For the new home buyer, good quality in a house is like good character in a person. Only a long acquaintance can truly confirm that it`s there.
”There is no place a consumer can go and get reliable information on the true quality that a builder is building,” acknowledged Perry Bigelow, president of Hoffman Estates-based Bigelow Homes, which puts up about 150 homes a year in the west and northwest suburbs.
Bigelow drew a comparison to shopping for cars. ”I know there`s a high probability of getting a car that will last, that`s of high quality. Statistical tests rate the cars,” he said. ”But you can`t do it with housing. Nobody`s ever done it.”
Don Qualkenbush, president of the Northern Illinois Home Builders Association and head of Qualkenbush Builders in Naperville, which builds about 15 higher-priced homes annually in the western suburbs, agreed that a building`s quality is hard for the average buyer to pin down.
”I`ve been in business since about 1960 and it`s been an uphill struggle to put a definition on quality that people can understand,” Qualkenbush said. To prospective buyers, Qualkenbush tries to convey deep-down quality with a cutaway wall section he keeps in his office showing the framing, insulation and wall sheeting he uses in his walls. He admitted, however, that only about a third of his customers display any interest in it.
Building professionals agree the average person is severely hampered in determining quality by a relative lack of technical knowledge. They also say buyers tend to get sidetracked by confusing quality of materials-a price-sensitive variable-and quality of craftsmanship, which ought to be expected in homes in all price ranges.
Jay Ortenzo, former director of technical services for Aurora Housing Authority acknowledges that there will be a difference in quality of materials between a lower-priced and a higher-priced home, but maintained that the consumer should expect a well-built house regardless of price.
”A quality-built home is one that isn`t going to hit you with maintenance and repair items two hours after you move into the house,” said Ortenzo, who has established his own construction management business in Aurora, Community Development Associates. ”The price shouldn`t change the quality but the creature comforts, like whether you have gold-plated fixtures in a whirlpool or just a standard steel tub.”
He said the buyer of a $90,000 house should expect decent quality just as much as the buyer of a $500,000 house. ”An affordable house doesn`t have to cut corners on quality,” he insisted. ”Just because a house is less expensive, that doesn`t mean you have to accept doors that are out of square.”
Customers have become more demanding, according to Qualkenbush, partly because of the increasing slice of family income devoted to housing. ”When people start spending a quarter of a million dollars on a home, which is practically the minimum in Naperville, they suddenly wake up and realize that`s a lot of money. So it has become a little more difficult to satisfy buyers.”
Despite the apparently elusive nature of quality, building experts offer a variety of simple guidelines consumers can follow to increase the odds that their dream home won`t bring a rude awakening.
Some of the suggestions relate to investigation of a builders` background and reputation. Others involve direct scrutiny of his product. The tips include:
– Call the local building department and ask if your builder has had problems in code compliance, has been reported substandard in any building inspections or has been the subject of consumer complaints.
”A local building department will have the available information on a builder, if he has built there before,” said Nels Hornstrom, building director in Schaumburg. He said complaints against all builders there are a matter of public record.
– Ask the opinions of other buyers of the builders` homes in the same or other subdivisions.
”It`s not the time to be bashful when you`re plunking down a big hunk of money,” said Ortenzo.
”Knock on the neighbors` doors, ask them if they`ve had any problems since they moved in and if the builder has responded to the construction flaws that they found. What was his attitude? Did he respond quickly and make repairs, or just try to give lip service and delay?”
Ortenzo also advised finding one of the builder`s subdivisions where the houses were about a year old. ”See if the paint is peeling or if the aluminum or vinyl siding is loose or wavy after a year.”
– Outside the house you are considering, check that the roof line and eaves lines of the house are straight, without bowing. ”If they`re nice and straight, you`ll be reassured that the roof trusses are put together properly,” said M.J. Brenne, public affairs manager for Home Owners Warranty Corp., which insures buyers and builders against home defects.
– See if the grade line of the home site leads away from the house.
”This is very important in keeping moisture out of the basement,” said Brenne.
– Inside the house, try all the windows and doors. ”It`s very simple for the novice to look at the fit of the door and windows,” said Ortenzo. ”Make sure they operate and haven`t been twisted when installed.”
You can see how a door fits, he said, by checking whether the gap is even between door and doorway across the top and along the side. ”If it`s a half- inch at one end and a quarter-inch at the other, somebody wasn`t taking care when finishing it out.”
