This had to be the rosiest DR Horton video I've ever seen. He's either getting paid or they know he has a RU-vid channel and are going above and beyond what they'd normally do hoping he makes more videos like this.
I stopped watching before the 10 min mark. The issues with the doors is an indication the architect who designed the plans had no idea what he or she was doing. And in six months the home owner is absolutely going to be annoyed with doors blocking each other when one is left open. And the builder isn't fixing this because there is no fix. The design was flawed. The cracked cement is just going to get wider as the home settles. I'm can't claim to be a specialists in these things, but if you got them in your garage, you got them in the house. They are just covered up by the flooring so you won't notice them. Most likely the concrete pad was too thin or there isn't enough rebar or the consistency of the concrete was off. Hell, they may have poured the slab in the middle of winter and the ground may have been frozen so as things warmed up the house settled some cracking the concrete. This home is a hard pass. On a side note, the owner needs to plant some trees in the back yard. I can tell by the landscape that the builder brought in soil to level the lot off to ease the building construction and allow for a concrete slab. Your guess is as good as mine if the soil was compacted properly. But regardless, you need a tree line in the back and side of the lot to prevent soil erosion. I noticed all that sod. Unless this is a $750k house, builders aren't usually going to cover the cost of sod unless it is mandated by the HOA. That sod was put down probably to hide issues with water run off and soil erosion. This guy made a huge mistake buying this house. I'd give it less than five years before he does another video on why he shouldn't have bought it and bad mouthing the builder.
Gutters are required by Code where I live! Many of these would violate building codes where I live. I hope they fix all of this for you. They have a horrible reputation in our area and the houses sit and don’t sale.
It's the american culture of low expectations and mediocrity, this would not be acceptable 50 years ago...this is why the food we eat is full of garbage chemicals, why everything we buy breaks...rich people never have to worry about any of this. It's a cardboard life, everything is rotten on the inside, but the outside looks good so it must be good right?!?
I don't think that is "a potential major issue"-that is a HUGE issue. NEVER accept "corporate policy"-just walk. NEVER accept the "company" specialist/inspector. I wouldn't buy because they got measurement of everything WAY off with all of the doors banging into each other.
It is obvious that DR Horton uses sub par sub contractors that lack experience, pride, knowledge, or quality in their workmanship...then the question is would you want the original sub contractors to be the ones to return to make the corrections? The contractors that allowed this type of incomplete, incorrect, and overall poor workmanship and/or design...and believe that they could be trusted and would make the right and proper corrections...that at this point in time could potentially be very costly to them...or should you buy a home from a builder that uses unqualified lowest bid sub contractors...then lacks the supervisory workforce to properly supervise those subs for quality during each phase and throughout the entire construction process...all because that could or would impact the bottom line...it is a very sad situation in so many ways...and I also believe it is also a problem that varies depending on the location...I know that some of what I've seen online from DR Horton and other national builders would most definitely not fly in my area and state...then again it is reflected in the sale price...
@@highlightsateleven5434 what are u talking about it's reflected in the price? If u think u need to pay 900k for toll bros to get quality n 400k u expect crap quality... U r stupid
You can have a general inspector but you can't have a specialized inspector? I guess they don't want you to find out the truth . if they aren't interested in finding defects and fixing them before closing, good luck getting it fixed afterwards. Even If their guy really did check the roof nailing, they aren't going to say there is a problem because they don't want to rip the old roof off. Doors that hit each other? Bathroom door that hits the glass shower door? How does that happen in a Floorplan from a big builder that they use over and over and over again? So the design of the home is as problematic as the craftsmanship.
Not defending the builder, but you can find some pretty horrendous "foreman" in these cookie cutter operations. So... well, it's only mostly the builder 👷♂️
Build quality on new homes over the last 10 years has dropped off a cliff with the materials being cheap and the labor putting the house together even cheaper
When your 30-40,00 craftsman short in the country, this is the kind of work you get. Time is money . Do you really think if a guy nails down on a roof knows he missed the rafter? A do you think he went back? Spend an afternoon and watch them work. I worked on a job one time the framers came back to install the hurricane clips they forgot when framing. How many of those never made it and how many got all the nails in them because they couldn't reach them? Good job taking the gutters since That's the biggest cause for water damage , bad or no gutters. No gutters on a new house? PLEASE .
