Builders in Vienna: Sekas, Clearview, Cloud IX, Evergreene, Jefferson, etc.

[Anonymous]

Thinking about building in Vienna. Any comments on any of these builders? Have you had a good or bad experience with any of them? Are there any other builders you would recommend?

[Anonymous]

Also, have you seen any of these builders build slightly smaller houses? We don't need an enormous house. We want something that is larger than the 1960s and 1970s houses in Vienna, but not as large as most of the new houses being built here. Also, we like new houses because they have higher ceilings and less headaches than the older homes. I am tired of old houses that are less energy efficient, constantly need fixes, have asbestos or lead paint, etc.. There are a lot of Sekas homes in the part of the town where we want to live. However, all of his houses look the same to me. And, they are huge. Even his smallest house is larger than what I would like. Does the type of "new house" that I would like even exist?

Anonymous wrote:Thinking about building in Vienna. Any comments on any of these builders? Have you had a good or bad experience with any of them? Are there any other builders you would recommend?

[Anonymous]

What size home are you hoping for and what is your budget?

Those houses are big due to the economics of tearing down/rebuilding. See previous threads on the topic.

The most likely one to build smaller on your list is probably Evergreene as they have some smaller plans.

At the end of the day, it all comes down to your needs and budget.

[Anonymous]

NP. I've heard that all builders use the same sub-contractors. The only difference is the floor plan and branding of each company. Don't know if that's true or not but just thought I'd pass that along.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:NP. I've heard that all builders use the same sub-contractors. The only difference is the floor plan and branding of each company. Don't know if that's true or not but just thought I'd pass that along.

I think you misheard. A builder typically uses the same sub-contractors because of set negotiated rates and stabilizing workload.

OP, look at Evergreene's Lacey Lane. Some of their floorplans are not as deep or wide. They added additional square foot be having optional lofy space (3rd floor).

[Anonymous]

I am looking for something in the 3000-3500 square foot range. A lot of the houses being built here are well over 5000-6000 square feet. We would like a five bedroom house with an office. Not ever bedroom needs a bathroom. Our kids can share one bathroom. I do not understand why so many new houses have bathrooms in every bedroom. Who would want to clean all of those bathrooms???

Our budget is around $1.2 or less. Technically, we could afford more. But, we want to retire someday... and save for our kids' college tuitions... and not be broke. Ideally, I would like something that is around $950k-$1 million. But, that does not exist. There are tons of houses here that are in the $1.3-1.6 range. But, they are HUGE and more than I want to spend.

Anonymous wrote:What size home are you hoping for and what is your budget?

Those houses are big due to the economics of tearing down/rebuilding. See previous threads on the topic.

The most likely one to build smaller on your list is probably Evergreene as they have some smaller plans.

At the end of the day, it all comes down to your needs and budget.

[Anonymous]

I might add Stanley Martin to my list since they seem more affordable. I saw a few old posts about them. How do they compare with these other builders?

Anonymous wrote:Thinking about building in Vienna. Any comments on any of these builders? Have you had a good or bad experience with any of them? Are there any other builders you would recommend?

[Anonymous]

The difference between the builders will be the finishes and "detailing". Go to lots of open houses, browse on Houzz.com, and you'll start to get a sense of what makes a new build different.

Also, not sure Sekas, Evergreene, or Stanley Martin typically build custom homes. They seem usually work off set floorplans, which are on their website. If you want a smaller house, you would just need to find a custom builder. You could definitely find someone to do this, it just may not be the best bang for your buck as someone mentioned.

$1.2 million for a custom home in Vienna? Considering the lot costs, that could be tight. You mentioned you could afford more, when building custom I'd plan to go 5% to 10% over whatever the builder quotes you. It's too easy to add this or that, upgrade something, etc, and it adds up quick.

[Anonymous]

There was a builder in Vienna named JP Brehony who built nice new houses in Vienna in the 2000-10 period. Is he still building?

Most of the builders who seem active in Vienna now build houses that all look the same. Sekas seems to build the same models all over Vienna and Oakton.

[Anonymous]

Staat builds very custom homes and one of my friends had him build a house about 3K s.f. (it's absolutely gorgeous)but I don't think your budget will permit.
You might want to consider looking for an older home on a good lot and keeping it/renovating it/do addition if necessary. This would probably get you what you are looking for for the $1.2

[Anonymous]

Sekas does go with their floor plans but will customize a bit. They are popular because they build solid homes.

[Anonymous]

Cloud IX has smaller floor plans, for sure. Patrick will definitely work with you on that, and within your budget, but you'll need to find the lot. We went with a different Builder, but I know a few neighbors who used Cloud IX and were pleased.

[Anonymous]

You aren't going to save money by asking them to build a slightly smaller house or by giving up a bathroom. They need to make around the same amount of money, which is why typically everyone wants it as large as possible as its about the same price.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:You aren't going to save money by asking them to build a slightly smaller house or by giving up a bathroom. They need to make around the same amount of money, which is why typically everyone wants it as large as possible as its about the same price.

This is only true of a spec home when the builder is fronting the costs. You can absolutely save money with a custom home where you could tell the size and price point.

[Anonymous]

And, in Vienna, where the spec builders have built Big based on that assumption, they have seen their houses sitting for months. Some almost a year