Workmenship in new homes

[realestatehound]

I was showing new homes in the $125,000 to $140,000 range last week and I reliezed that in most of these homes the drywall was terrible. Some of these homes had only been finished for a couple of month's and the drywall was already cracked above some of the doors and windows. In one house the bedroom door wouldn't even close. You could see big runs in the paint. All this lead me to wonder just how good were these homes really built. Were they framed correctly, was the electric and plumbing done correct. I just wonder what happened to people taking pride in their work and doing it correctly instead of just finishing it, selling it and taking their money and running. But wait, what happens to the home owner who purchased the home. In most cases home owners don't have a clue that they have bought a junk house and then in a few years what happens when things start going wrong. I really feel sorry for the homebuyers who buy these homes. Seems as though min. code isn't very good to me. I really think that builders should at least try to do just a little better than just min. code, but I guess I'm just old fashion and believe that you should get what you pay for. I wish that all Realtors were required to take classes on construction and could see all these problems, but I guess maybe it wouldn't matter anyway. Most are just in it for the almighty dollar anyway.

[flippinout]

Its a shame that things like this happen just because the workers want to get the work done and get the house sold. And to have a home that is worth that kind of money with those problems is just plain disgusting.

And you are so right, if they have done this kind of work with the framing and painting, what other bigger problems are going on in these houses that arent seen.

And when the homes are inspected, one has to wonder if they are just passed or does the inspectors actually take the time to see that the plumbing and electrical work is up to the par that it should be.

You are right about the fact that these days people just dont seem to take pride in their work, it seems that everyone is just out for that all might dollar and dont care what it may cost a buyer later on.

[loumatt]

I totally hear you. It's getting so the craftmanship of old world quality is a rarity.

Amazing how many people think new homes are nice, or worse yet, when somebody updates thinking the quality will be better.

I lost a job because I honestly told the homeowners their new bathroom was never going to rival the one the builder tore out and replaced with new 'high tec' materials.

Honestly, do you think a .5" tileboard is better than 2" of wire mesh and cement (I could kick my shoe through what they had planned but it would be a trip to the hospital if that was tried with the original job).

Truth is most everything is made not anywhere close to the quality of what it used to be.

Go look at a antique faucet (solid and heavy) and compare it to the guys selection who say we can help (chrome plated plastic trying to mimic quality).

There even selling plastic trim that is made to resemble wood by use of what looks to be tape that could be scratched off with your fingernail.

IMO everything started going south when drywall replaced plaster and these big home improvement chains moved in.

Also, seems to me much of the blame should go to the greedy builder/middle man (not all, but a lot) who looks at it like every dollar I can save on materials and labor is a dollar in my pocket at the cost of comprimising quality.
Check out the help wanted on C.L. and I think you'll see what I mean.
Just people selling these jobs then finding the cheapest labor later.

There are a few who still do put pride and quality out there and to those I say with respect God bless. JMO

[homealone]

It is a shame people don't take pride in their work like they did at one point in time. All of this is going to end up costing the home buyers a great deal getting things repaired and repaired right, and most likely it is going to cost them money they really don't have to spend.

Hearing this stuff makes it even more scary for someone to buy a home. I sure wouldn't want to dish out thousands of dollars for a home that I am going to have to put just as much into the home as I did for the home to fix it up.

Most people are only after that pay check and are willing to do as little as possible for it. This is why there is so much crappy work being done in homes today.

Also this gives those contractors who do good work and take pride in what they do a bad name because there are to many contractors in this world who just don't care.

[flippinout]

Interior doors are something that really gets me, most are Luaun or hollow core doors that give you the protection from home invasion as a bandaid would.

We are planning on replacing our interior doors and to do so, we will be visiting second hand places that sell older doors so that we can find solid wood doors for our bedrooms.

Any one could easily kick down one of these hollow core doors so to prevent that and to further protect from the dangers of fire, we want to go with the solid wood doors.

Granted the solid wood doors wont keep the fire from spreading, but they might just slow it down long enough for a safe exit from your home that you wouldnt have with the hollow core doors.

Older is better in a lot of cases and the solid wood doors come in all types of wood and can be sanded down and revarnished or painted to your liking.

[flip_it_fast]

Everything is about the almightly dollar anymore and it's terrible.

This just makes me think of my recent car hunting venture. What a nightmare that was. I have a very tight budget that I have to stick to. I bet I went and looked at cars at more than fifty car lots. Most of them only had things that you would find in a junk yard in my price range. It was just ridiculous what they wanted for some of them.

Everyone just wants to make a buck and they don't care who it is that pays the price.

It's the same with contractors a lot of the time. They just want to cover up the mistakes and get paid as quickly as possible. It's a shame that things are like they are.

If you find someone that is willing to take the extra steps to make things right, hold onto that person!