Beautiful workmanship in new home builds! NOT!

[beaverretriever]

We were looking at a new construction up in Summerlin (nice area of Las Vegas) and my wife spotted this. Keep in mind this house base price with no upgrades was 900k. Not only that, this was in the model, not a spec or a base home for sale. So I'm sure they will try and get 1.1 to 1.3million for this thing. Ugh.

Glad when we do a new build my wife and I go by at least twice a week to check on how things are going so we can catch stuff inside the walls etc before its covered up. That item was just pure laziness on both the sub and the construction manager.

It's amazing how much a good construction manager matters. You can go to three different communities all the same builder and if one has a shitty manager the houses stink and if one is good the quality is just better. Even using mostly the same subs.

 

[hallett21]

Why didn’t they just finish it as one corner lol

 

[185EZ]

We had a house built in Summerlin.
They could put up a house in 90 days and it showed.
They even put in different color door hinges.
Month later we had a water leak upstairs when they put a drywall screw though a water line and it finally rusted and leaked
We had 2 condos and they were even worse.
One condo had a fire sprinkler break in the unit above us and they had to gut ours and start over. It looked like a 2 year old remodeled it and they had to bring someone else in to do it all over again

 

[Racey]

Is this a call out thread?

 

[TrollerDave]

“Looks good to me, master”

 

[Ziggy]

Why didn’t they just finish it as one corner lol

Cuz they'd lose 1/2 sqft of marketable advertising.

 

[bowtiejunkie]

With the house we live in now, I could write a book on crappy workmanship. I’ll never have a home built that I’m not able to visit weekly. The construction manger was junk. The builder warranty rep couldn’t believe the number of issues. A year wasn’t enough time to catch all of the issues as it was during 2020-2021 and trades were terribly slow fixing issues.

There’s very little pride in work. Slap stuff together, charge a fortune, and hope the consumer doesn’t know or care.

 

[Wheeler]

We were looking at a new construction up in Summerlin (nice area of Las Vegas) and my wife spotted this. Keep in mind this house base price with no upgrades was 900k. Not only that, this was in the model, not a spec or a base home for sale. So I'm sure they will try and get 1.1 to 1.3million for this thing. Ugh.

Glad when we do a new build my wife and I go by at least twice a week to check on how things are going so we can catch stuff insode the walls etc before its covered up. That item was just pure laziness on both the sub and the construction manager.

It's amazing how much a good construction manager matters. Yoi can go to three different communities all the same builder and if one has a shitty manager the houses stink and if one is good the quality is just better. Even using mostly the same subs.

View attachment 1204179

The painted baseboard reminds me of a 100 year old house I worked on in Long Beach.

 

[Outdrive1]

Jesus,

besides not being square…..

 

[Instigator]

The Framing isn't even square. LOL

 

[Wheeler]

Jesus, View attachment 1204183 View attachment 1204184 besides not being square…..

Is that a photo of your house? if so you had better find a new drywaller!

 

[JJ McClure]

With the house we live in now, I could write a book on crappy workmanship. I’ll never have a home built that I’m not able to visit weekly. The construction manger was junk. The builder warranty rep couldn’t believe the number of issues. A year wasn’t enough time to catch all of the issues as it was during 2020-2021 and trades were terribly slow fixing issues.

There’s very little pride in work. Slap stuff together, charge a fortune, and hope the consumer doesn’t know or care.

^^^^^

How in the heck are we going to build anything in 10 more years. The craftsmen are already gone and nobody is even trying to join the trades. YouTube, insta and the other one I can’t think of right now, have more traction than people actually working.

 

[whiteworks]

I think peoples expectations are too high for track homes and semi custom track homes. It’s a price point product, you’re gonna have some messed up shit

 

[RIVERBORN]

Craftsmanship and trades are slowly getting worse. Also those guys that build houses don’t make that much. Barely can read prints. It’s all about quantity

 

[2Driver]

We went in a Toll Brothers model in far N Scottsdale for curiosity.

