FAQ’s
If you are buying a new house from a home builder, what is important to you?
For most of us we want to buy a house that is well built, something that will last for a while without a need for upgrading. We also want a home that will increase in value as time moves along so our investment grows.
In order to ensure that we find what we want, it is important to ask questions.
- Find out who the builder is or was
- Make sure the home builder is providing a new home warranty
- Check the builders references ( at least 3 )
- If you are not buying directly from the builder, have an inspection done
Now that you have all the information about the builder and you are satisfied with his referrals, ask about the products used in the construction of the home. Certain products can vary a great deal in value and quality. Also make sure you check the warranties on many of the products in the new home.
Check out the
- Furnace
- Hot water tank
- Heat pump
- Appliances
- Flooring
- Windows
Yes make sure you check the windows. There are so many different windows on the market these days that the choices are huge, and the variations in quality are ever greater. When building a house, builders are faced with cutting into profits when buying a more expensive product. It’s only natural to try to find the best deal on everything but unfortunately there are only a few places where a builder can really save large amounts of money. The most common places where builders cut corners are Appliances, Flooring and Windows.
A five appliance home can have an appliance cost of anywhere from 2000.00 to 50,000.00. Flooring for the average three bedroom home can cost from 5,000.00 to 45,000.00 and windows for that same home can cost from 3500.00 to 45,000.00. The real problem comes with the products that are considered low end or “inexpensive”.
For example, cheap appliances are usually very low on the Energy star rating program, they are simply not efficient and will eventually cost the home owner far more to maintain and operate than a more expensive and energy efficient product.
Flooring can look great, but cheap flooring will simply wear our much faster and need replacing over and over again.
Windows do have government regulated requirements but those tests are only done when the window is new. Many cheap windows would simply not meet the government requirements if they were tested only a few months after installation. I recently spoke to a builder who purchased windows from a supplier in Vancouver who supplies a Chinese made window, half the price of North American made windows, and yes, they meet all the code requirements. But, they only come in specific sizes so the builder has to build the house to fit the windows. Also, the warranties are virtually nonexistent. Any warranty they do provide cannot and never will be honored.
Something to remember when buying or building a home is that energy efficiency is very important. The cost of an inefficient house will be far greater in the long run if using products that are not energy efficient. Windows from China are cheap and they meet only the minimum energy efficiency requirements. The Vinyl is extruded in China where the environmental laws simply do not even come close the minimum North American standards. Many builders simply do not care as they are only looking at price, but you as the buyer of the home have the right to know about the products you have purchased with that new home. Be sure that if you are paying well below market value for your new home, the products in that home are most likely substandard.
Let’s talk about vinyl. Vinyl processing is one of the most chemically dirty processes known to mankind. Harsh chemicals are used to create and clean the vinyl before it is molded into the white product you see on most windows today. Laws in North America have not cleaned up the process as there really is no way to make vinyl without using harsh chemicals, but these laws have focused on a process of disposing these harsh chemicals once they have been used with as little impact as possible to our environment. In Third world countries many of these chemicals find their way into the underground water systems as they are simply dumped in landfill sites or stored in barrels in a warehouse someplace until they leak out and dissipate.
Also consider that history has also shown products from many third world countries can contain led and other heavy metals as the products are simply not made with the same regulations and controls that govern industry in North America.
It is also important to note that not all North American products meet high standard either. Many window manufacturers have learned that a small compromise on quality can increase their bottom line. Many North American manufacturers purchase their vinyl from places like China and Mexico bringing these “dirty” products into our market. Again, if cost is all that counts, home builders will buy the cheapest products they can find and let’s face it, as long as there is a market for this type of product, there will be a supplier.
Consider this when you buy a home, new or even used. Ask your builder to provide documentation of where all the above mentioned products come from. Where are they made? Who is the manufacturer of these products? Find out about the raw materials such as the materials used to make flooring, windows and even siding. Understand that compromise is not always a good option.
Cost savings are always hard to measure over the long haul but it is a fact that cheap windows will cost a home owner substantially more in heating costs, as well as sooner replacement costs over a more expensive energy efficient product. Replacing a floor every few years because it simply wears out can be very costly as well. Appliances that only meet the minimum energy ratings are far cheaper at the retail store, but energy costs will be far higher. In the long run the builder is the only one saving himself money at the expense of the unsuspecting home owner. Make sure you insist on energy efficient, durable, and quality products. We all must work to reduce the environmental impact and quality of Canada’s homes, now and in the future.
