Best and Worst Tampa home builders (Wesley Chapel, Alva: chapel, mortgage, neighborhood)

[gulfporter]

Why do people want new houses? BTW: we bought a new house once in the 1980's...never again!

Our house in AZ was built in 1915; our house in Gulfport was built in 1946 (though there's a newer addition).

What do you think these new houses will look like in 65 to 100 years???

Find a house that's been standing for 60+ years and chances are it'll be standing in another 60+ years.

[EngGirl]

Originally Posted by kmarc

Not a fan of Lennar or KB.

Lennar, KB, Beazer and Centex are the worst with the Pulte and Ryland being next to worst. I am talking about their quality

[EngGirl]

Originally Posted by gulfporter

Why do people want new houses? BTW: we bought a new house once in the 1980's...never again!

Our house in AZ was built in 1915; our house in Gulfport was built in 1946 (though there's a newer addition).

What do you think these new houses will look like in 65 to 100 years???

Find a house that's been standing for 60+ years and chances are it'll be standing in another 60+ years.

We decided to build our house after we went to see few 5-10 year old houses in horrible conditions (maintenance wise).
As for older houses, I think most people try to avoid it because of smaller houses (overall) with smaller windows and low ceilings, and older AC system/roof.

[spbbound]

Originally Posted by gulfporter

Why do people want new houses? BTW: we bought a new house once in the 1980's...never again!

Our house in AZ was built in 1915; our house in Gulfport was built in 1946 (though there's a newer addition).

What do you think these new houses will look like in 65 to 100 years???

Find a house that's been standing for 60+ years and chances are it'll be standing in another 60+ years.

Because:

1) First and foremost, so I can have the exact floorplan I want, so:
a) the home is the most comfortable and efficient it can be for my use of it; i.e. I don't care about resale value, I like my homes to work for me, not for realtors trying to sell it
b) I get the exact view I want from the rooms I spend most of my time in
c) I can have all the power, computer networking and a/v services everywhere I want them without chopping into pre-existing walls
d) I can have an ideally designed home theater

2) I want one that meets the 13 foot elevation requirement in my neighborhood so I can pay a few hundred dollars per year in flood insurance instead of tens of thousands per year.

3) I want one made out of concrete block, poured solid, high end insulation, hurricane windows, a metal roof and hurricane doors with the proper weather sealing and concrete anchors with no wood shimming anywhere, so:
a) if a hurricane does ultimately hit the coast here directly, my home will still be standing.
b) I don't have to be woken up by noises outside.
c) My baby doesn't have to be woken up by noises outside.
d) High security
e) Incredible energy efficiency

4) My house doesn't have problems that others call "character". Although hey, once I move out of this piece of crud Shimberg Homes built for me, it will have paid for all the repairs needed to make it last a lot longer than when it was built.


Some people like old homes they adapt to and enjoy, some like designing homes for themselves to enjoy; to each their own.

[Just add saltwater]

I can not recommend builders in the area but I am a construction lender and would like to offer some advice on the draws if you are interested. We do NOT fund to the builder out here. (Still in Oklahoma) They are not our customers so they have no part in the advances.
We hire a 3rd party inspector that goes to all of our construction sites every 2 weeks and sends us a detailed list of the percentage of completion and 3 glossy photos. They only charge $200.00 per deal no matter how long the construction takes.
We then require the builder submit a draw request to the borrower and it must specify what the draw is for. (Concrete, framing, tile, etc.)
If the borrowers are content with the project they sign and submit for funding.
If the inspection shows it to be at that point for the draw, we advance the loan and deposit it into an account we set up just for construction.
This helps prevent over advances and it keeps the records nice and clean for the borrowers while keeping them in the loop with how much they are spending per advance and where that money is going.
and the best part is they get the glossy pics after it goes to permanent financing as a "journal"

[spbbound]

Bank of Tampa works the exact same way with construction loans; I love it. When the builder wants a draw, they inspect, I have to approve, the money comes to me and I disburse to him. If something is not right, I control the money. It also gives me the ability to ensure all construction liens are being satisfied as we progress.

[kmarc]

Originally Posted by gulfporter

Why do people want new houses? BTW: we bought a new house once in the 1980's...never again!

Our house in AZ was built in 1915; our house in Gulfport was built in 1946 (though there's a newer addition).

What do you think these new houses will look like in 65 to 100 years???

Find a house that's been standing for 60+ years and chances are it'll be standing in another 60+ years.

