For anyone that built their home...

mrsnala

Lurker here, but I think there are few of you ladies on here that recently built your own homes. Can you share your experience? And who did you go with? Anyone specifically build with Maronda Homes?

lala5507

We built with Ryan last year.  We have nothing but good things to say.  Our project manager was really great and stayed on top of everything.  Our neighborhood is a mix of Ryan and Maronda and I have hear far more complaints from the Maronda owners.  I think you get more square footage for the price with Maronda but they use cheaper materials.  Of course every builder has complaints issued against them.  I believe there are several websites devoted to the hatred of Ryan Homes, but like I said we had a great experience. 

amyjoy18

We just finished up a build with Khov and it was awful.  Almost all of the subcontractors had to come back to redo their work because it wasn't done correctly the first time.  They doubled the promised timeline, flooded our house because the plumbing wasn't hooked up correctly.  A week or so after we moved in the drain pipe from the garbage disposal came off because it was cut too short for the connection.  

In the end, we like our home, but every day I find something else that wasn't done quite right.  

denalea

We built  two years ago with a custom builder and had a reasonably good experience and are still mostly happy.  The only major issue is our hardwood floors.  (I can private message you a vendor to NOT go with.)

I think the best thing is to stay on top of everything.  Check the work site often.  I think my H was here every day or at least every other.  (Which is probably a bit much!)  Make sure things are as you want them as you go along.  (If you wait until the end it may be too late.)  Ask questions as you go to make sure it will turn out like you planned/dreamed.  You'll probably feel like a PIA but it is YOUR house and you are spending lots of $$$, so it should be what you want. 

If you have any specific questions, let me know! 

MaryM

We did not build our home, but I wanted to tell you that when we bought our home, my realtor told us she will not show or sell Marando homes. We desperately wanted her too because we saw one we liked online, but she will not sell them because of the poor quality of materials and their bad reputation in the housing market.

4EvR&4AlWz

We are building now...literally just excavated ground!

Our thoughts on Maronda are that they are cheap (cost, materials, etc) all around but big. Friends of ours have a Maronda home and the craftsmanship is shitty. Baseboards aren't cut straights, outlets are crooked, drywall seems visible, etc

BethieB

We built with S&A Homes in 2010 and love our home! They were great to work with and price wise are more than Ryan but less that Heartland. All good materials and no issues; they were very comunicative and worked with me and my 2,309 questions along the way.

MandyMilller

We built with Ryan and are reasonably happy. Our yard is a nightmare, but they have been working with us to fix it and I don't plan on letting up on them till it's done. There are also a few smaller things that they still haven't fixed from our punch list, but by all accounts it'll get done eventually.

BeckyP005

I had a Maronda home built about 10 years ago and would not do it again. Like others have said you get a lot of square footage but it is cheaply built. We only lived in it for 4 yrs due to a divorce so not sure how it would of held up. Good luck!

Oh and I agree with@Denalae to be at the house a lot to check up on them! My ex or his dad was there every day and we did make them rip out the carpeting because they spilled paint on it. Why you would install carpet first then paint is beyond me...lol

balbacm

We built a Ryan home 3 years ago and had a great experience.  Like others have said, you have to be an active participant in the process and not let up on anything that you may see unfit.  We love our house and our neighborhood.  

I 'built' a Maronda in 2004 - you don't really get to pick upgrades or enhancements to their floor plans, everything is built as a spec home, take it or leave it.  You get a lot of house for your money, that's for sure.   The quality of the house and finishes are definitely subpar compared to Ryan.  We still own the house and rent it as in income property and it's still standing.... the major issues are cracks in the walls from the house settling.

No house building process is ever 100% perfect. My boss has a custom built $1.5M house in Fox Chapel and he bitched about his builder throughout the entire process