Poorly constructed new homes

[Aerts]

I have noticed that most new homes, especially within in-demand markets are poorly constructed, to varying degrees. I bought a 3 bedroom condo last year, and while it is generally nice and has passed structural/interior inspections, I still keep finding little things wrong with the place. Luckily nothing major, but I have heard of people who've purchased homes/new condos in my area in the last couple years and had major mechanical failures, and/or electrical problems. This is in the short term, long term I'm sure other problems will surface. I've known people who work in carpentry and the story is the same: very few good tradesmen willing to do residential work for contractors, lots of unqualified laborers performing unsupervised work for a poorly regulated industry, demand for new houses outpacing supply, etc.

What is with all the shitty houses out there? Even houses in the $500K+ range aren't immune to this. I've considered investing in real estate and purchasing a second home, but I'm feeling very bearish and wary of all the overpriced garbage out there. Thoughts?

 

[InTheBum]

Purchase homes made 1985 or older...then just fix them up...at least they are built well...

 

[myselftheother]

In my line of work I do a lot of exterior inspections of homes, and have begun to notice more and more of the shoddy work that doesn't even last more than 2-3 years without me finding that foundations are cracking, separating moldings, leaks, cracking drywall seams, unsealed windows....brand new homes.

 

[Miss*Bijou]

That is something I've noticed in Vancouver.. Coming from Montreal, I'm used to much older apartments/townhouses that have either been maintained well or have been renovated and there are things I took for granted. First of all, there is no way in HELL I would ever buy a place that has a strata (which, in Vancouver, doesn't leave much to choose from...I know. lol). I think stratas are the devil. Seriously, they are really evil...some of them, at least.


My last place was in a brand new highrise in Yaletown. In a condo I was the first person to live in and a few months after I moved in, the suite below mine started getting flooded every time I did laundry. There was no water leaking (that we could see) in my place so they had to look inside the wall. It took 5 or 6 people from various trades close to a week to figure out where the problem was and fix it. I felt bad for the person below me because by then they'd been flooded at least a couple of times. My impression of that place was that even if it all looked shiny and new, despite not knowing much about that stuff it was still obvious it was built cheap. I could not for the life of me understand why people would willingly give out that kind of money for junk like that!? And the size of it...? I won't even go there. lol I was also not a big fan of living in a highrise...not my thing at all.


I'm used to large, roomy apartments with high ceilings and character. I didn't think people still had carpeted floors....unless it was leftover from the 80' or something! lol So when I moved here, the idea of carpets in a newer place was really weird to me. I've always had hardwood floors, so have all my friends (Not laminate. Hardwood floors.lol) Very few places are carpeted and you can generally count on the ones that are usually not being very nice. Another thing I took for granted was.... quiet. In most places, you rarely hear what's going on next door. And if you do, it's because they're unusually loud!


That place in Yaletown wasn't very soundproof either but nothing in comparison to our current place, which is ridiculously poorly built in respect to any sound traveling through floors/ceilings/walls. I think the carpet from that first place at least helped with that whereas the laminate floors we have here just make s the problem obvious, impossible to miss and extreme. I've wondered if it even meets minimum standards - but I bet it does, even if barely, but that the standards are low anyway to begin with. The way sound travels is beyond ridiculous and it's another mystery to me how people could spend so much on a home where living in close proximity to others is expected and not optional, yet whoever built it cheaped out on something so fundamental to your quality of life! Screw that. Our place might be an extreme case but it's a common problem. I would never buy one of these newer constructions...but what else is there in Vancouver? Not much....lol


Why do people accept crap? It seems that if people are paying and buying, then contractors are going to continue to do it.

 

[Fletch]

I don't think it matters where the location is or when it was built. I have a house in Edmonton built in 1965. The builder should be shot. Renovated the main bath and found out the original pipe that was to vent outside was never connected. Original wiring was dangerously wrong. I had the whole house rewired. If I am going to die of something it ain't going to be faulty wiring.

Had the home inspected by an excellent inspector before buying. There are still lots of things that they can't find or see.

 

[maroonedsailor]

When it comes to quality construction, try a modular, factory built home. The new ones have very tight quality control and a controlled construction environment. For regular construction it doesn't matter how much you pay per square foot, the basics remain the same. A modern, million dollar home uses the same materials as a 250K home. Same concrete, framing, drywall etc. Only the fixtures and detail work change. Especially when one pays HST on a new home, the tax money needs to be used to hire and train more quality building inspectors. The real difference between quality and crap is nothing more than attention to detail.

 

[bcneil]

When I get tired of living downtown, I will be building myself for sure.
See lots of friends with newer condos than mine.
Look great inside, dream kitchens all top end appliances, yet the toilet breaks after 2 years, and the patio door has a draft.

 

[Hoops]

what the hell are they doing to the toilet?

 

[wilde]

Watch Holmes' inspection by Mike Holmes, it will open your eyes.

 

[vancity_cowboy]

And before anybody cries 'Racism', I belong to one of these aforementioned groups and am well in the know how of how things operate. I knew a house contractor that would build a house, get the building inspector to come, pass all the plumbing, electrical, building codes and then make small holes to take materials, such as wood beams out of the house to save 5-6 hundred dollars.

I know a contractor that used to pay the building inspector a fat bribe to stay in the car and fill out the paperwork, hand it over to the foreman and leave without inspecting fuck all

the day the big ndp inquiry into leaky condos found no fault in the industry was the last day a buyer could expect a fair deal in this province without building the damn place themselves