DR Horton scares me. (Phoenix, Buckeye: sales, lawyer, custom home) - Arizona (AZ) - City-Data Forum

CodyW · 06-10-2007, 10:28 PM

Anybody ever dealt with DR Horton? Went to look at homes yesterday, and this community was absolutely frightening.

The streets aren't finished.
There are NO models.

Yet, it seemed like there were about 150 homes under construction.

The dude in the sales office let us look at some spec homes, and yes, they were nice. But he said something that was a little unnerving.

"We can get a house from slab to completion in 60 days."

Is that even possible?! And if they do manage to do it, that can't be a very well put-together home. So.. anybody ever dealt with them in the Phoenix area? And if you have, what issues came up?

ejk · 06-11-2007, 12:02 AM

We had no problems with them at all, nor did any of our neighbors as far as we know. Cambridge is owned by Horton and we know of a lot of people who have used them in IL and liked them there too.

Our house took 4 months from the time they poured the slab.

In what community were you looking?

CodyW · 06-11-2007, 12:36 AM

It was in Riata West, in Buckeye. Watson & Southern.

60 days just sounds waaaay to short to me.

Did you have any build-quality issues at all?

ejk · 06-11-2007, 12:57 AM

No, it's been a couple of years but nothing comes to mind at the moment. 60 days does seem very short unless they have a lot of available workers and aren't doing a lot of building at this time, but you've already said they have 150 homes going without even roads or models. So that does seem weird.

A few of the developers we looked at, there weren't roads or models yet but this was during the big rush (we looked in 2004) and so it didn't seem to be that big an issue. Some of them (Pulte was one) sent us to other developments where models were being shown; Montalbano over on Miller had only a trailer at the time.

But the market is so different now than it was then. You'd think, with it being a buyers' market, that the builders would be more on top of things.

GoGoLucky · 06-11-2007, 02:14 AM

actually my girlfriend dad is an inspector and he has said some not so pleasant things about dr...that they dont use the best products when building

MotleyCrew · 06-11-2007, 08:07 AM

In our Shea development we noticed that most of the exterior walls were pre-framed. It was basically a "kit" home. 60 days is short and they will probably not meet their deadline, but it is very doable, especially if building has slowed and the availability of trades and materials is better. We had a concrete shortage in 04.

Stumblina · 06-11-2007, 09:08 AM

60 days is a little "scary", but if you take into account that nobody is buying homes, they probably have so many workers available that it may be feasible. As far as quality, unless you are building a "custom" home, designed for you specifically and not in a development with five or six different models to choose from that are built in mass production, most of the quality will be the same. There is a lot of truth to "you get what you pay for", unfortunately, most of us can't afford to go the "custom" route. I'm NOT saying these builders are bad. The majority of homes in any state/city are built that way, but the quality you would hope to get just isn't going to be there.

ejk · 06-11-2007, 09:51 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Stumblina

60 days is a little "scary", but if you take into account that nobody is buying homes, they probably have so many workers available that it may be feasible. As far as quality, unless you are building a "custom" home, designed for you specifically and not in a development with five or six different models to choose from that are built in mass production, most of the quality will be the same. There is a lot of truth to "you get what you pay for", unfortunately, most of us can't afford to go the "custom" route. I'm NOT saying these builders are bad. The majority of homes in any state/city are built that way, but the quality you would hope to get just isn't going to be there.

I think that about says it!

Master Shake · 06-11-2007, 12:09 PM

I heard that there were a lot of issues with one of the DR communities in Queen Creek (built in 2005), whereas the DR community in Maricopa (also built in 2005) seems to be free of such issues. I think it all boils down to the laborers that are hired during the time the community is being built. With the building boom a few years ago, the labor market was very tight, meaning that anyone could have been picked up off the street -- regardless of skills and/or experience. This would most likely directly transfer to the overall quality of the house. However, the quality of customer service and how the builder responds to issues is also a good measurement of the builder. Usually all hosues have a few minor issues, which should easily be covered during the first walk through, or by the standard 1 year warranty. However, I know at least one person who had to hire a lawyer to help get a response from DR Horton.

As for build time, I doubt that a house could be completed in 60 days, including grading and pouring of the slab (IIRC, the slab has to set/dry for at least 5 days before anything can even be built on it). Additionally, all houses are supposed to be inspected by the county at various stages, which prevents the builder from moving onto the next stage. This is probably just part of the sales pitch, given how difficult it is to move new build houses at this time.

carnut · 06-12-2007, 09:26 PM

Well, Being a custom builder for over twenty years with our own company, I can tell you it can be done and is done everyday. That is if we are talking about volume builders. A custom will always take longer, because it is ..well custom.

Letting a slab set for five days is true in some climates but not all. If the weather is wet and cold then you may want it to set for even longer. If it is dry and hot some will build on the second day. It depends on the weather and the climate.

I am certainly NOT standing up for DR Horton as I do not know their business. However, you have to understand that there are only six or eight homes in a given community (or so). The subcontractors can build these homes in their sleep. They have built them so many times over and over and over again. If you did the same thing over and over for many years you could as well. Volume builders work like a machine, they turn out homes as fast as they can in a reasonably acceptable condition. Never will you find a home in the community built as well as the models. Remember the models will have several hundred thousand dollars worth of upgrades in each one.

Building a "house" in 60 days is not impossible, building a "HOME" in 60 days is impossible. Each one of us will make a house our home by our own decor. The construction of the structure is only the beginning of that process.

As for why there are homes being built before the streets are completed. That is being done for several reasons. One they do it so the heavy trucks will not damage the new streets. Two it is done to coincide with the construction of the community. This is so the homes will be completed when the community is wrapping up. Believe me they will not get a building final inspection on ANY home in the community until the city or county signs off on the streets. What most people do not understand is we (developers) have to buy the land pay for the engineering, pay for the underground infrastructure and streets and then GIVE it to the city.

We realize when you buy a new home you do not want to hear hammering and see heavy trucks in the neighborhood all the time so we try to get completed as soon as we can to minimize that inconvenience. It is done in an effort to save time, money and future relationships.

I do agree 60 days is short even for a volume builder. I have to say that with the right team though, it is very possible. My framing crew framed a fifteen thousand square foot custom home in eight days. The house took eight months to complete and we did not get a single red tag from the city.