Maronda vs Ryan Homes and S&A Homes (Pittsburgh: house, neighborhoods)

[PGH423]

Originally Posted by lifepgh2op

Maronda has a distinct style; especially from the 70s and 80s and you can probably tell. It has a lot of the arched entryways into living areas and sometimes arched "windows" in the hallway of the 2nd floor by the staircase.

For example, see picture 10 and 21: 318 Moosehead Drive,*North Fayette,*PA, 15126 | North Fayette Real Estate

Also, to answer your original questions: I have heard that Maronda and Ryan quality were better in their earlier days. Also, you can figure that a lot of the problems that their newer builds have, may have already been corrected and repaired by the previous owners since they were built so long ago. I would think if the inspection goes well, I wouldn't have any major concerns. You can also search the Allegheny County Real Estate ( Real Estate Portal | Search | Allegheny County ) and use the Owners tab to see if there is any information about the builder.

Thanks. That's good info. I LOVE arched entryways actually. I thought that was expensive to do though and not the kind of thing Ryan or Maronda would typically do. I'm really surprised to hear they had that.

[Copanut]

Ryan was good until the mid=70's. Maronda has always been crap. Drive through a 10 year old Maronda development and see how well they age.

[lifepgh2op]

Originally Posted by Copanut

Ryan was good until the mid=70's. Maronda has always been crap. Drive through a 10 year old Maronda development and see how well they age.

The Maronda I posted that's for sale was built in 1995; I wouldn't consider it crap, at all.

[PGH423]

There's a couple of homes in a community I have in mind in Gibsonia/Hampton. I believe they were built by Maronda about 30 years ago. The homes all look in good condition though I guess they could still have major problems.
I also really like the Graybrooke community in the north hills and I think that was mostly built by Ryan in the 60s through 80s.
I definitely want to get all perspectives here, though. I don't want to buy something I regret.

The Hampton community. http://www.zillow.com/homedetails/48...11276892_zpid/

[lifepgh2op]

Originally Posted by PGH423

The Hampton community. http://www.zillow.com/homedetails/48...11276892_zpid/

That's definitely a Maronda. It was built in 1988. I think it looks like it's in good shape. I'm not a structural engineer by any means but in terms of general up-keep and maintenance, it seems the previous owners did a nice job maintaining the home.

People can make generalizations and say "Maronda is crap", but really it just depends on the contractors and who did the work when building each particular home. They may have similar models throughout various developments, but they're not all built exactly the same.

Are there horror stories that you can Google and find for all builders? Of course there are. But, if they were ALL built that terribly, I don't think Maronda would still be in business and would certainly not still be creating (and selling) new developments and homes throughout Western PA.

[Copanut]

Originally Posted by lifepgh2op

The Maronda I posted that's for sale was built in 1995; I wouldn't consider it crap, at all.

That's standard crap for Maronda: brick front, vinyl sides, 2200 square feet minus entry. Godawful curb appeal, flush the 2nd floor toilet and hear it throughout the house. County gives it a C+ quality rating, which is a stretch. When city people rant about "cookie cutter" houses, this is the gold standard.

[robrobrob]

Originally Posted by Copanut

That's standard crap for Maronda: brick front, vinyl sides, 2200 square feet minus entry. Godawful curb appeal, flush the 2nd floor toilet and hear it throughout the house. County gives it a C+ quality rating, which is a stretch. When city people rant about "cookie cutter" houses, this is the gold standard.

I have friends that live in that plan. They like it. I forget the nickname. It is something that reflects the fact that all of the streets have Native American names.

Generally speaking, most of the more modestly priced houses of that era have their design flaws. For me, I hate the front entry cause it consists of a wood deck.

This isn't unique to Pittsburgh. My BIL lives in North Carolina and his plan hasn't aged well either. I think it is really the siding. At some point siding just looks terrible.

[guy2073]

Maronda does not install front walkways or stairs, they use concrete stepping stones and give the homeowner a rebate to buy their own concrete. I somehow ended up on a list of companies the homeowners can call to get the front walkways installed. I have been in a lot of plans in the last few years, i cant believe how poor the quality is.

[PGH423]

Originally Posted by Copanut

That's standard crap for Maronda: brick front, vinyl sides, 2200 square feet minus entry. Godawful curb appeal, flush the 2nd floor toilet and hear it throughout the house. County gives it a C+ quality rating, which is a stretch. When city people rant about "cookie cutter" houses, this is the gold standard.

Where are the ratings? I'd like to look them up. I think there's a big distinction between cost-saving methods that allow the owner to buy a bigger home (like cookie-cutter design, brick front), though, and irresponsible cost-cutting that could lead to serious problems or even hazards for the homeowner. I'm really just concerned about the latter. I do think the homes in the community I posted the link to look cookie cutter but I still like the variety within the set of designs. The integral garage is cheap though and it might get tiring to go up 15 steps every time I enter.

[Copanut]

Originally Posted by PGH423

Where are the ratings? .

Just look up any address on the County website and look under description.