builder quality comparison

PhilHu

New member
Hi!
I am new to Irvine. I wonder if someone could give me a brief comparison of the builders who are making homes in Irvine:

Irvine Pacific
KB homes
William Lyon
Taylor Morrison

Thanks!

Phil
 
Irvine Pacific is the main builder in Irvine.  Generally regarded as well built.  I know KB homes is the worst.  The rest not too familiar with
 
Most of these homes are built by the same crews.
The only difference is how good their customer service works after you move in.

Some will fix your problems right away while others drag their feet. 
So far from TI we learned that these companies drag their feet:
Richmond America
KB Homes

If you want to add to this list, please be my guest.
 
zubs said:
Most of these homes are built by the same crews.
The only difference is how good their customer service works after you move in.

Some will fix your problems right away while others drag their feet. 
So far from TI we learned that these companies drag their feet:
Richmond America
KB Homes

If you want to add to this list, please be my guest.

It might be built by similar crews, but the key is Quality Control and Management during the construction process.  If they have a good system of QC, Construction Management, Inspection and check and balances, there would be less problem subsequent to the completion.  For Richmond America, they just had way too many things going on at the same time and seems like they rushed through.
 
This reminds me of the thread where people say a landscaper is awesome, but when other people on TI try them, they don't get a call back and/or the service sucks.  Having too much business can be a detriment to your business.

Perhaps the TI kiss of death.  Say something is good, and so the business swells...causing the end product to suck.
 
zubs said:
This reminds me of the thread where people say a landscaper is awesome, but when other people on TI try them, they don't get a call back and/or the service sucks.  Having too much business can be a detriment to your business.

Perhaps the TI kiss of death.  Say something is good, and so the business swells...causing the end product to suck.

Or in the case of Uncle Jo, say something bad on TI and business swells anyway.
 
I would say Taylor Morrison by far best customer service. I've bought from Tay Mo and Irvine Pac. Tay Mo responds same day, even after hours. They send someone over the next day and if their own guys can't fix, they send the contracted Vendor to fix immediately. Irvine Pac has taken a little longer (about a week) and there were a few times they would dispute the claim.
 
We just purchased an Irvine Pacific home where they dropped something pretty heavy onto the corner of the tub, causing spiderwebbing.

These fiberglass tubs are supposed to be pretty strong I thought and the corners are supposed to be structurally the strongest.  So we think it was something pretty substantial.

They have their fiberglass glazer come by and refinish the tub.  We had to push to have the Kohler guy come by and give his opinion.  Kohler says they'll still honor the manufacturer's warranty.  We're still waiting for something from Irvine Pacific to honor their install for the full structural period since we don't know if the tub will leak or keep spiderwebbing in the future.

It has been more than a month after closing and Irvine Pacific continues to drag their feet.
 
The most honest answer is go figure it out yourself it's part of due diligence, what I might find quality you might think is junk, some homes have fiberglass showers which I do not like but maybe you don't seem to mind. Do you see where I'm going with this? Take a drive around go check em out its fun. You yourself needs to figure out what YOU value and what you can compromise on, let's face it we all compromised on something in our home, that's why we live in a tract home. That's the price you pay for not paying the price.
What I do know about the list of builders you gave is.
: They are all large home builders.
: They are all tract builders get over it.
: They are all looking at saving money on materials and looking at bottom dollar and profit margins.
: They all slam the shit out of them get them built asap.
: They all offer model homes for you to look at so you yourself can decide what is quality and what isn't.

Have fun
 
It's important to consider more than just the build quality.  Construction crews are generally recycled across builders, and individual superintendents at each builder will matter more to the construction of your home than the builder itself.  Good builders can produce horrible phases, and bad builders can produce decent phases.

That said, if you do enter a purchase agreement with a builder, make sure you develop a good working relationship with the superintendents.

Also, the warranty policies and handling of claims can make or break the new home buying/living experience.  KB homes may produce some decent products, but their customer service and warranty procedures have resulted in a HORRIBLE reputation.

If I were to rank the builders on your list based on OVERALL quality (initial build, warranty, customer service, design), it would be:

1 - Taylor Morrison (sales, construction, warranty all above average)
2 - William Lyon (some have had issues with customer service, but generally good)
3 - Irvine Pacific (good product, but very limited design center/infrastructure flexibility, and very cookie cutter homes)
4 - KB (customer service and warranty handling are a deal breaker for me)

Good luck.
 
Ironically, you may end up getting a better product if you buy something that isn't selling super fast where they are scrambling to keep up with constant phase releases.  The manager will have more time to oversee quality and respond to requests.  I was the last phase to be built in my development so far, and towards the end, the super only had to oversee the construction of 3 houses :) I was on a texting/cellphone and direct email basis with him. They were even wiling to work with me to modify existing plans (e.g. change square interior wall openings to rounded arches, etc).
 
zubs said:
Most of these homes are built by the same crews.
The only difference is how good their customer service works after you move in.

Some will fix your problems right away while others drag their feet. 
So far from TI we learned that these companies drag their feet:
Richmond America
KB Homes

If you want to add to this list, please be my guest.

I am in my 1st year with KB folks and so far their service has been good. Although if you love music, please stay away from buying condo's, their walls are horribly thin and its a nasty feeling when a neighbor two doors down the road rings your bell at 5PM on a friday evening asking you to lower down the music.
 
I am considering a few properties between Portola Springs and Beacon Park. The builders are Irvine Pacific (not really worried based on what I read here), Cal Atlantic whom I've heard great things about, but they nickel and dime you on everything as options, and K Hov, who apparently only has negative reviews online but has been a major builder since the 1950's. This last one worries me the most, as they are priced significantly less than the others for similar properties, so it makes you wonder if they're cutting corners on build quality to lower prices.
 
I'm sure they all have to adhere to at least a minimum set of standards, and k hov has been around since the 1950's. I'm just a first time home buyer, so it is scary for me to put this much money down. I wanted to make sure of my decision, and was hoping a few of the current residents might be on here and able to chime in.
 
sog said:
I'm sure they all have to adhere to at least a minimum set of standards, and k hov has been around since the 1950's. I'm just a first time home buyer, so it is scary for me to put this much money down. I wanted to make sure of my decision, and was hoping a few of the current residents might be on here and able to chime in.

Did you know it comes with a builder's warranty?
 
eyephone said:
sog said:
I'm sure they all have to adhere to at least a minimum set of standards, and k hov has been around since the 1950's. I'm just a first time home buyer, so it is scary for me to put this much money down. I wanted to make sure of my decision, and was hoping a few of the current residents might be on here and able to chime in.

Did you know it comes with a builder's warranty?

Yes, but from what I was reading people sometimes get the run around on getting things fixed that are defective.
 
We looked at a few models this weekend, the one that struck us as poor in builder quality was Lennar. I haven't heard good things about them either.
 
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