Signed contract on Grand Homes (Dallas, Addison: new home, buyer, construction)

[starvinmarvin]

Hey guys,
I recently signed a contract with Grand homes to build a home for me. I then did some searches to find some people don't think they build quality homes. It is too late for me already as I am in contract. However what I could not find is exactly what is bad about their construction?

Do they use bad material? Exactly what are we talking about?
Do their contractors do shoddy work? Can we fix that with a proper home inspection?
Is their foundation solid? What can go wrong with foundation
They claim they are energy start certified so I am guess energy start has checked everyhome

any suggestions are appreciated.

[Rakin]

Marvin - There has been a lot of discussion about Grand here over the years. I'd recommend you use the search feature. Grand has had their BBB membership revoked.

//www.city-data.com/forum/fort-...rand-mess.html

//www.city-data.com/forum/dalla...ons-350-a.html

//www.city-data.com/forum/dalla...-question.html

You might review JD powers survey about Builders in DFW

[starvinmarvin]

Rakin,
I have already read those posts and some of them keep pointing to BBB.

BBB has given them a A+ rating. How do you explain that?

Grand Homes, Inc. Business Review in Addison, TX - Dallas Texas BBB

No one seems to say exactly what they do that is bad. If they are making mistakes in construction then a home inspector should be able to find those problems and have them resolved them right away?

[Rakin]

There is a reason why they consistently rank at the bottom of JD powers for about the last 13 years. If I thought you were a serious buyer I would discuss.

Good luck with your Grand Home.

[escanlan]

Originally Posted by starvinmarvin

Hey guys,
I recently signed a contract with Grand homes to build a home for me. I then did some searches to find some people don't think they build quality homes. It is too late for me already as I am in contract. However what I could not find is exactly what is bad about their construction?

Do they use bad material? Exactly what are we talking about?
Do their contractors do shoddy work? Can we fix that with a proper home inspection?
Is their foundation solid? What can go wrong with foundation
They claim they are energy start certified so I am guess energy start has checked everyhome

any suggestions are appreciated.

Originally Posted by starvinmarvin

Rakin,
I have already read those posts and some of them keep pointing to BBB.

BBB has given them a A+ rating. How do you explain that?

Grand Homes, Inc. Business Review in Addison, TX - Dallas Texas BBB

No one seems to say exactly what they do that is bad. If they are making mistakes in construction then a home inspector should be able to find those problems and have them resolved them right away?

Hello starvinmarvin,

I'll try to answer some of your questions.

First off I'll touch on the Home Inspection aspect. The Home Inspectors job is to perform the inspections you request, find issues in the home, then report these to you. The Home Inspector does not have a contract with the builder and has no authority over the builder. When issues are found it is up to the buyer, with the help of a well written home inspection report, to approach the builder with the corrections they, the buyer, wants performed. Since it is a contract between you the buyer and the builder you are the one with the ability to pressure the builder to correct any issues found.

As for your question on "What can go wrong with foundation", there are many, many things that can go wrong. Just about everything wrong in a new home construction can be corrected. However foundation problems can be the most difficult to identify as a building error and correct later if you can even identify it specifically as a builder error. Once the concrete is poured everything is now covered over from view and dis-assembly (forensic investigations) become very, very expensive to specifically identify a fault!

The Energy Star rating you are describing is best described here at the Feds Energy Star WEB site How New Homes Earn the ENERGY STAR : ENERGY STAR. Builders generally design their home plan including all of the necessary specifications to obtain the Energy Star rating. They then have the design tested and approved per that design. To obtain the Energy Star rating they are required to perform a third party inspection and rating test. These inspections/tests are only as good as the person/business performing them and there are little quality control checks performed on them to ensure they are performing properly. However you do also need to keep in mind that the energy rating inspection is different than the purpose of a home inspection/phase inspection.

Any builder no matter how good their reputation can build a home with issues if their Construction Supervisor is not performing their job. Unfortunately we are in a world where the phrase "Caveat Emptor" has so much more meaning than ever before! Just do your due diligence, watch the build closely, have your own independent inspections, and above all take charge and make sure you are getting the product you will be paying for a long time on!

[MurphyPl1]

Go look at their homes under construction - at the framing phase - and then go look at the homes of other builders. They are using perfectly legal materials, but of a lower quality.

With a Grand Home you absolutely have to look past the pretty niches and fancy arches and fully upgraded models and look at the work from the ground up.

If you have already signed a contract and are locked in, then you need to stay on top of them and visit the jobsite often.

[starvinmarvin]

Escanlan and MurphyP1,
Thanks for your replies. I plan on certainly being at the build site very often and plan on hiring a new home inspector as well. Thanks.

[ggolf]

Hire a home inspector to go over the site at each construction phase. I had a guy across the street from me. Grand used a standard 1X10 beam over his 2 car garage, as opposed to a steel beam, then bricked all the way to the second floor. A year later, the beam was sagging due to supporting the weight of all those bricks. A home inspector after construction is finished might not notice something like that. And depending on which city you're building in the code inspectors may or may not look at those things.

I'd be very wary of Grand. Good luck.

[starvinmarvin]

Thanks Ggolf

[TX75007]

It does not matter the builder. Because a home has thousands of parts and dozens of people working on it, stuff comes up and you have to deal with it.

When I built my second home, the builder was a great builder and an honest man with a detailed schedule and an experienced group of subs, but I still found many deficiencies during the process. And even after we finished and things looked perfect, I could still lay on the floor in the living room, look around, and found a few things.

I think its good that you are verifying the claims made on this forum. I think you will do fine with Grand given your ability to verify and follow up.