Issues with new home build?

Irvine2020

New member
Has anyone ran into major home issues with a new development home? We closed on our new home a week ago and the heater does not work!! We have been going back and forth with the builder and the hvac contractor and the issue has not been resolved. Is there any other avenue I can pursue to escalate this issue and get the heater fixed?
 
Which new build is this? Once you drop the name, they'll come and fix fast for you since they watch this forum.
 
We had 2 issues with the HVAC in the first 3 years of an Irvine Pacific new build home.  We have a split system with controls on both levels that caused multiple issues.  These issues were covered by the builder since it is under warranty.  The control board burnt once which was also covered.

I would also like to know your builder name.
 
Our water heater did not work when we got into our house.  We called the builder and they replaced it a day or two later...some cold showers though.
 
Has someone actually looked at the heater? When I moved in to my Cal Pac new build my AC wouldn't work. I looked around the unit and found out that the disconnect switch was left in the 'off' position. I flipped the switch to the 'on' position and the problem was solved. My 2 direct neighbors who moved in during the same phase had the exact same issue.
 
I always recommend a home inspection despite being a new home build. Most buyers won't do it though but why wouldn't you? You're putting a lot of faith that these builders did everything 100% to the T.

I got the recommendation from my inspector that my AC unit was undersized and negotiated a fair amount of credit from the builder.
 
Yes, very important to get a home inspector, even for new construction. Our 1st new construction home was bought 5 year's ago and we did not get a home inspector. We will move into our 2nd new construction home soon, and this time I will use a home inspector (already booked). No one needed to convince me; I convinced myself. One hundred percent of new homes have a BUNCH of issues. This is no secret; the sales office of any builder and their construction site manager will readily tell you this. They will also tell you that that's what the walk-through and 1-year warranty are for. But these are beneficial only if you catch (or are not afraid to mention) every issue. But you won't catch every issue if you don't use a home inspector.

Example: My friend who was not a bio or other science major got a detached retina. I tried to tell him all the things you have to worry about and that he needs to ask the ophthalmologist a bunch of questions and then interview a few other ophthalmologists with questions about technique, instruments that will be used, probability of cataracts developing soon after (indirectly getting at the doctor's personal rate of avoiding cataracts), etc. He was scheduled for the procedure 2 days later and wanted to get it over with. The guy botched his retina reattachment, after which he started researching the procedure, found better doctors with better experience and better techniques, and got it fixed. However, fixing doesn't mean he got back the portion of his eyesight that he'd already lost. I see what he went through as almost the exact same as the home inspection. You're busy and stressed out, and you think it's better to be positive and hopefully everything will be fine (gambler's fallacy). And it's always, while looking back, you realize you were wrong.

There are technical issues that even if you did a ton of research on your own (like I tend to), you still might second-guess yourself (or you might be made to second-guess yourself by others) and think you're being picky or unreasonable. There are also other technical issues that you would never become aware of until many years down the line (such as Care's example of an AC unit that was too small for the house) when the issue finally presents itself. Or when you have difficulty selling your house because the buyer's home inspector discovers a bunch of issues you never even knew about. A professional home inspector covers all those bases.

I have talked to 2 home inspectors. The one I went with spent so much time on the phone with me to discuss 3 separate issues early on in the construction BEFORE I officially hired him (read: for free). His Yelp ratings are fantastic (and they appear to be real ratings). He is soooo detailed. His rate is too reasonable. This guy is a true expert (other guy wasn't even close). I already know (but I'll follow up after the home inspection, I promise) he's at the highest level of his profession--in experience, knowledge, and attention to detail. The name of the home inspector I'm using is Steve Lottatore.



 
Mety said:
Which new build is this? Once you drop the name, they'll come and fix fast for you since they watch this forum.

I remember Irvine2020. I helped answer a question of his a while back. I know his home builder, but I'll let him decide if he wants to disclose.

It's telling that Irvine2020 is in a situation where he's angry, feels wronged, but at the same time is afraid to say the builder's name. How ironic. A home inspector probably would have caught that and a whole bunch of other things that Irvine2020 just discovered, will soon discover, and will never discover. As for the 1st two, each time you discover the next one, you'll go through the whole negative emotional roller-coaster all over again.

Irvine2020 can't move back in time. But what we can do is help each other move forward. I encourage Irvine2020 and others to bring up their new home issues/concerns here in this thread, and everyone can help each other.

Naive buyers, due to lack of experience, don't have a reference point. It might be a very common issue that all home builders deal with all the time. Maybe it's matter of they will fix it perfectly and prove excellent customer service. Maybe it's not a problem with your builder. Maybe you really are getting screwed.

We can help each other. Run any and all issues by us here, please. I'd like to help, and I'm certain other very experienced home owners would also like to help.
 
We've gone through 3 new construction homes up in the Bay Area, all KB Homes, and the experience was great to awful between each of the homes. We're awaiting our 4th new construction home with a different builder and are so far pretty happy w/ how things are going. We're considering a third party inspection before closing, but our realtor recommended we actually have the inspection done at around the 10 month mark before the warranty expires to flush out other items that may have crept up after use.

