New house build quality?

[wander2039]

Is this normal for new houses? A friend bought a $250k house in OKC about 6 years ago brand new. I'm amazed the stuff that has already failed or starting to fail compared to our house, even my families houses. Most of it is appliances but they appeared to top of line. Both water heaters has went out a few times, bathroom fans sound terrible, microwave. A few things didn't work in the first place dishwasher and one of the tubs. Hardware wise 4 or light switches and plug-ins don't work, both toilets need all new hardware, one bathroom cabinet just fell off the wall, all the cabinets are literally falling apart. That's just what I know my wife says there's alot more!

I know some of that could be maintenance but I know on the toilets I've lived here 10 years and haven't to fix one yet. The light switches and plugins I've never seen one go bad, besides the gfci's. My grandparents have had the same switches for over 50 years. The cabinets in my parents house is 30 years old and still look the same.

Guess I shouldn't be surprised with everything coming from China. Makes me kinda glad to have my old cheap POS.. but seems to be holding up alot better! The $250k house is going into foreclosure as they just can't see continuing to pay for as the payment went up by $1k and with all the issues. Feel sorry for the saps that's going to buy it.

 

[Clevy]

I build custom homes. That being said I also live in the boom capital of the country right now. We get alot of guys from out of province coming to cash in. Well our codes are the strictest in the country because of the extreme heat and cold we get so these guys from Alberta and BC come in all gung ho until the inspector fails everything and they gotta sawzall a bunch of deficiencies. They think they can extend wall heights with a knee wall on top. Ha. That leads to plate compression and drywall pops. They forget to glue joist hangers which leads to floor squeaks and so on.
They under bid me then the builder comes crying that the framer screwed up and left so they want me to fix it. It ends up costing more than if I built it in the first place.

 

[Slick17601]

Builders put in the cheapest appliances they can find..no surprise they are starting to fail.

 

[JHZR2]

Cheap stuff. It looks like HD components (trim and whatnot too). Lack of craftsmanship is covered up with caulk and paint. Junk all around. Yuck.

I bought a 1930s home for a reason.

 

[91344George]

The fact is that the quality of most things today compared to a half century ago is [censored]. Most of the [censored] comes from China, plumbing, cabinets, appliances too, ect. Drywall too.!
Dangerous drywall from a number of years ago that contained high levels of arsenic I believe.

 

[daves87rs]

New houses are bad in general....

 

[LoneRanger]

We bought a house built in 2005. Tail end of the bubble. Reputable local builder. I can tell you the accessories that go into a $140,000 house or a $400,000 house (using midwest valuations) are about the same quality. The toilet parts in the tank are all chinese made junk whether its a standard model or an upscale and the rubber on the flapper is nuked by municipal water in about 4 years. We've replaced the flappers in all three toilets about 2 yrs ago with the kind that better resist chlorinated city water better. The magnetron in our over the range microwave went out last year, have never once placed anything metallic in the microwave, just a low quality chinese made magnetron courtesy of Whirlpool Corp. The exhaust vent fans in the bathrooms vibrate and it makes the plastic lens or cover resonate in the fixture and is annoying as [censored]... again, cheaply made product. $0.24 worth of foam around the lens cover attach tabs during design/production would have prevented it. If you're tall enough you can whack the cover with your hand and it will stop rattling. For a few minutes. The shut off valves for the cold side under the kitchen sink and under the righthand basin of the double vanity in the master bath are either failing or have become partially obstructed with scale inside because I could p!ss more water than comes out of the cold side on each. Oddly, the hot side on each flows well. So I'll be needing to swap out those shut off valves (brandname on the messed up ones is "Brasscraft"). Hmmm... what else. Oh yeah. I-beam floor joists. Still not sure how I feel about those. Seem to have hit the construction scene around 2001 maybe? Call me old school but I would trust a good old 2x10 or 2x12 joist more. Our house has the I-beams that are supposed to be equivalent to a 2 x 12. They look like two 2x4's laid flat top and bottom with a piece of 5/8" strand board verticle between them to form an I-beam, best I can describe them. Supposedly they meet fire code, but look to me they would burn faster than a regular 2 x 12. I will give our builder credit for the foundation and framing though. He put a decent foundation under it and the framing is very stout, all Douglas Fir. He used piers in the crawl space with red steel I-beams on the piers spaced about 12' apart and the engineered wood I-beam joists spanning between the steel beams. Roof joists are regular 2 x 8's looks not to be pre-fab trusses but hand built on site. Roof decking is 23/32" as is the subflooring.

