KB Homes is what inspired me to make this thread. I always thought they were good, and liked their layouts the best by far. But then I came across a survey by JD Power and Associates of Houston area home builders, and they were ranked at the very bottom in terms of New-Home Quality: They were ranked above-average on customer satisfaction, but being dead last in quality killed it for me. Thus, this thread! Link to study: http://businesscenter.jdpower.com/JDPAContent/CorpComm/News/content/Releases/pdf/2010177-hous.pdf
Well, 822/1000 is 82.2/100, that's a B, looks pretty good. I think the problems are proabably minor things that can be easily be repaired. Hopefully a KB home owner can give us some insight on this.
Do any of the well-known builders offer custom layouts or you have to pick something they have already designed?
While I'm not comfortable railing against a builder (since it could be considered a conflict of interest), if I were a consumer, knowing what I know about KB, I would most certainly stay away. Let's just put it this way.....they have no regard for quality control. That's all I will say on them.
yea I have a similar question, my parents want to rebuild or add on to the house they currently have, any recommendations?
It really depends on where you are looking to build. If you are looking in a Master Planned Community, then a lot of times, builders don't have the flexibility to customize much. The HOA's make them select a certain number of floor plans, and they cannot deviate much from those. Now, if you are looking at going with a Build On Your Lot option, then they can usually customize (or build from scratch) any floor plan you select. Most of the time, they will give you a base floor plan based on the criteria that you have given them, and then you can play around with it, and figure out what you need to add or remove. They are usually pretty easy to work with however, and if it comes down to it, as long as it's allowed, I don't think they would have a problem with it. If you are looking at working with an architect yourself, however, and building a fully custom house on your own, I would work with a luxury builder. Usually, the trade workers for the bigger builders don't have the know-how on how to build out a larger custom home. There is a LOT that goes into it, and usually the guys that are hired to work on the frame and foundation for volume builders don't cut the mustard in terms of quality in comparison to luxury home builders. It's a completely different ballgame.
