gn asks:
“how can one visually differentiate the between the different qualities of construction ? Can a lay person learn to do this ?”

Yes…10 years after they buy it!

Just kidding gn. That is a very good question. I don’t want to make generalities about “lay people”. The topic is pretty broad if you take it from the lot through structural all the way to finish materiales. Then for every budget there are going to be quality comparision nuances just like with cars. Yes the lay person can do it if they have grown up around discerning people or search out a modest education on the subject and know how to ask about the items that can’t be seen.

Quality construction usually a more dense feel to it if you can get a good sense for that and then that is half the battle. That goes for the walls, floors, cabinets, door & window and their jambs ect. Most the houses we study on this blog are either slapped together production houses, or a little better, with different qualities of interior finishings and exterior hardscape.
The best houses are custom built for high end clients and are of the type featured in magazines. You might want to get an annual subscription to “Fine Home Building” It features a beautiful well built house now and then and the building techniques employed in various types of custom houses. The “Journal of Light Construction” is another that covers standard building practices for residential construction. Maybe you can just find a book out there for “lay people” who want to know?
Best wishes

In the instance I was using it, I was referring to the photo depictions and descriptions of the hardwood flooring, taller wall heights (as opposed to a vaulted ceiling in a living room), kitchen/bath and cabinetry fixtures and appliances, trim pieces, etc.

If you were looking in person you might be able to take a look at the materials and workmanship involved in setting the windows and doors (those can be good indicators), you may be able to see exposed framing in the garage that may include 2×4 for “average” tract home construction vs. 2×6 for better quality construction, 1/2″ vs/ 3/8″ drywall, drywall finishes, roofing materials, even the concrete flatwork and landscaping at the front of the house can vary quite a bit.

If you go cruising the flooring and materials aisles at Home Depot you can develop an eye for materials and their differences pretty quickly. After that you’re looking for workmanship in the form of nice straight cuts, level and plumb flooring and squared doorways. “Clean” installations of all these finishes.

FYI here is my take on who generally builds quality homes:

GOOD
1. Shea
2. McMillin
3. Khovanian

OKAY
1. Pardee
2. DR Horton
3. Pulte

AVERAGE AT BEST
1. KB Homes

I think that most people who are not in the trade or who haven’t bought a couple of houses can’t tell the difference.

Everytime I look at an American SUV, I stare at the huge gaps between the body panels and the chunkiy look of the parts on the dashboard. Same thing for houses. Aside from the unseen part of the house, such as plumbing and insulation, fit and finish is all important. If you see a lot of caulking in between gaps, then you know the finish is lousy. Builders generally have a “good enough” mentality and caulking is their best friend.

Most of the time, crown moulding and “designer” paint make a house look uglier that it would otherwise be.

I agree with bugs on ceiling heights vs. vaulted ceilings.

It takes a discerning eye to see quality. If you can tell a person’s upbringing by the way she holds her fork and her table manners, then you most likely can tell the quality of a house.

You are Welcome,

“Specifically, what makes a custom construction better than a tract house (sorry, if this is a naive question) ?”

Custom houses are overseen by a particular and discerning individual usually a female Artist/Socialite married to very well paid and anal rocket scientist:). Actually there are huge degrees of difference in custom homes. One could look just like a tract home and most do, they are just built on a lot owned by an individual. So by definition it is a custom home, or a spec. home,if it is an investor hoping to sell it. This home could still be built with a little more TLC and attention to detail than a production home. So custom construction is not always better but the best homes are usually custom homes.The variety of construction for magazine quality custom homes is way too much to go into here. They don’t use faux stuff anywhere usually.

What do you mean by “dense feel” ?
You have to get kind of physical. If you ever have been in double wide trailer or a cheap maufactured home that is the opposite of dense. Everything looks and feels like it is ready to fall apart and it will.

The builder has some choice in framing standards. I frame my exterior walls above code and interior walls to the normal standard of exterior walls. I sheath the entire exterior in better grades of plywood. No OSB.(Chip Board).

You can look in the attic and see if OSB was used for the roof sheathing. If you eliminate the house based on this alone though, you will be eliminating a lot of houses. If you see plywood that might be a good sign.

Better practices would involve framing with 2×6’s instead of 2×4’s. This is more important for tall walls in my opinion.

When nobody is looking try to pull off a piece of moulding,open a door and try to yank it off the hinges :). Shut a couple of doors pretty hard and see if things shake or not. Make a fist and bang on any tiled surfaces they should feel as though they are embeded in concrete not stuck to drywall or bare plywood. Jump on the areas of wood subfloors and see if it feels solid or shakes. If possible pull up a corner of carpet and see if it was screwed down or nailed. It should be screwed and glued .The carpet should look and feel like it was stretched tightly not just flopped down. any thresholds between finish flooring types should feel solid. Try to lift the top off the counter or island it should not creak or budge.Shake any stair or balcony handrails. Do the stairs feel solid? Try to break a drawer front off the cabinets. Look for tongue and grove construction or an alterantive construction that has no give if you try to flex the drawer front. Stapled drawer boxes are indicative of cheap cabinets. Knock on the side of the cabinets they should feel solid. Dixiline actually has a grade of cabinets they call builder’s grade. They are kind of cheap. Not all builders use this grade though, some use real good stuff. (Really good cabinetry is very expensive). Better houses usually have higher window & door budgets so study the quality of windows. Just because they are big and grand doesn’t mean they are the best.
Disclaimer:
I am not a house snob. My house and the ones I have participated in building are not in magazines.

Best wishes