Top 10 things I have learned about D R Horton homes since owning one for 5.5 years

[2K2 LS1]

I work in Coppell; so we are looking at may Grapevine, Mansfield, Colony, Trophy Club, or possibly McKinney etc.....for the next hood. I hear north of 635 is the deciding point lol

[Rick Modena]

Steve they ALL use outsourced crews. I implore you to prove me wrong otherwise, unless you are going to use a multi-million dollar home builder and then I want proof the they use college grad engineers to build their homes, lol!

[2K2 LS1]

On a side note.....after 3 years in our home I found out what a mysterious light switch in our entry way was. We had a 3-gang switch plate and only knew what 2 of the switches worked. Since it is a tract neighborhood, and we had friends that had our same floor-plan; I went over there and researched the similarities and differences in our homes. They just so happened to have a light fixture in between the entry way and kitchen that we didn't. I even complained that it was always dark before in that area lol. Well once I learned this I flipped the switch on; grabbed my Fluke Hot Stick and waved it over the sheet rock, where the light fixture should've been. Sure enough it lit up as a hot connection behind the sheet rock.

I was super pissed. I went across the street to the builders office where they are temporarily setup and demanded they cut the sheet rock, expose the electrical connection, and install the light fixture. 30 minutes later they were over there doing just that. They discovered it was a bare romex wire with no wire caps, or electrical tape or anything to protect the ends form ever shorting out. Apparently the previous electricians had commonly done things like this and others like listed in my top 10 list, and were subsequently fired. The new electrical company took care of it and warned me of numerous other electrical issues that I have since found and corrected.

[Rreemo]

I used a custom builder and still went every day to inspect their work.....I also carried the construction loan myself, so I had leverage to deny their draws if I didn't like the work or materials. Had hell for the first couple months with a shitty super intendant....I was literally catching issues at a rate of about 5:1 from him....I finally got fed up and threatened to fire the builder, instead they fired that guy and got me a new super....from there everything was spot on, the new guy really knew his shit and did a great job. He even did several no charge extras for us in exchange for me doing a little work on his diesel.

[2K2 LS1]

Steve they ALL use outsourced crews. I implore you to prove me wrong otherwise, unless you are going to use a multi-million dollar home builder and then I want proof the they use college grad engineers to build their homes, lol!

I did home theater installs for 2 years with a high-end company on new home builds in Highland Park that actually required their contractors have college degrees; but they used alot of the same dirt leg subs and crews to do their builds for them. Difference is they used a helluva lot nicer materials in the builds and the finish-out landed their homes in numerous magazines.

[Treybiz]

I work in Coppell; so we are looking at may Grapevine, Mansfield, Colony, Trophy Club, or possibly McKinney etc.....for the next hood. I hear north of 635 is the deciding point lol

I grew up in Southlake and moved into Grapevine when I came back from College. We love that area and are determined to move back there from NRH before Junior starts school which is several years. Good thing, grapevine isn't cheap these days.

[03mustangdude]

Isn't it better to find a contractor and make your own custom house on a tract of land you own? I've heard this was the cheaper solution with more features that you want. Has anyone tried doing it like that?

[Steve]

Steve they ALL use outsourced crews. I implore you to prove me wrong otherwise, unless you are going to use a multi-million dollar home builder and then I want proof the they use college grad engineers to build their homes, lol!

I'm not disagreeing with you on that, yes they all the cookie cutters do. I currently live in one, it's been fine and we haven't had any problems. There is good homes and bad homes. But several custom home builders employ there own crews for their builds to keep a hold of their own strict set of guidelines. You can find them with some research. Our next home is a Paul Taylor Home.

[Vertnut]

Now you're talking out of your ass. You can say what you want about MMA, L.A. and SaHD shit, but this is something you have no clue about.

I spent three years researching my next home builder before I bought/built and Highland/Hunnington homes were by far the best. Their customer service and build quality at the time were the above par. I've been in my home 12 years this November and have not had any issues with their build. I have many, many friends that have had similar issues as Brad, but I have had none.

Highland is a full notch above DR, First Texas, etc.

[Rick Modena]

Mine too, the only reason Im not using Highland next time is because we want a little extra land. They seem to only build on 1 acre lots and more. I was very impressed with their build quality as well and they amount of custom options as standard. I still might buy a Highland home just depends on the location and deal.

If I can sell my home than I will probably move to Wylie or Lucas into a Paul Taylor home.

[bcoop]

There are good homes and bad homes. But several custom home builders employ their own crews for their builds to keep a hold of their own strict set of guidelines.

[Steve]

Highland is a full notch above DR, First Texas, etc.

Highland Homes are very nice, it was my wife's second choice. The only problem was the area we were looking in the lots were WAY too small and we wanted some space with a big lot the next time around.

[STANGGT40]

Mine too, the only reason Im not using Highland next time is because we want a little extra land. They seem to only build on 1 acre lots and more. I was very impressed with their build quality as well and they amount of custom options as standard. I still might buy a Highland home just depends on the location and deal.

If I can sell my home than I will probably move to Wylie or Lucas into a Paul Tayor home.

i've looked at a few highlands, and they are pretty nice...they seem to do a pretty good job, and so does paul taylor. it all comes down to the standards that they hold their subs to and what they let them get away with. their subs are beat down to such a super tight margin, that they're all looking for as many shortcuts as they can to make an extra few bucks.

[Rick Modena]

Highland is a full notch above DR, First Texas, etc.

The customer service that HH provides is unmatched on my purchase. I had a tree die on me two years after I moved in, not their problem right. I went ahead and called since they were still building in my area, they came out and dug up the old one and planted a new one.
Five years later I was buying a surround system and I was getting quotes to install the speakers in the ceilings. My wife had thought we payed for that, we looked up our build contract and behold, we did pay for it. We didnt noticed it or care at the time since we didnt have a surround system then, I sent an email. They came by saw the paperwork, BAM the electricians showed and and spent several days installing my wires, patching the holes and repainted everything to my satisfaction.

[Broncojohnny]

Gonna have to look at the $250k+ neighborhoods from now on to weed out the trash lol

From what I have seen, I think $200K is about the break point for the trash in Plano. I'd say $250K would leave them out of your area.

As for the custom homes, I have one built by David Weekly in 1995. It is unique in the subdivision it is in, which is about 50 houses. They cut corners in a few areas but overall it isn't bad. And the cheap shit was the easiest to change. IE, the fixtures and countertops and flooring. Things like the A/C system, roof and hot water heaters had a really good lifespan.