Do you know who is actually building your home?

[Tik-Tok]

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Is that the Calgary attitude, it’s expected?

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I wouldn’t touch 95% of the garbage being built these days

You answered your own question.

I would expect it, because I'm a fairly informed consumer. I do research before I make most purchases.

[lilmira]

We are reputable builders. The shell that we build is rock solid, completely leak free. Your homes? Alberta is dry so you'll be fine.

[89coupe]

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You answered your own question.

I would expect it, because I'm a fairly informed consumer. I do research before I make most purchases.

The way you said it sounded like we should accept it.

There should be more liability, there should be more quality control.

[gwill]

@CLiVE - I found the article a bit odd. The one lady was there for 5 years but then they quoted a higher number of years elsewhere in the article.

[Prelude_dude]

wait a minute... from the article.. I'm actually surprised there are still people that feel that Cardel Homes is a quality home builder.

[ExtraSlow]

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There should be more liability, there should be more quality control.

Until there is enough liability to seriously impact corporate profits, there will not be any more quality control.

[Maxt]

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its pretty expected in calgary though. Anything built after 1978 is a going to have problems.

ftfy.

[Tik-Tok]

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ftfy.

Yeah, but those problems will have been fixed by now.

[msommers]

I remember when I was looking my realtor just omitted anything built from 2004-2009. By the sounds of it it should be anything before 2000 at least.

Sounds like buying inner city isn't so bad after all

[Tik-Tok]

What really makes me laugh is when I hear about people buying in brand new neighborhoods "to avoid old house problems "... They aren't wrong, but now they have "new house problems".

[LilDrunkenSmurf]

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What really makes me laugh is when I hear about people buying in brand new neighborhoods "to avoid old house problems "... They aren't wrong, but now they have "new house problems".

My 1982 home has way less problems than my 2013 condo did.

[msommers]

I can sympathize a bit with builders because finding reliable, quality trades people these days seems like a task in and of itself.

Is kind of bizarre how materials are more reliable and easier to install, and yet still have so many problems. Maybe part of the problem is actually the materials aren't as reliable as well?

I know who I'd use for a custom build but fuck if I can afford them

[JRSC00LUDE]

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Is kind of bizarre how materials are more reliable and easier to install, and yet still have so many problems. Maybe part of the problem is actually the materials aren't as reliable as well?

Yes and no, there are a fuck-ton of importers flooding markets with cheap, Chinese made garbage that builders can use for a fraction of the cost but it's not going to hold up long term. On the multi-units you also have them pushing time-frames and installing things when conditions absolutely do not warrant it so when it all starts falling apart the builder is gone and the Owner is left with a long term project.

I know it happens, it happens here too, but to adopt the idea that oh well it's to be expected is what's crazy to me. Tough situation to correct because it's a combination of profit over quality "builders" and, cheap people who would rather pay less to buy from these idiots than from someone building the identical thing but doing it right - because that's going to cost more. Funny thing is, those are the same morons who will exclaim the good builder is just gouging people with their prices. "I bought the same thing for 40K less, those guys are crooks no wonder their Owner drives a BMW!"

[msommers]

I think you're right in that the general public views cheaper = better without a second thought -- it's not something I really identify with as I hate purchasing new shit all the time so higher quality, more expensive the first time ends up being cheaper/easier in the long run. Or at least that's how I self-justify buying more expensive things

With a house, I think it's harder to appreciate and identify what quality actually looks like. And I can certainly relate because I sure as fuck don't know every part in a house and which brand/models to go with.

In the end in comes down to trust, which is something that sadly is diminishing. Is the sales guy at the plumbing store trying to sell me the most expensive faucet or because it genuinely will last the longest?

[CLiVE]

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@CLiVE - I found the article a bit odd. The one lady was there for 5 years but then they quoted a higher number of years elsewhere in the article.

@gwill I thought the first building was done in 2013, and the rest after that. The article mentioned she had been there for 5 years, and then said "other owners bought into the Panorama West development less than 10 years ago". Misleading statement, but technically correct.

[triplep]

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wait a minute... from the article.. I'm actually surprised there are still people that feel that Cardel Homes is a quality home builder.

Yeah, this quote got me:

"You thought that you were getting that quality from that homebuilder only to discover later on that that wasn't the homebuilder whatsoever. It was extremely confusing because in the purchase agreement is when they listed Panorama West Ltd.," she said.

Obviously she's never dealt with Cardel and the shoddy work they do. Never again will we deal with them.

[88CRX]

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Is kind of bizarre how materials are more reliable and easier to install, and yet still have so many problems. Maybe part of the problem is actually the materials aren't as reliable as well?

A 2018 house is far superior in energy usage, personal comfort and longevity if its built correctly over anything build 10, 20, 40, 60 years ago.

The issues that people have with building envelope in new homes is caused by homes these days being sealed so tight that any moisture that gets into the building (walls, roof, etc) cannot dry out. A 40 year old house allows way more moisture to leak into them then anything built now its just that the 40 year old house isn't air tight so it just drys out in a lite breeze. Most of those older homes have little insulation, no vapour barrier (definitely not continuous) and little if any exterior building paper. Dont kid yourself water is getting in your old house it just doesn't get trapped in there and cause more issues because wind literally dries it out.

And honestly these envelope issues are very simple to follows (ie: its not rocket surgery) but some of the trades are completely clueless. And if you don't have a good super overseeing the entire build (and babysitting some of these low cost trades) you are fucked. The trades will not consider others work and some are straight up clueless.

You need a continuous exterior envelope that has no reverse laps... dead fucking simple... but is missed all the time.
You need a continuous vapour barrier... again dead fucking simple.... but its missed all the time.
You need proper window sill membranes... pretty simple shit again.... but its done incorrectly all the time.

100% of these issues can be caught before exterior or interior finished go up but do any purchasers go on site and look at this stuff? Nope. Everyone only cares about their white kitchen cabinets, granite countertops and paint knicks on the walls.

[realazy]

There are trades that show up and do their job without even caring what needs to be done before. I recall a friends house where the drywall guys showed up before the insulation was done and they still put up the dry wall....

[AndyL]

What 88crx said. But yeah - these condos were terrible, worse than the streetside ones - at least they had the decades of screwups to make minor tweaks to the design so isuess go away in the next build cycle.

Condos with major building envelope issues is pretty common these days I expect it'll be much worse in the next decade.

[msommers]

@88CRX great post, thanks. And that's just one thing...