$3M+ and I don’t think there was an even tile or grout line in the house or out by the pool, and good lord were the homes hideous looking on the outside.

 

[Wheeler]

I think peoples expectations are too high for track homes and semi custom track homes. It’s a price point product, you’re gonna have some messed up shit

I bet you shudder while contemplating the install on some or your over priced shutters!

 

[hallett21]

^^^^^

How in the heck are we going to build anything in 10 more years. The craftsmen are already gone and nobody is even trying to join the trades. YouTube, insta and the other one I can’t think of right now, have more traction than people actually working.

I think peoples expectations are too high for track homes and semi custom track homes. It’s a price point product, you’re gonna have some messed up shit

Exactly.

Quality still exists and it’s not hard to find. The problem is everyone wants something for next to nothing.

Open checkbook builds don’t look like this because the tradesman aren’t jogging through the build.

 

[Xtrmwakeboarder]

Don't get me started. I literally have the painters in my house as I type this, and I still need a few fixes later this week. Doors not lining up, doors are not able to be locked, the facia board has been broken since November, eves not finished out, so I have a softball-sized hole opened to the attic. Etc. Close date was 6.28.22

Edit. Above is a standard “feature” for my luxury homebuilder in the guest bathroom. Their response was “all your neighbors have it done this way as well.”

 

[whiteworks]

I bet you shudder while contemplating the install on some or your over priced shutters!

No, it’s all dealt with when I blueprint the openings on the front end of manufacturing process. I prefer to work on shitty houses actually, makes my work look better

 

[I'd Groper]

WHAT !!!!!!!
It looks good from my house

 

[LargeOrangeFont]

I think peoples expectations are too high for track homes and semi custom track homes. It’s a price point product, you’re gonna have some messed up shit

And It’s the same people building the custom home down the street

 

[Xring01]

Before I moved to Reno area, I looked at the Vegas area.. Summerlin and Henderson..
Saw the postage stamp lots, with 4-5ft offsets from the next house. Hell my house in Murrieta CA that I sold, was a smoking deal compared to the crap in Vegas.

 

[2Driver]

LOL but hats off to the flooring guy.

 

[Ace in the Hole]

View attachment 1204185

Edit. Above is a standard “feature” for my luxury homebuilder in the guest bathroom. Their response was “all your neighbors have it done this way as well.”

Unpopular opinion but...... This is one of the reasons I agree with contractor licensing...Outside of plumbing, electrical and HVAC (and a few other trades) there are NO standards down there.... South of the border labor that doesn't give a flying fuck about quality is rampant there...

 

[attitude]

There is a home inspector on Facebook who videos all the shit he finds wrong and gives advice on what to look for and how to handle it with the builder. New home build quality looks to be about the same as a new toyhauler lol.

 

[bowtiejunkie]

At what price point do you get quality workmanship? From the OP’s post, $900k base in Nevada isn’t gonna do it. 2Drirver says a $3+ Million house in Arizona doesn’t get you quality work either.

 

[RichL]

Unpopular opinion but...... This is one of the reasons I agree with contractor licensing...Outside of plumbing, electrical and HVAC (and a few other trades) there are NO standards down there.... South of the border labor that doesn't give a flying fuck about quality is rampant there...

Outside of the PEH and specialty trades I have to respectfully disagree with the licensing answer. Licensing isn't going to help when ethics and pride in workmanship come into play.

 

[Xring01]

There is a home inspector on Facebook who videos all the shit he finds wrong and gives advice on what to look for and how to handle it with the builder. New home build quality looks to be about the same as a new toyhauler lol.

That cracked me up. Well Done.

A key reason ,why I have never owned a toy hauler. Look at a 10 year old toyhauler… if they have been used even a little bit, they typically falling apart.

