Anonymous
Post 06/28/2024 13:08     Subject: best builder in vienna va
How do you find out about the problems previous customers had with the builders besides BBB? Can I look up court records?
Anonymous
Post 06/28/2024 12:07     Subject: best builder in vienna va
Are Focal Point and Artisan doing work in Vienna? I though they were more Mclean.
Anonymous
Post 06/28/2024 11:54     Subject: best builder in vienna va
Any thoughts on Bungalow Homes?
Anonymous
Post 06/28/2024 11:47     Subject: best builder in vienna va
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:So what are the differences between the “good” builders and the cheap ones?


Some things to look for:

Are they using the zip system or Tyvek?
Masonry fireplaces?
What is the roofing material?
We have stone on our house. It is real, not a composite. A mason spent a lot of time doing the stone.
What are the windows made out of? Do not cheap out on windows
No LVP. Real hard wood only.
You need a lot of landscaping. This is very expensive.
Cabinets need to be high quality. Do not allow your builder to buy the Home Depot cabs.
No cheapie bath tubs. Make sure they tile any tub fronts so it looks a lot more high end
The house should not overwhelm the property. The builder should not be squeezing every last sq ft and jamming it on the lot.
A good architect can be a very worthwhile way to spend $
Everything should be neat and clean. The subs should not be allowed to do sloppy work




Also - things like plumbing fixtures should be purchased from a place like Ferguson, not Lowe’s.

Lighting is a big one - there should be plenty of overhead lights, switches with dimmers, recessed lights. The fixtures need to be scaled properly, not undersized.


This is very informative, thank you.
Anonymous
Post 06/28/2024 11:43     Subject: best builder in vienna va
Focal point is a good balance for price vs quality
Anonymous
Post 06/28/2024 09:58     Subject: best builder in vienna va
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:So what are the differences between the “good” builders and the cheap ones?


Some things to look for:

Are they using the zip system or Tyvek?
Masonry fireplaces?
What is the roofing material?
We have stone on our house. It is real, not a composite. A mason spent a lot of time doing the stone.
What are the windows made out of? Do not cheap out on windows
No LVP. Real hard wood only.
You need a lot of landscaping. This is very expensive.
Cabinets need to be high quality. Do not allow your builder to buy the Home Depot cabs.
No cheapie bath tubs. Make sure they tile any tub fronts so it looks a lot more high end
The house should not overwhelm the property. The builder should not be squeezing every last sq ft and jamming it on the lot.
A good architect can be a very worthwhile way to spend $
Everything should be neat and clean. The subs should not be allowed to do sloppy work




Also - things like plumbing fixtures should be purchased from a place like Ferguson, not Lowe’s.

Lighting is a big one - there should be plenty of overhead lights, switches with dimmers, recessed lights. The fixtures need to be scaled properly, not undersized.
Anonymous
Post 06/28/2024 09:54     Subject: best builder in vienna va
Anonymous wrote:So what are the differences between the “good” builders and the cheap ones?


Some things to look for:

Are they using the zip system or Tyvek?
Masonry fireplaces?
What is the roofing material?
We have stone on our house. It is real, not a composite. A mason spent a lot of time doing the stone.
What are the windows made out of? Do not cheap out on windows
No LVP. Real hard wood only.
You need a lot of landscaping. This is very expensive.
Cabinets need to be high quality. Do not allow your builder to buy the Home Depot cabs.
No cheapie bath tubs. Make sure they tile any tub fronts so it looks a lot more high end
The house should not overwhelm the property. The builder should not be squeezing every last sq ft and jamming it on the lot.
A good architect can be a very worthwhile way to spend $
Everything should be neat and clean. The subs should not be allowed to do sloppy work


Anonymous
Post 06/28/2024 09:46     Subject: Re:best builder in vienna va
Anonymous wrote:All the homes are built by migrant/illegal workers in DC area. Same subcontractors that goes from Artisan to Sekas to subpar Cherry Hill. What’s to differentiate among the builders? Nothing. When a neighbor was selling their tear down home, they vetted the potential buyers. They selected an American-owned builder because it was important to them. Guess what, 100% of the laborers were Hispanics and the site manager was Chinese. The American builder rarely came to the job site. I just don’t see going out of my way to find the “best builder”. Find one within your price range with experience and good BBB ratings.


When we built our house with Artisan, our site manager who was employed by them was there all of the time. Not that it matters, but he was American. He was super picky and often made the subs redo the things that were not up to his standards. And they have been super responsive with any issues in the years after. We had lived in another new-build prior to this house and had many more issues. All builders are not the same.
Anonymous
Post 06/28/2024 09:42     Subject: best builder in vienna va
Anonymous wrote:We are very happy with our Sekas home, has kept up well in the last 5 years. Sekas a big builder in Vienna and surrounding, I bet they have delivered more units than anyone else. Quality matters. Bella homes and the others are trying to do new modern farm houses and quality is questionable.


Sekas, is that you? "Delivered more units" isn't a phrase the average person uses...
Anonymous
Post 06/28/2024 09:26     Subject: best builder in vienna va
Focal point
Anonymous
Post 06/28/2024 07:54     Subject: best builder in vienna va
We are very happy with our Sekas home, has kept up well in the last 5 years. Sekas a big builder in Vienna and surrounding, I bet they have delivered more units than anyone else. Quality matters. Bella homes and the others are trying to do new modern farm houses and quality is questionable.
Anonymous
Post 06/28/2024 02:41     Subject: best builder in vienna va
So what are the differences between the “good” builders and the cheap ones?
Anonymous
Post 06/28/2024 00:28     Subject: best builder in vienna va
Anonymous wrote:$600 a square foot is ridiculously high..


yeah, but sometimes people like to overpay and feel proud of it.
Anonymous
Post 06/27/2024 23:23     Subject: Re:best builder in vienna va
EV homes look gorgeous, but I see some concerning reviews regarding the people involved.

Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:Staats Homes, Cloud 9, Sommerville and a new favorite of mine EV Custom Homes.



This right here OP. This would be my list too. Absolutely love the classics of Staats, Cloud 9, Sommerville and totally agree with EV Custom Homes, LOVE them.
Anonymous
Post 06/27/2024 22:19     Subject: Re:best builder in vienna va
Anonymous wrote:All the homes are built by migrant/illegal workers in DC area. Same subcontractors that goes from Artisan to Sekas to subpar Cherry Hill. What’s to differentiate among the builders? Nothing. When a neighbor was selling their tear down home, they vetted the potential buyers. They selected an American-owned builder because it was important to them. Guess what, 100% of the laborers were Hispanics and the site manager was Chinese. The American builder rarely came to the job site. I just don’t see going out of my way to find the “best builder”. Find one within your price range with experience and good BBB ratings.


So you checked the crew's passports, huh?
Also, LOL at the idea any builder in the area isn't "American owned" - do you think builders are managing projects from outside the US?