Anyone own a Providence or Cornerstone home? (sales, 2014)

[R1v3rRat]

Looking at different builders in and around Jax. Wife and I have narrowed it down to 2 builders. Anyone own a home built by either builder and have an opinion?

Thanks RR

[cricketfan]

Originally Posted by R1v3rRat

Looking at different builders in and around Jax. Wife and I have narrowed it down to 2 builders. Anyone own a home built by either builder and have an opinion?

Thanks RR

I had a good experience with Cornerstone. As a builder they have a decent reputation. I was fortunate to have a meticulous superintendent. That is always going to be the key.

[R1v3rRat]

No one else?

[kikiFL]

My sister purchased in Heritage Landing through Providence. She had a TON of problems, and swore she would never deal with them again. Her 1 year warranty work took 2 years to complete and was sloppy. The only reason they covered her problems was because she hired a property inspector to go through her house before the warranty was up.

She has cracks in her foundation, her roof had a bulge in it, the air conditioner broke within 6 months and they didn't put a header over several of her doorways - she found this out after she had a problem with a sagging door and moulding that was falling off.

I'd look at Cornerstone if I had the choice between the 2.

[mawipafl]

I would love to comment, but I don't have enough knowledge/experience with those two builders. Mine is a Sid Higginbotham.

[R1v3rRat]

Originally Posted by mawipafl

Mine is a Sid Higginbotham.

Well...if I could afford one of Sids homes..... I'd be all set.

[mawipafl]

Oh -- did I just learn something about Sid homes? I'm such a newbie here that I wasn't intending to imply anything. When we bought, we purchased the house that fit our needs and didn't know much about the original builder. I'd surmise, then, that it's not a pig in a poke. That's reassuring I guess :-)

[R1v3rRat]

Yes, they do build a great home.

[LewLew]

Originally Posted by R1v3rRat

Looking at different builders in and around Jax. Wife and I have narrowed it down to 2 builders. Anyone own a home built by either builder and have an opinion?

Thanks RR

I've heard good things about Cornerstone. What everyone has to remember is that most all of the builders share subcontractors, so the true testament to the builder is their customer service, and not necessarily the product. The more expensive a product does not necessarily mean less problems. I would have to say that Providence has pretty bad rep in terms of warranty, issues that they don't take responsbility for, etc. We lived in one for a while, and there were some major issues...however, nothing that couldn't be easily fixed. Most "large" builders will have issues. Everyone has to remember that builders throw homes up in 8 months or less (unless you go custom), so it's naive to think there won't be problems. I would truly inquire about a builder's warranty, and not necessarily other things. Framers who build for one builder, also have crews who build for their competition...no exclusivity normally. Thus, the warranty, and what they are willing to repair is the biggest thing to research. Our issue was with cracking/peeling stucco. Yes, stucco will always crack, but this was insane. Basically, we were told by Providence that it was homeowner maintenance. That would have been fine if we had lived in the home longer than 6 months...but I don't think maintenance on the actual home exterior material should start to be required at 6 months!!!!!!!!!! I was told by our inspector that it's b/c the homes go up so fast, the builders do not allow enough cure time for the layers of stucco. So, needless to say, they didn't build a bad house, but the rude warranty person made them a poor choice for any home of ours in the future. Other builders would have informed you of the maintenance that will be required, but might do something to help with that problem. Our cracks had to be wider than the width of the side of a quarter for them to do anything for us. Just check out the warranty and customer service of the builder is my advice.! Good luck!

[Cleclan]

I agree. It is always the people that make the difference. You can go into 2 McDonalds and have different experiences. 1 store the people are polite, it's clean, and the food is hot. Go into a different store and have a total different experience. Both stores have the same corporate required criteria, food is manufactured in the same place however you have different experience.
While many of the same sub-contractors are used different builders, if the builder treats the sub-contractor better, than the sub-contractor is more focused on doing a better job for them because they want to continue to do business with them.
The Best Advise I Can Give You: Walk the community and ask the home owners. Don't get a list from the sales agent because they are only going to give you the good list. i.e. if you were the person living in the community and some one knocked on your door, I bet no matter how busy you were, you you tell that person who knocked on your door if you were or were not happy with your builder. Everyone goes thru the uncertainty of which builder to select and they understand what you are going thru. If someone is not happy, they are always happy to share or warn others.
Other than taking a few minutes of personal research, I would recommend CornerStone Homes.