@@bobainsworth5057 And check the flashings. I have seen vents, windows, and pipes that got their flashing lapped the opposite way like a mini gutter/rain catcher. Someone has to drop a hammer to teach them rainwater flows downward.
I owed a DRhorton house for about 3 years(brand new when I bought it) and I've had more issues in that house than any other house that I've ever owned. My mom recently bought one brand new last year directly across the highway from my old DR house(different neighboorhood) and it's plagued with problems too. Stay away from these builders at all costs.
Sorry to hear that, I'm about to purchase a new build in the coming months, but I'm afraid of all these problems I keep hearing about, don't know what to do.
@@JC-ms1pg get your own independent home inspection done. They are going to try to persuade you not to get one, but I’m telling you you’re better off getting one. And make them fix everything they find before you close. They will try to fight you on some of that too but they’ll eventually cave and fix it. They have been pretty good and coming back to my moms and fix the issues that arose after closing but you have to stay on top of them. We are in south Louisiana so the quality may vary by region.
Thanks for the quick reply, I intend to get an inspection, it's just a shame that homeowners have to go through this kind of thing, shelling out their hard earned money only to be faced with massive repairs on a new build, it infuriates me! @@sixsixST2
Since when does a homeowner have to abide by the builder's corporate policy to dictate whom he or she can have come over and inspect their home. Be it a general contractor or a specialist?
because you don't own the home yet...and up until the signing and closing it is their property and home...it's such a ridiculous and absurd thing to dictate to the buyer that it should make you think real hard as to what the reason for that might be...
I had 2 pages with every line filled out documenting an issue. I’m not an inspector and that’s just the issues I could see. Later I had plumbing, electrical, and roof/windows leaking issues that I couldn’t see until it was too late. Glad to get rid of that lemon.
I found 45 items that had to be fixed before the installation and drywall was installed on my house. Trust me, you don’t want to know what’s behind the walls that are now covered up.
DR Horton's plumbing contractor installed all the plumbing incorrectly. We fought for years for them to fix it. We had to pay out of pocket so we could have hot and cold water correctly.
@@JimBurdan79I saw a guy to fought with them to have his home fixed. They ignored him. Up until he posted their dirty deeds on social media such as tik tok and it went viral. Soon enough Horton company responded and fixed his house
These aren't one-off mistakes. These are indicative of systemic failures in craftmanship and quality. I would be worried about what else starts popping up after living in it for a while. It would be a hard pass from me.
My Grandfather and a neighbor built my house in 1930, using lumber from a building they tore down. It was where my Daddy was raised, later rented out, and left empty for a couple of years. Wife and I moved in in 1991. This house has survived many hurricanes, winters, and other storms. It will most likely be here long after me. It is not over insulated/sealed for energy savings. With Gulf Coast humidity, a house has to breath to prevent mold and rot. Many modern energy saving insulations make a house to air tight for this climate. Old folks knew what they were doing.
The wood we use today is inherently inferior to the wood used in the past. 80% of the old growth forests in the US are gone. Wood from older trees (couple of hundred years old) is superior to wood from younger trees.
A potential home buyer is forbidden to hire a framing inspector? Corporate policy? When does a homeowner become subject to a corporate mandate? That right there, denying a potential buyer their own inspection, that is a red flag. But I understand now. Building safe and well crafted homes is apparently a violation of corporate policy.
this is the reason we didnt buy a DR Horton home here in Ft Worth...we went with a small local builder....much better built, now 9 years and no problem at all...
Excellent. We decided to buy DR house today. Still and empty lot and this convinces me to get inspector prior to closing. DR is the GC but it’s the subs that build it and get it right or wrong.
Don't sign anything if it says you have to close by a certain date and if you don't close you will have to pay per day. They won't fix anything you point out at the walk though but you will still HAVE to close.
It may be too late, but get an inspection before insulation and drywall go up, that finds structure issues before they are covered up. This is the cheapest time for both you and the builder to fix these issues.
Don’t do it, run. Read your contract carefully and I guarantee you it will state that you cannot sue them for anything. You can only use arbitration. That is a huge red flag.
