Northern Virginia builders in 500-600k construction range

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Stay away from Focal Point. All others are good Dave Springberg will only build in Arlington and Sekas prefers Vienna. May depend on where you are building.

Spring Street built some houses in Falls Church FFC

Yes, and that is why he will only now build in Arlington.

FFC market is worse than ARLINGTON?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Focal Point probably can be named as my neighborhood specialist as they purchase almost every available lot via private sales. It typically takes them 6-8 months to finish their work. The impression I get is that you probably cannot easily modify their existing floor plans.

SM is reputable but I can't stand their sales agent. I don't understand why he needs to be there when the potential customers already have their own lot and are only seeking a builder.

ANV/NDI/Classic/Reel probably can be grouped in one category. I probably would rank Classic highest. I like their basic features but probably it will cost you dearly to upgrade. However, all these companies more or less operate the same way.

Sekas is good but sounds pricy.

Great Jones Developments built a beautiful house nearby but it's unclear how much it actually cost to build. I wish I knew about this company while selecting a builder.

I drool over one of their houses near us. Wish I had an idea how much they cost.

Danny Valencic of Great Jones Builders is not only a good builder, he also has a great sense of scale and design. He once built spec houses in Arlington, but he is so much in demand, he does only custom houses and mostly in neighborhoods like Franklin Park in McLean. Once you pay $1 million (minimum) for the type of lot on which he builds, you are in for at least $1 million in building costs. If you have the money, you will never regret having him build a house for you.

The guy has an interesting history too -- Aussie finance guy in New York City who renovated a loft in New York on "Great Jones Street" with the help of his architect brother. Company name comes from that first loft.

[Anonymous]

In my hood there are couple of houses built by MR project management which seem nice done. They look like on the pricy side.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:In my hood there are couple of houses built by MR project management which seem nice done. They look like on the pricy side.

Do they have a good reputation? I've seen a bunch of tear-downs built by them around us but don't know any of the homeowners.

[Anonymous]

I guess I am confused as well as to why this price range is so high... Stanley Martin lists their prices on their website. Yes the range is significant, but it starts in the high $200k --- even if you have $50k in upgrades and $100k in site work, that is still in the $400k range... so is it really that difficult to build a home for

Example of a Stanley Martin home that seems normal and even with extra costs would be well below $500k?

http://www.webuildonyourlot.com/easton/

I understand that reputation makes a big difference, but if this company is fairly reputable it seems you could build a new home for $300-400k?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I guess I am confused as well as to why this price range is so high... Stanley Martin lists their prices on their website. Yes the range is significant, but it starts in the high $200k --- even if you have $50k in upgrades and $100k in site work, that is still in the $400k range... so is it really that difficult to build a home for

Example of a Stanley Martin home that seems normal and even with extra costs would be well below $500k?

http://www.webuildonyourlot.com/easton/

I understand that reputation makes a big difference, but if this company is fairly reputable it seems you could build a new home for $300-400k?

Of course, you can't build for under $400K. An existing plan and site work will put you at $400K. Then, you still have to finish out the basement which is a key benefit for building new home since you will get at least an 8' tall basement.
It sucks, and the market is what it is. You can build something for under $500K but still might not look good on the inside.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I guess I am confused as well as to why this price range is so high... Stanley Martin lists their prices on their website. Yes the range is significant, but it starts in the high $200k --- even if you have $50k in upgrades and $100k in site work, that is still in the $400k range... so is it really that difficult to build a home for

Example of a Stanley Martin home that seems normal and even with extra costs would be well below $500k?

http://www.webuildonyourlot.com/easton/

I understand that reputation makes a big difference, but if this company is fairly reputable it seems you could build a new home for $300-400k?

yes...you can... a box with drywall and a roof.....with wall to wall carpeting everywhere....sure you can do for for $300-$400K/

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I guess I am confused as well as to why this price range is so high... Stanley Martin lists their prices on their website. Yes the range is significant, but it starts in the high $200k --- even if you have $50k in upgrades and $100k in site work, that is still in the $400k range... so is it really that difficult to build a home for

Example of a Stanley Martin home that seems normal and even with extra costs would be well below $500k?

http://www.webuildonyourlot.com/easton/

I understand that reputation makes a big difference, but if this company is fairly reputable it seems you could build a new home for $300-400k?