 

[HBCraig]

We were looking at a new construction up in Summerlin (nice area of Las Vegas) and my wife spotted this. Keep in mind this house base price with no upgrades was 900k. Not only that, this was in the model, not a spec or a base home for sale. So I'm sure they will try and get 1.1 to 1.3million for this thing. Ugh.

Glad when we do a new build my wife and I go by at least twice a week to check on how things are going so we can catch stuff insode the walls etc before its covered up. That item was just pure laziness on both the sub and the construction manager.

It's amazing how much a good construction manager matters. Yoi can go to three different communities all the same builder and if one has a shitty manager the houses stink and if one is good the quality is just better. Even using mostly the same subs.

View attachment 1204179

What builder?

 

[hallett21]

At what price point do you get quality workmanship? From the OP’s post, $900k base in Nevada isn’t gonna do it. 2Drirver says a $3+ Million house in Arizona doesn’t get you quality work either.

I’m not sure you will get “quality” if you base it off of finished sale price. A legit custom build next door to a tract home with square footages etc being the same will probably cost 5-10% more when selling.

The realtor, bank and majority of buyers won’t see the imperfections.

But if you take the same 1 - 3 million and purchase a lot, hire an architect and GC you’ll get a much higher quality home.

The problem is that a finished home is easy to purchase/finance vs buying dirt, having drawings done, waiting on city approval, paying for the spotted owl research and then finally building.

 

[whiteworks]

At what price point do you get quality workmanship? From the OP’s post, $900k base in Nevada isn’t gonna do it. 2Drirver says a $3+ Million house in Arizona doesn’t get you quality work either.

It’s not price point so much as process that gets you quality. What you want to do is find a badass GC, pricing should be cost+ and the plus is gonna be 15%-18% of every invoice that crosses that guys desk, every nail will be marked up 15-18%, over $1M for project and you might get some negotiable percentage from your badass GC.

Now think about this for a minute, this guys making money on every thing that goes into your build, it behooves him to find and use the highest quality material and processes he can. Your biggest concern during this process is going to be reigning in your badass GC and looking for some value engineered solutions vs. babysitting him for quality control.

Make sense?

 

[beaverretriever]

At what price point do you get quality workmanship? From the OP’s post, $900k base in Nevada isn’t gonna do it. 2Drirver says a $3+ Million house in Arizona doesn’t get you quality work either.

We got good work on two homes we bought in the past two years. Both of the construction managers were on top of it and we checked the build a lot to make sure they were not missing anything.

Id buy from this builder I posted, but I sure as darn well would be looking it over a lot and not settlw for that kond of workmanship.

I do wonder how people get pools and new construction homes built without being close by to investigate the process. At least for a home I would be living in; investment property, I wouldn't be as particular.

 

[hallett21]

It’s not price point so much as process that gets you quality. What you want to do is find a badass GC, pricing should be cost+ and the plus is gonna be 15%-18% of every invoice that crosses that guys desk, every nail will be marked up 15-18%, over $1M for project and you might get some negotiable percentage from your badass GC.

Now think about this for a minute, this guys making money on every thing that goes into your build, it behooves him to find and use the highest quality material and processes he can. Your biggest concern during this process is going to be reigning in your badass GC and looking for some value engineered solutions vs. babysitting him for quality control.

Make sense?

Not to mention the subs aren’t getting kicked in the teeth on their pricing so they turn out a better product.

 

[Sharky]

Why didn’t they just finish it as one corner lol

That way they can call it a "custom" home and charge $900K

 

[checkrdpast]

A friend was an architect with very high end homes in newport beach. she told me it was extra to have plumb and straight walls . Yikes!!

 

[Sharky]

You know what you call an engineer that did not get their degree?

Architect

 

[DRYHEAT]

Maybe it’s just an avant-garde design feature?

 

[25Elmn8r]

Exactly why I'm staying on top of our contractor and subs during our build. Making sure things are done right the first time. Thankfully we're living on property to allow me to do so.