Them telling you that you cannot hire a framing inspector, because it is against their corporate policy... I would have told them that if they wish me to close on the home, that I will do any inspection I wish! Corporate policy isn't what I'm allowed to do by law. If I have an inspection clause in the contract, I can hire any inspectors I wish. If they don't like that, I'll see them in court. I had a builder show me plans when I bought a home, and they showed an outdoor patio area. Later they changed their mind, likely decided they could save some money, and changed their landscaping plans so I had no outdoor patio area. This home had been built on spec by the developer, so I had only a small earnest money deposit, which the contract stated I would get back if we failed to close. A week before close they told me they wouldn't be doing the patio. I said I understood, and wanted to know how much off I was going to get. They laughed and told me they could change their plans at any time. I laughed and told them I could walk away as well. I got the patio and landscaping I had understood was going to go in originally.
If your inspector can't do a pre-drywall inspection, then don't buy, period. You should actually be sending your own inspector out for every phase of the build.
So glad you put this out before buying. Look at home inspector channels. You dodged the bullet. According to them these developers are horrible. All they care about is you getting the loan. And currently, there are no lemon laws on banks giving loans on these lemons.
These large home builders (D.R. Horton, Lennar) pop up houses real quick & subcontract labor. These homes are flimsy at best, but shoddy work can make them more costly down the road for buyers who, past warranty period, discover issues expensive to fix out of pocket. They just don’t make quality houses anymore.
It's not just DR Horton, it's most builders. I think so much falls on the specific community you are looking at, the subcontractors they are using, the construction manager and the project manager. If the construction manager is cutting corners and using cheap materials and using the cheapest sub contractors to get it up as quick as possible and the project manager is just worried about time, you will have issues. I bought a DR Horton townhome back in 2009 and had no problems but some of my neighbors said they had problems. I think that had to do with different phases and using different subcontractors. The thing is, as a buyer, you have no transparency into what is going on behind the scenes. Your best recourse is to hire your own home inspector but they won't catch everything either and if it's already sheetrocked, the inspector won't see anything that is messed up behind the walls but always hire your own independent home inspector.
DR Horton built my new home in South Carolina. You said the truth about DR Horton using inexpensive contractors, cheap materials, and superintendents that were not qualified. It took 1 1/2 years of fighting to get 73 issues resolved. New home owners must document every construction issue and bring these issues to the builder immediately. In conclusion, it's the workers that are skilled or not and the superintendent for DR Horton that determines the quality of your home. Good Luck
@@jdos5643let them frown, it's your right. You can get inspection, ( private), a each phase. If they won't let you , dont buy house. I was looking at a house that had the door and stairs to basement in a narrow hall. I asked them to move it 4' to the garage so i would be able to get sheet rock down there, and they refused. I walked out. I'm spending hundreds of thousands of dollars and they cant ove a door? They didn't even offer to do it for a price.
@@jdos5643 Once again, it depends on the community. they encouraged me to select my own inspector. Also, I live in Texas. I have heard stories that they probably build higher quality homes in Texas because they are based there. I don't know how true that is though.
I built a house in 1995 and the build quality even then was at best mediocre If they misses all these cosmetic issues and doors hit other doors, I would be terrified of what is lurking behind the walls
3:19 water penetrating the siding will flow to that ledge. Sealing with Caulk may channel water toward the house. Careful about caulking around windows as well, water needs a place to escape.
@@MoneyHungryPicker I've seen a lot of homes like this that is not caulked. I think the most important thing is to make sure you have a slope on the bricks so water can flow away instead of towards the wall.
I'm also a Horton customer! In fact, in the matter of house construction, there are always a few aspects related to: Materials - cheap, low-cost materials will quickly fail later! (cheap home) Managers, subcontractors, and workers in order of preference. Comes from the worker - there will be one person or another, some people with weak skills, some with good skills - a problem with weak skills (weak skills and cheap labor costs) But on the worker is the manager - is the subcontractor - if the subcontractor gets cheap and the subcontractor team is not good, it can't do better. Higher than the subcontractor is Horton's general management team - if the management team is good (the salary is also high) and responsible, they will never neglect and ignore the mistakes - petty mistakes that ruin project value!!!!
@@highlightsateleven5434 They may be good at management, they may be good at making a profit - but the management of construction quality really needs someone who is good at the profession and always closely monitors the quality of the construction (the best quality with the money spent), requiring standard operations for each job - they really lack managers like that!
Imagine buying any other product, esp at the price point of a house, and having to hire your own person to QA it because you can't trust the company to build it right themselves.
