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I'm finding that if you buy one of these new homes out in Loudoun today, it's best to buy it with the cheapest options possible, and to factor in another $50k to bring it up a notch or two in quality. Like having the interior cardboard doors all replaced with solid wood / glass. Upgrade the flooring materials, etc.
I think a good business idea for out there would be for a general contractor to advertise as someone who knows how to improve these tract homes with ease. Something like "we turn your house into your home". Somebody who knows where the key areas are where the original builder cut corners, and knows how to either fix it or modify it. Like a package deal type of thing.
Upgrading cosmetic elements (i.e., subbing a paneled door for a slab door) is different than modifying a tract home. I have to agree with ACWhite regarding the time and expense required to undergo such a project. The query is about quality building and paying what you get for. If someone pays the market price of a houseand has to go in and replace, for example, cheap Chinese drywall and insulation because the R-factors are low--that's shoddy building. Who would ever want to go through that? I know I would not.
First winter owning my home, Theres zero insulation below the cantilevered floor. Just subfloor to outside! None in various other exterior walls. No wonder why pipes are freezing after 5 hours of no use!
Just venting but very angry as this townhome is only 13 years old! How do people sleep at night after doing such poor work!
So, I purchased some rigid insulation, fiberglass batts, and canned expansion foam to insulated the floor from the outside. Cost me about 100 bucks and a few hours of work. The space above the cantilever is much warmer now. Now I just need to figure out how to install a whole house humidifier on the heating unit. It's probably a good idea to have one with gas heat or your house will dry out pretty bad in cold winters.
So, I purchased some rigid insulation, fiberglass batts, and canned expansion foam to insulated the floor from the outside. Cost me about 100 bucks and a few hours of work. The space above the cantilever is much warmer now. Now I just need to figure out how to install a whole house humidifier on the heating unit. It's probably a good idea to have one with gas heat or your house will dry out pretty bad in cold winters.
This sounds great. We just did some insulation project under the back parlor too and it's a major difference. Got a good deal on the insulation too (an R-21 factor!)
Just had a custom home built in McLean. Designed by an architect and we hired a first rate GC for construction. Below are some things we learned in the process so wanted to share it.
Please keep in mind that both myself and my GCs were at the job site EVERY day watching each step of the process and ensuring QC. Despite our efforts and specs that called for first rate materials, many, many things still got compromised primarily because of the trades (concrete, pluming, HVAC, flooring, roofing, etc, etc). Luckily we were able to catch most in time to correct.
We also used all licensed contractors, but more on that later.
1- The HVAC contractor oversized the furnaces - there are a total of four for the home. We did not find this out until after the fact and then had to correct it. Oversizing hvac is worse than undersizing it in some ways.
2- The insulation conractor sprayed so much insulation into the roof/attic that they blocked all of the soffits whch are critical to providing adequate ventnation. We had to clean this up after the fact.
3- The plumbing contractor did not vent the the pumbing system properly.....had to cut and fix later.
4- The concrete guy was not using the proper rebar in the foundation....caught it on time and fixed it, otherwise, this would just get covered up.
5- Perimeter drainage was compromised....caught in time and fixed. Otherwise, this gets covered up and you will potentially have a soggy basement.
6 - hardwood floors not properly acclimated to the home before installation. Again, caught it on time and made the flooing guy wait. Otherwise, you potentially get warped/wavy floors later on.
7. Roofing guys face nailed shingles and used incorrect caulk....fixed later.
8. Bathroom exhaust fans and dryer venging not done properly....fixed later.
9. Using the wrong mortar for masonry work....caught on time.
10. Septic system not installed properly (by expert licensed contractor)..fixed later by digging up the yard.
11. Homewarp not taped and insatlled per guidelines.
12. Pouring concrete and/or masonry work in sub freezing temsp.....they would have done it if they could but we stopped it.
13. Not installaing gutters with proper slope.....caught in time.
14. Exterior doors not installed properly...fixed later.
15. Many, Many site grading issues...correctd later. NOTE: This was not a difficult site to build on.
15. Etc, etc. etc
The point I want to make is that even if you hire the best subs, GC, for a true custom home, often times the people on the job are always in a hurry to finish up and move on. If you catch them on the spot, it can be fixed however some "critical" items such as perimeter drainage, missing insulation, concrete, etc covered up and you will never see it until there is a problem and then it will be a major inconvience and $$. Unless you have two or three QC guys on the job 7 days a week, you are not going to catch everything.
Our foucs was not to sweat the small stuff. You want to catch the things that get covered up.
Having said this, imagine what the so called production builders are doing (or not doing). With custom, you can significantly improve build quality with upgrade in the core building materials (2x6 framing, insulation, windows, hvac, copper plumbing, etc) but still need to make sure things get installed the right way even with hand selected subs. I don't think it is the intention of the builders to build a bad product per se but it is nearly impossible for them to provide the necesary QC to make sure things get "installed" correctly - even the semi-custom builders who build less than 10 homes per year. Most of them will just cover up mistakes made by their subs that cannot be seen by the homeowner, rather than correct them. To do it right, it would certainly cut into the profit. My builder only builds about 5 homes per year and he admitted that sometimes they just can't catch everything so hope the subs do it correctly.
