American Legend green Vs Mercedes Builder (Dallas, Castle Hills: how much, new home, heat pump)

[newtodallas1]

wanted reviews on American Legend green Homes Vs Mercedes Homes of Castle hills west/north phase 6.

First,,thanks alot for reviews reg prev topics that i have posted..i really appreciate the answers and based on that,,we are going a step ahead about finalizing one of the plans that we have shortlisted..
mercedes homes plan Camrynn or plan 653 of american legend home/green..
price difference is HUGE!! 50k difference!! i am amazed why!! room size if i compare there is diff of half ft only!! and i get an extra bathroom in mercedes plan and yes will be let going one bedroom in lieu of study..which again..considering 50k price is still ok !! or not ?
..but we are confused and worried about utility bills mostly because american legend homes says "green" word!!

has anyone owned american legend green homes? are they are really satisfying the "green" criteria and do they really bring down your electricity bills....

is neone living currently in mercedes homes? can you post some reviews on electricity/utility bills ??

which one is better ??????????

we are really confused as to which builder to consider...mercedes just got out of brankrupcy..is it worth going with them ?
all lost..please HELP !!

[goddess_skp]

Hi - we are in the same boat- we can't decide whether paying the extra $50k for mercedes is worth it... have you had any luck negotiating? did you make a decision who to go with? i believe we are planning to go this weekend and see if we can negotiate with mercedes homes... i did hear that american legend did negotiate with the price and you can make changes to the floor plan..

[Rakin]

Not answering your question but If I had a choice between the 2 I would go with American Legend Homes. They are sound finacially and do a great job building homes. Mercedes has been good over the years but from what I know is struggling.

ALH is a very good builder.

[lh_newbie]

If you want to find out some green stuff, here's a firehose of (hopefully) summarized data I would require in a new build:

Insulation
R-values are the rating for how well a barrier resists heat moving through it. Higher = better. If the exterior walls are 2x4, then you'd expect R-13 at minimum. 2x6 walls (preferred) would get R-19. Ceilings should have R-49. I know many codes say R-38 on cathedral ceilings... but if you have all angled ceilings, but I call BS on that. Any ceiling should have R-49 minimum.

Insulation type makes a difference as well. Fiberglass allows the most air to move through it, so in extreme temps, they lose more R-Value due to drafts within the insulation itself. In general, the denser the insulation, the better. If you can get cellulose insulation - that's definitely better. It also has other benefits, such as being treated with a fire retardant that is a bug repellent and is also a better at cutting down sound.

If you have an attic stairway within the home, make sure they use some sort of insulating system to allow the trap door to have insulation (i.e. "attic tents" or the like).

Radiant Barrier
Radiant barriers under your roof are pretty common in new construction now - it helps to keep the summer heat out of your attic, where many HVAC systems are. It's a very good idea to do this. I haven't seen any builders doing radiant barriers in the walls yet, but I would think on the south and west walls, it could be beneficial.

Attic Ventilation
Any new home should have adequate attic ventilation to get the heat out of the attic when it gets in (and it will). Continuous soffit vents should be a standard, as well as ridge vents and some additional venting (I'd shy away from powered vents, they can be overly aggressive and cause other issues).

Windows
Two specifications on windows to be concerned about: U-Factor and SHGC. U-factor is an insulation rating, but lower is better. They should have a rating of 0.35 or lower. SHGC rates how much solar heat is allowed through. Again, a lower number is better. They should have rating of 0.35 or lower.

HVAC Efficiency
We use more AC than heat in our environment, but we do use quite a bit of heat (especially this year... geesh). The rating for efficiency of an air conditioner is SEER. Higher is better and the minimum allowed per the fed is 13. Getting a unit at 16 or higher is easily obtainable and the minimal incremental cost will pay for itself.

Natural gas furnaces have an AFUE rating. It's a percentage of heat in the gas that makes it into your home. The minimum you can buy is 80%. 90-95% are obtainable and will indeed pay for themselves over the life of the unit.

I don't have a lot of experience with heat pumps, but it is my understanding that in DFW, they may be more energy efficienct than a traditional AC+Furnace. Maybe your builder or someone else on this forum could offer their experiences on that topic.

Siting
The site plays a pretty major role. If all your windows faced South and were unshaded, you'd get a lot more solar heat gain than if all your windows faced North. The preferred orientation in our region is North-South (bulk of the windows on North-South that is).

Shade
Shade also plays a major role in HVAC needs. If you have a large, deciduous shade tree on the South, providing shade on your Southern exposure in the summer - your cooling bills will be lower than allowing that sun to directly penetrate the windows and walls. In the winter, when that deciduous tree drops it's leaves, you'll get free heat into your home when the sun is out.

[bayareaguru]

Last week I signed a contract in Castle Hills North with ALH.
If you want more information, shoot me a PM.

[hnDallas]

Hi, we are planning to go with Mercedes homes in castle Hills-North/ph6. we liked a plan but its a little higher on our budget. Does anyone know if they negotiate on price ? and how good are they building the houses in castle hills.. has anyone already living there faced any problem. Will appreciaye any advice/suggestions.

[nsumner]

Originally Posted by hnDallas

Hi, we are planning to go with Mercedes homes in castle Hills-North/ph6. we liked a plan but its a little higher on our budget. Does anyone know if they negotiate on price ? and how good are they building the houses in castle hills.. has anyone already living there faced any problem. Will appreciaye any advice/suggestions.

I have 2 clients that are building with Mercedes Homes. Once the negotiations were over and we started dealing with the builder, everything is going much better. He is very good at keeping us updated on the progress. Usually builders don't like it when you visit too often, but he is always very helpful and explains everything to my clients.

The material they use is comparable or better than the one used by some of the best builders in DFW

Naima

[winniell]

I just bought an American Legend home and during the process of building we found problems that they needed to fix each time we made a visit. If we didn't go and look at the home, then the problems may have persisted. My project manager doesn't really like to call us and update us. American Legend asks for 3% for earnest money while other builders ask for $5K. That's a lot to lose if you end up not liking the builder or the quality of the build.

[bayareaguru]

I am not sure its really required for a new home. But, may be you can hire a professional home inspector.

[nsumner]

Originally Posted by bayareaguru

I am not sure its really required for a new home. But, may be you can hire a professional home inspector.

A new law was passed last year where builders MUST get 3rd party inspections done at various stages of the build job, particularly before framing. This is in addition to the city inspections and their own inspections. It's been my experience that they are not bias at all, since most of them if not all fail at one thing or another. They use some reputable companies too.

However, for peace of mind and a cost of less than $500, a buyer would always want to get a home inspected at their expense too. An extra set of eyes never could hurt considering the size of the investment.

Naima