Honestly man, the problem isn't what you can see but what's hidden behind walls or from view. Getting a private inspector to oversee the different development stages of the home being built is crucial because these homemaking companies don't care about anything but building fast and selling quick. Remember that homes are built by a general contractor, not a house building company. Just spending the extra money to oversee a house being built right can save you a lot more money down the road when more serious problems start occurring.
Wait - You had to pay extra for gutters? Is that a regional thing, or part of DR Horton's requirements? Just wondering... Also, I'd really be concerned about those nails not going into the trusses properly. That looks like a major structural defect to me. As you said, you're going to hire your own framing engineer to inspect it, but I'd press them on getting that person in before you close. I've read that they don't really honor their warranties. Best of luck, and hopefully, they can get the issues fixed!
Hey great informative video! It's been 4 months since you posted this video, how are things going? I will say all those nails that missed the wood were disturbing! I've heard so many horror stories about these builders, I'm in the process of selling my home and buying a new build, but I have concerns about quality issues. Hope your new home is working out.
Concrete will crack… But the real question is why did this new concrete crack so early?? Another big issue!! I see this happen too often and it never ends well.
Run buddy, run! Once they have the dough you have little leverage. "Cosmetic things" are critical to the next buyer. Hold their feet to the fire. Do they do a moisture test before applying the wall linings?
So ugly that they chop down EVERY TREE to build those cheap cookie cutter houses. Pure laziness to cut all the trees down just so builders don’t have to work around them.
I cant comprehend gutters being considered an 'option', you may as well have the slab and windows as an option because both will perish inside 5 years without gutters. The fact that the down-pipes aren't plumbed to a stormwater system is insane for a similar reason, it's going to turn the soil under the slab to muddy slush, inviting black mold, timber rot and slab subsidence. Also the gaps around windows, wall joints and eave trim joints are NOT 'just cosmetic', anything that allows ingress of water inside the walls or attic; is structural. Even if the roofing supervisor wasn't lying about the boards, (which I highly doubt), the free hanging nails will create increasingly larger holes as normal movement occurs, allowing rain to penetrate into the attic. Run; away.
Your concern with the nailing of the OSB board, it is possible at the time of nailing the OSB to the truss the worker did notice the nails were missing and re-nailed it again into the truss. The other problem is the nails that are missed and not nailed into the truss will work themselves back up and raise the roofing shingle and could damage the roof felt and shingle and cause a leak.
Those are smart light switches you do not want to caulk around them you need to be able to take off the cover. The gaps in the shower do not caulk those either those are like weep holes in case you were to get water behind your tile it won’t cause mold.
Young man you said can still get out of this deal per inspection? You had SOO many issues I think I'd run like Warnar Bros Roadrunner. Beep Beep, puff of dust!!!!
That roof situation is a much bigger issue than you realize. Walk away if you can. Not to mention all of the points that they left vulnerable for water intrusion, thus mold!! These are big ticket items that the average home buyer doesn’t realize. I would cut my losses and move on and not close on the home. I’m embarrassed for your superintendent and DR Horton. Again these are big ticket items that if and when they surfaceIn the next few years will be costly at best.
With all of those "minor" issues I would be concerned with the overall quality. A builder/craftsman that would overlook some of those issues would also "overlook" or just simply ignore other issues. And it seems obvious they rushed through this build. And they wouldn't allow you to bring a specialist in to give you an opinion? BS!! Corporate policy? Yeah right. That would also be a clue that they do crappy work.
Isn’t DR Horton one of the builders that won’t allow inspectors to go on the roof or in the attic? I also think they require you to have one of their reps accompany the inspector.
My daughter looked at some DR Homes a couple of months ago. This particular area had so many people moving there that they changed their sales process to needing to put in a bid and highest bidder committed to buying before any lumber even hit the slab. We walked away from that.
Bathroom door crashes into the glass shower door? The garage door hits the bedroom door? Who was the architect on this home, Mr Magoo? The hot water heater gas piping shows a total lack of craftsmanship. Can’t bring a specialist to check anything before you buy it? Once the papers are signed you will spend thousands fighting to get things fixed. Don’t walk away from this wreck- RUN!!!
