Yes we are going to buy a suburban tract home/mcmansion . . . builder reputation?

[Anonymous]

DH got a job in the Dulles corridor and I am going to SAH. We're looking at resale houses not new construction. We seem to keep seeing house by the same builders - Toll, NV, Gulick, Renaissance, Winchester, Van Metre, etc. Can anyone tell us whether there are significant differences in quality among these builders, and if so how they rank? What are some of the things that set them apart? Thanks!

[Anonymous]

They all look alike to me.

[Anonymous]

They all use the same day laborers....

Check out www.checkbook.org or jdpower for ratings...

I had a Brookfield Home in Lansdowne...HORRIBLE construction!!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:They all look alike to me.

agree

They do.

hideous

[Anonymous]

Toll brothers are supposed to be very good, can you ask some of the neighbors?

[Anonymous]

We have a Toll Brothers and it's been fine. Had a Centex. Not so much.

[Anonymous]

Gulick and Renaissance will hold their values better, as the other builders are associated with larger tract developments.

Ignore the haters. Lots of insecurity on this forum. Some people feel that way when they've paid a ton of money for small homes that were built for mid-level government workers in the New Deal.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Gulick and Renaissance will hold their values better, as the other builders are associated with larger tract developments.

Ignore the haters. Lots of insecurity on this forum. Some people feel that way when they've paid a ton of money for small homes that were built for mid-level government workers in the New Deal.

wow - talk about an elitist attitude

I grew up in custom built homes my father designed and constructed himself. I'm living in one now, btw. So there's not jealousy on my part - just disgust for some pretty awful and ostentatious homes that aren't built well at all.

But for some, bigger is better, I suppose - even if the home's made like shit and looks just the one across the way!

[Anonymous]

If you really don't like tract homes, then look around the towns of Leesburg or Purcellville. Ashburn/South Riding aren't your only choices.

My gut feeling is there's more variation within homes from a single builder (whether in or between developments) than between the builders.

For example, one developer may be leaning on Centex to cut costs and another isn't, or one foreman let his laborers get away with cutting corners and pocketed the difference, etc.

8:08, not all of us get to have contractors for fathers.

And yes, most of the smaller (<1500sf) houses in Arlington and inner Moco were built for mid-level government workers in the 30s and 40s. Not sure how that's any more elitist than the folks earlier in the thread.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:DH got a job in the Dulles corridor and I am going to SAH. We're looking at resale houses not new construction. We seem to keep seeing house by the same builders - Toll, NV, Gulick, Renaissance, Winchester, Van Metre, etc. Can anyone tell us whether there are significant differences in quality among these builders, and if so how they rank? What are some of the things that set them apart? Thanks!

Gulick is local and does high end projects [see some it's houses in the Reserve in Mclean]. Why not look in Great Falls where you can get a resale house that isn't in a toll bros style cookie cutter?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:DH got a job in the Dulles corridor and I am going to SAH. We're looking at resale houses not new construction. We seem to keep seeing house by the same builders - Toll, NV, Gulick, Renaissance, Winchester, Van Metre, etc. Can anyone tell us whether there are significant differences in quality among these builders, and if so how they rank? What are some of the things that set them apart? Thanks!

Gulick is local and does high end projects [see some it's houses in the Reserve in Mclean]. Why not look in Great Falls where you can get a resale house that isn't in a toll bros style cookie cutter?

If OP's hubby is working in Ashburn, why would she want to pay extra to live in GF, when she could get a place off of Route 15 north/south of Leesburg? Now if OP's hubby is living in Tysons and she wants new construction for $600k, well, welcome to Ashburn baby.

[Anonymous]

Agreed with PPs that there isn't much difference between the individual home builders. All are built with the same type of plans and construction styles. All were built to the very minimum of code levels, unless you have a custom built home.

For example, most custom homes will have TJI joists spaced at 12 inches...production homes will usually use 2x8 or 2x10 at 16 inches, resulting in more sway on the upper floors.

I would suggest getting a copy of the plans (provided to the original buyers at closing) and having a good inspector use those, compare to the actual construction, and note any deficiencies.

[Anonymous]

Some builders put higher end finishing into their "base" mOdels than others. We've been happy with our Christopher Companies house, but they typically do smaller infill developments than it sounds like you're looking at.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Gulick and Renaissance will hold their values better, as the other builders are associated with larger tract developments.

Ignore the haters. Lots of insecurity on this forum. Some people feel that way when they've paid a ton of money for small homes that were built for mid-level government workers in the New Deal.

Hmmm. Again, you're assuming your critics aren't living in older central city neighborhoods where the housing stock beats the pants off suburban mcmansions, the ugly inner suburbs, and even the streetcar suburbs in Upper NW.

Seriously, whatever comes out of a tract developer's ass in the suburbs looks like any other developer dropping. You want to know what holds its value? LOCATION.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:
wow - talk about an elitist attitude

I grew up in custom built homes my father designed and constructed himself. I'm living in one now, btw. So there's not jealousy on my part - just disgust for some pretty awful and ostentatious homes that aren't built well at all.

But for some, bigger is better, I suppose - even if the home's made like shit and looks just the one across the way!

Blah, blah, blah. No one will ever treat me as good as Daddy.

Some of the newer houses near Dulles are very well built. People who work there have good jobs and reasonably high expectations.