Maricopa design appointments options/process

hi world chaos, thank you so much for the info, and the pictures.
they are very helpful. go to the showroom is a great idea, i wil definitely go there.
 
like mentioned before, cabinets and counters are actually quite doable on a budget...we opted for the chocolate glaze as it was just a little lighter and warmer than the siena, but thought the siena would look great too.  Haven't picked out counters but will probably upgrade to a quartz or a plainer granite.  Flooring on the other hand is a joke...to replace the carpet on the first floor  everywhere but the bedroom as well as the vinyl in the laundry room to the standard ceramic was quoted about $3500 for plan 1.  Thought that was a little much for the actual amount of space and quality of the tile, so we'll probably just go with the standard flooring setup, as poorly thought out as it is), and then rip it out for something nicer at a fraction of the cost later
 
haha if u think IP flooring is expensive... wait till u see IP's quoted price for shower/bath surround tiles for their tile selection and sq/ft wise... i think 40% of my upgrade budget went to just that (upgraded 3 shower surrounds and 1 tub surround)... its INSANITY... but i upgraded anyways because they dangled the water proof warranty carrot lol... =_=;;...

thats why i keep telling ppl do everything at once so u know ur TOTAL options budget... do NOT go by their nicely cut up and purposely sectioned lame cut off timeline, u will be seriously pwned...
 
yeah we definitely made a comprehensive list of upgrades that we wanted and got approximate pricing during the first design meeting so that we could have a better idea of how to divide the budget for the different cutoffs
 
world chaos said:
for the countertops, i went to marbolis their 3rd party granite/marble slab contractor and just looked at the big slabs to get a better feel of the flowering... ask ur designer for marbolis contact and u can just drive there urself (its in anahiem) to get a better feel

for the standard floor tiles, emser teledo series, my architect actually ordered a few samples from the mfger directly so we put a few of the same color together on the floor for me to get a better idea of what it will look like... i decided to do emser teledo beige (lightest of the standard) in the bathrooms and emser teledo noce in the entire first floor... my arch is gonna send me her renderings some time later this month so once i get it ill upload pics so u may have a better idea of the beige tiles in the bathrooms

for the other design options, if u want to have a better idea, just ask the designer what the make/model of each item is from and see if that mfger has a showroom

i didnt upgrade any cabinet finish or the standard granite
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Maybe its because we upgraded counters, but we went to Arizona tile in Anaheim for the slabs.  Look on the back of the any samples and it will say where they get it from. 
 
also if you are on a budget, I'd focus on the countertops and cabinets.  Floors are the easiest to upgrade later.  Also, if you want to save even more, you can get the standard 6" backsplash and upgrade it later as well..
 
Quick question...have the "frame walkthrough" later this week and was hoping to get some insight as to what to look for, maybe the recent homebuyers like World Chaos and Akim can shed some light on their experiences? Thanks in advance guys!
 
its supposed to be an informal walkthrough where the customer care rep shows u where the water/gas/electric mains are... they also show u the waterproofing areas in the tub areas and gave me a run down on the type of pipes/wires they use... it was decently informative... if u dont ask any specific questions, then it really wont take that long (around 30-45 minutes total)...

i made hell and brought along a 3rd party inspector (steve from built rite) to see if everything is built to code after much pushing and shoving... everything my 3rd party guy found was minor... for every thing he found, he also briefly explained why it was important for it to be fixed, this was decently informative too... i guess this would have had more of my attention if something he found was more major, but since the 12-15 things he found were all minor, my attention began to float elsewhere after steve said he gave IP a above average rating for my lot... the whole inspection was more for a peace of mind so this made the walkthrough a bit longer (approx 1hr 45 min total)...