I agree with you. I like the older homes myself. What you see is what you get and it has been tested by time. Right now we are in a nice, solid concrete block shack built in the late 1960s. I would have no hesitation riding out a hurricane in it.

[StreetSmarts]

Ryan Homes is really good. K Hov and StanPac are good.

[TampaResident12]

Hi ,


I am looking to buy a home in Cory Lake Isles built by Ryan Homes. I saw the actual homes not the model one seems to be appearing good from inside and outside. However, the builder agent seems to be a bit rude and doesn't care in giving out the detailed information about the home. My first concern, if the home is suppose to be built we have to deal with rude agents and not getting any response on time.

Secondary, if there are problems after buying home and issues are being neglected or not being fixed on time or delayed.

I did a research to get an idea about the issues owner's are facing within an year with Ryan builders, there are numerous in overall states. People complaining about leakage, plumbing issues, cracking of dry walls etc...

Upon requesting fixtures to problems, they have not received any response from builder even though the home is still in warranty. Eventually, I would like to know if anybody facing structural issues or any other problems with Ryan Homes built in Cory Lake Isles. Do let us know, any info is highly appreciated.

[The Chap]

Originally Posted by MortonR

Having used builders to build a home as well as having built homes ourselves acting as our own GC, I will say that no matter how "good" the builder is, as a consumer you have to be involved in the construction on a daily basis.

On top of that, you need to have a reasonable understanding of contractual obligations, or have an attorney who can review all of the documents involved.

We built a house in the Tampa area in the mid 1990s while things were booming, and had we not been actively involved on a daily basis the crap we would have ended up with the things that would not have been done or done poorly would have been significant. Most of this was due to a revolving door of subcontractors the builder used, and the construction manager being overwhelmed by the sheer volume of work being done at the time.

Here are some examples:

1.) We specified that all drywall was to be "screwed and glued". The morning the drywallers were there, so were we. Hammers flying, bags of nails all over, and we immediately put a stop to the work. The job super came out to see what the problem was, and we gladly showed him the construction specs showing the drywall was to be "screwed and glued". Not a problem! Within a few minutes, all of the workers had been informed, and the screw guns and construction adhesive came out.

2.) Interior wall containing the 4" dryer vent was a standard 2x4" interior wall. Hmm. Not sure how they're going to fit a 4" pipe in a wall with an exterior dimension of 3-1/2". "Oh, the drywall will cover that and you'll never notice it." What!?!?! A 2x6" wall was framed in the next day.

And my very favorite:

The house had a 100 gallon LP tank buried in the front yard. Not long after we moved in, we received a bill from the propane supplier that had a charge for a tank lease. I called them and asked about this, as we had never agreed to or signed anything indicating we had leased a tank from them. "Oh, all of our tanks are leased", said the propane supplier.

Strange, as we had the propane tank, piping and related items all written up as an addendum to the initial construction contract: "For the price of $xxx, the Builder will supply propane tank, all associated piping and installation for the fireplace, spa heater, water heater..... etc."

In other words, the contractual language stated that we paid a price for the tank and everything that went with it. It said nothing about the tank being leased.

We went back to the builder about this. "Oh, all of the tanks are leased."

"Yes, but our contract says specifically that for the stated price we were receiving a tank, piping, etc."

The builder bought the tank.

Building a house is not something for the weak of stomach, those easily intimidated, or people who are quick to compromise. That's not saying you have to be an ass, but you should understand the contracts and who is responsible for what. You should also have an expectation of being able to check the progress daily and see that things are being done properly. If there is a question you should expect it to be answered to your satisfaction.

Builders typically have 2-3 "draws" from your lender for the construction loan. These are based on a stage of completion that satisfies the lender that they are really building the house and the money is being spent and things are progressing. You have a say in those draws, too, and by making sure you're satisfied that things are being done to your satisfaction you have the ability to hold the draws as well. This is a significant position of leverage with the builder.

I could go on for hours, suffice to say that most spec home builders are OK, it's more important that you as an owner be an active participant in the construction of the home. By doing so you're less likely to find corners being cut or being taken advantage of.

RM

Yeah, it sucks that you have to go to these lengths to babysit a group of home building professionals, but you do in fact have to go to those lengths. The days where you'd see honest business dealings and pride in craftsmanship in homes are gone. They'll do whatever they can get away with as inexpensively as possible. You have to watch over them.