while Ryan can build a house in 90 days.

Well, I hope we made the right choice. All I know is we were pleasantly surprised to find out this spring that our lot is covered with dogwood trees behind our house. It is lit up like no other lot in the neighborhood.

[leetounion]

Which project?

[lukepoke]

Originally Posted by uskreppen

I'm having Ryan homes build a Dunkirk model for my family. It should be ready by July. I think what has been said about the quality of local contractors is really important. I haven't found a single future neighbor that had really bad problems. Just nail pops, maybe a single window replacement, etc.

Also, the project manager can really make a difference. Ours was telling off one of the painters at our future neighbor's house one morning as I drove up telling him that the job was not up to par. So I like that ours is quite picky and will demand that the job be done correctly.

I've noticed two things that concerned me but plan to follow up with our project manager. One, the steps up to the second floor seem to be cracked on the one side all the way through. Not that they'll fall apart but I don't want to hear wood creaking in a new house everytime I go upstairs. Also, looks as if someone ran a bobcat into the back wall as they were hauling in stone to layer the basement. Even though the outside wall will be covered with brick, I want to make sure that they didn't bow in the wall.

What amazed me the most was that from the time that they went from basement to under roof it took them 4 1/2 days. The whole house is built in a factory in Darlington PA and then shipped in 4x8, 4x16 sections. Each section is numbered and they put it together like a puzzle.


As for quality construction, I think that the fact that these sections are built in a factory, using jigs, laser's, etc to make them square is better than a house built by individual sticks on site. Yes, we have single hung windows but that doesn't make much of a difference to me (maybe my wife cares.)

Oh, after researching builders in the area. I didn't find many that had a perfect reputation. Two things made up my mind to purchase a Ryan home.

One, the location was perfect for us (5 minutes to park, 5 minutes to the YMCA, and 7 minutes to the turnpike and parkway)

Two, Ryan homes has this down to a science. From ordering, building, getting your mortgage, to delivery, to maintenance. Less surprises than what other people get from other builders. For instance, I really believe that the house will be up and mostly complete by our settlement date. Other builders sometimes take 10-18 months while Ryan can build a house in 90 days.

Well, I hope we made the right choice. All I know is we were pleasantly surprised to find out this spring that our lot is covered with dogwood trees behind our house. It is lit up like no other lot in the neighborhood.

Make sure that they have the steps adequately anchored to the wall studs. They generally use OSB spacers between the stair stringer and the wall studs and then nail through the spacers. I had the same issue in my home with the stairs pulling away from the wall. I sank in some 2 1/2 inch deck screws and I anchored the "crap" out of those stairs to the wall....that definately solved the issue. Ryan builds all of their home systems (trusses, walls, etc.) in SC/NC in Kings Mountain, NC. I would really doubt if they would ship framing all the way from PA....way to much $$$$$$.

[uskreppen]

I'm in the Whispering Pines development in Plum, PA.

I will check that they anchor the steps securely to the wall studs as you suggested. Thanks for the tip.

[leetounion]

In the Charlotte area Ryan is using L & L Flooring and you have to select from their products. Naturally, L & L encourages upgrades for everything. They are charging $5.00 per yard to ugrade to 6 pound carpet pad from 4 pound, 4 pound being the standard product included in the basic package. 6 pound pad usually retails for less than $5.00, and that is without the credit for the upgrade. Their cost, the wholesale price, is about $1.50 per yard.

I tried to get the upgrade anyhow because it is really necessary. They were going to charge me for 243 yards eventhough I am only getting 170 yards of carpet. When questioned, they claimed the difference was for waste. Other installers have told me that there is very little waste for padding, less than 10%. It comes in 6 foot rolls and can be placed in either direction.

I decided to cancel the upgrade.

[German Velez]

L & L is another one of those substandard subcontractors that Ryan Homes uses in the Charlotte area. First, they offer the lowest quality products in the base so that you are forced to upgrade. Then, you are stucked with their installers who seemed to know nothing about how to do it right. Our bathroom ceramic floor had to be replaced because the installers did not do the necessary prep work in the subfloor (make sure the subfloor is stable). When they saw the floor cracking, they suggested to take out the tiles and install new ones. That's when I hired an independent ceramic floor specialist to present a report on what needed to be done. At the end, they had to install another 1/2 inch playwood (not OSB) on top and then install the tiles. Now it is perfect. At what cost? It would have been a lot less if they had taken the extra few minutes to do it right the first time and more importantly, I would not be telling the world how bad they are.

Now the fight is on with the hard-wood floors. The boards keep popping (not necessarily squeeking) which drives me crazy. They have been here four times already and the more nails the put on them, the more boards poppup. The problem is the subfloor once again. At the end, I will have to hire another independent expert to submit a report on how it has to be done.

Less than a year into this NEW house and the saga continues...

[leetounion]

What independent company did you hire?

[cheesehead911]

My parents had a Ryan Home built last august in Oakwood Village, OH in the Medows Devlopment the model we have is the Yorkshire and so far the house is holding up fine. They have some problems with the project manager, first off before they even broke ground for the house my mom wanted to extend the family room and add a window to the upstairs hallway bath and they said it was too late to make any changes. Also they didn't put stairs goring from the morning room to the backyard all they did was put up metal bars on the sliding doors, now my uncle lives in another Ryan Development The Parker Lake Estates and they put stairs on their houses and I think that is only because those houses cost at least 50,000 more. After the house was built and they were doing the walk through my dad noticed that the workers had gotten mud on the siding and he asked the PM if he could have the house power washed and he said no. It also takes the PM forever to fix problems in the house, we had a broken window and it took him over a month to come in and replace it, and he also has dismissed some concerns my parents had about other things in the house, however when they did the 10 month walkthough they had they took care of all the problems like the cracks and stuff and even addressed those issues that the PM would not. Honestly I think the PM doesn't give a crap about the homeowners here and I think it may have to do with the fact that this unlike most new home developments is in a predomently black community, I could be wrong, but that is how it comes off to me.

[L1bedolla3]

has anyone ever been to tarboro n.c.