Devon Street Homes vs M/I Homes in Enclave at River Park, Sugarland (Houston: credit, new home)

[kcarmelr]

Hi,

I've finally found the perfect location and a new development in a River Park subdivision in the City of Sugarland. The problem is there are only 2 builders; Devon Street Homes and M/I Homes. My budget is between $420K-$450K but I'm concerned about build quality and luxury design options available. Does anyone have any experience with these two builders particularly the expertise and size/scale of their design centers. Any feedback would be helpful in making this decision.

[KenzHou]

I recommend checking out the new Veranda MPC by Johnson Development Corp, many reputable builders, same schools as River Park and very near by the location you like, about 2 miles south.

[key2thecity]

I have a Devon Street home and my family has lived in it for for 4 1/2 years. We haven't had any major issues with the home. I only have two complaints against the home. First, they used the CHEAPEST paint available. It shows every blemish, you can't even wipe it with WATER without causing a huge, ugly, PERMANENT stain. Second, we only received one a/c unit on a two-story 2500 sq ft home. At any time of the day, the upstairs can have a subtropical climate while the downstairs feels like the arctic, and vice versa. I'm assuming the a/c unit is too small (perhaps cheap?) or they really should have given us two. As far as the initial buying process, they will charge you for EVERY upgrade and their "upgrades" are standard options for most other builders. This was our first home and first build so we didn't know any better.

[Sollaces]

Cheap paint is typical for new homes. They use a flat paint, the least expensive, and yes it can't be scrubbed clean - It comes right off the wall. The best solution for new builder homes with that flat paint is to repaint it.


An A/C company can tell you if your system 'fits' your size home. We have a 1.5 story home and there is a dead space where the vents don't hit, very noticeable temp change from downstairs to upstairs.


You could put in metal vent grates and replace the plastic ones. The metal put out more air, a good 30% more.


Anyway, back to the builders. I haven't heard of them. Builders I do know about are Taylor Morrison, Pulte, Perry, Trendmaker, David Weekly, etc.

[kcarmelr]

Thanks for the input everyone. I did decide to contract with this builder and I do recognize that the costs start racking up with the upgrades. I'm trying to be very strategic with my options and incentives. I'm opting for pre-wiring only for some electrical upgrades and I prefer to get better light fixtures and paint. I've not been to the design center yet and I'm excited and anxious about my first visit.

As far as the A/C goes: The builder is affiliated with this Environments for Living Program that claims the builder should use the right size A/C for your home. Will I need to get an independent company to determine this or can I trust that I won't have cooling issues like Key2thecity. Perhaps I should get a project manager (this was actually suggested by a friend of mine but I don't want to seem paranoid)...

[Sollaces]

You can have various stages of the build inspected. We had the framing inspected and also had a bug company come out and treat the wood with a termite repellant.


Some things to consider for upgrades: Gutters around the whole house. Builders usually only do the front. On one house we wanted the doorways square instead of the arches. You could also see if they'll pour a slab in back. It could be for a storage shed, an outdoor patio, or workshop type area.


If you have your heart set on a certain flooring.. . . You could go for the cheap builder stuff now and tear it up to put down what you want. A neighbor did that, putting down carpet, tore it up before moving in, and put down tile that looks like wood.


Another upgrade that you should get is the radiant barrier. Well, ours was an upgrade. Now I did try to get them to put a regular window in the master but they'd only put solid glass. *sigh* I wanted a window that opens.

[Sollaces]

Huh. Someone said I give ridiculous advice.


We lived in a Pulte home. We lived in a Morrison now Taylor Morrison home. We have had friends living in Perry homes. Those builders are popular and common throughout the Houston area. Just because I didn't know or hear about Devon Street Homes and M/I Homes doesn't mean I can't contribute. I wonder if these builders are 'new' or I just haven't heard about them.


I do know what it's like to live in a new home and the frustrations. I still remember the shower tile having no support behind it. It was slightly off and a simple push had the tile guys back out. . .

[KenzHou]

Good luck with your build OP, also take a look at Devon Street's Inventory homes in encalve Park, which are all priced $40 - $50k below list price.. hopefully they are giving you at the minimum $40k in design credit to make it a fair deal.

[TexasTony]

One of our homes is Devon Street Inventory home. It is two story and around 3000 sq ft and we got two AC units. Its been almost 3+ years and so far we are happy with it. The paint is what others have mentioned (not that great). The builder fixed all the issues that came up on the inspection report without any issues. My neighbor's house is a Perry home. While they have some better upgrades as default in bathroom and vanity, overall quality looks pretty similar.

[kcarmelr]

Originally Posted by Sollaces

You can have various stages of the build inspected. We had the framing inspected and also had a bug company come out and treat the wood with a termite repellant.


Some things to consider for upgrades: Gutters around the whole house. Builders usually only do the front. On one house we wanted the doorways square instead of the arches. You could also see if they'll pour a slab in back. It could be for a storage shed, an outdoor patio, or workshop type area.


If you have your heart set on a certain flooring.. . . You could go for the cheap builder stuff now and tear it up to put down what you want. A neighbor did that, putting down carpet, tore it up before moving in, and put down tile that looks like wood.


Another upgrade that you should get is the radiant barrier. Well, ours was an upgrade. Now I did try to get them to put a regular window in the master but they'd only put solid glass. *sigh* I wanted a window that opens.

Thanks for the feedback. I was actually wondering whether I should upgrade to full gutters. I was surprised it wasn't standard but then again I just moved to Texas so maybe it's not necessary?