GRAND HOMES (Pls share your experience) (Dallas, Plano: sales, home builders, neighborhood)

[jsm]

We are planning to built a new home in Irving,TX and was exploring the options,went to grand homes also and liked one plan.

Please share your experience with GRAND HOMES on any issues like construction, foundations, roofs, defects, repairing or any other problems .

thanks

[pgsanth]

We live in a neighborhood where Grand built about 14 homes. We have since met a lot of the home owners. Based on their experience, I would suggest staying away from Grand.

They finish out really well, but their construction standards are shoddy. They just want to finish on time, and cheap. Our neighbors have complained about leaks, bad fixtures, sub-standard materials etc.

[jsm]

Can anybody give feedback or recommend any particular builder of Grand homes irving right now they have 4 builders..Daryl Green, Steven Meers, Brad holdev, George Orza.please if you have any experience.

Thanks

[FarNorthDallas]

Did you see this thread about Grand Homes
Darling Homes vs. Grand Homes???

[LOK222]

some here know my views.. but...

we moved to the area and looked at EVERY builder around

the only one I really even considered was GRAND and I'm SOOOOOO glad we did! We absolutly LOVE our house!

Originally Posted by jsm

We are planning to built a new home in Irving,TX and was exploring the options,went to grand homes also and liked one plan.

Please share your experience with GRAND HOMES on any issues like construction, foundations, roofs, defects, repairing or any other problems .

thanks

[larissanne]

Originally Posted by jsm

We are planning to built a new home in Irving,TX and was exploring the options,went to grand homes also and liked one plan.

Please share your experience with GRAND HOMES on any issues like construction, foundations, roofs, defects, repairing or any other problems .

thanks

Check the soil quality. We signed a contract with Grand in Plano and then had the soil checked. The soil was so bad that we were told that we were most definitely going to have foundation problems. That neighborhood is now having foundation problems. I know that the part in Irving where Grand homes is building is known to have foundation problems. ie... Valley Ranch and Hackberry Creek. Just have the soil tested before signing.

[intence]

Originally Posted by larissanne

Check the soil quality. We signed a contract with Grand in Plano and then had the soil checked. The soil was so bad that we were told that we were most definitely going to have foundation problems. That neighborhood is now having foundation problems. I know that the part in Irving where Grand homes is building is known to have foundation problems. ie... Valley Ranch and Hackberry Creek. Just have the soil tested before signing.

Aren't foundation problems pretty much guaranteed over the long term if you don't water/soak hose the foundation?

I find it hard to believe that one area will have significant problems, while another 10-15 miles away will be "safe". Maybe i'm just ignorant though since i'm new to this whole foundation issue thing.

I think certain builders may not do enough prep beforehand, and end up with issues?

As I mentioned above, i'm not challenging you, i'm just ignorant about foundation issues as I didn't grow up in North Texas, what does the soil test do, and how reliable is it? Is it expensive to get done?

[momof2dfw]

Originally Posted by intence

Aren't foundation problems pretty much guaranteed over the long term if you don't water/soak hose the foundation?

I find it hard to believe that one area will have significant problems, while another 10-15 miles away will be "safe". Maybe i'm just ignorant though since i'm new to this whole foundation issue thing.

I think certain builders may not do enough prep beforehand, and end up with issues?

As I mentioned above, i'm not challenging you, i'm just ignorant about foundation issues as I didn't grow up in North Texas, what does the soil test do, and how reliable is it? Is it expensive to get done?

Yes, some areas are more prone to foundation problems. You are correct in that the builders prep beforehand can make a difference. What happens is there may be a low spot and the developer/builder will bring in fill and fill it in and start building right away. Most builders (especially tract home builders) do not put in piers and rely solely on a slab on grade foundation and no rebar in the foundation and post-tension is commonly used. Not the greatest way to go to build in some areas. It moves and cracks or the dirt settles under the house over the first few years and causes problems. When dirt/earth has been moved and disturbed it takes about 7 years for it to "settle" into that happy spot w/ the expansion/contractions over time. If you live in an area that is heavy w/ nothing but the thick grey clay you will see this a lot. If people don't water their yard and around their foundation to keep a consistent moisture content the soil will contract and expand even more and cause problems.

If a builder does put in piers they also need to have a soil survey done (about $250-1000 per homesite) to see how far down they need to go to hit rock. Some sites may have rock sitting close to the surface which is common in some parts of the Dallas area (white rock) and under that could be mud/slew which is not as stable. If they run their piers even deeper past the rock and into the mud they are defeating the purpose of the piers. Stopping about a foot before the mud but still in the rock is the best. But each site is different even w/in the same subdivision and this is why a soil survey needs to be done or should be done on each site and the foundation plan done based solely on THAT SITE not the one a block over. Same goes for the footings on a slab foundation. Depending on the weight of the building and the rock under it should dictate how far to go for the footings. The problem lies in the fact that the mega production tract builders have a set stamped set of blueprints for each floorplan that is used for each build no matter WHERE it is built.

Another problem is if a builder/developer fills in a pond, river, small lake or if there are underground springs. There is one area in Carrollton that the homes are built over a spring and just about every house in that neighborhood has had foundation problems and these were custom homes.

So yes, it is possible to have a "safe" area to build a home and not have much worry about foundation problems while a block or so away a builder built on fill dirt and everyone is having problems. Even a pier and beam house can have foundation problems if not properly prepped, built and maintained.

Every bit of the soil in the Dallas metroplex has been tested years ago and at one time you could get a soil survey book for the county. I used to have one for Denton County years ago.

[lcvd]

Stay away from Grand Homes. Do not be fooled by its cheaper price. When you go to design center, you will find out Grand homes have many tricks. Lots of standard features from other builders become upgrades at Grand Homes. For example, they pre-wire your garage, but do not give you car openers. You have to spend a few hundred dollars to buy them. They only give you 2 cable connections even you have 5 bedrooms. You have to pay for extra cables. There are many other examples. These kind of things look small and can easily skip you attention. Finally you will end up with paying a lot of money, but you find out you do not have real upgrades.
So be careful.

[Dow Jones]

I live in a Grand Home and am totally satisfied. I worked with our builder from start to finish and was on the job site at least two or three times a week. Our builder threw in extras like putting tile in our shower stalls and tub area as well as a few other things. I have no complaints at all.

As for charging for the cable runs our sales rep told us it would be $125 for the extra cable runs but after a small bribe to our builder he let me come on the job site and run coax and cat5e to all the rooms I needed with no fuss.