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Thx for the responses. Anyone else want to chime in? What else is there to know? People aren't using real wood now? This is interesting. What else is cheap?
So are there any quality builders with reasonable prices?
Thx for the responses. Anyone else want to chime in? What else is there to know? People aren't using real wood now? This is interesting. What else is cheap?
So are there any quality builders with reasonable prices?
Most of the production builders don't use osb sheathing on the exterior of the home like many of the custom builders do. They use "black board" which feels sort of like a really dense foam. One of the production builders uses 24" OC interior wall studs and a couple of the others (including Breland) use 16" OC.
Most of the production builders also use truss systems for the roofing as opposed to custom-built "on-site" beams, rafters, etc like the customs. This is supposed to save on cost and waste. The production builders try to keep waste to <10% and some get it down to 4-5%. Some custom builders can waste up to 25% or more in materials.
Breland, like was said before, is able to do their own development, and that alone can save at least $10K per home. Of course, lots cost much more than that, but they're technically only saving on the profit that the developer would make by selling the lots (price minus development costs), not the entire cost of the lot....I just don't know what their profit-cost numbers are.....and they can vary widely depending on the neighborhood.
The other two things that help save on cost are 1.) Buying in bulk and 2.) Tight timeline. The production builders do these things very, very well.
IMHO, it doesn't matter what price range home a person buys if the homeowner doesn't maintain it properly. Homes need to be kept clean, systems checked on a yearly basis, and landscaping kept neat and pleasing. Homes don't just maintain themselves. I see so many that the owners just let get to the point that it was beyond little repair or upkeep. Then they try to resale it and want top dollar.
Well actually you obviously don't know near as much about building as you think you do. Jeff Benton also uses cheaper materials. Even the upgraded carpet is still cheap. The "hardwood" flooring they use is a bottom of the barrel laminate. Sure it looks good when you walk a new home but give it 5 years and look again. Some subcontractors are the same such as HVAC and plumbing. Others are not, as breland doesn't pay well.
If you think the cabinets are local built you are way off base. The cabinets breland use are cheap prefabricated units supplied by Huntsville Lumber.
Your friend is in the building industry and knows the inside information on how homes are built and the type of materials used. He knows what he is talking about. The quality home builders and custom home builders in town have their arms up in the air right now because they can't sell quality homes anymore. People think that since the cheaper big builder home looks the same, it is the same but cheaper so they buy them. I know you all have heard "you get what you pay for" before.
I never said Breland had locally built cabinets. I DID however say that AHH uses locally built cabinets. So please, before you fly off the handle next time, read thoroughly and know what you are talking about.
Jeff Benton does not use laminate flooring. They use an engineeered hardwood flooring, like every other builder in that price range. Breland was using a laminate in the classic series, but even he has moved to an engineered hardwood.
You want top of the line quality? Then get ready to spend $500k or more. For the price, Breland is building a GREAT house. Not everyone can afford to put the top of the line everything in their home....that does not mean it is crap.
And Breland, AHH, Ken McDaniels, Woodland, Jeff Benton all use the exact same carpet (with JB and Breland it is an upgrade). They use a Shaw frieze that is a pretty good quality. With AHH and Ken McDaniels that is their standard, Jeff Benton's standard is a very cheap builder grade (a 2-3 builder grade carpet). Breland uses a short pile Shaw that is actually a pretty decent carpet. Just call Haley's (like I did) and let the "experts" tell you about the quality/grade of carpet being used.
And, I would say that the fact that many contractors and supers have left other builders to go work for Breland speaks as to how the company takes care of their employees.
And, there are a few builders who are putting all the "expensive" nice upgrades in their houses. We have a saying...You can put a bow on a pig, but it is still a pig.
Last edited by LCTMadison; 07-10-2011 at 12:44 PM..
I never said Breland had locally built cabinets. I DID however say that AHH uses locally built cabinets. So please, before you fly off the handle next time, read thoroughly and know what you are talking about.
Jeff Benton does not use laminate flooring. They use an engineeered hardwood flooring, like every other builder in that price range.
You want top of the line quality? Then get ready to spend $500k or more. For the price, Breland is building a GREAT house.
Apparently you used an acronym "Ahh" to start your post which looked like you were saying "ahhhh...." I have no idea what the acronym "AHH" stands for, was I to immediately start thinking through the list of builders in the area and guess maybe it was Alabama Heritage Homes or one of the others? Is that who or what you were referring to or should I guess some more? Why are some people too lazy to type out words and instead use acronyms leading to misinterpretation and confusion. Is it that hard to type a couple of words out to be clear? You come back at me with an attitude, when it was your own fault your post was misinterpreted in the first place and that does cause me to fly off the handle.
Anyway, I know full well what I am talking about and have a far reaching in depth knowledge of the building industry, local builders, the building codes and types of materials used. I did not post anything that was inaccurate.
"Engineered hardwood flooring" is a fancy marketing term the industry uses to avoid using the term "laminate flooring." lol "Engineered hardwood flooring" is comprised of several layers of compressed cheap filler material (usually scraps, lower grade materials such as pine, fir or spruce, and sometimes even mdf). The only real difference is some have a thin hardwood layer on the top surface such as that Jeff Benton uses. Whereas, some are like pergo brand with a printed fake top surface. Regardless, it is all cheap flooring that can't be resurfaced later on when the finish begins to wear, so you end up having to remove it and install all brand new hardwood flooring. Removing engineered flooring and installing new is a major expense in a home in which you are living and a huge inconvenience being that you have to remove all of the furniture.