 

[hattaresguy]

I have built spec houses for years, and the rest of my family for about 60.

Never had any issues and have lots of repeat customers.

Build them right and you don't have issues.

I use Delta faucets unless the buyer wants something else. I'm putting Grohe into the one I'm doing now. If you buy plumbing fixtures from a real plumbing supply house they are built better than those you get from Lowes or HD, even if they are the same brand. I also use only American made kitchens. Roofs are all 30 year hurricane rated to 130mph, windows are windows, I have good luck with Atrium. Siding is vinyl rated to 110mph. Recently we all switched to PEX plumbing which seems to be OK, not sure if its a good idea time will tell. Its certainly a lot cheaper though.

As for framing its standard, CT just bumped up their insulation codes so its a PITA to meet with 2x4 walls, so I just jumped to 2x6. I use Advantec flooring, and engineered roof trusses. For beams I'm going back and forth between LVL's and steel. I joist's are pretty cool too, I did a 24ft clear span over a garage last year with them, cost a fortune in wood though.

Never had any issues with the houses. I have seen a lot of [censored] with old houses and new houses built in other parts of the country. I hate old houses, my favorite way to remodel one is to tear it down and build something decent. Quite frankly any new house under $200k is probably going to be a POS. You simply can't build a good house and make a profit at that point, unless you get the land for free. I mean I guess I could slap up a raised ranch for $100k if I had too, maybe a POS for $80k, but who wants that? Your going to get Chinese everything, rock around the windows, trailer windows, etc. I have been in a lot of new homes in FL for $150k or less and they are all junk. If you build houses in an area of the country where you can't get money out of them you have to. Plus they hire hacks for contractors, since the good guys won't work that cheap.

I have seen some real [censored] in FL. They build [censored], hurricanes blow it down, and we have to change our reg's!

 

[mva]

Although older houses can have a lot of character I prefer 1990 or newer houses.

Many of the building materials in older houses contain asbestos.

Plus, newer houses are better sealed and insulated which is pretty important in my area.

 

[crinkles]

I want an in ground house one day.

 

[Pop_Rivit]

Build quality can vary significantly. Our home is getting close to 15 years old and we have had none of the problems the original poster described. I had both an architect and general contractor who I trusted, and during the building process I was on site almost every day and verified things were being done to my specifications. I suspect most people are too lazy to do the work it takes to make sure they get a quality built home.

And those of you touting older homes? Yeah, there's nothing like 2X4 construction with little or no insulation, doors and windows that don't fit, water in the basement, and 80 year old cobbled together plumbing and electrical systems.


Originally Posted By: JHZR2
I bought a 1930s home for a reason.


I've read some of your posts about your house and neighborhood. All I can say is better you than me.

 

[rshaw125]

When you buy a new house you can upgrade many areas. Appliances, flooring etc, but you have to pay for it. If everything in your home is 'builder grade' you should expect some problems. Our house in NC is 7 years old. I have done some repairs (expected) everything I have done I have used the best quality parts,paint flooring I can afford.
As for stopping mortgage payments on a house that needs repairs that's insane. The cost to your credit will be many times higher.Especially with historically low interest rates refi it to a 4% 30 year loan.

