Your Builder or Construction Consultant and Their Commitment to the Quality of Your
                                                                           Home
 
As a consultant for large and small builders across the country, whenever I visited new clients, I always asked them if they considered themselves to be “Quality” builders. I still ask builders I run into.  The answer was always “Yes!” EVERY builder or consultant I know says they build a “quality” home, but they can never define what makes them a “Quality” builder. Every once in a while I get find someone who comes up with an answer that usually involves “Better materials, upgrades, value, or even code compliant”. Their answers, IF they can explain them, are usually geared toward cosmetics. There is nothing wrong with making sure the home looks good for the customer, but you can paint over a turd too! Quality is deeper! It requires knowledge, education, and commitment. It is conforming to a higher set of agreed upon standards that you verify will be done right.  Building code does not cover MANY issues pertaining to the durability of a home.  If a builder tells you he builds a "code compliant" home, run away.  He or she is telling you that they never put any thought into quality and if they built the home any worse, it'd be illegal.  Major building complaints and failures are centered around moisture, heat, and air flow. These are subjects most builders know nothing about.  If you don't understand how these three things affect the home, it's components, and its' occupants, you can't build a durable, comfortable, energy efficient (Quality) home.  To be fair, there are some REALLY great and smart builders in the Triangle market (They are easy to find, they are the ones who can’t start on your home for another two years and they will name their price).

By most all accounts, the Triangle home market is well insulated from the downturns that many other metropolitan areas are experiencing. But one problem with being blessed by an insulated housing market is that a lot of people who consider themselves builders because they passed the State General Contractor exam are allowed to continue to build and sell homes that are uncomfortable energy hogs.  Some might not even survive to see their 30 year mortgage expire. Things have been very good in the Triangle for the last 15+ years. This means that MOST of the builders out there, including some of the “Big Boys” have never experienced a slow market. They never had to concentrate on true quality to separate themselves from the pack (upgrades and amenities do not equal quality). If they built a house, it sold. Because of our “steady market”, many of these builders will continue their current building practices.  This applies to subcontractors too! Where are all the true craftsmen anymore? The market has put such a demand on labor that people are hired with no experience and they are trained by people who have no business teaching anyone because they themselves have only been doing their job for three months. Is it any wonder that lawsuits are running wild in the residential construction industry? Just type “construction defect” into any search engine to see what I mean. Consumers are partly to blame. Why is it that most new home buyers will do more research on their car manufacturer than their homebuilder? Quality is everyone’s responsibility, but the buck stops with the builder or construction consultant. So, if you are considering hiring a builder or consultant, ask them to tell you what makes them a “Quality” builder. After the initial stuttering, pay attention to their answer, it may tell you something.

Sincerely,

Bill Klotz
Owner My Home Building Help

"When you put ordinary people in an intense, structured environment, they become extraordinary"