The Super Official Homeowners Thread

[.RJ]

If it makes you feel any better, I'm already looking at replacing our hardwoods because the stuff they used for this spec home wasn't good and it's chipping at the edges of each board already. 

Builder grade stuff sucks.  

We spent extra money on the floors - 3/4" hardwood Acacia - and I think we'll be happier with it long term.  The contractors initially showed us some LVP as a cheaper option, but we talked about and realized that we'd rather spend more and be happy with this stuff for 10+ years than have questions about it.  Same thing with the counters (quartz), appliances (induction), etc.

Jake, sorry that your folks are dealing with this shit show.  I cant picture what your dad would look like angry since he's so laid back.... maybe he puts on his mr potato head angry eyebrows? 

[Sijray21]

Makes me want to just buy a used home or just fix the one I'm in... For the price/headaxhe of a new build I do expect a level of quality that shouldn't need a 'boutique/specialty' builder.... That's really disappointing.

The fact that the build sheet wasn't implemented correctly is a REALLY bad thing. That's like ordering a compact hatch and then you're getting a CUV that's the wrong color and trim. How do you fuck that up that bad; just read the damn parameters in the sheet...

[.RJ]

How do you fuck that up that bad; just read the damn parameters in the sheet...

I can tell you havent spent any time around builder subs.... they are 100% DGAF and if the builder is not there, on-site the shit will not be done right.  We have had quite a few small things where I had to go back to our GC to have them fix/change because its not what we agreed, but fortunately small things.

I really wanted to get into one of the new construction townhouses around here, but everything seems to be 4-level/single car garage/roof top deck configuration for $800k.... no thanks.

[D_Eclipse9916]

How do you fuck that up that bad; just read the damn parameters in the sheet...

I can tell you havent spent any time around builder subs.... they are 100% DGAF and if the builder is not there, on-site the shit will not be done right.  We have had quite a few small things where I had to go back to our GC to have them fix/change because its not what we agreed, but fortunately small things.

I really wanted to get into one of the new construction townhouses around here, but everything seems to be 4-level/single car garage/roof top deck configuration for $800k.... no thanks.

Well at least when you pay off your $800k mortgage by spending $1.7M over 30 years; you will have that equity for retirement....

[Jake]

Makes me want to just buy a used home or just fix the one I'm in... For the price/headaxhe of a new build I do expect a level of quality that shouldn't need a 'boutique/specialty' builder.... That's really disappointing.

The fact that the build sheet wasn't implemented correctly is a REALLY bad thing. That's like ordering a compact hatch and then you're getting a CUV that's the wrong color and trim. How do you fuck that up that bad; just read the damn parameters in the sheet...

Yeah, it's like buying a Suburban LTZ and being delivered an LS... then they act all confused like "whaaaa? we sell them with leather seats?!"

[Jake]

Jake, sorry that your folks are dealing with this shit show.  I cant picture what your dad would look like angry since he's so laid back.... maybe he puts on his mr potato head angry eyebrows? 

That's about how it goes, hah.

[.RJ]

How do you fuck that up that bad; just read the damn parameters in the sheet...

I can tell you havent spent any time around builder subs.... they are 100% DGAF and if the builder is not there, on-site the shit will not be done right.  We have had quite a few small things where I had to go back to our GC to have them fix/change because its not what we agreed, but fortunately small things.

I really wanted to get into one of the new construction townhouses around here, but everything seems to be 4-level/single car garage/roof top deck configuration for $800k.... no thanks.

Well at least when you pay off your $800k mortgage by spending $1.7M over 30 years; you will have that equity for retirement....

Yeah no thanks... the place we bought was already way too much because Reston, but at least I think we can get it paid off in half the time.

[ScottyB]

I can tell you havent spent any time around builder subs.... they are 100% DGAF

the advice i've heard over and over on that is you basically need to be on-site assisting/watching them over the course of the build on a constant basis. as you said if you or the GC are away, the mice will play.

which is basically impossible for anyone who has a real job.

