Anyone build a house with Maronda,Inverness,Fischer,Todd or Ryan homes?

[Holly Quinlan]

Hello me and DH are looking to buy a home but cant decide if we want new construction or not. We have looked at all the builders in our area and there are so many to choose from we cant decide what to do. I have looked at reviews online some of the companies don't have any reviews I could find and the others only have a few and they are pretty much negative. I know most people are more willing to give negative reviews and to take them with a grain of salt but I don't want to end up with a bad deal. So has anyone used these companies that can tell me any info? Would anyone just stay clear of new construction?

 

[Holly Quinlan]

.

 

[eliza61]

Our first home was a Ryan home. It was a new development of townhomes. We loved new construction (our next home was also new construction).

so my tips.

1) initially you meet with a "sales agent" and that's ok but make it your business to get down the the home site and meet the construction crew and manager. My dh went to our home site every day, lol he usually brought coffee and donughts but I tell you what, we were able to avoid a lot of miscommunication problems AND we were able to make changes when the things we picked looked better on paper than they did in real life. for example after they put the shell up my dh hated the insulation they were going to install. He made arrangements to get a better quality insulation.

2) recognized that many builders like Ryan buy in "bulk". that may mean that the material is "builder" grade and perhaps not the best quality. for example the carpet that came with the home as standard was pretty low quality. We knew that going into it. so for our bedrooms we got our own carpet.

3) with most mass market builders you will get a few choices but you can't totally customize the house.

I love new construction. My house that I currently purchased is my third home and it is a remodel townhome but the structure is 100 years old. Oy vey, talk about issues. lol.

Our second home was also new construction but we hired an architect because we wanted the ability to totally make it to our liking

 

[Holly Quinlan]

Our first home was a Ryan home. It was a new development of townhomes. We loved new construction (our next home was also new construction). so my tips. 1) initially you meet with a "sales agent" and that's ok but make it your business to get down the the home site and meet the construction crew and manager. My dh went to our home site every day, lol he usually brought coffee and donughts but I tell you what, we were able to avoid a lot of miscommunication problems AND we were able to make changes when the things we picked looked better on paper than they did in real life. for example after they put the shell up my dh hated the insulation they were going to install. He made arrangements to get a better quality insulation. 2) recognized that many builders like Ryan buy in "bulk". that may mean that the material is "builder" grade and perhaps not the best quality. for example the carpet that came with the home as standard was pretty low quality. We knew that going into it. so for our bedrooms we got our own carpet. 3) with most mass market builders you will get a few choices but you can't totally customize the house. I love new construction. My house that I currently purchased is my third home and it is a remodel townhome but the structure is 100 years old. Oy vey, talk about issues. lol. Our second home was also new construction but we hired an architect because we wanted the ability to totally make it to our liking

Thank you! Did you have any structure issues with the new construction?

 

[eliza61]

Thank you! Did you have any structure issues with the new construction?

not one. We were in NJ and wet basements are a problem around here. We were aware of that so we asked Ryan if we could "upgrade" to a poured concrete basement instead of a cinder block basement.

Also a house will "settle" so though we definitely did not have any structural issues, we did get the normal "cracks" along the walls over the course of the first two years. This is pretty normal especially since the development was built on newly cleared land.

it was a row of 7 townhomes and we were there almost 8 years. I did not hear any complaints from the new neighbors about big issues. one of my neighbors did complain that the doors were getting stuck, once again due to the house settling and hinges moving.

Again, I think the main complaint from the reviews could have a grain of truth in them. they don't use the top notch materials but we found them competitive cost wise and they were easy to work with when we wanted to upgrade. and we found the big ticket items all held up well.

When we moved (needed more space for the kids). the roof still had a good 10 years of life, we did replace the a/c unit but the water heater and furnace were in great shape.

 

[Holly Quinlan]

not one. We were in NJ and wet basements are a problem around here. We were aware of that so we asked Ryan if we could "upgrade" to a poured concrete basement instead of a cinder block basement. Also a house will "settle" so though we definitely did not have any structural issues, we did get the normal "cracks" along the walls over the course of the first two years. This is pretty normal especially since the development was built on newly cleared land. it was a row of 7 townhomes and we were there almost 8 years. I did not hear any complaints from the new neighbors about big issues. one of my neighbors did complain that the doors were getting stuck, once again due to the house settling and hinges moving. Again, I think the main complaint from the reviews could have a grain of truth in them. they don't use the top notch materials but we found them competitive cost wise and they were easy to work with when we wanted to upgrade. and we found the big ticket items all held up well. When we moved (needed more space for the kids). the roof still had a good 10 years of life, we did replace the a/c unit but the water heater and furnace were in great shape.

Thank you

 

[scottmel]

AVOID MARONDA! My mom has been a realtor for 32 years and has always said they are very cheaply made b/c they are large so logic tells you corners must be cut somewhere for space to remain large and house affordable.

