We're going to look at a house that was built in 2007 and never been
occupied. I've Googled the builder, but haven't found much.

Is there any way to determine the quality of the work and materials,
as a layperson?

wrote in message

We're going to look at a house that was built in 2007 and never been

Is there any way to determine the quality of the work and materials,
as a layperson?

Humm, I'd look closely at the corners, especially where the woodwork meets
at the floor. If it's sloppy, then apt to be the construction is elsewhere
as well. Take a flashlight and look deep inside the kitchen and bathroom
cabinets. How well that looks can indicate the care done with the rest of
the house.

Go up in the attic. Peel the insulation back a bit and see how it looks
under it.

Check windows. Is there a small gap you can fit a credit card under between
it and the walls? Lack of caulking can mean they scrimped elsewhere.

Remove a few outlet covers and just peek in there and see if it looks like
the wires are tight and the boxes are well anchored.

Before actually buying, ask them for their inspection report. Get the name
of the inspector. Before actually signing anything, pay for a second
inspection with a *different fellow* who has no relation to the first one so
no reason to hide or 'soft shoe' anything.

wrote:
We're going to look at a house that was built in 2007 and never been
occupied. I've Googled the builder, but haven't found much.

Is there any way to determine the quality of the work and materials,
as a layperson?

What cshenk said, plus try to talk to someone who lives in a similar
house from the same builder around there and ask if they had any major
problem

wrote in message
...
We're going to look at a house that was built in 2007 and never been
occupied. I've Googled the builder, but haven't found much.

Is there any way to determine the quality of the work and materials,
as a layperson?


If it is like most of the new construction I have seen around here it was
probably built to low bid specifications. Meaning that the builder got the
cheapest subcontractors he could find who used the cheapest materials and
the cheapest labor in order to make a profit. Instead of hiring an
inspector, you would be better off paying for an electrician, a plumber, and
an HVAC contractor to come spend an hour or two and give you their honest
assessments. You could try contacting the town building inspectors and ask
them what they thought of the construction, but they may be reluctant to be
honest with a stranger.

Usually problems with the infrastructure don't manifest themselves until a
few years down the road after the original builder has changed corporate
entities. Check for cracking in the foundation and inside the basement.
Look for any signs of moisture in the basement. If any doors don't seem to
close properly that could indicate a bad hang job or a sagging wall. As an
electrician I tend to notice things like crooked wall plates on switches and
outlets which may not indicate a bad wiring job, but does show a lack of
professionalism on the installers part.

wrote in message
...
We're going to look at a house that was built in 2007 and never been
occupied. I've Googled the builder, but haven't found much.

Is there any way to determine the quality of the work and materials,
as a layperson?

You have to put things into perspective. Is the house part of a large tract
of "starter" homes or is it an upscale neighborhood? Or is it a one of a
kind built to appeal to the discriminating buyer?

cshenk told you to go to the attic. I'm telling you to go to the basement
too. Look at the electrical panel. Is it the minimum required or is it
large enough to expansion? Is the heating system one of the better brands?
Take a look at the ceiling beams if exposed. Is the door hardware cheap
crap or something better?

Look at fit and finish on things like kitchen and bath cabinets. Even the
low end stuff should be properly installed but the more expensive house will
have better quality materials.
--
Ed
http://pages.cthome.net/edhome/

On Aug 15, 1:30*pm, wrote:
We're going to look at a house that was built in 2007 and never been
occupied. *I've Googled the builder, but haven't found much.

Is there any way to determine the quality of the work and materials,
as a layperson?

Simply put, no. For emphasis, hell no. A lot of sloppy workmanship
will be obvious to even Aunt Minnie, but the important details are
best judged by experienced people. If you are going to spend north of
150,000 large on a house, wouldn't it be simple common sense to talk
to some folks in an architectural/engineering firm about buying a
day's time of one of their experts to assess the place for problems?
Perhaps you could contact a retired city building inspector for
similar help. Whatever, unoccupied houses tend to have far more
problems than those that are promptly sold and occupied, so be
careful.

Joe

On Aug 15, 1:30*pm, wrote:
We're going to look at a house that was built in 2007 and never been
occupied. *I've Googled the builder, but haven't found much.

Is there any way to determine the quality of the work and materials,
as a layperson?

You need it inspected by a pro and a good warranty since nothing has
been tested. Go to the court house to find the builders record,
hopefully he has had no cases.