I'm wondering if anyone has actually gotten two rounds of inspections done - one at close and one near the end of the warranty period, with the builder addressing both rounds of issues?
 
mhanism said:
We've gone through 3 new construction homes up in the Bay Area, all KB Homes, and the experience was great to awful between each of the homes. We're awaiting our 4th new construction home with a different builder and are so far pretty happy w/ how things are going. We're considering a third party inspection before closing, but our realtor recommended we actually have the inspection done at around the 10 month mark before the warranty expires to flush out other items that may have crept up after use.

I'm wondering if anyone has actually gotten two rounds of inspections done - one at close and one near the end of the warranty period, with the builder addressing both rounds of issues?

Yes and yes. And then builder addressed a third round when my buyer had a punch list (from his inspector) when I sold the home 3 years after close.
 
@cognuero - I used Steve back in the day as well and the guy was a great. Found a bunch of things, generally on the smaller side but still very helpful.
 
John said:
Has someone actually looked at the heater? When I moved in to my Cal Pac new build my AC wouldn't work. I looked around the unit and found out that the disconnect switch was left in the 'off' position. I flipped the switch to the 'on' position and the problem was solved. My 2 direct neighbors who moved in during the same phase had the exact same issue.

This is exactly what happened to me in Padova. Aliso Air didn't get called back out after gas meter was installed to turn on the heater.

My previous new build was a CalPac and was also installed by Aliso Air. We had so many issues and after 3 years the unit was eventually replaced under warranty but only after a third party hvac repairman inspected it and told us the unit was faulty. Aliso Air had been called out twice before I called the third party. And they kept masking the problem by removing the sensors.
 
ParkPark said:
John said:
Has someone actually looked at the heater? When I moved in to my Cal Pac new build my AC wouldn't work. I looked around the unit and found out that the disconnect switch was left in the 'off' position. I flipped the switch to the 'on' position and the problem was solved. My 2 direct neighbors who moved in during the same phase had the exact same issue.

This is exactly what happened to me in Padova. Aliso Air didn't get called back out after gas meter was installed to turn on the heater.

My previous new build was a CalPac and was also installed by Aliso Air. We had so many issues and after 3 years the unit was eventually replaced under warranty but only after a third party hvac repairman inspected it and told us the unit was faulty. Aliso Air had been called out twice before I called the third party. And they kept masking the problem by removing the sensors.

With John's and your 1st issue, I believe the responsibility lies with the construction site manager (also known as site superintendent, depending on the builder). It is his job to inspect inspect inspect and to coordinate. It's possible he had his assistant site managers check on this and they forgot. I want to note that while John's builder was CalPac, ParkPark's builder was Shea Homes (Padova was built by Shea), so although this may be common, there's no evidence here that it's consistently 1 builder.

With your 2nd issue, Aliso Air was the culprit because there was a conflict of interest (but this kind almost cannot be avoided). After 1-3 years living in the house, you most probably weren't the victim of a builder cover-up.
 
Irvine2020 said:
Has anyone ran into major home issues with a new development home? We closed on our new home a week ago and the heater does not work!! We have been going back and forth with the builder and the hvac contractor and the issue has not been resolved. Is there any other avenue I can pursue to escalate this issue and get the heater fixed?

Can you give us more details? Are you saying the heater unit won't turn on? Or it turns on but doesn't push any air at all or doesn't push hot air? Or hot air is pushed into certain rooms but not others? Basically, is it a problem with the unit itself and/or the duct system?

The heater unit is up in the crawl space above the 2nd floor ceiling. Are they reluctant to switch out the unit because they'd have to cut out the rectangular opening (for someone to climb up into the crawl space) in order to remove and replace the unit? Is that why they're trying to fix the unit instead of simply replacing it?
 
The first thing that I tell my new home buyers once they get into contract on a new home is that they need to get a home inspection.  Half of them question my recommendation saying that it's a new home and don't feel that they need to "spend the extra money" on a home inspection because they have a blank 1-year home warranty from the home builder (the sales office says the same thing to try to encourage the buyer not to do a home inspection). My response back to them is that new homes were built by people and people make mistakes and that only a good home inspector will catch things that the builder, the buyer, or I will never discover. Some of my new home buyers do 3 inspections with the inspector (pre-drywall, prior to closing, and then at the 11-month mark) but most skip the pre-drywall inspection and just do the last two. If the builder pushes back on the inspection then push back harder because this is a huge purchase. A home inspection is great piece of mind and will for sure uncover issues (most may be minor) that may have never discovered.

Anyhow, a home inspection should ALWAYS ALWAYS ALWAYS be done whether it's on a new or resale home. As mentioned by CogNeuroSci, the inspector that everyone should use for a new home purchase is Steve with Bilt-Rite (714-777-9111).
https://www.yelp.com/biz/bilt-rite-...nd-consulting-llc-yorba-linda-2?osq=bilt+rite
 
I would never purchase a new build in much the same way I would never purchase a flip.  As many have mentioned here already, there are major quality issues with new builds some of which are not easily seen to the average person, but others are obvious to anyone. 
 
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