most of the time i spent while waiting arnd for my inspector was just to go around each area and take as many pictures of the walls as i could so i can reference to it if i do need to nail something, ill remember which areas are better places for studs

the most important thing id suggest is that it IS a construction area (ppl with saw blades coming in and out and shit on the floor etc) so be extra careful and dont wear sandals like its a picnic... the home is meaningless if u get hurt during any of the process... i was just glad the walkthrough was over cause my gf got heat stroke halfway through this walkthrough n the sun was starting to bother me too so i just went to sit around at the sales office to enjoy the AC...
 
at my walkthrough i was just checking to make sure they put in the canned lights where we upgraded, made sure the extra outlets for power/cable were all set up - they actually had printouts of the options we selected and would check them off after they showed them to us.
 
oh yeah i forgot... qwerty is right, i also took a lot of pics of the sections that i added electrical outlets, canned lights, hanging fixtures
 
world chaos said:
its supposed to be an informal walkthrough where the customer care rep shows u where the water/gas/electric mains are... they also show u the waterproofing areas in the tub areas and gave me a run down on the type of pipes/wires they use... it was decently informative... if u dont ask any specific questions, then it really wont take that long (around 30-45 minutes total)...

i made hell and brought along a 3rd party inspector (steve from built rite) to see if everything is built to code after much pushing and shoving... everything my 3rd party guy found was minor... for every thing he found, he also briefly explained why it was important for it to be fixed, this was decently informative too... i guess this would have had more of my attention if something he found was more major, but since the 12-15 things he found were all minor, my attention began to float elsewhere after steve said he gave IP a above average rating for my lot... the whole inspection was more for a peace of mind so this made the walkthrough a bit longer (approx 1hr 45 min total)...

most of the time i spent while waiting arnd for my inspector was just to go around each area and take as many pictures of the walls as i could so i can reference to it if i do need to nail something, ill remember which areas are better places for studs

the most important thing id suggest is that it IS a construction area (ppl with saw blades coming in and out and shit on the floor etc) so be extra careful and dont wear sandals like its a picnic... the home is meaningless if u get hurt during any of the process... i was just glad the walkthrough was over cause my gf got heat stroke halfway through this walkthrough n the sun was starting to bother me too so i just went to sit around at the sales office to enjoy the AC...
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So did you find it better to have the 3rd party inspector?  IP has been trying to convince me it is such a waste of money and how they have so many quality control checks...why would I even bother?
 
broda said:
So did you find it better to have the 3rd party inspector?  IP has been trying to convince me it is such a waste of money and how they have so many quality control checks...why would I even bother?
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There have been a post or two on this board where they used a 3rd party inspector and have found the "quality control checks" to be lacking.

I'm sure it's in IP's best interest not to be scrutinized... so that's why you should bother.
 
irvinehomeowner said:
broda said:
So did you find it better to have the 3rd party inspector?  IP has been trying to convince me it is such a waste of money and how they have so many quality control checks...why would I even bother?
Click to expand...
There have been a post or two on this board where they used a 3rd party inspector and have found the "quality control checks" to be lacking.

I'm sure it's in IP's best interest not to be scrutinized... so that's why you should bother.
Click to expand...
+1  God forbid that it'll cost them extra money to correct any inspection issues.  Trust TIC/IP as far as you can throw them, including concerning quality control checks. 
 
id do it regardless... what is 300 usd?

if something major was to materialize in the future, least i can show IP my inspection report and say we told u guys long time ago and u guys acknowledged it as well as the paper trail on the emails... i can understand how some ppl think its a waste of money particularly ppl who move a lot and gonna sell in 5-10 years (once warranty runs out) but my goal is to convert this into a rental when i move up, so who knows, maybe im stuck with this unit for the next 30 years, from that standpoint, i gotta be sure there are no major issues...
 
looking back at old threads and just wondering, is the frame walkthrough the same as the pre-drywall walkthrough some of you guys mentioned?  Or am I to expect one more walk through before the final walkthrough at closing?  Was definitley going to get a 3rd party inspector at time of closing based if for nothing else peace of mind. 
 