Stanley Martin was once a good company, but since Diane left they have gone the way of NV Homes, Ryan, Comstock, etc. You can get four square walls built with a splash of lush here and there, but in 10 years time, you will be re-doing the exterior, windows, roof, gutters, HVAC and appliances.

[Anonymous]

Think of it this way, there are several different types and prices for cars. They all will get you from point A to point B (mostly). They have similar components - frame, means of creating movement (engine), wheels, etc. However, there is a huge difference between a Geo Metro and a Tesla Model S.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I guess I am confused as well as to why this price range is so high... Stanley Martin lists their prices on their website. Yes the range is significant, but it starts in the high $200k --- even if you have $50k in upgrades and $100k in site work, that is still in the $400k range... so is it really that difficult to build a home for

Example of a Stanley Martin home that seems normal and even with extra costs would be well below $500k?

http://www.webuildonyourlot.com/easton/

I understand that reputation makes a big difference, but if this company is fairly reputable it seems you could build a new home for $300-400k?

Stanley Martin was once a good company, but since Diane left they have gone the way of NV Homes, Ryan, Comstock, etc. You can get four square walls built with a splash of lush here and there, but in 10 years time, you will be re-doing the exterior, windows, roof, gutters, HVAC and appliances.

Who the heck is Diane? Did you mean Dee?

I sense some hyperbole. Stanley Martin uses a primary contractor I think called Heritage.
Maybe the quality of selections have gone down unless you upgrade to the highest level.

But windows, roof, gutters meet specifications and just as good as most spec builders.
Come on.

[Anonymous]

Do yourself a favor and consult some of the local builders. Clearview, JP Brehony, Somerville, Cloud IX, etc. All great and all live in Vienna, so when something goes wrong, you know they will have you covered.

[Anonymous]

Stanley Martins quality has been going down to the toilet.
I visited a house built by them
https://www.redfin.com/VA/McLean/6522-Ivy-Hill-Dr-22101/home/9474797
And the finish was like craps (think about cheap apartment quality). With that kind of finish, would you believe they didn't cut corners elsewhere?
The most ridiculous thing is they ask $2.5M for the crap. I wouldn't even consider if it's $1.5M.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Do yourself a favor and consult some of the local builders. Clearview, JP Brehony, Somerville, Cloud IX, etc. All great and all live in Vienna, so when something goes wrong, you know they will have you covered.

Have you talked to them? Are they in the range of 500-600K as the OP asked? We contacted some of the ones mentioned above a few years ago and they seemed to be more interested in doing spec houses than build-on-your-lot type.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Do yourself a favor and consult some of the local builders. Clearview, JP Brehony, Somerville, Cloud IX, etc. All great and all live in Vienna, so when something goes wrong, you know they will have you covered.

Have you talked to them? Are they in the range of 500-600K as the OP asked? We contacted some of the ones mentioned above a few years ago and they seemed to be more interested in doing spec houses than build-on-your-lot type.

I am not saying that, I am just telling OP to consult with them if Vienna is somewhere you are looking build.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Do yourself a favor and consult some of the local builders. Clearview, JP Brehony, Somerville, Cloud IX, etc. All great and all live in Vienna, so when something goes wrong, you know they will have you covered.

Have you talked to them? Are they in the range of 500-600K as the OP asked? We contacted some of the ones mentioned above a few years ago and they seemed to be more interested in doing spec houses than build-on-your-lot type.

I know for a fact that Somerville, Brehony, Clear View and Stahl will do on your lot you have. Not sure about Cloud IX.