Howlett Homes-Developers

User Rating: 4 out of 5 stars

Love our new house, but get it in writing: As far as the experience of building a new house goes, we have heard about others' nightmares with other companies, and were prepared for the worst, but were pleasantly surprised with the overall experience which was pretty good. We only ran into one impasse with THC that cost us an additional $500 which was a direct result of them never giving us a full copy of the blueprints (and said we weren't entitled to them).

Apparently their subcontractors will put the utilities, HVAC, plumbing, and vent holes wherever they darn well feel like it, unless you get it in writing where they will be located. If you have a copy of the prints, then of course, it's a legally binding document and they actually have to follow it. Small things like the location of heating vents may be a non-issue to some people, but were pretty important to us, as it is our future intention to finish the basement.

The house is beautiful and very well built with lots of little extras, like quarter round trim in all the areas with vinyl flooring, interior paint (not just primer), and oak caps on the half walls.

If you're a DIYer, save some money and buy and install your own garage door opener. The carpet upgrades are well worth the extra money.

As far as financing (working with our bank), updates on the construction, change orders, upgrades, walk throughs, and even setting the closing appointment, their customer service (Colleen Rosenthal) was excellent!

My only caveat in dealing with this builder would be to get EVERYTHING in writing beforehand, including location of ANYTHING that is not actually shown on the floor plans and to monitor the house's progress on a weekly basis, or you may find yourself either disappointed with something or facing a $500 change order due to your own ignorance.

Comment on Review

Y! Updates An Update about your review will be shared via Yahoo! Updates Manage who sees your Updates

Post CommentCancel