 

[DC-88]

No matter how good a tract superintendent and his customer service guys are, they are still tasked with building the home as cheap, quick, within the rules, and with lipstick per plan . This is including but not limited to having to use low bid subs like a fire sprinkler dude who's guys have dull cutters and toss the plastic pipe off the rack of the truck to give it some fractures for a good leak down the road, to the cheapest hvac equipment, minimal insulation, cheapest lathing, flashing, and waterproofing, minimal venting, cheapest roof underlayment with minimal or zero mud at hips/ridges if tile roof, shitty box cabinets, tile lick and stick to walls with cheapest pan and drain, minimal electric to code with max circuits on an arc fault while charging extras for everything , driveway so narrow and short you step into the mud when the door opens on your long bed truck while the ass end is over the sidewalk, cheapest paint, cheapest windows they can get away with depending on the aesthetic, and the list extends to every line item on the job.
None of this means they are bad investments , and won't provide a good home environment, but it is what it is.

 

[DLC]

LOL but hats off to the flooring guy.

View attachment 1204186

That’s what happens when you buy an American Square!

The lines are in English and the operator only reads / speaks Spanish…

Mixed translation….

 

[Xtrmwakeboarder]

At what price point do you get quality workmanship? From the OP’s post, $900k base in Nevada isn’t gonna do it. 2Drirver says a $3+ Million house in Arizona doesn’t get you quality work either.

Depends. A $1MM home in TX better get quality workmanship. A $1MM home in coastal OC is going to probably have a crapload wrong with it. Closer to a shed from Home Depot than what I’d call a nice home.

 

[Wheeler]

View attachment 1204185

The Framing isn't even square. LOL

Square or Queer it's pretty much all the same these days.

 

[lbhsbz]

If the corners were square it would ordinary, not custom.

 

[YeahYeah01]

I think peoples expectations are too high for track homes and semi custom track homes. It’s a price point product, you’re gonna have some messed up shit

Agreed but this one is super bad lol.

 

[4Waters]

At what price point do you get quality workmanship? From the OP’s post, $900k base in Nevada isn’t gonna do it. 2Drirver says a $3+ Million house in Arizona doesn’t get you quality work either.

At what price point? Put your nail bags on.

 

[Mandelon]

Framer: Eh, the drywall hangers will fix it.
Drywall Hanger: Eh, the tapers will fix it.
Taper: Eh, the painters will fix it.
Painters: Wow, that's crooked.

It may be the fault of the guy who set the corner bead off plumb a little bit. Then they mud extra to reach the outside point of that corner bead. That throws the angle off. Maybe the corner stud was an 1/8" off and the hangers didn't put a square in the corner or use some paper shims. Each task makes it worse instead of better!!

 

[jet496]

^^^^^

How in the heck are we going to build anything in 10 more years. The craftsmen are already gone and nobody is even trying to join the trades. YouTube, insta and the other one I can’t think of right now, have more traction than people actually working.

Yup, in 5 years it'll be real bad in 10 years will be a disaster. We've created a lazy-ass bunch of peeps. A wealthy friend of mine told me about the following cycle & says he's thinking how to change it, at least with people he can get through to:

Hard times create STRONG men (think depression era & decades after)
Strong men create GOOD TIMES (Last few decades)
Good times create WEAK men (Now)
Weak men create HARD times (coming to a theatre near you)

Then it starts all over because it'll be survival of the fittest again...

PS: I just googled it & Plato said it originally. Wise man.

 

[Backlash]

I love this thread. It makes me happy doing all this work myself.

 

[Orange Juice]

Crap like what you see above have been going on for ever. I’m sure the pyramids have there issues too.

 

[LargeOrangeFont]

Crap like what you see above have been going on for ever. I’m sure the pyramids have there issues too.

My last house was built in 78. Only a couple walls were plumb and the garage floor was as even as the surface of the moon.

People 50 years ago were just as lazy as they are today. In another 10 years, houses will still be built the same way.