Ask anyone who has ever built a new home and you probably hear a phrase that is consistent:

“We love our new home, but…”

What comes after “but…” usually consist of inconsistencies in the home, poor work, items not working (phone lines, no hot water, etc…)

It happens, and when it does you have to step up to the plate and let your builder or company know that you find the work to be unacceptable. If you, for a minute, give the builders or company an inch, they will milk it for a mile.

Our Home

My wife and I have recently moved into our new Beazer Home. It’s a ranch style startup home (1600 sq feet) and we have been very excited. Our moving also has played a role in my postings on this site, as you can tell they have been limited as of late.

The Problems

In a nutshell, my wife and I are not your typical “fix it yourself” homeowners. Her side of the family certaintly has those qualities, but mine doesn’t. So, my father in law was able to join us on our many visits to our house’s construction site. From day 1, we were able to check the progress and analyze how the work was coming along. From the beginning, there were things that if we would not have noticed, they would not have gotten fixed and we would be living with potential future issues because of that oversight. Luckily, my father in law is a handy man and was able to bring it to the attention of Beazer, in which is was quickly corrected.

Things kept getting overlooked and again, either my father in law or myself would bring them to Beazer’s attention and they would be fixed.

Are these shortcuts building corporations like Beazer take in order to make more money on the home, or are they simply oversights by the builders themselves?

Moving In

Even moving in, we have noticed many things that were completely overlooked by Beazer’s “cough Quality Assurance Team cough”. In my personal opinion, I believe either:

A. Our home did not go through the normal routine house inspection prior to closing or
B. The Quality Assurance Team is simply a selling point so that Beazer can make more sales.

A couple areas about our house that “failed to get recognized from the QA process” by the time we moved in were:

• Both front and back door deadbolts did not line up with the holes when the door was 100% shut
• 1 in 5 phone jack outlets actually worked
• The carpet near our backdoor was 1/2 ” short of the wall leaving an opening where bugs/water, etc… could get in
• We had exposed wood on the outside of our house, inviting natures rain to rot it away
• Our Water heater was never turned on
• Our Toilet in the master bathroom was leaking on our walk-thru day
• Did not get a peep-hole in our front door, even though we paid for it
• Our front yard sod has some fairly deep sink holes in it

And there was plenty of more minor issues.

Take someone knowledgeable along

The one thing, in my opinion, that a builder like Beazer doesn’t like is someone who understands construction and houses. If you are building a home, always bring someone along that can help you understand certain things. Write these down and take the notes to someone in charge so it can be fixed. If you give them an inch, they will milk it for all it’s worth.

Your house is a HUGE investment, one of the largest you will ever make. Don’t let a big corporation with either lazy workers or someone trying to cut corners skimp you out of your large investment. If you know nothing about houses, like myself, bring a friend or family member along who does. In the long run, it will save you tons of money and time. I already have taken a couple days off of work just to deal with these issues in our home.

I also recommend paying a third party certified home inspector to do a thorough run of your home. Then, you can bring the list that your inspector compiled and have those items situated with your builder.

Will it upset your builder you are being so picky? They won’t tell you verbally, but the moment that phone hangs up or they get in their car to drive away, they are cursing your name

Your home is worth every penny you paid for it. If the work is unacceptable, you must let your builder know and have it corrected.

Overall, we think Beazer does a great job of homebuilding. There are obviously issues from time to time, and in our case, some major things, but overall, the house is very nice.

Good luck.