Mine in 1998, slab cement was crooked in kitchen, no insulation in attic,water softener drain pipe not down drain stack, flooded laundry room on first regen. Drywall texture bad, painted over all,the dust on base boards. Boot print in concrete by front door. Pocket door installed crooked,wrong kitchen cabinets.lots of concrete cracks exposed when new flooring installed. Neighbor behind water floods into my yard under crappy block,wall. Wind blew over their wall.
The roofing nails missing the truss is very common, and the way the roofing supervisor checked to verify the OSB was secured is valid. Your reasoning for moving forward is spot on. Once you own the home you can have a trusted specialist check out the framing, cornice, and roofing. The closet issue, I would make them fix before closing. It will be about week or so repair if they have the carpet on hand.
You are going to be so sorry you bought that house. They don't want a framing specialist because he will tell you to run as fast as you can. There should not be tat many misses in the roof.
DR Horton is facing class action lawsuits for a reason. Missing something is one thing, but using inferior materials such as cardboard walls is intentional. They make garbage. Way too many lawsuits and complaints for me. A DR Horton home is a hard no for me.
The dryer vent box is supposed to be down to floor level per the manufacturer instructions. Having the dryer vent box higher will cause your flex hose to have an extra bend which will restrict the exhaust air flow and other issues.
All of the door issues is due to framing. The project manager, construction manager, superintendent is to redline the plans prior to construction and catch these kind of mistakes on the blueprints. Obviously this was not done or the individual that allegedly redline the plans had very little to no experience. Again another costly mistakeThat the homebuyer has to absorb. I have sat in the office for three months on one project redlining the plans of all the incorrect dimensions, and resubmit for final approval then construction of the structure. This is simple stuff!!
I'm not a homeowner so I'm just curious - why would someone want to buy a house after seeing many things weren't installed correctly. Are Dr horton homes a fraction of the price of well built houses?
They tend to be lower in price especially these days. Customs homes are ridiculously expensive. Most things wrong with my house were minor and all got fixed. So far so good.
The only reason that DR Horton doesn’t have more lawsuits is because of their tricky wording in their contract. If you read your contract, it will stay that you cannot sue them, and that you have to go through an arbitrator. That’s a huge red flag right there. You buy from them and you are totally screwed. I’m just telling you. You’ve been warned.
Walk away. U seem to have talked yourself into this but as a carpenter, as well as someone who has seen multiple Horton Homes built from the ground up I can tell u they are trash. You have found multiple issues thru multiple trades showing a pattern of poor craftsmanship. Unfortunately it appears you didn't inspect during the framing stage. That is where they are really bad and skimp a lot on the way the frame using bare minimum. I can guarantee you have studs on 24" centers as opposed to 16". Also the poor quality finish materials, (flooring, carpet, cabinets etc) is another sign to walk away. They cater to people that don't know what they're looking at and essentially put lipstick on a pig and the majority have no clue what the bones of their house are made of. I hope it works for you but finding this many issues without even seeing the framing, plumbing ,electrical or mechanical before it was drywalled should tell you enough. Look at the final product they delivered you. That was their best effort to make it look passable and it was still God awful. You can do better bro trust me
They need to fix all those things that is a brand new house. Why are you making excuses for those people. You buy this house and your asking for problems. You worked hard for your money man. Let us know how things turned out.
I'm a DR Horton homeowner. You made a huge mistake. It's not what you can see it's what you can't see. I would not have bought the home with the two doors alone. Also, did the inspector check the singles? Are they 3 ply? Every owner had their roofs replaced within the first year. DR Horton would not cover it.
One issue is that the mulch in the front of the house is too high. There should be 6' of exposed concrete below the brick so you can identify any termite tunnels built. The side and back were fine in that regard, but something to monitor.
I would not buy a house like this. The things you and your inspector found are only the tip of the iceberg. Poor quality and bad design like the door hitting the shower door are things that are going to cause problems down the line. Again these are only the things you were able to see. The warranties these builders provide are usually not worth the paper they are written on. Looks like the shoddy workmanship on this home is the fault of the general contractor or builder hiring sub standard sub contractors and even poorer supervision by the builder. People buy new homes with the idea that they won’t have these types of problems only to be disappointed and have to file class action lawsuits against the builder. Buyer beware!
Definitely not a DR Horton sales man. If my house falls apart I promise you I will be on here showing videos of every bit of the issues. 1 year update coming in April.