[Sully]

Even that doesn't work though. I literally told them 3 times the wall for the fridge cubby wasn't straight and was told we'll look into it or blown off completely. They even did something to the other side of that wall to "fix" it but I was out of town when they did it and just got reports from my wife who didn't even think anything was wrong in the first place (which is 90%) of the type of people they sell to. You should see the posts in the neighborhood fb group. These people would know what to do with a hammer to save their life. Even on walkthrough I said to the pm what happens when the fridge shows up and doesn't fit and he made a joke and said get a smaller fridge...I was not happy. Lo and behold, move in day and fridge delivery day and fucking thing didn't fit. 1.5" of clearance on the bottom. Hitting the wall on the top. They fixed it but we had to live with a giant fridge wedged in the middle of our kitchen between the island and the place it was supposed to go for 2 weeks. Made more annoying by the fact I made them aware of the issue the day after drywall went up.

I sent a picture to our agent just for fun to show him on a Saturday night and he was livid lol. Heads were gonna roll on his watch if it wasn't fixed asap. We had a really great agent who still checks in and invites us to box seats at the VCU basketball games (that we always turn down).

There's countless other things though that I'm just amazed by. We made them redo our granite countertops 3 times and tear out a backsplash that we had removed from the build sheet early on. (it was originally a spec house)

All of the bonding with my neighbors has been over how fucked up our houses are and what experiences we go through trying to get them fixed

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[ScottyB]

fucking thing didn't fit. 1.5" of clearance on the bottom. Hitting the wall on the top.

i know you've mentioned this story before but it gets me every time. 1.5" out of level is huge. anybody can see that with their bare eyes. i don't know how some of these guys finish their day like "welp, another hard day's work building a place someone will spend much of their life, i wonder if anybody will notice i just don't give a shit? oh well, wonder what's for dinner".

one of the biggest cottage industries in my town over the last couple years are guys running around with RamJacks. they're basically massive bottle jacks that get placed under a slab to lift your entire house back to level. a couple subdivisions around here were built so fast they didn't properly pack the soil and poured the slabs anyway, which promptly started to slide down hills or crack like twigs once the soil actually compacted on its own. i mean, checking soil compaction is like the first thing you do on a site. i think they must have had the concrete mixers waiting down the street as the tree clearing guys packed up.

i literally can't image WTF you do at that point except hope when you sell some day that a home inspector never finds out your house tried to do an impression of a fortune cookie. business as usual with this shit.

you either gotta know a builder or have the bucks to source the best. or build it yourself...my dad and grandfather both helped each other build their houses when i was 5-6 years old. grandfather was a carpenter by trade and they were amazing places. even then...my dad still says he wouldn't do it again. incredible strain to deal with the subs and get everything done right. i basically didn't see him for a year.

[Apoc]

The other option is own a house built before WWII. You'll still fucking hate it, but at least you aren't delusional about what a giant pain in the dick being a homeowner is.

[Sully]

My neighbor said the walls in our houses are prefab so I guess it turns into, it's not my job to fix it, just hang it. But the pm should have caught it and rectified it. This was the corner stud. Can't remember if I posted it before. It very audibly popped when he cut the final nail.

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[ViPER1313]

I'm surprised anything is square with how warped / wet modern lumber is. Try finding a straight 2x4 at Lowes...

[.RJ]

If your builder is buying materials at HD/lowes, fire them on the spot.

[JPolen01]

I'm surprised anything is square with how warped / wet modern lumber is. Try finding a straight 2x4 at Lowes...

It's almost impossible. When I was building out the room in my basement my buddy and I must have picked through 2 pallets of 2x4s looking for straight ones. Where is the quality control?

[Steve85]

I haven't bought any recently, but I remember our lowes having at least two options, one rack was cheap and crooked the other more $$ and straight.

That said, houses arrive on pallets these days. The site builders are just assembling large puzzle pieces and they aren't going to rebuild a wall section because the factory guy used a crooked 2x4 in that particular wall's construction.

[HAULN-SS]

Nothing wrong with lumber at big box stores as long as they either go for that more premium pile, or take their time and sort the shit. I remember working for my uncle's construction company 20 years ago when almost all these places had their lumber yards outside...talk about some crooked shit. It really just comes down to whether they give a damn.

[Apoc]

Now they need to send me free shit.

[JustinG]

Nice!

Still no complaints with their mower, blower, and weed eater

[.RJ]

Nothing wrong with lumber at big box stores 

There isnt when you can go to a real lumber yard, they deliver your shit, and the waste % is much lower.