– Look at the lines of the trim, particularly in corners. See if baseboards and door jambs are mitred properly, if they meet without gaps and are level.
”You can tell a lot in corners, in flooring, drywall and trim,” said John Kamin, Bigelow Homes vice president.
– Check on workmanship in interior walls. ”Sight along the wall in a sunny room,” said Ortenzo. ”You`re looking to see if they are finished in such a way that you don`t see tape or drywall joints or seams. It will tell a lot about the quality of the subcontractor and about the builder`s own standards.”
Ortenzo noted that uneven seams or drywall taping jobs will be particularly pronounced if you decide to paint a wall a color other than white after you move in.
– Check to see if the floors are smooth and level, and that they don`t bounce or squeak too much. ”You want to make sure the builder has engineeered the trusses and rafters and floor loads to be able to distribute the weight properly,” said Bigelow`s Kamin.
”If the floor is bouncy, the glasses are going to rattle on the table and the lamps may wiggle,” he pointed out. ”It`s a little bit more movement than what you really want. It`s not a matter of safety, but of comfort. You don`t want to hear somebody walking on the living room floor when you`re in the kitchen.”
– Make sure paint and wallpaper have been applied smoothly and properly. See that tile lines in the bathroom and other tiled areas are square and level.
– Go through the basement and check for cracking and signs of moisture.
”When you see a crack, ask a question,” said Dario Conte-Russian, Naperville`s chief building official. ”That crack has to be investigated. It may mean a lot. It may mean something has been done incorrectly.”
– Ask the builder about the efficiency of the furnace, air conditioning and appliances. The builder should be able to tell you their annual operation costs, and you can compare the figures with models you find in a store.
– Ask about the type and thickness of insulation. Insulation is rated by R-value, referring to the amount of thermal resistance. The thicker and more resistant the insulation, the higher the R-value. R11 insulation, for instance, is 3 1/2 inches thick; R19 is 6 1/4 inches thick.
According to Owens-Corning Fiberglas, the major U.S. supplier of home insulation, R11 is the minimum thickness recommended for walls and R19 for ceilings in the Chicago area. A more protected house can have walls with R19 insulation and ceilings with up to R38 insulation, a company spokesperson said.
– Ask a plumbing supplier about your builder`s fixtures, from toilets to faucets. The supplier can compare the builder`s brand and model with others on the market. If you`re looking at a model home that has high-quality fixtures, ask if your home will have the same brand and model.
– Ask about a builder`s warranty. Many experts recommend a third-party warranty, such as that provided by the Home Owners Warranty Corp. Some builders offer their own warranties. In any case, you should examine the terms of the warranty carefully.
If following the above steps still leaves you with doubts about your contemplated purchase, you can hire a professional building inspector. According to Ortenzo, who does inspections himself, for about $200 an inspector should walk through the home with you and provide a written report on whether the home meets standards of good workmanship.
An additional suggestion by building professionals is to visit the site of your home as it is being built and watch the work being done. Said Kamin,
”Though it`s an oversimplification, it`s generally true that the cleaner and neater the job, the more extenisve the supervision.
”Does the crew leave debris? Did a guy drill four holes when he only needed one? Is the insulation fully in place or pushed up in corners? All of these things are important.”
Kamin also pointed out that the amount of wastage or spoilage on a job could be significant. ”If I see an awful lot of stuff in a dumpster, like conduit or lumber, I know somebody just isn`t paying attention on the job.”
Schaumburg building chief Hornstrom suggested that if you are troubled by minor defects, such as cabinetry finish or countertop chips at closing time, you might want to put a few hundred dollars of the purchase money in escrow until the defects are corrected.
”A lot of people tend to get lax at closing time. If you feel the house is loose at the moment things have to be signed, stand your ground,” he advised.
Hornstrom noted that he had received a few letters from buyers who were told, ”If you don`t like the house, don`t buy it.” He contended, however, that your attorney ought to be able to handle such a situation. ”If he can`t, don`t close,” said Hornstrom.
While materials and workmanship are what most people think of when they refer to quality, Bigelow`s Kamin suggested that a buyer`s concept of quality should also extend to the design of the home.
”Good quality starts with good design,” he said. He counseled consumers to examine the elevation, architectural balance, window placement, entry treatment, integration of garage into the overall structure and functionality of the floor plan.
”Quality starts with somebody in the conceptual stage thinking about the importance of what goes into a house in terms of how it will live,” he said.