Well my brother married a woman with a Maronda and it has a lot of cheap features. Plastic crown molding, rotting wood at doors, all doors needed replaced in 5 years. Worst part was a family member was pregnant and walking up the basement steps and the steps fell thru. Good thing she landed on luggage....but use your logic that if a home is being advertised for so affordable - something is giving!

 

[georgina]

I have several friends in Maronda homes and they would not recommend Maronda. The big problem is, as scottmel said, cheaply made. One family had a landslide in the backyard (poor preparation of the lot) which knocked the house off the foundation. It was a mess.

I have heard better reviews of Ryan, but have never lived in a new construction home myself so it's all from others.

 

[Holly Quinlan]

AVOID MARONDA! My mom has been a realtor for 32 years and has always said they are very cheaply made b/c they are large so logic tells you corners must be cut somewhere for space to remain large and house affordable. Well my brother married a woman with a Maronda and it has a lot of cheap features. Plastic crown molding, rotting wood at doors, all doors needed replaced in 5 years. Worst part was a family member was pregnant and walking up the basement steps and the steps fell thru. Good thing she landed on luggage....but use your logic that if a home is being advertised for so affordable - something is giving!

Thank you! This pretty much goes with what I've heard about maronda. Figures they would have my favorite floor plan but scratching them off my list.

 

[Holly Quinlan]

I have several friends in Maronda homes and they would not recommend Maronda. The big problem is, as scottmel said, cheaply made. One family had a landslide in the backyard (poor preparation of the lot) which knocked the house off the foundation. It was a mess. I have heard better reviews of Ryan, but have never lived in a new construction home myself so it's all from others.

Wow that sounds like a nightmare! Thank you for sharing.

 

[NCDisneyMom]

I've been in a Ryan home for 10 years now, and :::knock on wood::: we have had no major problems. We are the first owners, so like a PP said, a few cracks and such from settling, and the front storm door we had installed had to be readjusted as the frame settled (not even the main door...just the storm door), but that's it. As far as I know, none of my neighbors have had any major issues, either.

 

[bdcp]

The only one I've heard of/know is Ryan and they are mediocre at best. Our builder was pretty good and our house is solid. It's a Winchester Home.

 

[havaneselover]

The only one I've heard of/know is Ryan and they are mediocre at best. Our builder was pretty good and our house is solid. It's a Winchester Home.

I'm sure this varies a lot by region. We purchased a 2-year old Ryan home in 2003. It was okay for what we paid. Now in Central VA they specialize in building $500 K vinyl boxes. They look decent and for the price per square foot you get a lot.

 

[Holly Quinlan]

Thanks everyone. Any info on Todd homes?

 

[ReneeA]

My DH works as a contractor with many different builders. Ryan is known as being a mediocre builder, Maronda poor, and not sure if he works with the others.

He did specify that the project manager on each individual site is your make or break when it comes to quality. A good pm will make sure that quality work is being done in a timely manner,but a poor pm working for a good company is worse. A poor pm guarantees shoddy work. DH has got his favorites - a list of his favorites if we ever build,along with the "absolutely never" list.

 

[Holly Quinlan]

My DH works as a contractor with many different builders. Ryan is known as being a mediocre builder, Maronda poor, and not sure if he works with the others. He did specify that the project manager on each individual site is your make or break when it comes to quality. A good pm will make sure that quality work is being done in a timely manner,but a poor pm working for a good company is worse. A poor pm guarantees shoddy work. DH has got his favorites - a list of his favorites if we ever build,along with the "absolutely never" list.

Thank you

 

[Swimalie]

Stay away from Ryan!! I am the 2nd owner of a Ryan built in 2003 and it has major problems, including that it should have never passed code inspection. We have had problems with electrical, counter top installation, floor joists, floor boards. All these things should have been put in properly but they didn't bother. A friend of mine went to replace her mast bath mirror and they didn't even dry wall behind it!!

Two other friends have bought Ryan since we bought ours and they are having the same issues. They haven't learned nor have them improved. Stay far, far away!

 

[Holly Quinlan]

Stay away from Ryan!! I am the 2nd owner of a Ryan built in 2003 and it has major problems, including that it should have never passed code inspection. We have had problems with electrical, counter top installation, floor joists, floor boards. All these things should have been put in properly but they didn't bother. A friend of mine went to replace her mast bath mirror and they didn't even dry wall behind it!! Two other friends have bought Ryan since we bought ours and they are having the same issues. They haven't learned nor have them improved. Stay far, far away!

Thank you.

 

[Holly Quinlan]

I think we've decided not to go with new construction.

 

[Mrs. Ciz]

We built our Ryan home 17 years ago in Virginia. The company was very easy to work with. Our project manager did a really good job, but I also went by the job site every couple of days to inspect. During the build I did catch a couple of issues right away before they became big problems. We are pretty happy with our house. Over the years we've upgraded most of the builder grade stuff as it wore out and have made it more "custom". I'd build with Ryan again.