You don't have to spend $500k to get quality. You can take any of the types of homes they build and throw another 15-20% in cost at it and have a quality built home. For $500k you would get a two story luxury home in a private community with a minimum of 4000 sq ft.
Apparently you used an acronym "Ahh" to start your post which looked like you were saying "ahhhh...." I have no idea what the acronym "AHH" stands for, was I to immediately start thinking through the list of builders in the area and guess maybe it was Alabama Heritage Homes or one of the others? Is that who or what you were referring to or should I guess some more? Why are some people too lazy to type out words and instead use acronyms leading to misinterpretation and confusion. .
Alabama Heritage Homes was mentioned in the post directly above LCTMadison's. 2.2 seconds worth of logical reasoning allowed me to deduce that AHH was in reference to Alabama Heritage Homes.
Alabama Heritage Homes was mentioned in the post directly above LCTMadison's. 2.2 seconds worth of logical reasoning allowed me to deduce that AHH was in reference to Alabama Heritage Homes.
Actually the post you are referring to mentions "Alabama Heritae" and I guess we are to assume they meant Alabama Heritage but misspelled. Everybody just calls them "Alabama Heritage." Therefore, the acronym doesn't even fit the post you are referring to but thanks for trying to jump in and be a wise guy. As I stated earlier, if the words were typed out instead of a lazy acronym being used there wouldn't be any confusion.
I love the input guys. My wife and I want to make the best decision for us and its good to know a little more information.
We have seen custom homes but the increase in price for quality isn't just 20k. It's more like 100k. I could see maybe paying 20k for what appears to be a better built home of the same size and amenities, but that's about it. It's not 10 years ago when you could get 2400 square feet for 140k. If it were I'd be building with a custom right this minute.
We're still open to suggestions for builders (DM me please), and still open to Breland. I'm researching all of the materials discussed here.
Thanks again. And please don't derail the good content with silly arguments. I like all of the input, whether it's good or bad news for me.
Actually the post you are referring to mentions "Alabama Heritae" and I guess we are to assume they meant Alabama Heritage but misspelled. Everybody just calls them "Alabama Heritage." Therefore, the acronym doesn't even fit the post you are referring to but thanks for trying to jump in and be a wise guy. As I stated earlier, if the words were typed out instead of a lazy acronym being used there wouldn't be any confusion.
This is some serious back-peddling if I ever see one.
I love the input guys. My wife and I want to make the best decision for us and its good to know a little more information.
We have seen custom homes but the increase in price for quality isn't just 20k. It's more like 100k. I could see maybe paying 20k for what appears to be a better built home of the same size and amenities, but that's about it. It's not 10 years ago when you could get 2400 square feet for 140k. If it were I'd be building with a custom right this minute.
We're still open to suggestions for builders (DM me please), and still open to Breland. I'm researching all of the materials discussed here.
Thanks again. And please don't derail the good content with silly arguments. I like all of the input, whether it's good or bad news for me.
This has been an interesting thread for me. I did not realize how many people love to bad-mouth lower priced homes on this forum. Just a concern for me that most who bad-mouth lower-end builders are those with low post-counts which worries me that these are done by "drive-by" posters. Those who have higher post-counts tend to be folks well-known in this forum, therefore I would take their words with a higher credibility. This is just human-nature.
It also appeared that some folks have champagne taste but with a beer budget, or wanting a BMW with a Hyundai price. The bottom line is that each buyer has to see for themselves if the location, price, and construction quality meet their budget, life style, and taste. If your budget is $150K, you can't expect to buy a $500K house with a McMansion square footage.
Average ownership for a house is 7 years. People sell to relocate due to jobs, or otherwise unplanned life events, etc. How long do you expect to live in this house maybe very different than how long you'll actually get to live there. Just ask Mawoods on this forum who bought a lovely house in McMullen Cove and planned to retired there for life and the darn-hubby get a job offer of a life time out-of-town. What can you do?
From what I see, Breland homes offers a very solid value for the price of homes, compare to same price homes by other builders. The construction techniques are the same for Breland, Woodlands, and/or Benton homes (I love to drive by new home constructions, so this is my personal observation). Woodlands and Benton offer more higher end design interior, but also come with higher purchase prices, roughly double compare that of Breland, I would say. I love the marble tile walk-in shower and the marble tub in one of Woodlands' model homes, but I don't know if I would be willing to pay for it though *sigh* (struggling between desires and means).
You, as a buyer, can of course upgrade from the standard carpet/ appliance, etc. It is a great starter home, for a small family and for someone who's looking to "down size" their homes. Because they try to pack in as many bedrooms in a given square footage, and most plans are on a single-story, most bedrooms are small IMO. If that's okay with you and the price fits into your budget, then I think you should seriously consider their homes.
At the end, what makes a house a "home" is not the price but the love & care that goes into it. If you buy into a brand new house, be prepare to spend money & time to make that house your home. Da wife will certainly have plenty of ideas on how to decorate the house, just be prepare to take out the checkbook/ credit card. Remember, a happy wife = a happy life. Landscaping can be a considerable cost if you want to hire people to do it for you. All of these just to make this house the way you want to live in and with love & TLC that go along with it.
Good luck in your decision.
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