A National builder is only as good as it’s local workers are… To a point. The company must have transparent operations and good customer service to help you ensure that you will be buying a quality product.
In South Carolina, Centex has a very good name where KB and Beazer are not so esteemed. Lennar also has also gotten a bad rap as well.
I had been dealing with a Company called Keystone (out of Richmond va) that has the most evasive polices ever. They don’t allow private phase inspections. You are not allowed to talk to the builder or even know his name. They don’t do walkthroughs. Talking to them is like talking to the wall. I WILL NEVER DEAL WITH A COMPANY WITH SUCH POLICES AGAIN!
I ended up backing out of the deal as I noticed that they were not flashing the windows before they were set or in my interpretation- following the manufacturer instructions on the Tyvek that they charge you $1000 extra for. I didn’t trust them to fix it either.
This was the same company that argued with county building services that OSB board didn’t need a moisture barrier behind siding because of the thin wax coating that is applied to OSB! They lost that argument as there is only one siding company that does not require a moisture barrier.
One thing I learned is that when you buy in a new neighborhood you are not just buying into the problems of your house, but that of all the other homes in the neighborhood. Ask yourself= Do you really want to live in an area where all the other homes are falling apart?
The shoddy work of today, will become the slums of tomorrow.
