Just got back from my Weekend in Houston, looks like I am staying put in the North-East............. (Sugar Land: new construction, cabinets)

[Backspace]

Originally Posted by Homer12

I am not sure what the codes are in Texas. 2x6 construction is found up here, if not a minimum of R19 of insulation is required so you would need spray in insulation to get that with 2x4 walls, this is a significant cost and difference in quality. Everyone thinks this is because of the Cold Winters (And it is), but insulation save as much or more in the months we use Air Conditioning. Windows are Anderson, Jeldwen, Marvin, ect in the North. Down South windows cost a fraction of the price, this adds a significant cost to the builder. Basements add a Significant cost to a home, something 98% of homes have up this way.

On the other extreme we have a lot of Vinyl Siding, you have a lot of stone/brick, stone/brick is a lot more expensive. Your concrete driveways are more expensive than our paved asphalt.

2x6 walls are pretty common here in Houston, my home has 2x6 walls and is fully spray foamed. I've got Anderson windows, 39 of them to be exact.

You don't find basements in the South because it would be a swimming pool 12 months out of the year due to the water table, it has nothing to do with the cost of adding a basement.

[Backspace]

Originally Posted by Homer12

By the way the things like Frameless Shower Doors, Soft Close Drawers, Quality Door knobs, 8 inch Faucets and other small stuff tell me if they are cheap on that stuff they are twice as cheap on stuff you can not see. That is my point, not really each item by itself. It tells me something about the builder.

I understand what you're saying but I don't think you're paying attention to yourself. Everything you've listed is attributed to the builder and has nothing to do with the area of the country or state you might be looking at. It's pretty easy to find a home in Houston with frameless shower doors, soft close drawers, nice hardware, etc etc etc if you don't limit yourself to high dollar cookie cutter neighborhoods that are only serviced by large builders... the exact same thing could be said for where you live now.

Are you comprehending what I'm saying? Every single one of your gripes about the homes you saw in Houston are due to the home builder you chose to view, not the state or city you happened to be looking in.

[Homer12]

Originally Posted by Backspace

I understand what you're saying but I don't think you're paying attention to yourself. Everything you've listed is attributed to the builder and has nothing to do with the area of the country or state you might be looking at. It's pretty easy to find a home in Houston with frameless shower doors, soft close drawers, nice hardware, etc etc etc if you don't limit yourself to high dollar cookie cutter neighborhoods that are only serviced by large builders... the exact same thing could be said for where you live now.

Are you comprehending what I'm saying? Every single one of your gripes about the homes you saw in Houston are due to the home builder you chose to view, not the state or city you happened to be looking in.

I fully understand what your saying, the Quality of the Homes really did not play a part, but somehow we got to talking about them in this long thread.

The biggest thing with the Homes was the size of the lots. The reason I looked at all the Big Communities is because of my wife loving what she saw in Atlanta and Charlotte. We have a 2 year old and twin 6 year olds and she loves the idea of a Community that is family focused/friendly. Up north we do not have communities like the south (Playgrounds, Activity Center, Pools, Ect), I think the south in general is more about family and up here is more about work. That is another reason we will continue to consider the south, I would much rather Work to Live than Live to Work. I think now I am in the middle of the 2.

[bu2]

Originally Posted by Homer12

I did not bash anything, if it was taken that way I apologize, it was not my intent. The fact is my Wife loves some of the Communities in Atlanta and Charlotte, she thought they would be similar, they were not.

Originally Posted by Homer12

I did say Huge Builders like Toll Brothers do not impress me, I did not say that only those builders are allowed in Communities like I saw down that way. Even Toll Brothers doesn't use the Materials I saw, but I know up North standards are different, they probably do use them in the South.

If it were not an option I would have gone, I am sure I would have gotten used to it. All I did was describe what I saw, how is that bashing?? Did I lie??? Did I make anything up?

I would be surprised if your suburban Boston house was relatively new construction (unless it was a custom home). You will find the nicer windows, cabinets and drawers in inner city new construction in Houston. And you will find it in older houses. But that is where they cut corners in new suburban mass developments, even in nice areas like First Colony in Sugar Land. In the higher end homes in the nicer developments, however, they usually have nice kitchens, appliances and tile.

Atlanta does tend to have larger lots. Not sure if that is tradition, or if because of the terrain, more of it is unbuildable. I suspect the latter. Atlanta also tends to be laxer about developments in the flood plain. Perhaps they haven't suffered as much as Houston in that regard.

[llmrkc07]

man kill this thread...

[sid1577]

I just relocated to Houston from Dallas. Yes, there are differences. I have been fortunate to travel to most major areas in the country, so I have seen the differences. The differences are huge! It is impossible to compare all the pros and cons of any two areas - the good and bad you hear about any area is accurate to the person giving his opinion.
As far as Houston goes, it is flat, hot and humid in the summer, beautiful through the winter months (although not much "winter"), traffic is a concern like any major metropolitan area, quality of schools varies substantially by school district and within those school districts, crime is a concern in parts of the area just like any major metropolitan area, zoning is non-existent so look closely at the area you are considering, housing is a value regardless of opinion concerning features and "quality".
Like any thriving area, Houston is dominated by major home builders. Like it or not, they have the financial resources to make huge capital investments in the numerous master-planned communities around the area.
As far as a comparison between the major builders and custom builders, there is no comparison.....you pay for that difference in any part of the country. If you want upper end features and are willing to pay for it, go custom. If you want higher value with fewer features, go with a production builder. You wont' get both, so stop trying.

[natefg2]

I work on billboards and always find it funny how people complain about them. Especially in houston. Take a picture of the freeway you are driving on and then photo shop the the billboards out of the frame you are still stuck with all the massive shopping center signs and overhead road signs. Just a funny observation. I've lived in houston most of my life. Boston born, houston raised. Family is in philly and maine. Houston definitely looks like crap compared to lots of other places. Coming back from austin or san antonio always remind me how industrial it is and the presence of the oil business. It also has very heavy truck traffic with the oil business and the port of houston. Houston isnt for the eyes its for the work. We have a low cost of living down here.

[d2mini]

Originally Posted by natefg2

It also has very heavy truck traffic

Wow, ya i've been here so long now i'm used to it but this was huge when i moved down from NY. The amount of large trucks and big rigs on the roads here is insane.

[SouthernBoy205]

This was on my Twitter timeline. My school's basketball team is in Houston....."@SETMAT: Atlanta http://p.twimg.com/AmhGf86CAAAJak3.jpg <=== Nun like Texas."

[blkgiraffe]

Originally Posted by SouthernBoy205

This was on my Twitter timeline. My school's basketball team is in Houston....."@SETMAT: Atlanta http://p.twimg.com/AmhGf86CAAAJak3.jpg <=== Nun like Texas."

I don't get it.....