What cshenk said, plus try to talk to someone who lives in a similar
house from the same builder around there and ask if they had any major
problem

For what it's worth, this is the builder:
http://www.wisemanhughes.com/now/index.php

The entire subdivions is made up of their homes exclusively, so I hope
to go on a nice day, walk through the neighborhood and talk to people.

wrote:
What cshenk said, plus try to talk to someone who lives in a similar
house from the same builder around there and ask if they had any major
problem

For what it's worth, this is the builder:
http://www.wisemanhughes.com/now/index.php

The entire subdivions is made up of their homes exclusively, so I hope
to go on a nice day, walk through the neighborhood and talk to people.

Call me a curmudgeon, but the fact that they have a slick website, and
their own finance arm, would be Big Red Flags, to me. I'm not a fan of
McBuilders. Most of the ones I have seen were mainly in the business of
lending money- throwing up the houses was just an incidental way to get
you in the door. Quality builders don't need to advertise much, or have
sales, or salesmen. They have all the business they can handle via word
of mouth, and people seek them out. McBuilder cookie-cutter houses are
usually related to a quality build, the same way a Big Mac is related to
food.

But having said that- tomorrow is Sunday, the traditional Open House
day. Go walk through some houses built in the last ten years by a custom
builder, and store up some fresh memories of how the place feels, how
solid the floors feel, the quality of the cabinets and fittings, the fit
and finish on the trimwork, etc. Then go walk through the house you are
thinking about again. Any differences should jump out at you. Beyond
that, like the others said, pay for an expert opinion. I grew up in the
business, so I am admittedly prejudiced on the subject, but at the same
price point, I'd take a 5-10 year old custom house over a new cookie
cutter any day.

--
aem sends...

You've had several very good responses.

I'll only add something on my old "acid test" ...

Got a stud-finder and a tape measure? Measure the distance between
several wall-studs. 16" is standard for well-built homes. If you
measure, say, 24", you might wanna forget about the house muy pronto.
This assumes you're not shopping for a cheapo.

It's the first thing I'd check unless the fit/finish or structural
integrity, design, grade, etc was so bad that I'd reject at a glance.

P

On Fri, 15 Aug 2008 18:30:48 GMT, wrote:

We're going to look at a house that was built in 2007 and never been
occupied. I've Googled the builder, but haven't found much.

Is there any way to determine the quality of the work and materials,
as a layperson?

"I Ain't Blind, I Just Don't Wanna See"
- the title of a tune by Little Joe Blue, maybe 1966

kzin wrote:

On 16-Aug-2008, Puddin' Man wrote:

Got a stud-finder and a tape measure? Measure the distance between
several wall-studs. 16" is standard for well-built homes. If you
measure, say, 24", you might wanna forget about the house muy pronto.
This assumes you're not shopping for a cheapo.

is it even legal to frame walls 24" on center in an area zoned residential?

During the housing bubble, some communities outsourced building
inspection to the same developers that were putting up the
developments. They excused it on the basis that it was saving
taxpayers from having to hire a bunch of new inspectors. Other
communities resorted to the drive-by inspection (sometimes knowingly,
sometimes as a result of bribery), where the inspector would sign off
on structures he hadn't even looked at.

The residential construction business employers thousands of unskilled
illegals with no prior history in the construction business. The
quality of their construction was just what you'd expect.

Personally, I'd avoid any homes built between 2002-2008 just as a
matter of prudence.

HellT

On Aug 15, 2:30�pm, wrote:
We're going to look at a house that was built in 2007 and never been
occupied. �I've Googled the builder, but haven't found much.

Is there any way to determine the quality of the work and materials,
as a layperson?

get a home inspection, its amazing what a good inspector can find.

plus issues they find can get you a discount on the purchase

In article
,
" wrote:

On Aug 15, 2:30?pm, Mitch@ . wrote:
We're going to look at a house that was built in 2007 and never been
occupied. ?I've Googled the builder, but haven't found much.

Is there any way to determine the quality of the work and materials,
as a layperson?

get a home inspection, its amazing what a good inspector can find.

plus issues they find can get you a discount on the purchase

You can't inspect quality into something.

Smitty Two wrote:
In article


You can't inspect quality into something.

You're right. You can't inspect quality in something already built. But
you can detect the lack of quality.
And from first hand experience, if you hire a home inspector, do not let
the inspector meet the builder or a real estate agent without you in
there presence. There are many unscrupulous home inspectors out there
making deals, either cash or promise of future referrals.