 

[Pablo]

It does indeed vary. We bought this house in 2005 and it's a real mish mash, built in 2000. It was the builder's house (Carlson Ridge) - small group of homes, the guy made a mint on. The house and the construction and the siding, etc are top notch. The fixtures, the complete opposite. I mean some are good, some is complete Chinese knock off junk. As demonstrated to some who picked up on the clues, I'll keep the stuff going until we remodel the room, unless the economics make zero sense.

 

[Clevy]

I built homes in Detroit. Now there is a joke for building codes. It gets darn cold there and 2x4 exterior walls,no vapour barrier,T bracing to laterally stabilize exterior walls,foam sheathing. What a joke. Those houses in Canada would be condemned,our garages are built better. Make me laugh. I made a small fortune there though

 

[jg1]

Originally Posted By: mva

Plus, newer houses are better sealed and insulated which is pretty important in my area.



As a dabbler in remodeling I would certainly agree. The building methods (I know I don’t know the half) today are more energy conscience that those of yesteryear. However, I’m not sure in the extreme temps that a better choice would be something other than a traditional “stick” house.

take care.

 

[OVERKILL]

Originally Posted By: JHZR2
Cheap stuff. It looks like HD components (trim and whatnot too). Lack of craftsmanship is covered up with caulk and paint. Junk all around. Yuck.

I bought a 1930s home for a reason.


This. My house is turn of the century, all brick, hardwood floors....etc.

 

[OVERKILL]

Originally Posted By: Pop_Rivit


And those of you touting older homes? Yeah, there's nothing like 2X4 construction with little or no insulation, doors and windows that don't fit, water in the basement, and 80 year old cobbled together plumbing and electrical systems.


So, prey-tell, what is the difference between buying a new home that you have to babysit the construction of to get what you want, versus buying an old home and getting it re-wired and re-plumbed? Water in the basement is also usually easily dealt with.

And 2x4 construction? Not up here.

I like older homes (and by old, I mean 80+ years old) with their brick construction and boatloads of character. But am fully aware of the caveats of being a fan of such designs, which include of course re-wiring them if they are still knob and tube, and re-plumbing them, as they usually have steel pipes or iron/lead. We had to do a little re-wiring on our place (most of it had been done already) and plenty of re-plumbing, but if you can do the work yourself (my dad helps me with it, he loves reno) it is a heck of a lot cheaper, and can actually be quite enjoyable.

 

[rshaw125]

When you own a house there is always something that needs doing. You may get caught up but you're never really finished with maintenance.
I am already thinking of upgrades/maintenance for next spring when our house turns 8.

 

[LoneRanger]

I grew up in an old house. It was built in 1923, an all brick 2800 sq ft English tudor 1 & 1/2 story on 1/2 acre lot in an "established" neighborhood. Hard wood floors, 9' ceilings with crown molding everywhere including molding to house the drapes drawing rails and etc in the sunroom, living room, and formal dining room. Big old brick hearth. Full unfininished basement and half the upstairs was an unfinished attic on same level with full size 36" entry door. The basement had a coal room featuring a coal shute door facing the driveway, this room my dad used for his shotgun reloading and gun storage. Large roofed porch and adjoining raised open air patio with built in planters on the perimeter. To build that house today would probably cost $500,000 in this area (Ohio Valley area of midwest).

Even though I prefer newer houses for the lower maintenance and energy efficiency, they lack the character of that old place. It was really tough on the heart strings selling it last year after mom passed, but it sold to a good buyer who has lots of plans for updating it.

As a kid you can rough house around in a newer house and the dry wall will probably fracture before your skull will when you ram your head into it goofing around with your brothers or your friends. In that old house, your skull would probably fracture before the plaster wall would. I speak from experience.

 

[Schmoe]

About that time, OKC was having a boom and I can remember driving by them and seeing that they were using 2x4's for the roof trusses and looked to be spaced out moreso that older homes. It just looked cheaply put together and I'd wonder who in their right mind would buy them priced around 150K or so. My house was built in 1987 and very happy with it. I think the new style minimum is steep roofs and huge kitchen/den areas with cathedral ceilings. Seems to be the norm.