New home builders? Any good ones?

I can’t recommend one, but I will say… My wife & I used to clean newly-built homes. I’ve also been through display homes of various other companies and seen the same shoddy workmanship.

Same tradesmen – that’s why. The reason is, most “home builders” contract the work out to other businesses. They don’t build homes – they broker the building of homes. The tiler/painter/plumber is someone you could have hired yourself out of the phone book.

No tradesmen cares much for what he does to another tradesmen’s work. The carpet is laid, the plumber then walks through without removing his mud-covered boots… The cleaner disguises the mess.

I’ve seen homes take longer to replace damaged fittings and fix mistakes, than they took to build in the first place – and the owners were still in tears at the end of it, wanting to sell up.

Here’s just a taste:

1. As bricklayers work, they don’t bother to hose down windows. Excess concete dries on glass. Cleaner has no choice, but to scratch it off with a scraper/razor blade – quickly – since you get paid per house – not per hour. So you get brand new windows with LOTS of scratches. If building is delayed and cleaner is not called in early, concrete actually etches into the glass and is seen forevermore.

2. Plumber fits resin bathtub. Resin tub has a large instruction decal that states something like: “Do NOT use abrasive cleaners such as Jif or Ajax. Use soft cloths, do NOT use scourers. Surface WILL damage.” Plumber then fits taps using hole saw/welder – drops all tools and wall/pipe refuse into bathtub – that he’s standing in – with his boots on – and leaves for cleaner, still 8 weeks away. Electrician comes along to fit IXL Tastic light/heater above bath – stands in bath – ON same refuse – IN boots. Drops wire cutoffs in tub. Tiler arrives – stands in tub on everything in there…

You get the idea, I’m sure – that’s why you’re asking, right? [blink]

Hooray for the super-cleaners – that have access to some advanced products that leave films that hide all sorts of damage from the naked eye. At least until the first few baths are taken, anyway.

Good luck! Hope you find a better one than the company we worked for. Of course, you could just do what they do and contract the work out as you go – and get the same contractors and damage that follows them anyway! [biggrin]

Allan.