When we were selecting a GC, I walked into homes under construction by some of the "high end" builders and was appaled at the QC - or a lack thereof for homes retailing for close to $2.5M. I did not see a measurable difference in quality of these high end homes vs. the mass production homes you typically see nowadays in Loudon County. They all just cover everything up and focus on the "skin" of the home that the homeowner sees and is impressed by - all the "shine stuff". They know most homeowners are clueless and are somewhat intimidate by the building contractors so use it to their advantage. If you purchase a new home, they also prohibit you from visiting the site for "liability" reasons. The real reason for restricting your access is to prevent you from seeing all the mistakes there that will eventually get covered up by drywall and paint.
It's all the same....poor work ethic and always in a hurry to move on to the next job, not paying attention to the small details that make a bid difference. The poorly constructed you purchase, you can just pass on to the next unsuspecting buyer. This is the way it goes in NOVA.
With all the money floating around out here, they probably could care less. Do a **** job so they can finish it quick and move on to the next. Most people won't find out about it until its too late.
Just had a custom home built in McLean. Designed by an architect and we hired a first rate GC for construction. Below are some things we learned in the process so wanted to share it.
Please keep in mind that both myself and my GCs were at the job site EVERY day watching each step of the process and ensuring QC. Despite our efforts and specs that called for first rate materials, many, many things still got compromised primarily because of the trades (concrete, pluming, HVAC, flooring, roofing, etc, etc). Luckily we were able to catch most in time to correct.
We also used all licensed contractors, but more on that later.
1- The HVAC contractor oversized the furnaces - there are a total of four for the home. We did not find this out until after the fact and then had to correct it. Oversizing hvac is worse than undersizing it in some ways.
2- The insulation conractor sprayed so much insulation into the roof/attic that they blocked all of the soffits whch are critical to providing adequate ventnation. We had to clean this up after the fact.
3- The plumbing contractor did not vent the the pumbing system properly.....had to cut and fix later.
4- The concrete guy was not using the proper rebar in the foundation....caught it on time and fixed it, otherwise, this would just get covered up.
5- Perimeter drainage was compromised....caught in time and fixed. Otherwise, this gets covered up and you will potentially have a soggy basement.
6 - hardwood floors not properly acclimated to the home before installation. Again, caught it on time and made the flooing guy wait. Otherwise, you potentially get warped/wavy floors later on.
7. Roofing guys face nailed shingles and used incorrect caulk....fixed later.
8. Bathroom exhaust fans and dryer venging not done properly....fixed later.
9. Using the wrong mortar for masonry work....caught on time.
10. Septic system not installed properly (by expert licensed contractor)..fixed later by digging up the yard.
11. Homewarp not taped and insatlled per guidelines.
12. Pouring concrete and/or masonry work in sub freezing temsp.....they would have done it if they could but we stopped it.
13. Not installaing gutters with proper slope.....caught in time.
14. Exterior doors not installed properly...fixed later.
15. Many, Many site grading issues...correctd later. NOTE: This was not a difficult site to build on.
15. Etc, etc. etc
The point I want to make is that even if you hire the best subs, GC, for a true custom home, often times the people on the job are always in a hurry to finish up and move on. If you catch them on the spot, it can be fixed however some "critical" items such as perimeter drainage, missing insulation, concrete, etc covered up and you will never see it until there is a problem and then it will be a major inconvience and $$. Unless you have two or three QC guys on the job 7 days a week, you are not going to catch everything.
Our foucs was not to sweat the small stuff. You want to catch the things that get covered up.
Having said this, imagine what the so called production builders are doing (or not doing). With custom, you can significantly improve build quality with upgrade in the core building materials (2x6 framing, insulation, windows, hvac, copper plumbing, etc) but still need to make sure things get installed the right way even with hand selected subs. I don't think it is the intention of the builders to build a bad product per se but it is nearly impossible for them to provide the necesary QC to make sure things get "installed" correctly - even the semi-custom builders who build less than 10 homes per year. Most of them will just cover up mistakes made by their subs that cannot be seen by the homeowner, rather than correct them. To do it right, it would certainly cut into the profit. My builder only builds about 5 homes per year and he admitted that sometimes they just can't catch everything so hope the subs do it correctly.
When we were selecting a GC, I walked into homes under construction by some of the "high end" builders and was appaled at the QC - or a lack thereof for homes retailing for close to $2.5M. I did not see a measurable difference in quality of these high end homes vs. the mass production homes you typically see nowadays in Loudon County. They all just cover everything up and focus on the "skin" of the home that the homeowner sees and is impressed by - all the "shine stuff". They know most homeowners are clueless and are somewhat intimidate by the building contractors so use it to their advantage. If you purchase a new home, they also prohibit you from visiting the site for "liability" reasons. The real reason for restricting your access is to prevent you from seeing all the mistakes there that will eventually get covered up by drywall and paint.
It's all the same....poor work ethic and always in a hurry to move on to the next job, not paying attention to the small details that make a bid difference. The poorly constructed you purchase, you can just pass on to the next unsuspecting buyer. This is the way it goes in NOVA.
Good read. Another great argument for K.I.S.S.. I actually worked on some very expensive homes off Walker Rd. in Great Falls....when I was 15. I did my best, but my experience clearly did not commensurate with the price of the home.
New houses are pretty poorly built, and will likely fall apart in 20 years. Not really kidding - OSB is pretty much a stage in the life cycle of compost and doesn't belong in a house. Anywhere. Yet it's what all non-custom housing is built with.
Putting a whole house humidifier on a OSB house is a horrible idea. Google it for fun pictures and explanations.
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