Advice on home builders

[michlin_man]

No names, no builder references but ask your builder this question: What brand of windows do you use?
Are they vinyl or wood? Vinyl are significantly less money that wood w/ vinyl clad or wood w/ aluminum clad.

If they are wood, chances are it be a national brand. Then ask what specific product. (model XYZ, etc). The three biggest national brands have at least two "levels" of product. A home owner can generally not tell the difference. Sort of like the difference between a Cadillac Elderado and a Cadillac Cimmeron. (yes, I am dating myself). However the mere fact the builder uses a "Cadillac" name doesn't mean he is using the top level. The reason window makers have the low end is they are cheaply made and they know home owners cannot tell the difference. Because home owners don't know the difference, a builder can lop off $10,000 from the price to build a house which makes them much more competitive. (10K for a house in the 250K range) Bigger houses might allow 15-20K savings for a builder.

While the home owner can't tell the difference when the house is built, they will know the difference in 5-6 yrs when they start looking for replacement windows.

Check out the products and understand what constitutes low end products from national brands. There is a reason they sell the low end at big box home improvement stores.

[pand65757]

Dont buy a Halland home. Horrible construction and you have to hire lawyers just to get the builder to come in and do the job properly the SECOND time. Never again. John Halland is unprofessional and not knowledgeable .

[curly377]

Originally Posted by pand65757

Dont buy a Halland home. Horrible construction and you have to hire lawyers just to get the builder to come in and do the job properly the SECOND time. Never again. John Halland is unprofessional and not knowledgeable .

I write this because (a friend or a friend of mine told me he saw this post) I think it is important to get both sides of the story as these web sites don't notify the other side when things are being said about them and not offering them to defend themselves from misguided comments.................. I fixed all of this persons issues 5 YEARS (and long after the warranty had expired) AFTER SHE BOUGHT THE HOUSE, not from me BUT FROM THE PREVIOUS OWNER who owned the house only a short time and this person still posts these comments on this web site... Only because I would not replace the windows in the house (IN WHICH NOTHING WAS WRONG WITH THEM) but because 2 of them leaked because of an inadequate flashing job that this person has to respond this way. I redid the flashing on them repaired/repainted/etc. the damage to the trim on the inside of the house / inspected all the other windows in the house to ensure that they were not leaking / did it in days NOT WEEKS / no lawyers were involved / took care of the stones that had fallen off / took care of all her other items AND THIS IS HOW I GET TREATED!

[magellan]

Originally Posted by curly377

I write this because (a friend or a friend of mine told me he saw this post) I think it is important to get both sides of the story as these web sites don't notify the other side when things are being said about them and not offering them to defend themselves from misguided comments.................. I fixed all of this persons issues 5 YEARS (and long after the warranty had expired) AFTER SHE BOUGHT THE HOUSE, not from me BUT FROM THE PREVIOUS OWNER who owned the house only a short time and this person still posts these comments on this web site... Only because I would not replace the windows in the house (IN WHICH NOTHING WAS WRONG WITH THEM) but because 2 of them leaked because of an inadequate flashing job that this person has to respond this way. I redid the flashing on them repaired/repainted/etc. the damage to the trim on the inside of the house / inspected all the other windows in the house to ensure that they were not leaking / did it in days NOT WEEKS / no lawyers were involved / took care of the stones that had fallen off / took care of all her other items AND THIS IS HOW I GET TREATED!

Thanks for chiming in curly and giving your side. It's always a good idea, as a business owner, to google your business name occasionally to see what people are saying about you. You can't expect the "internet" to inform you of when that is happening.

[Heartland Builders]

Originally Posted by Heartland Builders

I see that Heartland Builders has been quoted several times in this thread. We do build in the Ada area. visit us at www.heartlandbuilders.com. I would be happy to talk to you about building vs. buying with no pressure.

I also see that someone has misspoken about us. I have never had a lawsuit with anyone and we stand behind our work proudly. You must be thinking of someone else. Please call us - 888.445.6503 if I can be of assistance.

Please note that my response above was due to an individual who had a complaint about their builder based in PA that had a similar name. After my conversation with them they removed their post. The internet can be good, the internet can be bad!

[belleislerunner]

Public service message to everyone - Google the phrase "Google alerts" - You can set up the option for google to send you a daily email for anytime the phrase you select shows up on the Internet. For example, if I choose "Grand Valley State University" and "Rick Synder" - I would get an email listing all the blogs, internet postings etc that day that used those phrases. It's an easy way to follow the daily news about your topics of interest. It's also a good idea to set up alerts for 1) your personal name and 2) your company's name and anything else you're interested in. Then - if something is posted about you or your Company - you'll notice it right away.

Google Alerts - Monitor the Web for interesting new content

[Widamon]

What I can share about Eastbrook, is that we purchased our home from them in Aug of 2013 for $381k, and put an additional $35k into it (20 x20 deck, custom closets, hott tub, 15 zone sprinkler system, landscaping) and have not been able to sell it after being on the market for $395k for ~3.5 months. Just be aware.