Builder quality? (new house, buying, construction)

[phdchef]

Hi all, we are currently residents in West Chester and are thinking about buying a new house within the next year or two. We noticed that there are so many new developments by builders including Drees, Ryan, Fischer, M/I, John Henry, Cristo, and others. We are fairly flexible in terms of whether to buy in West Chester or Liberty Township and are most interested in overall build quality/value of the builders. Anyone with any insight as to which among these builders use the best material and such? I understand that "builder grade" tends to be not the highest grade, we just don't want to have to deal with poorly built houses. Thank you in advance!

[wrightflyer]

Not sure about others but Ryan was mentioned in the news recently for the wrong reasons. Forcing issues into arbitration. Not honoring warranties. Poor quality. They had that rep prior to the '08 bubble burst. Probably tightened up due to the contraction. Now that builders are needed and homes are in high demand, especially new builds, it does not surprise me that the corners are being cut again.

[mrstop]

I don't have experience with any of the recent homes of the builders mentioned. I'm a home remodeling contractor and will say that I worked in a home built by one of the mentioned names (can't remember which) in the early 2000's. I did a fairly extensive remodel of the downstairs. Framing and other details were absolute garbage. Windows are failing and temperature differentials across the house were horrible.


Unfortunately, most buyers look at the finishes. Unfortunately, it is often lipstick on a pig. I would educate yourself a bit on what a quality build is. Most important is the structure & building envelope as, if you have issues (degradation, hot/cold rooms, etc), it is the most expensive to repair. Besides being built structurally sound (e.g. no foam sheathing as a substitute for plywood/osb panels). The most important things are (in this order):


1) Water management
2) Air management
3) Thermal management


Most builders traditionally are barely getting #1 right, have little clue about #2, and are ok at #3.


Once you educate yourself, drive around on the weekend and look at the homes that are under construction and see if they are hitting the right details in the foundation and wall framing.