dunno... someone mentioned there is some dusty shoe walkthrough that occurs even b4 the predrywall walkthrough but i think IP completely skipped out on me on it... so its just 1.) pre-drywall walkthrough and 2.) pre closing walkthrough (pre CO, final walkthrough, etc)... i dont mind since it is a long drive to irvine from where i live so if its not crucial, id prefer IP not make me drive down there... im already annoyed i had to go to the design center more then twice, like i have so much american time on my hands...

the stuff i mentioned above is for my pre-drywall walkthrough

for the pre-CO walkthrough, IP prefers to have the inspector go b4 the walkthrough so they have time to fix everything before u actually do the pre-CO walkthrough... so for the pre-CO inspection, i was told to submit my inspector info/contact in advance
 
i dont know how these things are officially labeled.  There is a pre-drywall inspection.  I don't think there is harm from paying an inspector.  Someone I know just purchased a place and TIC was very resistant to the idea "why would you need an inspector, we are a top notch builder!"    I friend of mine found several outlets to be misplaced and other minor issues in his pre-drywall.    Another friend (williams lyon home) found that his laundry room sink piping was missing.  All in all, its a good progress point to make sure everything is kosher.    I didnt have it, but another friend had a "dusty shoe" inspection after drywall had gone up.  This is where he found out that TIC forgot to add the "interior insulation" in one of his walls.  This inspection wasn't even offered to us, so I'd make sure you ask for it (even if it's not official, nothing says you can't ask to get a supervised tour of the house).   
 
well i interpreted their question as whether or not the issues found during the inspection justify spending 300+ usd... to me the issues found were minor so have much harder time justifying it... but if something major was to be found, then the 300+ usd is well worth the cost...

with that said, IP is going to pull all its stops to prevent u from having a 3rd party pre-dry wall inspection... they will say almost everything and anything so u give up...

below is some info for ppl to use as basis for argument...

Home building industry and legal quote:
ftp://www.leginfo.ca.gov/pub/01-02/bill/asm/ab_0451-0500/ab_452_bill_20010919_chaptered.html
"In 2001, California Assembly Bill 452 (Correa) was passed into law.  It is codified in Section 11010.11 of the Business and Professions Code.  The legislation provides that, in a newly-constructed residential subdivision, the public report ?shall disclose that a prospective buyer has the right to negotiate with the seller [i.e. the builder] to permit inspections of the property by the buyer, or the buyer?s designee, under terms mutually agreeable to the prospective buyer and seller.?  The legislative record shows that the bill?s author did not think that there was a major problem to be solved.  Most builders were already willing to allow third-party inspections, but not all .  The primary purpose of the bill was to create awareness.  New home buyers might not realize that they may employ their own inspectors. It is a good thing for them to know that they can. "

1.) the PA also mentions ur allowed to bring "consultants" so just happens ur "consultants" is also an inspector that specialized in new homes...
2.) escalate to their director...
3.) always leave paper/email trail and make it known to them that email thread may come back to haunt them in the future... if u have a phone convo with anybody, followup to reiterate everything on email and have them reply to confirm receipt...
4.) mention if there are any catastrophic defects that materialize in the future, u will have no problem using their denial of a 3rd party inspector to help ur case...
5.) mention their inability to negotiate a 3rd party inspector or at least allow a "consultant" is a potential breach of contract...

dunno forgot what else... lol oh well... the above should be good enough for anybody who gets stonewalled by builders to get that inspection haha
 
Since they were so adamant on trying to discourage me from getting an inspection, made me want it more. 

I should also add they told me they have their own 3rd party inspector go through the house.  I asked, if I could get a copy of that report.  They told me no...to that I said why would I trust your inspector if I can't even see the report?  Then they proceeded to tell me the city needed to make their inspections too and they wouldn't allow us to do anything illegal.  And I asked again, well do I get access to that report as well?  They again told me no, so I asked again, why wouldn't I want my own inspector?  Because we are a top notch builder and we don't do that to our customers. 

So, after all that, reading this forum...Steve from Build Rite.  He's a top notch guy?
 
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